The Spaughton's Settle Down

Biography: My name is Elizabeth Marie Spaughton. I was born in England in the year 1670. My family and I sought out the New World a while back - we sailed the Atlantic ocean and about a month ago we landed in the Southern colony of Virginia. Follow me and my family on our journey as we attempt to settle and make a life for ourselves in the infamous Jamestown.

[newyorkmiddlecolony]

Although it was hard for me to leave everything back home to come to New York, I’m glad I did. I was one of the first in this colony, and it’s so weird to see how it changed. I am very proud to say that New York the colony turned into New York the state on July 26, 1788. One of the reasons I really liked New York was the religious freedom. Some of the most popular religions here are Quakers, Catholics, Lutherans, Jewish and others. Everyone I meet here after I got off the boat were so nice and different. They all came from mixed places, all with that determination for the same goal which I admire. But I think it’s time for me to go back home where I came from now. New York hasn’t been bad to me, but it’s time for my wife and I to reunite with our families. 

[sweetsouthernladyofvirginia]

Hello sir! I am very glad to here that you’ve enjoyed your time in New York. I’m more of a southern lady myself; I’m not much of a fan of such liberal views you New Yorkers have :/ I mean, how do you people get anything done with hardly any slaves! And I’m sure the people of New York are nice - but there’s nothing like southern hospitality…

[sweetsouthernladyofvirginia]

hear*

[newyorkmiddlecolony]

Although it was hard for me to leave everything back home to come to New York, I’m glad I did. I was one of the first in this colony, and it’s so weird to see how it changed. I am very proud to say that New York the colony turned into New York the state on July 26, 1788. One of the reasons I really liked New York was the religious freedom. Some of the most popular religions here are Quakers, Catholics, Lutherans, Jewish and others. Everyone I meet here after I got off the boat were so nice and different. They all came from mixed places, all with that determination for the same goal which I admire. But I think it’s time for me to go back home where I came from now. New York hasn’t been bad to me, but it’s time for my wife and I to reunite with our families. 

[sweetsouthernladyofvirginia]

Hello sir! I am very glad to here that you've enjoyed your time in New York. I'm more of a southern lady myself; I'm not much of a fan of such liberal views you New Yorkers have :/ I mean, how do you people get anything done with hardly any slaves! And I'm sure the people of New York are nice - but there's nothing like southern hospitality...

[george1722]

2 weeks, 14 days, 336 hours, 20,160 minutes, and 1,209,600 seconds  have past since my last post, my apologies. Since arriving to Jamestown I have been trying to accustom myself to life in Jamestown. Some of the settlers here were hoping to produce silk so we planted mulberry trees to feed silkworms. We had little success. On the bright side carpenters have been sent over to start  construction on the East India School, which now have a number of houses and tavern to lodge guests. I hear that a portion of the school will be set aside for educating the Indians, which is interesting because I don’t think the Indians like us very much, for reasons I’m not sure of yet but will keep you posted. My wife misses her family terribly and it is hard to make friends her for her since the population is mostly male. She just needs to hang in there because I know in my heart that this move was the best thing possible for our family.

[sweetsouthernladyofvirginia]

Why hello sir! I am happy to see that I have encountered another blogger who resides here in Jamestown! If you are having trouble farming please reach out to my husband Marcus; perhaps he and our 4 sons can assist you (for a small fee of course). I'm also in dying need of a friend - someone I can gossip with about all of the drama here in Jamestown. Please follow my blog and contact me so that you can introduce me to your wife!

[sweetsouthernladyofvirginia]

Well, the winter season came to an abrupt ending. Things seem to be sailing smoothly once again. Speaking of sailing, we’ve witnessed a number of voyagers landing at Jamestown in hopes to settle. Our family has been very courteous to travelers. There have been a number of confused strangers that have enquired upon our roads; yet we have received them with hospitality.

This may merely be an observation, but it seems as though everyone in these Southern colonies are just the loveliest of people. I guess I’ll call it “southern hospitality!” Lol. People seem to be set out for one main goal; and that would be to make the Southern colonies as prosperous as possible. Our family has become companions with our neighbors as well as acquaintances with others. Even the slaves aren’t treated that bad!

[sweetsouthernladyofvirginia]

I’m back again lovely followers! I come to you with the very best of news! James has been recovering very well over the last 2 weeks. He has returned to helping Marcus and his brothers maintain our farm during the winter season. However, this has proved to be no easy task outside or inside of the house. Therefore, Marcus and I have decided to purchase a slave. He works on the field and helps hunt, as it is impossible to find any decent poultry. And it’s almost always never enough to feed the entire family! As of late we’ve been surviving strictly on vegetable stew – but it isn’t enough to keep us all in tip top healthy condition. A lot of us are lacking essential nutrients.

We are suffering from sporadic fevers and colds. They are minor, but bothersome nonetheless. Our slave often requires care and a fair share of meals as well. That’s a bit of a burden on our income :/ Recently the hunt for game has been so disappointing that I – a civil woman – have had to carry a gun and try hunting myself! To no avail though…there isn’t a chicken or deer out there.    

[sweetsouthernladyofvirginia]

Ooooooooh boy! Have I had one extremely frustrating week! It seems as though our family has steered clear of disease for the entirety of the lengthy amount of time we’ve been in Jamestown – despite a few minor coughs and colds here and there. However, our eldest son James seems to be really suffering from something very, very bad as we are heading into the winter season. The cold air is terrible! James is experiencing intense nausea, as well as diarrhea and discoloration of the skin. Marcus believes he’s just encountered some poisonous shrub in the forest of our land – I believe he’s ingested some foul meat. I pray that James recovers soon. He will be 16 soon and expected to become independent. He will marry, become a legal taxpayer, and a member of the local militia! I am so proud of the young man he has become.

However, his absence is being felt on our farm. In turn we are all being affected. Marcus says his muscle and great shape is needed out on the farm; the younger boys cannot replace his strength and resourcefulness. I am no doctor so we’ve called in a local “expert” to come take a look at James. Apparently his illness is life-threatening – the doctor recommends he bleed, sweat and purge the malady from his body. After that, all we can do is wait it out and hope for the best.

[sweetsouthernladyofvirginia]

It has been approximately one week since I’ve last updated our status. It turns out things aren’t going as easily as once anticipated. Developing large farms has appeared to be a difficult task for Marcus and our four eldest sons: James – 15, Benjamin – 14, Thomas – 12, George – 10. It’s difficult because it takes one farmer about a month to clear around 3 acres of land, that’s if he leaves the tree stumps in the ground. With the cold season soon approaching we need to stock up on agricultural. We need at least 15-35 acres of cleared land to plant all of our corn, wheat, barley, oats, rye and a variety of vegetables. The land of Jamestown is turning out to be rather stubborn and inflexible. This appears to be leading to a series of chain reactions.

However, our home seems to be coming along nicely. My domestic duties along with the domestic duties of our three daughters:        Anna – 13, Mary – 11, Patty – 9; seem to be greatly improving our living conditions. We are in charge of sewing by hand the clothing worn by the family, we make butter from milk, we process pickles and preserves, we handle the poultry and meats, we cure the ham, we wash the clothes, and I act as a tutor for the children’s schooling. Talk about busy days!

[sweetsouthernladyofvirginia]

Seeing as it has been a number of weeks since my family and I first arrived here in Jamestown, Virginia – and considering we are now fairly well-off – I’ve decided to begin a blog, documenting our journey and settlement.

Upon arrival, my husband Marcus was granted 100 acres of land due to our share of stock earned by investing in the London Company. Despite some word that’s been going around; in actually, Jamestown is beautiful and quite picturesque. Land is plentiful and the population density is low. We encounter new settlers and adventurers every week, yet the lives of my family and I remain private and calm. The air and water surrounding the area is not polluted. It seems as though disease is barely an issue! It is difficult to imagine a cleanlier town! Marcus is successfully employed as a farmer on a neighboring area of land in addition to working on our own land; this way, food for our large family is plentiful due to our large supply of additional money. Our diets are incredible – a sure sign of well-being! We spend a third of the income on vegetables and grains. Our family consumes a lot of meat – a direct representation of our wealth! The hunting and domesticating skills of Marcus along with our many sons have given us a large sum of pork and dairy products. I consume about ½ pound of meat per day!