Jamestown, Virginia 1609
October 9, 1609: Elizabeth is waving good bye to her friends
Jessie and Captain Smith who are returning to England on a ship. She is sad October
12, 1609: This is Elizabeth’s second journal. She sent the first one filled
with her experiences in Jamestown with Jessie and her father Captain Smith to
give to her twin brother Caleb who is in England. As the ship was leaving
Captain Smith sent a sailor ashore on a small boat with a book of blank pages
from the ship’s log (her new journal)October 20, 1609: Elizabeth tells of how
she is immensely sad and lonely. But she states that her new October 22:
Elizabeth came from England on nine ships-hopes for land, riches. It was a
tough ship and some ships were lost in a hurricane. But her ship the Blessing arrived safely in August. Caleb
her twin brother had to stay behind because of weak lungs-he will come in the
spring. She lived in a fort with tall wooden walls surrounding them-gates that
lead to the outside. There are Indians who are sometimes friendly. She has one
Indian friend named Pocahontas-Powhatan girl who is eleven or twelve. Elizabeth
is nine. Sometimes the men are cruel and the Indians attack. There is much
sickness and hunger-although there is still some happiness. Her baby sister
Abigail was born. Elizabeth is determined to make a new friend. October 23: Elizabeth’s
first secret: She is making a list of potential friends. One is named Francis
Collier. But she does not like him in that way. (The way Mary Dobson likes John
Bridger-who is mean and lazy and one time stole Elizabeth’s diary) October 25:
Elizabeth was hiding in the reeds by the well crying because she misses her
friend Jessie. Mary Dobson who is about thirteen went up to Elizabeth touched
her shoulder and told her about how she had to leave her best friend behind in
England. October 26: Amelia Quick is eight years old and her mother died on the
ocean crossing. Her father is slowly losing it and she must take care or her
six year old twin brothers and a little baby. The twins are rambunctious and
almost set the entire fort on fire when they were playing Indians they built a
teepee made with a blanket and they set a fire inside which lit the whole thing
up. October 27: The Jamestown Colony has a few new leaders since Captain Smith
left. Gabriel Archer, George Percy and John Ratcliffe who do not get along
together. October 28: Elizabeth has
become friends with Mary Dobson, who surprisingly is not as conceited has she
thought. October 29-31: Mary tells
Elizabeth she feels love for a boy named John Bridger. Elizabeth tells that her
baby sister, Abigail is almost one month old and how she is strong. She misses
her twin dearly and tries to send him thoughts.
November 1609: Elizabeth lives in a large one room house
that her and her father had built. She confesses a secret; she despises the
Bridger family and is speechless when Mary tell her she wants to marry John
Bridger. Mary soon is heartbroken by John when he does not meet her at night
and has given her blue ribbon to his mother. Food is becoming extremely scarce.
Men have gone out into the woods to search for food but the Indians have
attacked and some men did not even make it back. Starvation is spreading over
the development. Elizabeth’s papa has decided to venture out of the fort and
search for food. Elizabeth has decided to come along. They bring back fish,
crabs, clams, oysters, corn, and acorns. They have a feast but realize in the
morning that someone has stolen their food in the middle of the night.
Elizabeth suspects the Bridger family. Others in the fort want to have them
thrown out because they are lazy and worthless. Master Collier goes out on his
own and brings back a leg of a bear and more men venture out to find the rest
of the carcass. Before that starvation was so bad that Elizabeth noticed her
mother eating worms and the fort dog was missing.
December 1609: Days are getting colder and shorter.
Elizabeth is thinking about the Christmas holidays and her and Mary have
devised a plan to search around the fort for presents for their families. They
find canvas from an old tent and Elizabeth decides to make bags for her mother
and father and a little doll for Abigail. Elizabeth becomes sick and soon
almost the entire fort is sick. Many have died. A search party goes out to find
food and the Bridger and Ratcliffe parties but there is a rumor that they have
been slaughtered. Amelia Quick’s baby sister, Sarah, has died. She has refused
to let anyone else touch or burry her. Elizabeth’s father cradles them both and
soon Amelia lets the fort people burry her. Abigail has been getting extremely
weak but Elizabeth is recovering from her sickness and Mary as well. Elizabeth
has thoughts of going into the woods and finding her Indian friend Pocahontas.
Christmas Eve and the church bell rings but no one is well enough to attend
service. Christmas day and some gifts are exchanged. Elizabeth’s father gives
her a whistle he made from a reed and her mother gave her a red ribbon she had
been saving all this time.
January and February 1610: Many people have either died or
left the fort in search for new food and land. No one cares anymore and more
people are ill. Elizabeth has decided to set off to find Pocahontas and her
tribe in hopes of seeking help. She tells Mary of her plan who is still sickly
and has informed her to tell her parents by nightfall where she is. Elizabeth
ventures out and sleeps in a cave and awakens to a loaf of bread. She doesn’t
know if she is dreaming or not. She carries on and needs to rest in a hallow
log. When she wakes up she sees two Indians peering over her and recognizes one
of them, Rawhunt. He said “Come”. They guided her all the way back to her fort.
Elizabeth was angry. She is home and safe and can hear Abigail crying which is
better than seeing her just stare blankly with glassy eyes.
Date unknown-March 1610: Upon Elizabeth’s return she fainted
from her fever and Rawhunt the Indian did an extremely brave thing. He carried
her into the middle of the fort laid her down gently and brought with him food.
There was enough for maybe a couple of weeks but many people were dying.
Elizabeth had not seen her mother in days upon her return and her father just
kept telling her she could not leave the sick shed. Francis and Amelia were
there too. Mary’s mother had passed away all of the Bridger boys as well.
Mistress Whislter was nursing Abigail for Elizabeth’s mother. Elizabeth needed
to see her mother so she went into the sick shed and saw that her mother wasn’t
tending to the ill people but she was extremely sick herself. Elizabeth tended
to her every day and was by Francis’s side when he died. Amelia’s entire family
was dead and soon Elizabeth’s mother had passed away.
March-summer-June-July 1610:
The gates to the fort are always open now because there is literally nothing to
fear. Death is all over the fort. Elizabeth struggles to keep hope with her but
it is extremely difficult with her mother gone. Mary and Elizabeth wait by the
river in the hopes of the supply ship coming. They cannot tell whether they are
dreaming or not but they see ships but the mist is too thick. But it really was
the ship. Food, supplies, women, men, and children are brought to America and
Caleb, Elizabeth’s twin arrives as well with her old Journal. The fort has a new
leader. Abigail is much stronger and Mistress Whistler’s husband died and
Elizabeth believes she likes her father.
August 11, 1610: It is exactly one year since coming to
America and the fort is in much better shape. Children are always laughing and
the church bells ring every day. Elizabeth has her family and everyone is
strong and healthy again.
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