Microsoft word - jamestown letter.doc

Topic: “Jamestown Colony is Settled” Allegra Bipes 10605 52nd Ave N Plymouth MN 55442 763-557-9956 [email protected] Wild Wings Academy (home school), Grade 6 NSDAR Chapter: Captain John Holmes 912 Words I am trying to get this letter on the return boat to England. It is hard to find time to write. As my maid and I are the only females here, our company is much in demand. The voyage took four months and we have been here for two months. I have sad news to tell: our friend Hugh is not with us. His ship, Sea Venture, was wrecked in Bermuda. They are building a new ship and should join us soon. The rest of our group, praise God, arrived safely. Our voyage was uncomfortable, to say the least. The meat was full of maggots, the bread soon went stale and moldy, and fresh water was scarce. We were lucky to stop for fresh provisions in Africa and the Caribbean, though the fruit lasted but a few days. We amused ourselves by playing checkers, dominoes and card games. George and Daniel had an ongoing rivalry at checkers and were Our captain was quite talented in his navigation, steering us clear of the most miserable stormy weather. The bucking of the ship and the pitching of the waves often made us wish to join those less fortunate souls who went before us and are forever lost to their watery graves. My Thomas was constantly at the side of the ship feeding the fishes. He has lost much weight and is dreadfully thin. His spirits remained high and he is much Since we’ve arrived, we desperately miss the cool sea breeze. The air in Jamestown is so heavy and the whine of the mosquitoes never ends. We had no time to refresh ourselves after the long journey as the Council immediately put us to work in the fields. They were not sympathetic about Thomas’s recent poor health. Even the fanciest gentlemen are required to do labor. Some groups work in the fields, some fish and some fell logs, and all learn to fight. Our backs are sore, and our hands are blistered. My fashionable hats are useless here. I was obliged to convert my favorite petticoat into work bonnets for Anne and myself. Our shoes don’t hold up Captains Winne and Waldo, whom the Virginia Company sent with us to join the council, pleaded the case of the Company to send gold back to England. The existing Council members declared that safety and survival are of greater importance. There is much arguing among them. I hope the company will be satisfied with the lumber being sent, though Thomas says I am not to concern myself with business matters. The wheat fields are pitiful here and there will be little bread this winter. A new crop, corn, grows plentifully. It is a yellow grain that is moist and sweet in taste when ripe. The stalks on which it grows are about six feet tall with long green leaves. The ears of corn must be dried and stored for the winter. It will be ground to make a type of Indian corn bread. Some Indian women come to the fort with food supplies on occasion and have taught the settlers about the native edibles. I am told the savages were friendly when the first Englishmen arrived. But a glass cup went missing and the Indians were accused of stealing it. Ever since, it has not been safe to venture past the protection of the fort walls. I have therefore seen little of the country. The land is mainly forest, with fields cleared for crops here and there. There is much marshland. We must collect water at low tide to minimize the amount of brackish seawater that mixes with the fresh river water. John Lewes, the cooper, is kept busy by making buckets for us to store water. Bathing and clothes washing are Jamestown, such as it is, is full of industry. Along one fort wall are the glass blowers, with the blacksmith not for away. Along another wall are the wood planers who trim logs for our buildings and to send back to England. Those who gather the wood outside the fort must travel in close groups with weapons at the ready. They must be on the alert for savages, which may lurk behind any tree ready to sling their arrows. Little Milman came back one day with an arrow in his leg, which Doc Gittnat removed. Little Milman is recovering but will forever have a limp. The houses are built of logs set perpendicular to the ground with the ends buried two feet deep into the dirt and with roofs of bark. As time permits, gaps between the logs are filled with mud and moss. A few homes have sleeping platforms erected along a wall. We sleep on the floor atop boughs of hemlock. As they say here, a hard day’s work makes for a soft bed. Conditions are crowded, but the Council is already building more homes for the new arrivals. A fire is constantly burning in the middle of the dwelling, for cooking and for heat. We eat well of the fish, game and berries Anne is highly popular among the men, and may marry soon. She asks that you send word to her mother that she is doing well. Yours affectionately, Your niece, Rebecca Forrest Works cited: Collier, James L., The Corn Raid: The Story of the Jamestown Settlement, Columbus, Ohio, Children’s Publishing, 2000. Colonial Life for Children: Jamestown, Schlesinger Media, 1998. Historical Timeline of the Founding of Jamestown, Virginia. April 25, 2006. British Embassy, Washington D.C. January 12, 2007. <www.britianusa.com/sections/articles_show_nt1.asp?d=0&1=41029&L1=&L2=&a41756>. Landau, Elaine, Explore Colonial Jamestown, Berkeley Heights, NJ, Enslow Publishers Inc., 2006 Morley, Jacqueline, You Wouldn’t Want to be an American Colonist!, New York, NY, Watts P Franklin, 2006. Morse, Marie Alice, Home Life in Colonial Days, Williamstown, MA, Corner House Publishers, 1989. Sea Venture. Jan 15, 2007. Wikipedia. Jan 15, 2007. <en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Venture>. Smith, John, List of Settlers by Occupation. 2000. The Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities. January 10, 2007. <http://www.apva.org/history/list.html>. Sonnedorn, Liz, Pocahontas, Mankato, MN, Blue Earth Books, 2003.

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