Background
John Eliot was born in Widford, Hertfordshire, England in 1604 and lived at Nazeing as a boy. His father had extensive land-holdings in Hertford and Essex counties. When John was a child, his parents moved to Nazeing.
John Eliot was born in Widford, Hertfordshire, England in 1604 and lived at Nazeing as a boy. His father had extensive land-holdings in Hertford and Essex counties. When John was a child, his parents moved to Nazeing.
John Eliot attended Jesus College, Cambridge. After college, he became assistant to Thomas Hooker at a private school at Little Baddow, Essex.
The influence of Hooker apparently determinedhim to become a Puritan, but his connexion with the school ceased in 1630, when Laud's persecutions drove Hooker into exile.
The realization of the difficulties in the way of a non- conforming clergyman in England undoubtedly determined Eliot to emigrate to America in the autumn of 1631, where he settled first at Boston, assisting for a time at the First Church.
In the care of the Roxbury church he was associated with Thomas Welde from 1632 to 1641, with Samuel Danforth (1626 - 1674) from 1649 to 1674, and with Nehemiah Walter (1663 - 1750) from 1688 to 1690.
Inspired with the idea of converting the Indians, his first step was to perfect himself in their dialects, which he did by the assistance of a young Indian whom he received into his home.
He first successfully preached to the Indians in their own tongue at Nonantum (Newton) in October 1646.
At the third meeting several Indians declared themselves converted, and were soon followed by many others.
Eliot induced the Massachusetts General Court to set aside land for their residence, the same body also voting him £10 to prosecute the work, and directing that two clergymen be annually elected by the clergy as preachers to the Indians.
As soon as the success of Eliot's endeavours became known, the necessary funds flowed in upon him from private sources in both Old and New England.
The first appeal for aid brought contributions of £11, 000.
In 1651 the Christian Indian town founded by Eliot was removed from Nonantum to Natick, where residences, a meeting-house, and a school-house were erected, and where Eliot preached, when able, once in every two weeks as long as he lived.
A second town under his direction was established at Ponkapog (Stoughton) in 1654, in which he had the assistance of Daniel Gookin (c. 1612 - 1687).
His success was duplicated in Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket by the Mayhews, and by 1674 the unofficial census of the "praying Indians " numbered 4000.
Several years elapsed before Eliot completed his task of translating the Bible.
The New Testament was at last issued in 1661, and the Old Testament followed two years later.
The New Testament was bound with it, and thus the whole Bible was completed.
To it were added a Catechism and a metrical version of the Psalms.
The title of this Bible, now a great rarity, is Mamussee W unneetupanatamwe U p-Biblum God naneeswe Nukkone Testament kah wonk Wusku Testament-Ne quoshkinnum. uk nashpe Wuttinncumoh Christ noh assoowesit John Eliot-, literally translated, " The Whole Holy His-Bible God, both Old Testament and also New Testament.
This turned by the-servant-of-Christ, who is called John Eliot. " This book was printed in 1663 at Cambridge, Massachussets, by Samuel Green and Marmaduke Johnson, and was the first Bible printed in America.
With the assistance of his sons he completed (1664) his well-known Indian Grammar Begun, printed at Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1666.
In 1671 Eliot printed in English a little volume entitled Indian Dialogues, followed in 1672 by his Logick Primer, both of which were intended for the instruction of the Indians in English.
His last translation was Thomas Shepard's Sincere Convert, completed and published by Grindal Rawson in 1689.
He was, with Richard Mather, one of the editors of the Bay Psalm Book (1640).
His Harmony of the Gospels (1678) was a life of Jesus Christ.
Quotations: "When I came to this blessed family, I then saw, and never before, the power of godliness in its lively vigor and efficacy".
John Eliot was married to Hanna Mumford. They had six children, five sons and one daughter.