Occom, Samson

Occom, Samson( 1723–92),
Mohegan Indian of Connecticut, was converted to Christianity by Whitefield (1739) and educated by Eleazar Wheelock. He preached to the Montauk, Stockbridge, and other Indians, received Presbyterian orders (1759), and visited England (1766–67), where he preached to raise money for Dartmouth College. He edited a Choice Collection of Hymns and Spiritual Songs (1774), and several hymns are attributed to him.