That was an interesting story, @Sheldon Scott ! One of the best trips that i have had was when I was visiting my daughter in Virginia, and she took me to see Jamestown. We walked though all of the areas where people had lived, and watched a re-inactment that explained about the first Jamestown settlers. They have a replica of the old style forge where glass was made, and you can actually watch them heat the furnace and make the glass into glasses, cups, and other objects that would have been made of glass. One of the first ideas that they had to make money was to produce silk, and there are still some of the Mulberry trees there. The idea didn't work out to be a viable business; but at least the settlers had lots of mulberries to eat.
My wife and I spent a few days in Jamestown and Williamsburg a few years ago. I loved it. There is so much to see and do there.
I went to Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown years ago, and loved it! It was late August, and I sneaked into the Governor's Palace grounds, and swiped a bag full of figs! LOL I was really intrigued by this article. It will be interesting to watch it unfold.
"This English outpost was then a desperate place. The “starving time,” they called it. Dozens had died of hunger and disease. Survivors were walking skeletons, besieged by Indians, and reduced to eating snakes, dogs and one another." Ugh, such a horrible picture to imagine. I know this isn't really relevant, but I tried to imagine it, and then I thanked God that, although we still have "first world problems" today, we have something to eat and to drink.
Oh, it is relevant! Sometimes other peoples insight or opinion on a subject leads to some relevant information. For example, Brittany's comment on figs led me on a little adventure. Oh your mention of figs is quite interesting. Kind of side-tracked me a bit on the original article, but I must say figs were not only planted at the Governor's Palace grounds in Colonial Williamsburg, but also in Jamestown by Captain William Pierce Figs: "Vulgar" Fruit or "Wholesome" Delicacy? https://www.monticello.org/site/house-and-gardens/figs-vulgar-fruit-or-wholesome-delicacy "Numerous accounts document the introduction of the fig into Spanish America and Florida in the sixteenth century. The longevity of individual plants also provided clues to its prevalence in the deep South. Plant explorer John Bartram described in 1766 how the English had ransacked the fruit gardens of St. Augustine, Florida, which had been occupied until then by the Spanish; however, the fig trees were left unmolested: "As for the Figs, the English are not very fond of them." The fig was first reported in Virginia in 1621, when John Smith said figs "prospered exceedingly" after being brought to Jamestown from Bermuda. According to Smith, Jane Pierce, wife of Captain William Pierce, planted a three or four-acre fruit and vegetable garden and harvested one hundred bushels of "excellent figges" in the summer of 1629." You may ask who is Captain William Pierce, I myself was not familiar with his name, but a quick Google provided me some interesting answers. Well, even if no-one does ask, I still thank you for this little comment you made becasue it provided me some valuable information for my personal family tree book for my future generation. Hurray for this post and comments. Subject: [PIERCE-L] Captain William Pierce c1582-1651 http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/PIERCE/2000-02/0950158801 "Captain William Pierce - born c1582 in England - came from England with Sir Thomas Gates in the ship Sea Venture in 1609. -made more trips to New England than any other one man at that time. -was the Captain of the Mayflower on its second voyage. -was a friend and advisor to both Governor Bradford and Governor Winthrop. -was captain of Governor Wyatt's Guard in 1617. -commissioned as a lieutenant by Gov. Wyatt to go against the Indians in 1623. -lieutenant governor at James City in 1629. -was a member of the Virginia Council from 1631 to 1648. -member of the House of Burgesses. -lived in Jamestown, Va.; owned land upon Lawne's Creek & Mulberry Island. - died in the West Indies at the hands of the Spaniards as he attempted to rescue some of his countrymen from New Providence in 1651. All that is known of his wife is that her name was Jane and that she came on the ship Blessing in 1610. Their children were: Jane, Thomas, & William Jr. Jane Pierce- before 1620, she married, as his 2nd or 3rd wife, John Rolfe after his wife Pocahontas died. After his death, she married Captain Roger Smith." Oh ya, thanks to the original poster, Sheldon for the link. Even though, I was already aware of this find, this thread excites me. Here are my thoughts on the article: Living in Virginia, I am always amazed at all the early history found in this Commonwealth. Matter of fact, I recently befriended an Old Native American chief of one the tribes here in VA. He took me on a tour of their museum. In the backroom, there are a couple of old pictures by the artist John White of Pocahontas. Now, when I go to Jamestown, I am going to have more insight into the colony. One of the many questions that arise in my mind from these findings is whether of not the relic is of Catholic origin. Seriously, to think, perhaps, Spain had a spy in the English colony is quite an interesting possibility. It sure would put a twist on history. Oh yes, I am an amateur history buff.
Magalina, your post was intriguing as well. I really enjoyed the article about figs. Good luck with your genealogy research. Are you descended from this Captain Pierce?
Really interesting and informative post, you've made. I love being able to just boot up my PC, and out of nowhere, learn things I never would've thought about through a post like yours.
Thanks, Brittany. No, I am not a descendant of Captain Pierce; although, I am actually in the midst of doing some research on another family line from the Jamestown era. Although, I do have an indirect link to the Pierce family and this info intrigues me and helps fill in some gaps. Before I started researching the early Colonial days, I never realized that people (and families) were traveling back and forth. You would think one trip over would be enough of an adventure. By the way, I have several connections and you and others would probably be surprised to find out how your family lines go back here, too. It really brings history to life with a personal connection. As I wrote in another post, this is how I plan to educate my future grandchildren on history. Now, back to the subject at hand, pointed out by John concerning the "starving time". I think there are many misconceptions that will unravel from these current findings and the ones to still be uncovered, esp. concerning disease. We all hear the stories about the goal of looking for gold and being ill-equipped to survive. I am not sure this is the "whole" story. Sure there is a large basis of truth from the primary sources, yet I am excited to learn more. For example, disease and death also arose from their water supply. "... a team of geologists at the College of William & Mary may be closing in on a suspect: drinking water fouled by salt, arsenic, human waste or a medley of these contaminants." October 17, 2011 Did Jamestown’s Settlers Drink Themselves to Death? By Jennie Cohen http://www.history.com/news/did-jamestowns-settlers-drink-themselves-to-death
Magalina, you are truly gifted with this kind of research and analysis. Do you work in this field, or are you simply passionate about this?
Thanks for the kind words, John. This is simply one of my passions. I will go a little bit further on my thoughts from this recent development in Jamestown with the (Catholic?) relic found and Brittany's mention of figs. As you all might or might not know figs were popular with Spain and they were planting them in places like Florida at the time. So, I found it interesting to learn about Captain Pierce and his wife planting the figs. Noted from the above information posted on Captain Pierce. Now, this is a little far fetched, but Catholic Spain and Britain were not on the best terms at this time and the possibility of Spanish spies in Jamestown has been a speculation for researchers for years. Eg the above article outlying the research from the college of William and Mary in VA that I posted about the early English colonists source of water. Some wonder, if their were Spanish spies planted and if there was a connection with their water supply being contaminated with sabotage, along with the ill existing conditions of the area chosen for the Jamestown settlement. So... even though Captain Pierce died at the hands of the Spaniards, just wonder what was his exact relationship with Spain? Hmm, I think for now, I will look a little bit more into the more obvious question at hand with Captain Archer. After all, the relic was found with him and his parents were thought to remain committed to the Catholic faith.