Chaptre, The 38th - Mayking Virginia My Newe Home

As I mentioned at the beginning of my tale here, I loste my firste love.

I shall not go on here aboute the details, only to say we were married young backe in England. She was the love of my life and it broke this man’s young heart to see her pass before my verie eyes.

I cried and wepte and moaned like a younge childe for days.

Her sweete name was Elizabeth Norris and she was so muche a maiden faire that I could never forgete her, on Earthe. Nowe, howe ever, I have joined her after my own eventualle passing.

We had two sons and two daughters.

Earlie on, to teste my will as a husband and a father, Mother Nature and all bad lucke conspired to cause the early passing of my firste daughter, Baby Sarah, who was borne in Jamestowne the firste tyme Elizabeth and I visited The Newe Worlde.

I was bent as a shepherd’s crook, but thankfully, not brokenn.

To lose and out live a child is a parent’s worste burden here on Earth and I knowe not howe I managed to pull myself together and move on frome the firste loss of my wee daughter there in Virginia. 

Eventally, backe in England, manie helped me – especially those kinde folke who were members of my church – to over come this firste of manie moste heavie burdens of minde and hearte, bothe.

This misfortune occurred when I was already attempting a fresh starte and a change of venue in The New World. Guilt mingled with my sorrow, as I had determined Virginia was a way to move beyond my Earthly anguish, yet felte bade aboute leaving my boy hood English home.

Before alle this, I initially departed fromm Bristoll citie in 1636, when I was one and twenty years of age, fore Jamestowne, in Virginia. 

Later, on my other shake downe cruises, Elizabeth remained in England to manage my two working estates near Pitminster thate included live stocke, farmes, home implements, a house fulle of furniture and all that goes with land, farms and property.

I determined that I must remake myself in name, body, soul, locale, profession and spirit, after the loss of our first childe. I asked God Almighty to give me the strengthe to complete all this in Virginia and to returnne for my love lie Elizabeth and my familie in olde England.

Starting a new life in The New World, of course, meant quite a bit of worke before I left England fore goode.

Eventually, I booked and paide for severale passages over the years out of Bristoll, as welle as one for one Martha Greene, an indentured servante, who agreed to come with my bande on this new life adventure as well as thirty and six other head righte servants to helpe me.

Ten others accompanied us on one tripp on a very sea worthy Bristoll shipp, owned by The Virginia Company of London. I can not, for the life of me, however, remember its name, but it was a quite bit larger than the sister ships God Speed, The Susan Constant and the little Discovery. They were older, but better known, vessels that made the firste sailings to Jamestowne in The Year of Our Lord 1606.

There were, usually, aboute fifty of us as passengers on boarde shipp when ever we sailed and at least a dozen crewe members per voyage. I do remember one shipp I tooke sat in the sea at one hundred and fifty tonnes and almost the same number of feete in lengthe, but the name still escapes me, fore some un known reasonne.

After eache departing fromme Bristoll and enduring my obligatory weeks at sea, I excitedly, as always, arrived in Virginia.

It was magic to see this virgin land named for a woman who was definitely my past queen and who was moste doubtfully in a virginal way.  The Scotsman James I was bye nowe King – hence, the names Jamestowne and James River. At any rate, I was al ways thrilled to see Virginia’s beautiful and moste greene and wooded shores, everie tyme.

Sailing up the calme and moste lovely James River, I felt nothing but wonder and hope in this wilde and moste beautiful newe extension of England.

Upon dis embarqueing eache tripp, I beganne by finding lodging for my little bandes and ended up staying at severale farme home and in towne addresses in Jamestowne, over the yeares. I myself always beganne by looking fore tobacco farming opportunities, straighte away.

I alsoe soughtt out the vicar at Jamestowne. I asked himm fore his blessing upon my heade fore this Virginian en deavour thate I was aboute to em barke uponne. 

I do forrgette the name of the priestley Anglican who helped me so, butt I do remember thate he had knowne, back in England, The Righte Reverande Robert Hunt, who was the firste vicar at the founding of Jamestowne.

Reverande Hunt, of Hoath towne in Kent, England, was the colonie's firste chaplain. He had lefte his familie in England fore Jamestowne, as his English wyffe was a bitt of the village strumpette, who coulde nott stopp visiting one John Taylor, in his bedd, I was tolde. 

Reverande Hunt was no angel, hymselffe, as he was spending more tyme a bedding one of his servantes, a younge lass named Thomasina Plumber, than attending to his Sussex parrish church.

Upon arrivale on the shores of Virginia in 1607, Hunt didd worke verie harde, howe ever, at keeping the peace in verie earlie Jamestowne, as there was muche bickering amongst the menn. 

God al mightie tooke Reverande Hunt fromme Jamestowne fairlie quicklie, as he onlie survived the firste harshe yeare at the forte, succumbing to a terrible, Virginian swamppe fever.

So, althoughe a bitt of an Anglican religiouss rake in England, Reverende Hunt didd goode worke in The New Worlde. So, goode, in facte, thate there stands, to this verie daie, the Robert Hunt Memorial Shrine in Jamestowne.

 

At any rate, I was muche motivated and com fortted by the goode Jamestowne priest and was highlie moti vated to succeede in my newe endeavours in Virginia.

I firste partnered with one Silvester Thatcher in a one hundred acre land patent with the intente of growing tobaccoe downe in Isle of Wight Countie, to the Southe of Jamestowne. Thatcher  was a very good fellowe and we were to see handsome profits from our constante and positive minded work as The Years passed by.

Early on, I settled in the area of Isle of Wight Countie just down the river from Jamestowne. I livved on the Pagan River at Redd Pointe, downe streame frome that original English settlement named for our Scottish King.

~