The Constable brothers had an interesting relationship with organized religion. As a family they were dissenters—in short, they did not prescribe the idea of a state mandated religion. For them this was the Anglican Church. The separation of church and state enshrined in the United States constitution was an important point for them and one of the myriad reasons they were so interested to see the American experiment for themselves.

This interest then brought them to attend a variety of religious meetings and provide some commentary on each. While making their way to Niagara Falls, this would include attending church services put on by the New York Missionary Society (Methodist) for the region’s Native American communities. Daniel was likely a Deist at best, but William seems more receptive to viewing the meetings positively but quickly comes to appreciate that all is not as it immediately appears.

11 Thurs.  [Thursday, 12 September 1806]

…we made it 2 miles further by turning out of the road to pass thro’ a settlement of about 300 Indians called Tuskauroara Castle. We staid among them some time amusing them with our optical glasses. From one part of their settlement we get a fine and long prospect of Lake Ontario. A Christian priest who is sent by the New York Missionary Society lives here among [them] and keeps a school for the education of their children and preaches likewise to them every Sunday. But as they do not understand English nor he the Indian language he is obliged to have an interpreter at his elbow who translates to them at the end of every sentence.

14 Sept. 1806 [Sunday, 14 September 1806]

Tuscarawra Indians

…[We] had proposed to be at the meeting of the Indians for Divine Worship, we were however too late for the morning service at 3 in the aft.[ernoon]… The congregation consisted of 40 or 50 Indians 2 or 3 negroes and 2 or 3 white people besides ourselves. Their pastor is a venerable looking old man with a large quantity of white hair hanging over his shoulders. He speaks to them in English and has an Indian who understands the language to interpret to them sentences by sentence. The order of the service was thus, in a short address he informs them of the greatness of the work of offering our praises and thanks to the Deity and of the absolute necessity of its being done from the heart. He addresses them by the name of “children,” the Indians then say in their own language. A chapter of the New Testament was then read by the priest and afterward translated by an Indian who mounted the pulpit with the priest for the purpose. A prayer in English, a text of scripture, was then expounded which was translated afterward by the Indian, the Purpose of which was to explain the matter and meaning of a church. Singing in the Indian language the whole closed with an afternoon prayer by the Indian in his own language, the congregation seemed very attentive to the business going forward. The Indians were generally very clean in their persons and the squaws all wore their blanket or in lieu of it a square of broad woolen cloth, they appear’d to be all decked out with all the finery they could muster, some of them had their faces besmeared with paint very whimsically which look’d like dry red lead they are called together by the sound of a post-horn which the priest takes out to the door and gives several hearty twangs with. After the service was perform’d the priest seeing we were strangers descended hastily from the pulpit and pressed us to walk into his sitting room, where he made us take some cake and beer and grog which he had not much difficulty in doing, we having yet had no dinner. He pressed us much to stay and take tea with him and gave us a hearty welcome to a bed if would stay. His name is Holmes. Mrs. Holmes who seems to be as kind a soul as her husband gave us some seed beans of a curious kind. Mr. Holmes likewise gave is an ear of Hudson’s Bay corn and some Indian Tobacco seed to send to our friends in England. We have nowhere met with more kindness and civility than we experienced from this pious pastor of the Indian flock.

All the Indian tribes within these 4 or 5 years are wonderfully improv’d in their moral conduct for honesty and a most faithful adherence to their promises. They have long been famed for these virtues have always belonged to the general character of the Indians ever since their first acquaintance with the Europeans I believe and I believe they have ever been till lately as notorious for their vices of [___?] and debauchery. Their habit however at this time is for 4 or 5 years past have bean mainly laid aside and sobriety is said to [___?] quite as much among them as with the white people. Whether this change has been effected by the introduction of Christianity is a question, many people say it is has, but there are more who are of opinion that an Indian prophet who has risen up amongst them and who resides on the River Ohio has been the cause of this reformation; he preaches to all those who visit him that the power which the white people exercise over the Indian nations is a punishment inflicted on them by the Great Spirit and that until they reform their debauch’d course of life and repair from the use of spirits they cannot hope for his favour in this world or that which is to come; this Indian has acquire a wonderful fame among them and is visited by Indians of every nation and it is remarked that since his appearance their amendment of manners has begun, very few Indians now in this quarter will touch spirits on any pretense…