May 5, 1748

Ephraim Williams Jr. drafted a will that would have dedicated an endowment “for the promoting & propagating of Christian knowledge amongst the Indians at Stockbridge,” hinting at a possible alternate history to what eventually became Williams College. Ephraim Williams Jr. later revised his will, removed any reference to the Native inhabitants of Stockbridge, and relocated the school he intended to found to an emerging settlement in northern Berkshire county, now called Williamstown. View an image of the document in the Library Catalog.