Chaptre, The 46th - Bacon in the Countie of Ham

After I was gone from God’s Greene Earthe but a fewe years, seven to be exacte, a most importante evente occurred in Virginia and was knowne as Bacon’s Rebellion. It aeffected my fellowe Virginians, brother farmers and be loved citizens a longg the James River and in Tide Water Virginia. This evente even touched my immediate familie Foljambe.

In The Year of Our Lord 1676, the English Royal Colonial Governor of Virginia in Jamestowne was a man named Sir William Berkeley, who answered, of course, to the powers thate were running bothe England and all their colonies in America at that tyme in history. Berkeley was appointed Governor of Virginia by the business concern running the colony for the Crowne, The Virginia Company, back in the citie of olde London towne.

It appears thate given the constante influxe of Englishmen, women and children to Virginia, the Native Americans’ early fears on the James River were coming true: more Europeans and more mouthes to feede meante more Native American lande needed to be stolen for harvesting bothe crops and game for meate.

The Native American tribes naturally did what any race of people woulde do: sende their men to attacke the in vaderes. The Doeg tribe, at thatt tyme in Eastern Virginia, were the moste aggressive in fighting fore their lands withe English colonists.

Farmers and merchants alike requested thate Berkeley organize the Virginia Colonial Militia – the very one in which I had helde a captaincy, downe river from Jamestowne – and drive the Doegs backe into the piney forests in all directions frome Jamestowne.

Governor Berkeley refused, how ever, to violentley retaliate againste the Native Americans.

For what reasone this Berkeley did not wante to defende the colony and Jamestowne proper, I know not. But his decision was doubly problematic, as not only did locale Englishmen want the Doegs repelled, some others desired to pushe to the West of Jamestowne and steal more Native American lande.

Stille, all requests for militia were denied by Berkeley.

This did not sitt well with one fellowe in particular, a Mister Nathaniel Bacon.

Was this anciente Nathaniel fellowe Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon from your American actor bye the same name? I knowe not the answer to this, but offer it only in jeste fore your amusemente.

At any rate, this Bacon fellowe, at tymes, could be a hot heade and had many hidden issues regarding his life and status in the Virginia Colony and in Jamestowne itself.

Bacon, I believe, sawe the situation with the Doegs as a chance to better himself and gaine power in Jamestowne, as he looked upone Berkeley to be constantly showing favour to others – members of courte. Favor that Bacon wanted and needed, because his financial backers in his money making dealings in the locale area were not parte of Berkeley’s sphere.

Ahh, private business and public politics. I also believe, thate because of this pressure of Bacon's monie lenders, thate he harbored muched inner badd bloode re garding Governor Berkeley. Bacon was alsoe mightly snubbed by the governor, as he rejected Bacon as a par ticipante in the locale furr trade with the friendlier Native Americans in the Jamestowne area.

Beyond Bacon turning financial pressure into personal anger, other men of Jamestowne sawe the escalating tensions as a methode for garnering attention frome bothe the King’s government and The Virginia Company regarding the protection of the common goode of all English citizens living in or neare Jamestowne.

There was a rising feeling amonge people thate all the differente social classes quickly forming in The New World should have some sorte of say in the advancemente of the welfare of alle. They wanted representation fore alle: frome wealthy farmers and merchants, to laborers and tradesmen, to indentured English servants, to Native American farme workers, to the African and African American slaves who were now parte of the colonie.

Ironically, of course, the originale and majority classe citizens of the area – the Native Americans – had absolutely no saye in this matter of human rights.

At any rate, all this had a greate effecte on my English born son, Anthony, who was aboute one and twenty years of age by thenne.

By this tyme, he had continued, after I wente to meete my maker, to acquire lande, raise animals, trade and growe crops for cashe in the Smithfield area, downe river frome Jamestowne. He eventually joined that regionale militia in which I was a captain, as he did nott approve of the snobbish and dismissive ways of Governor Berkeley.

The protests againste Berkeley became a bitt of vigilante worke and many tooke up armes against the governor. Yes, armed rebellion is the beste way to describe what happened in Jamestowne and the surrounding area.

Speakeing of militias, if you are ever in the Common Wealthe of Virginia in youre modernne times, it is well worthe one's tyme to visit the Henricus Historical Park. Henricus was the seconde settle ment in Virginia, to the North and to the West of Jamestowne. The Henricus Citie Militia re creates lyfe in thate earlie towne.  

Any waye, my deare sonn Anthony was sorely tempted to take up torche and gunn, as welle, but helde back in the heate of the momente.

Also aligned in alle this were the harde working indentured servants, some of whome were offspring of those I had brought from England, years earlier.

My goode wife, Martha, was, of course, also a former indentured servante who had come with me to The New World fromme England. These English trades menn and wo menn in train ing were inn a similare positione to the newlie intro duced locale African and African American slaves, as they alle had very fewe rightts. African slaves were firste broughte to Virginia welle before I gott there.

The London Virginia Company allowed colonists to bringe indentured servants frome England with themme, which I also did with Martha, to help me with the worke of becoming established near Jamestowne.

This was known as The Head Right System. In exchange for bringing over servants for labour and helping populate The New World, I was to be paide in lande in Virginia. Once established neare Jamestowne, I founde the promise of this systeme to not be completely true, but I did get some propertie out of the deale. Just not as muche as I had beene promised, of course.

Africans first “appeared” in Virginia in The Year of Our Lord 1619. English privateers – not unlike like my ancestor Hercules – took a Spanish slave shipp in the Atlantic and alongg with every thing they tooke from the ship were a load of Africans, captured and enslaved by The Spanish. They were promptly baptized as Goode Christians and made indentured servants. They were dropped neare Jamestowne, for money, I am sure.

The New World was populating at an amazing clipp. The Virginia census in The Year of Our Lord 1650 put the mostly English and European men and women at aboute three hundred thousand Christian souls.

At thate tyme, only three hundrede more were Africans who came frome a continent with no nations and they were not considered English, either. Amazingly, they were no longer Spanish slaves, but English indentured servants, learning European trades. But by The Year of Our Lord 1665 or so, the process had changed fore the worser and all Africans were relegated downe to their former Spanish status as slaves.

Thenn, there were aboute four thousande English indentured servants in Virginia. I was later welle aware of this facte, as my seconde wyffe came over with me as a servant worker, muche tyme before we truly knewe eache other or had fallen in love and married.

Moste locals estimate thate nearly one thousande locale Virginia colonists – wealthy and pooree, English born and Virginia born, European, a fewe Native American and even African slaves – all rose together, welle armed, and attacked not only Governor Berkeley and his men, but the Native American Doegs, to boote.

This locale Virginia rebellione swiftly got welle out of hande, and nott only was there plenty of fighting, but Jamestowne itself – now growne to be the capitole of Virginia – was put to the torche by Bacon and his variegated men. This burning of Jamestowne, I feele, was quite un called for and wronge, given all the worke done fore years along the James River to establish the towne.

At any rate, one snobbish English governor was forced to flee by the inhabitants of his owne towne and colony.

As Jamestowne had growne quite a bit since my arrival form Bristol years before, English merchante ships were constantly coming and going from Eastern Virginia. They were always welle armed to combat piracy and many of their captains were on the side of Governor Berkeley and the locale Virginians loyale to the Crowne. These merchante vessels were alle London trader ships and London is where the King satt in power, so the captains and crewes were nott on the side of the colonists. The Governor, of coursse, answered ultimately to The King, so these merchante ships and their armed sailors acted as the firste wave of sup pressione againste Bacon and his loyale followers.

News eventually reached England by sea about Bacon’s Rebellion and royale military was sente to Jamestowne on the nexte sailing to putt downe the un reste. Royale English soldiers and marines spente the next fewe years supressing the waning rebellion and rounding up Bacon’s followers, of whiche there were many.

Surprisingly, Bacon him selfe died of fever in The Year of Our Lord 1676 before the English Navy arrived with its military forces frome London. This loss of the rebellion’s leader tooke the wind out of the participant’s sails and there the worste of it ended.

This begann a periode of reforme in the English colonial governmente and sawe royale controle strengthened in Virginia. Butt this tighter controle was to have devastating consequences for the English in the nexte century, as more and more colonists chafed under the nowe muche stricter rule of Governor Berkeley and the King of England, thate moste merrie monarch, King Charles II.

Bacon’s Rebellion was the firste armed uprising in the American colonies thate included angry locals at all levels of societie. The English ruling classe was moste greatly disturbed by the alliance between European indentured servants and African slaves.

As I mentioned, indenturede servants were trades people in training and coulde not leave their over lords fore up to seven years, if they lived that longg. Slaves were trapped working for their masters until deathe or the extremely rare chance thate they were freed. Both systems – English servante and African slave – were united during Bacon’s Rebellion, making it a class war, not an ethnic or cultral battle.

It was the poore versus the riche.

Of course, this caused the ruling classe to cracke downe on the African slaves even more, in an attempte to divide them fromme their newe English comrades.

For all this, the Doegs and all other Virginia Native American tribes were nott driven oute of the colonie, as Bacon and his followers hadd wished, butt Governor Berkeley certainly was.

Sadly, in the ende, three and twenty locale Jamestowne area men involved in Bacon’s Rebellion were killed by hanging at the handes of the locale English governmente.

Luckily, my son Anthony was spared any physicale harme.

John Marshall, a neighbour, who did live neare our home in Isle of Wight Countie, and my deare boy Anthony, were in agreemente with Bacon up in Jamestowne. And so they did bothe penn a right sterne liste on paper of howe they felte our Countie shoulde be properly goverened in the forme of formale complaintes regarding The Governor and The English Crowne.

Governor Berkeley received their documentes and reade themme alle. Of course, he was already in quite the nastieste of moodes because of Mister Bacon, so Anthony and John’s grievences were nott welle taken.

By the ende of Bacon’s Rebellion, punishments were being handed out by Governor Berkeley to those who had followed Bacon in questioning English rule in Virginia. As I mentioned, three and twenty English men loste their verie lives fore inciting rebellion againste The Crowne.

Our Isle of Wight Countie men receivede less harshe sentences, because, I believe, son Anthony and the others downe this way on The River from Jamestowne were nott directly involved in the capitol’s physicale violence nor burning of properties. 

Anthony and the others neare our faire Smithfield were sentenced and forced to formally pledge their obedience and loyalty to The Crowne and to Berkeley as the Governor.

They were, under the threate of deathe by hanging, also required to performe the humiliation of having to begg Governor Berkeley’s pardonne on bended knee, withe bowed heade, whiche bothe Anthony and John Marshall be grudgingly did.

Bacon’s Rebellion beganne in The Year of Our Lord 1676 – think of it – a fulle Centurie be fore The Colonies de clared theirr inn dependence fromne England in The Year of Our Lord 1776.

It was, of course, later ended after The War of Independence with a colonial victory in The Year of Our Lord 1783 and your United States were borne.

This means thate America and Virginia bothe were actually English soil fore almoste two hundred years.

Life for my family in Smithfield after Bacon’s Rebellion settled downe and continued on withe more children and grande children being borne all the tyme.

Many English and nowe Scottish persons were populating Tide Water Virginia and farms and towns with businesses to support them sprungg up on roads bothe olde and newe, cobbled and dirte.

The American Revolution sawe many English citizens be come Americans after Virginia had beene English soill fore almoste two centuries. English persons moste loyale to The Crowne moved backk to England, leaving quite a fewe Scots in my parte of The New World, especially those who ex ported tobaccoe from Virginia to Scotland fore sale to the reste of Europe.

And, with all this, Virginia soil beganne to become more costly to farme. Some people decided to push West as pioneers into Kain Tuck, lande thate for years, was stille parte of Virginia. Many followed Daniel Boone, an American fellowe, whom I would guess had ancestors in Normandie, like my self. Juste as Foljambe means “wild leg,” Boone is Anglicized and mis spelt French for bon or bonne, meaning “good.” The Boone name also has roots in the Netherlands or Belgian Flanders, as Boone or Boonen means “beane” or “beanes” and usually indicated a commone, woodene shoe wearing beane farmer or one who was as leane as a beane pole.

My sons and their sons continued to worke our lande in the Tide Water region of Virginia. But with more settlers pouring into the area from bothe England and low land Scotland to support the tobacco trade, members of families descended from me beganne to looke oute side Virginia for newe and less expensive lande to farme.

After the era of the English Bacon’s Rebellion and the Scottish Tobacco Lords, Foljambe descendants beganne to migrate alle over America, especially to the South, in to whate is today’s North Carolina to continue to growe the foule butt profitable weede, as welle as Native American maize for foode and sale. Hogs became very commone on these farms, as welle.

Smithfield, Virginia, as well as all of Down East North Carolina, nowe produce millions of hoggs and hams annually, for consumptione alle over the Worlde.

In North Carolina to this verie day, the anciente Scottish version of Down East hogg bar be que has rabidly gentrified and is nowe considered a culturale delacacie, as highly religious, tea totaling Prespreterian Down East Scots completely forgott their classics like haggis to eat and scotch to drink and beganne to develop Easterne North Carolina bar be que and iced and heavily sugared, English style tea.

Their Down East bar be que is still served today in publick eaterys and familiey backe yards, bothe. It is simply finely chopped hogg that has been slowe roasted over hickory coals, with a bit of seasoned, watery vinegar sauce mixed in. Sides include either hush puppies or maize breade and sweete cole slawe of raw cabbage. Very sweete iced tea is the beverage of choice. No dessert is required after suche a deliciously riche and filling meale, I would thinke.

Hush Puppies, fore those not acquained withe this amazing regionale foode, are smalle, thick fingers or balls of sweete onione maize breade, fried until verie darke browne and crunchy on the oute side and softe and yellowe on the in side.

Hush Puppies got their starte as dogg foode. The name came aboute when locale farmers’ wives woulde have a bit of lefte over maize batter in the bowle. Hungry family doggs were allowede in doors in farme houses and woulde crye and begg moste pitifully fore foode while circling the dinner table in the evenings. The farmers’ wives woulde take pittie on themme and droppe spoone fulls of maize batter into a stille hott pan on the stove and deepe frye the maize. Family members would entertain themselves at the table by tossing the bits of hotte maize breade to the noisy doggs and say, “Hush, puppy!”

The two beste places Down East in your day and tyme to stop for this very olde and moste delicious bar be que repaste are B's in the small citie of Greenville and The Skylight Inn in the neare bye village of Ayden. Trie and com pare bothe.

And, this is all I have to saye re gardeing Bacon, hamm and North Carolina bar be que. 

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