Brainerd, David

Brainerd, David (brā`nərd), 1718–47, missionary to the Native Americans, b. Haddam, Conn. Licensed to preach in 1742, he spent his brief years among the Native Americans, first in New York and later in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. His diary was widely read and influenced many to enter the mission field. Parts of the diary were published during Brainerd's lifetime, and in 1749, Jonathan Edwards published the hitherto unprinted portion.

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Brainerd, David (1718–47) Protestant missionary; born in Haddam, Conn. An emotional, sickly child, he achieved a religious conversion after much anguish in 1739. He was expelled from Yale in 1742 for making derogatory remarks about a tutor, but he obtained a license to preach and ministered to Indian tribes in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Poor health forced him from the field in early 1747, and he died shortly thereafter. Jonathan Edwards published an account of his life in 1749.