William Burke’s 1821 journey focused heavily on distributing religious texts to the communities of Long Island. Arriving first in South Hampton, he spent a week with the local minister before using Dr. Woolworth’s home as a headquarters to visit Sag Harbour and East Hampton, where he called upon the Widow Gardiner.
A major highlight of this trip was his visit to a settlement of Christian Indians on the eastern end of the island. Burke distributed Bibles to the tribe and spent two days worshipping with them in the meeting house where Paul Cuffee had formerly preached.
Continuing westward along the southern coast, Burke led a Sabbath meeting for a congregation lacking a settled minister. He proceeded through Babylon, Hempstead, and Jamaica, distributing Bibles and tracts while attending numerous conference meetings, before finally spending a week in New York City to gather more religious materials and returning home to East Haddam.
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