Relation of Elisabeth Miller, 1784 [December 14, 1783]1

I belive that there is one god in three persons the father the sone and the holy ghost. I belive that god created man att first holy and upright but being left to himself sinned and fell from that hapy state and so plunged himself and all his posterity into a state of sin and misery but blessed be god he hath found out a way to redeem and save lost men by sending his only begoten son into the world to Suffer upon a cross and dye for us. Wherefore in memory of his dying love, and in obedience to him who hath said do this in remembrance of me I desire to come and renewedly to give my self to god solemnly taking him to be my god. I do hereby give my self to be ruled by his laws, as I would hope to be savd by his merits: I desire to bleess god that I was born in a land of gospell light, and that I was early given up to god by baptism: I humbly ask the forgiveness of god and all his people for all my offences, and desire your prayers for me to be a worthy communicant.

Elisabeth Miller

1 The manuscript relation is dated 1784, but the church records state that she and her husband Fortunatus were admitted on Dec. 14, 1783; Westborough Church Records, 202, https://www.colonialsociety.org/node/4032. Elizabeth Forbush was born on Jan. 29, 1757, and baptized on Mar. 20, the daughter of Ebenezer and Lucy Forbush. She married Fortunatus Miller on Dec. 20, 1781. Their first child, Abner, was born on Oct. 7, 1782, and baptized on Dec. 14, 1783, the day that Elisabeth and Fortunatus joined the Westborough church. The Millers had three more children, Lucy, Betsey, and Charles, before Fortunatus’s death in early 1798. (The earliest document in the administration of his estate was dated Mar. 7, 1798.) As of this writing, there is no information about Elisabeth’s life after the death of her husband. Digital image: https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:z316s983p (images 9–10). The filing notation reads: “Elisabeth Miller Relation 1784.”