Unnoticed Observers By David Wright.
Showing posts with label settlers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label settlers. Show all posts
Wednesday, 22 May 2019
Monday, 26 November 2018
Immigration in 18th century America.
Immigration in 18th century America.
1707: As a result of the Act of Union (the Scottish Parliament
and the English Parliament united to form the Parliament of Great Britain), a
large migration of Scottish to America began. They settled in colonial seaports
and the Lowland laborers became indentured servants in the tobacco-raising
colonies and New York.
1709: German Palatines, fleeing the devastation of war, settled
in the Hudson Valley and Pennsylvania.
1717: As punishment, criminals in England were transported to
America, mostly to Virginia and Maryland.
1718: Large numbers of discontented Scottish again emigrated to
New England and later to Maryland and Pennsylvania; they had been driven out of
their homeland by high rent, absentee landlords, and short leases for farming
land.
1730: Germans and Scotch-Irish migrated from Pennsylvania to
Virginia and the Carolinas.
1732: Georgia, settled by James Oglethorpe, provided a place for
imprisoned debtors.
1740: In an attempt to encourage Jewish immigration, the
Naturalization Act was enacted by the English Parliament. It gave British
citizenship to colonial immigrants.
1745: Another wave of Scottish immigration when rebels against
the attempt to re-throne the Stuarts were sent to America.
1755: On suspicion of disloyalty, Nova Scotia expelled French
Arcadians. Those who survived settled in Louisiana.
Saturday, 31 March 2018
17C American Women: 1666 A Brief Description of the Province of Caroli...
17C American Women: 1666 A Brief Description of the Province of Caroli...: Robert Horne, A Brief Description of the Province of Carolina (1666) This is one of the earliest descriptions of Carolina. It was publish...
John White c 1587 Natives Fishing in North Carolina.
Saturday, 24 March 2018
Chicory
Chicory.
Dandelion.
This year we have grown Chicory & Dandelion.
https://humanelivingnet.net/2013/04/09/foraging-for-chicory-greens/
Friday, 22 December 2017
Alone Yet Not Alone. Period Movie.
The clothing for the Indians is woefully inaccurate, but if you can ignore this the movie is worth watching.
Thursday, 4 May 2017
New TV Series Coming on the Jamestown Settlement.
Jamestown stars . . . above
from left, Niamh Walsh, Naomi Battrick and Sophie Rundle.
The girls arrive to the Jamestown colony from Britain.
More Information Here: https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/3472210/jamestown-sky1-cast-max-beesley/
Tuesday, 28 February 2017
Monday, 14 November 2016
TAPE LOOM WEAVING AND ITS TRADITIONS IN THE NORTH AMERICAN COLONIES (H 2)
Sunday, 17 July 2016
Thursday, 14 July 2016
Two Great Books To Read To Children Of All Ages.
Do you read to your children or Grandchildren? The following books are great for children of all ages, I read these to my three sons.
The Matchlock Gun By Walter D. Edmonds.
The Matchlock Gun By Walter D. Edmonds.
In 1756, New York State was still a British colony, and
the French and the Indians were constant threats to Edward and his family. When
his father was called away to watch for a raid from the north, only Edward was
left to protect Mama and little Trudy. His father had shown him how to use the
huge matchlock gun, an old Spanish gun that was twice as long as he was, but
would Edward be able to handle it if trouble actually came? This classic, first
published in 1941, has an updated, kid-friendly format that includes the
original black-and-white illustrations.
Winter Danger By William O'Steel.
Caje's taciturn father has raised him to be a woodsy,
always on the move, hunting and trading, trying to stay alive. Jared Amos
adamantly believes that neither he nor his son should be beholden to anyone,
ever. When they're forced by the worst Tennessee winter on record to stay with
Caje'saunt and uncle, the boy is excited to have the opportunity of being warm
and safe, well-fed, and on a farm. His father can only bear it for a short time
before abandoning his son in the middle of one harsh winter night. There are
plenty of exciting scenes involving Indians, bears, hungry wolves and a
panther, illness and starvation due to the unusual weather. Caje eventually
realizes that he belongs with this family; being beholden just means that he'll
be able to return the favour eventually.
Look these books up on the net, plenty of copies for sale.
Keith.
The Matchlock Gun PDF.
Sunday, 22 May 2016
Memoir of Robert Witherspoon. 1730.
Memoir of Robert Witherspoon, A Scots-Irish family
settles
in South Carolina in the 1730s.
We
were then put on board an open boat with tools and a years provision and one
still mill for each family. They allowed each person over sixteen one ax, a
broad ax, one narrow hoe. Our provisions consisted of indian corn, rice,
wheaten flour, beef, pork, rum and salt
we were much distressed in this part of our passage as it was the dead of
winter and we were exposed to the inclemency of the weather day and night and
what added to the grief of all pious persons on board was the Atheistical
blasphemous mouths of our patrons they brought us up as far as Potatoe Ferry on
Black River, about twenty miles from Georgetown and turned us on shore where we
lay in Samuel Commander’s barn for some time while the boat wrought her way up
as far as the king’s tree with the goods and provision.
The boat that brought up the goods arrived at the
Kingstree. The people were much oppressed in bringing their things as there was
no horse there, they were obliged to toil hard, as they had no other way but to
carry them on their back. The goods consisted of their bed-clothing chests
provision tools post &c. [etc. At that time there were no roads every
family had to travel the best they could, which was double distance to some for
their only guides were swamps and branches. After a time the men got sufficient
knowledge of the woods as to blaze paths, so the people learned to follow
blazes from place to place.
As the winter season advanced there was but a short time
for preparing land for planting — but the people were strong and healthy All
that could do anything wrought diligently and continued clearing and planting
as long as the season would admit. So they made provisions for that year. Their
beasts were few and as the range was good there was no need of feeding
creatures for some time to come.
The first thing my father brought from the boat was the
gun[,] one of queen Anne’s muskets,
loaded with swan shot. One morning while we were at breakfast a
travelling oppossum on his way passed the door. My mother screamed out there is
a great bear we hid behind some barrels at the other end of our hut Father got
his gun and steedied it on the fork that held up the end of the hut and shot
him about the hinder parts which caused poor opossum to grin and open his mouth
in a frightful manner. Father having mislaid his shot could not give it a
second bout, but at last ventured out and killed it with a pail.
Another thing which gave us great alarm
was the Indians when they came to hunt in the spring they were great in numbers
and in all places like the Egyptian locast but they were not hurtful. Besides
these things we had a great deal of trouble and hardships in our first
settling, but the few inhabitants were favored with health and strength. We
were also much oppressed with fear on divers other accounts, especially of
being massacred by the Indians, or bit by snakes, or torn by wild beasts, or of
being lost and perishing in the woods, of whom there were three persons who
were never found.
The Backwoods of Canada-Letters of a settler.
The Backwoods Of Canada.
I have listened with feelings of great interest to the history
of the hardships endured by some of the first settlers in the neighbourhood,
when Peterborough contained but two dwelling-houses. Then there were neither
roads cut nor boats built for communicating with the distant and settled parts
of the district ; consequently the difficulties of procuring supplies of provisions
was very great, beyond what any one that has
lately come hither can form any notion of.
When I heard of a whole family having had no better
supply of flour than what could be daily ground by a small hand-mill, and for
weeks being destitute of every necessary, not even excepting bread, I could not
help expressing some surprise, never having met with any account in the works I
had read concerning emigration that at all prepared one for such evils.
" These particular trials," observed my
intelligent friend, " are confined principally to the first breakers of
the soil in the unsettled parts of the country, as was our case. If you diligently
question some of the families of the lower class that are located far from the
towns, and who had little or no means to support them during the first twelve
months, till they could
take a crop off the land, you will hear many sad tales of
distress."
Writers on emigration do not take the trouble of searching
out these things, nor does it answer their purpose to state disagreeable facts.
Few have written exclusively on the " Bush." Travellers generally make
a hasty journey through the long settled and prosperous portions of the country
; they see a tract of fertile, well-cultivated land, the result of many years
of labour; they see comfortable dwellings, abounding with all the substantial
necessaries of life ; the farmer's wife makes her own soap, candles, and sugar
; the family are clothed in cloth of their own spinning, and hose of their own
knitting. The bread, the beer, butter, cheese, meat, poultry, &c. are all
the •
produce of the farm. He concludes, therefore, that Canada
is a land of Canaan, and writes a book setting forth these advantages, with the
addition of obtaining land for a mere song ; and advises all persons who would
be independent and secure from want to emigrate. He forgets that these
advantages are the result of long years of unremitting and patient labour ;
that these things are the croi/m, not the first-fruits of the settler's toil ;
and that during the interval many and great privations must be submitted to by
almost every
class of emigrants. Many persons, on first
coming out, especially if they go back into any of the unsettled townships, are
dispirited by the unpromising appearance of things.
They find none of the advantages and comforts of which
they had heard and read, and they are unprepared for the present difficulties ;
some give way to despondency, and others quit the place in disgust.
A little reflection would have shown them that every rood
of land must be cleared of the thick forest of timber that encumbers it before
an ear of wheat can be grown ; that, after the trees have been chopped, cut
into lengths, drawn together, or logged, as we call it, and burned, the field
must be fenced, the seed sown, harvested, and thrashed before any returns
can be obtained ; that this requires time and much labour,
and, if hired labour, considerable outlay of ready money ; and in the mean time
a family must eat. If at a distance from a store, every article must be brought
through bad roads either by hand or with a team, the hire of which is generally
costly in proportion to the distance and difficulty to be encountered
in the conveyance. Now these things are better known
beforehand, and then people are aware what they have to encounter.
Even a labouring man, though he have land of his own, is
often, I may say generally, obliged to hire out to work for the first year or
two, to earn sufficient for the maintenance of his family ; and even so many of
them suffer much privation before they reap the benefit of their independence.
Were it not for the hope and the certain prospect of bettering their condition
ultimately, they would sink under what they
have to endure ; but this thought buoys them up. They do
not fear an old age of want and pauperism ; the present evils must yield to
industry and perseverance ; they think also for their children ; and the trials
of the present time are lost in pleasing anticipations for the future.
" Surely," said I, " cows and pigs and
poultry might be kept ; and you know where there is plenty of milk, butter, cheese,
and eggs, with pork and fowls, persons cannot be very badly off for food."
" Very true," replied my friend ; " but I
must tell you it is easier to talk of these things at first than to keep them,
unless on cleared or partially cleared farms ; but we are speaking of first
settlement in the backwoods. Cows, pigs, and fowls must eat, and if you have
nothing to give them unless you purchase it,
and perhaps have to bring it from some distance, you had
better not be troubled with them, as the trouble is certain and the profit
doubtful. A cow, it is true, will get her living during the open months of the
year in the bush, but sometimes she will ramble away for days together, and then
you lose the use of her, and possibly much time in seeking her; then in the winter
she requires some additional food to the browse *
that she gets during the chopping season, or ten to one
but she dies before spring ; and as cows generally lose their milk during the
cold weather, if not very well kept, it is best to part with them in the fall
and buy again in the spring, unless you have plenty of * The cattle are supported in a great measure
(luring the fall and winter by eating the tender shoots of the maple, beech, and
bass, which they seek in the newly-chopped fallow ; but they should likewise be
allowed straw or other food, or they will die in the very hard weather.
PROJECTS FOR THE FUTURE. 103
food for them, which is not often the case the first winter.
As to pigs they are great plagues on a newly cleared farm if you cannot fat
them off-hand ; and that you cannot do without you buy food for them, which
does not answer to do at first. If they run loose they are a terrible annoyance
both to your own
crops and your neighbours if you happen to be within half
a mile of one ; for though you may fence out cattle you cannot pigs: even
poultry require something more than they pick up about the dwelling to be of
any service to you, and are often taken oil, by hawks, eagles, foxes, and
pole-cats, till you have pro per securities for them."
" Then how are we to spin our own wool and make our
own soap and candles?" said I. " When you are able to kill your own
sheep, and hogs, and oxen, unless you buy wool and tallow"—then, seeing me
begin to look somewhat disappointed, he said, " Be not cast down, you will
have all these things in time, and more than these, never fear, if you have
patience, and use the means of obtaining them. In the meanwhile prepare your
mind for many privations to which
at present you are a stranger ; and if you would desire
to see your husband happy and
prosperous, be content to use economy, and above all, be cheerful. In a few
years the farm will supply you with all the necessaries of life, and by and by
you may even enjoy many of the luxuries.
Friday, 29 April 2016
A different Mode of War - Aboriginal 'guerrilla tactics'
Bulla Queensland 1861 conflict Settlers under attack from Aboriginal tribe.
Thursday, 28 April 2016
A new diary reveals the truth about life on board the first ships for Australia
Behaviour deteriorated as the ships crossed into the
Tropics and the hatches were taken off at night to let the prisoners breathe
some cooler air. This meant they could escape on deck.
Thursday, 21 April 2016
Wednesday, 13 April 2016
Saturday, 19 March 2016
Thursday, 28 January 2016
17th Century Supplies and Provisions List For Immigrants.
Provisions List 1630 A Catalog of such needefull things
as every Planter doth or ought to provide to go to New-England Victuals for a
whole yeere for a man... 8 Bushels of meale 2 Bushels of Otemeale. 1 Gallon of
Aquavitae 1 Firkin of Butter 2 Bushels of pease. 1 Gallon of Oyle. 2 Gallons of
Vinegar. Apparell. 1 Monmouth Cap. 1 Wast-coat. 1 Suit of Frize. 2 Paire of
Sheets. 3 Falling Bands. 1 Suit of Canvas. 3 Paire of Stockings. 1 Paire of
Blankets. 3 Shirts. 1 Suit of Cloth. 4 Paire of Shooes. 1 Course Rug. 7 Ells of
Canvase to make a bed and boulster. Armes. 1 Armor compleat. 1 Sword. 1
Bandilier. 60 Pound of Lead. 1 Long peece. 1 Belt. 20 Pound of Powder. 1
Pistoll and Goose shot. Tooles. 1 Broad Howe. 1 Shovell. 1 Felling Axe. 1
Grindstone. 1 Narrow Howe. 1 Spade. 1 Gimblet. 1 Pickaxe. 1 Steele Handsawe. 2
Augers. 1 Hatchet. Nayles of all sorts 1 Whipsawe. 4 Chissels. 2 Frowes. 1
Hammer. 1 Broad Axe. 1 Hand-Bill. Household Implements. 1 Iron Pot. 1 Gridiron.
Trenchers. Dishes. 1 Kettel. 2 Skellets. Wooden Platters. Spoons. 1 Frying pan
1 Spit. Spices Sugar. Cloves. Mace. Fruit. Pepper. Cinnamon. Nutmegs. Also
there are divers other things necessary to bee taken over to this Plantation,
as Bookes, Nets, Hookes and Lines, Cheese, Bacon, Kine, Goats, &c. From:
New England’s Plantation, or, A short and True Description of the Commodities
and Discommodities of that Country. By Reverend Francis Higginson, London,
1630.
Provision Suggestions 1639 What Provision is made for a
Journey at Sea and what to carry with us for our use at Land by William Wood
from New-England's Prospect, being a true, lively and experimental Description
of that part of America commonly called New-England, London 1639 Many peradventure
at the looking over of these relations, may have inclinations or resolutions
for the voyage; to whom I wish all prosperity in their undertakings; although I
will use no forcive arguments to persuade any, but leave them to the relation;
yet by way of advice, I would commend to them a few lines from the pen of
experience. And because the way to New-England is over the sea, it will not be
amiss to give you directions what is necessary to be carried. Many I suppose,
know as well, or better than myself; yet all do not; to those my directions
tend. Although every man have ship-provisions allowed him for his five pounds a
man, which is salt beef, pork, salt fish, butter, cheese, pease pottage, water
grewel, and such kind of victuals, with good biskets, and six shilling beer;
yet it will be necessary to carry some comfortable refreshing of fresh
victuals. As first, for such as have ability, some conserves, and good claret
wine to burn [burnt wine is brandy] at sea; or you may have it by some of your
vintners or wine-coopers burned here, and put up into vessels, which will keep
much better than other burnt wine; it is a very comfortable thing for the
stomach, or such as are sea-sick; sallad-oil likewise, prunes are good to be
stewed, sugar for many things; white biskets, eggs, and bacon, rice, poultry,
and some weather sheep to kill aboard the ship, and fine flour baked meats will
keep about a week or nine days at sea. Juice of lemons, well put up, is good
either to prevent or cure the scurvy. Here it must not be forgotten to carry
small skillets, or pipkins, and small frying-pans, to dress their victuals in
at sea. For bedding, so it be easy, and cleanly, and warm, it is no matter how
old or coarse it be for the use of the sea; and so likewise for apparel, the
oldest cloaths be the fittest, with a long coarse coat, to keep better things
from the pitched ropes and planks. Whosoever shall put to sea in a stout and
well-conditioned ship, having an honest master, and loving seaman, shall not
need to fear but he shall find as good content at sea as a land... Now for the
encouragement of his men, he [the head of a family with servants] must not do
as many have done (more through ignorance than desire) carry many mouths and no
meat; but rather much meat for a few mouths. Want of due maintenance produceth
nothing but a grumbling spirit with a sluggish idleness; when as those servants
be well provided for, go through their employments with speed and chearfulness.
For meal, it will be requisite to carry a hogshead and an half for every one
that is a labourer, to keep him till he may receive the fruit of his own
labours, which will be a year and a half after his arrival, if he land in May
or June. He must likewise carry malt, beef, butter, cheese, some pease, good
wines, vinegar, strong-waters, &c. Whosoever transports more of these than
he himself useth, the overplus being sold, will yield as much profit as any
other staple commodity. Every man likewise must carry over good store of
apparel; for if he come to buy there, he will find it dearer than in England.
Woollen cloth is a very good commodity, and linen better; as holland, lockram,
flaxen, hempen, callico stuffs, linsey woolsies, and blue callico, green sayes
for housewife's aprons, hats, boots, shoes, good Irish stockings, which if they
be good, are much more serviceable than knit ones; all kind of grocery wares,
such as sugar, prunes, raisins, currants, honey, nutmegs, cloves, &c soap,
candles, and lamps, &c. All manner of household stuff is very good trade there,
as pewter and brass, for the use of that country; warming-pans and stewing pans
be of necessary use, and good traffick there. All manner of iron wares, as all
manner of nails for houses, and all manner of spikes for building of boats,
ships, and fishing stages; all manner of tools for workmen, hoes for planters,
broad and narrow for setting and weeding; with axes, both broad and pitching
axes. All manner of augers, piercing bits, whip-saws, two handed saws, froes,
both for the riving of pailes, and laths, rings for beetle heads, and iron
wedges; though all these be made in the country (there being divers
blacksmiths) yet being a heavy commodity, and taking but a little storage, it
is cheaper to carry such commodities out of England. Glass ought not to be forgotten
of any that desire to benefit themselves, or the country; if it be well leaded,
and carefully packed up, I know no commodity better for portage or sale. Here
likewise must not be forgotten all utensils for the sea, as barbels, splitting
knives, leads, and cod-hooks, and lines, mackrel hooks and lines, shark-hooks,
seines, or bass-nets, large and strong, herring nets, &c. Such as would eat
fowl, must not forget their six foot guns, their good powder, and shot of all
sorts; a great round shot called Barnstable shot, is the best; being made of a
blacker lead than ordinary shot. Furthermore, good pooldavies [a heavy canvas]
to make sails for boots, roads, anchors for boats and pinnaces, are good;
sea-coal, iron, lead, and mill-stones, flints, ordnances, and whatsoever a man
conceive is good for the country, that will lie as ballast, he cannot be a
loser by it. And lest I should forget a thing of so great importance, no man
must neglect to provide himself, or those belonging to him, his ammunition, for
the defence of himself and the country. For there is no man there that bears a
head, but that bears military arms; even boys of fourteen years of age are
practiced with men in military discipline, every three weeks. Whosoever shall
carry over drums and English colours, pattesons [spear that is carried in front
of troops], halberds, pikes, muskets, bandeleroes, with swords, shall not need
to fear good gain for them; such things being wanting in the country.
Provisions List 1675 Provisions List from An Account of Two
Voyages to New-England by John Josselyn 2d edition, London, 1675 The common
proportion of victuals for the Sea to a Mess, being 4 men, is as followeth; Two
pieces of Beef, of 3 pound and 1/4 per piece. Four pounds of Bread. One pint
1/2 of Pease. Four Gallons of Beer, with Mustard and Vinegar for three flesh
dayes in the week. For four fish dayes, to each mess per day. Two pieces of
Codd or Habberdine, making three pieces of a fish. One quarter of a pound of
Butter. Four pound of Bread. Three quarters of a pound of cheese. Beer as
before. Oatmeal per day, for 50 men, Gallon I. and so proportionable for more
or fewer. Thus you see the Ships provision, is Beef or Porke, Fish, Butter,
Cheese, Pease, Pottage, Watergruel, Bisket, and six shilling Beea. For private
fresh provision, you may carry with you (in case you, or any of yours should be
sick at Sea) conserves of Roses, Clove-Gilliflowers, Wormwood, Green-Ginger,
Burnt-Wine [brandy], English Spirits, Prunes to stew, Raisons of the Sun,
Currence, Sugar, Nutmeg, Mace, Cinnamon, Pepper and Ginger, White Bisket, or
Spanish rusk, Eggs, Rice, juice of Lemmons well put up to cure, or prevent the
Scurvy. Small Skillets, Pipkins, Porrengers, and small Frying pans... Apparel
for one man, and after the rate for more L S D One Hatt 0 3 0 One Monmouth Cap
1 10 0 Three falling bands 0 1 3 Three Shirts 0 7 6 One Wastcoat 0 2 6 One suit
of Frize 0 19 0 One suit of Cloth 0 15 0 One suit of Canvas 0 7 6 Three pair of
Irish Stockins 0 5 0 Four pair of Shoos 0 8 0 One pair of Canvas Sheets 0 8 0
Seven ells of course Canvas to make a bed at Sea for two men, to be filled with
straw 0 5 0 One coarse Rug at Sea for two men 0 6 0 Sum total 4 0 0
Wednesday, 20 January 2016
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