20 Letter to his Father and Mother

(April 2, 1623)

Loveing and kind father and mother my most humble duty remembred to you hopeing in God of yor good health, as I my selfe am at the makeing hereof, this is to let you vnderstand that I yor Child am in a most heavie Case by reason of the nature of the Country is such that it Causeth much sicknes, as the scurvie and the bloody flix, and divers other diseases, wch maketh the bodie very poore, and Weake, and when wee are sicke there is nothing to Comfort vs; for since I came out of the ship, I never at anie thing but pease, and loblollie (that is water gruell) as for deare or venison I never saw anie since I came into this land, ther is indeed some foule, but Wee are not allowed to goe, and get yt, but must Worke hard both earelie, and late for a messe of water gruell, and a mouthful of bread, and beife, a mouthfull of bread for a pennie loafe must serve for 4 men wch is most pitifull if you did knowe as much as I, when people crie out day, and night, Oh that they were in England without their lymbes and would not care to loose anie lymbe to bee in England againe, yea though they beg from doore to doore, for wee live in feare of the Enimy eurie hower, yet wee haue had a Combate with them on the Sunday before Shrovetyde, and wee tooke two alive, and make slaves of them, but it was by pollicie, for wee are in great danger, for our Plantacon is very weake, by reason of the dearth, and sicknes, of our Companie, for wee came but Twentie for the marchaunt, and they are halfe dead Just; and wee looke everie hower When two more should goe, yet there came some for other men yet to lyve with vs, of which ther is but one alive, and our Leiften^nt is dead, and his ffather, and his brother, and there was some 5 or 6 of the last yeares 20 of wch there is but 3 left, so that wee are faine to get other men to plant with vs, and yet wee are but 32 to fight against 3000 if they should Come, and the nighest helpe that Wee haue is ten miles of vs, and when the rogues ou9came this place last, they slew 80 Persons how then shall wee doe for wee lye even in their teeth, they may easilie take vs but that God is mercifull, and can save with few as well as with many; as he shewed to Gylead and like Gilead Souldiers if they lapt water, wee drinkee water wch is but Weake, and I haue nothing to Comfort me, nor ther is nothing to be gotten here but sicknes, and death, except that one had money to lay out in some thinges for profit; But I haue nothing at all, no not a shirt to my backe, but two Ragges nor no Clothes, but one poore suite, nor but one paire of shooes, but one paire of stockins, but one Capp, but two bands, my Cloke is stollen by one of my owne fellowes, and to his dying hower would not tell mee what he did with it but some of my fellows saw him have butter and beife out of a ship, wch my Cloke I doubt paid for, so that I have not a penny, nor a a penny Worth to helpe me to either spice, or sugar, or strong Waters, without the wch one cannot lyue here, for as strong beare in England doth fatten and strengthen them so water here doth wash and weaken theis here, onelie keepe life and soule togeather. but I am not halfe a quarter so strong as I was in England, and all is for want of victualls, for I doe protest vnto you, that I haue eaten more in day at home then I haue allowed me here for a Weeke. you haue given more then my dayes allowance to a beggar at the doore; and if Mr Jackson had not releived me, I should bee in a poore Case, but he like a ffather and shee like a loveing mother doth still helpe me, for when wee goe vp to James Towne that is 10 myles of vs, there he all the ships that Come to the land, and there they must deliver their good, and when wee went vp to Towne as it may bee on Moonedaye, at noone, and come there by night, then load the next day by noone, and goe home in the afternoone, and vnload, and then away againe in the night, and bee vp about midnight, then if it rayned, or blowed never so hard wee must lye in the boate on the water, and haue nothing but alitle bread, for when wee go into the boate wee haue a loafe allowed to two men, and it is all if we staid there 2 dayes, wch is hard, and must lye all that while in the boate, but that Goodman Jackson pityed me & made me a Cabbin to lye in alwayes when I come vp, and he would giue me some poore JackC home with me wch Comforted mee more then pease, or water gruell. Oh they bee verie godlie folkes, and loue me verie well, and will doe anie thing for me, and he much marvailed that you would send me a servaunt to tlie Companie, he saith I had beene better knockd on the head, and Indeede so I fynd it now to my greate greife and miserie, and saith, that if you love me you will redeeme me suddenlie, for wch I doe Intreate and begg, and if you cannot get the marchaunt to redeeme me for some litle money then for God sake get a gathering or intreat some good folks to lay out some little Sum of moneye, in meale, and Cheese and butter, and beife, anie eating meate will yeald great profit, oile and vyniger is verie good, but ffather ther is greate losse in leakinge, but for God sake send beife and Cheese and butter or the more of one sort and none of another, but if you send Cheese it nmst bee very old Cheese, and at the Chesmongers you may buy good Cheese for twopence farthing or halfepenny that will be liked verie well, but if you send Cheese you must haue a Care how you packe it in barrells, and you must put Coopers Chips betweene eu9ie Cheese, or els the heat of the hold will rott them, and looke whatsoeur you send me be it neu9 so much looke what I make of yt I will deale trulie with you I will send it out, and begg the profit to redeeme me, and if I die before it Come I haue intreated Goodman Jackson to send you the worth of it, who hath promised he will; If you send you nuist direct yo’ letters to Goodman Jackson, at James Towne a Gunsmith, (you must set downe his frayt) because there bee more of his name there; good ffather doe not forget me, but haue m9cie and pittye my miserable Case. I know if you did but see me you would weepe to see me, for I haue but one suite, but it is a strange one, it is very well guarded, wherefore for God sake pittie me, I pray you to remember my loue my love to all my ffreind, and kindred, I hope all my Brothers and Sisters are in good health, and as for my part I have set downe my resolucon that certainelie Wilbe, that is, that the Answeare of this letter wilbee life or death to me, therefore good ffather send as soone as you can, and if you send me anie thing let this bee the marke.

Richard Ffrethorne

Martyns Hundred.

The names of them that bee dead of the Companie came out with us to serue vnder our Leifetenants.

All theis died out of my Mrs house, since I came, and wee came in but at Christmas, and this is the 20th day of March and the Saylers say that ther is two third of the 150 dead already and thus I end prayeing to God to send me good successe that I may be redeemed out of Egipt. So vale in Cristo.

Loueing ffather I pray you to vse this man verie exceeding kindly for he hath done much for me, both on my Journy and since, I intreate you not to forget me, but by anie meanes redeeme me, for this day wee heare that there is 26 of English men slayne by the Indians, and they haue taken a Pinnace of Mr Pountis, and haue gotten peeces. Armour, sword, all thinges fitt for Warre, so that they may now steale vpon vs and wee Cannot know them from English, till it is too late, that they bee vpon vs, [and wee Cannot knowe them from English, till it is too late, that they bee vpon vs,] [sic] and then ther is no mercie, therefore if you loue or respect me, as your Child release me from this bondage, and saue my life, now you may saue me, or let me bee slayne, with Infidelle, aske this man, he knoweth that all is true and Just that I say here; if you do redeeme me the Companie must send for me to my Mr Harrod for so is this Mrs name.

Apr: the 2 day

Your loueing sonne

Richard Ffrethorne

(April 3, 1623)

Moreour on the third day of Aprill wee heard that after theis Rogues had gotten the Pynnace, and had taken all furnitures as peeces, sword, armour, Coat of male. Powder, shot and all the thinges that they had to trade withall, they killed the Captaine, and Cut of his head, and rowing with the taile of the boat formost they set vp a pole and put the Captaines head vpon it, and so rowed home, then the Deuill set them on againe, so that they furnished about 200 Canoes with aboue 1000 Indians, and came and thought to haue taken the shipp, but sheewas too quicke for them wch thing was very much talked of, for they alwayes feared a ship, but now the Rogues growe verie bold, and can vse peeces, some of them, as well or better then an Englishman, ffor an Indian did shoote with Mr Charles my Mrs Kindsman at a marke of white paper, and hee hit it at the first, but Mr Charles Could not hit it, But see the Enuie of theis slaues, for when they Could not take the ship then oor men saw theni threaten Accomack that is the next Plantacon and nowe ther is no Way but starueing ffor the Gouvnour told vs and Sir George, that except the Seaflower come in or that wee can fall foule of theis Rogues and get some Corne from them, aboue halfe the land will surelie be starved, for they had no Crop last yeare by reason of theis Rogues, so that wee haue no Corne but as ships do releiue vs, nor wee shall hardlie haue anie Crop this yeare, and Wee are as like to perish first as anie Plantacon, for wee haue but two Hogshead of meale left to serue vs this two Monethes, if the Seafiower doe stay so long before shee come in, and that meale is but 3 Week bread for vs, at a loafe for 4 about the bignes of a pennie loafe in England, that is but a halfepenny loafe a day for a man: is it not straunge to me thinke you? but What will it bee when wee shall goe a month or two and never see a bit of bread, as my Mr doth say Wee must doe, and he said hee is not able to keepe vs all, then wee shalbe turned vp to the land and eate bark of trees, or mould of the Ground therefore with weeping teares I beg of you to helpe me. O that you did see may daylie and hourelie sighes, grones, and teares, and thumpes that I afford mine owne brest, and rue and Curse the time of my birth with holy Job. I thought no head had beene able to hold so much water as hath and doth dailie flow from mine eyes.

But this is Certaine I neur felt the want of ffather and mother till now, but now deare ffrend full well I knowe and rue it although it were too late before before I knew it.

I pray you talke with this honest man he will tell you more then now in my hast I can set downe.

Yor loueing Sonne

Richard Ffrethorne

Virginia 3d April 1623

Source:

The Records of the Virginia Company of London, Susan Myra Kingsbury, ed. Public Domain