Personal Life Experience And Family History Of John Darcy - Essay Example

JOHN DARCY An Autobiography I was born in Jamestown, Virginia on May 15, 1737. My great grandfather was one of the early settlers in Jamestown. He came to Virginia together with the future leader of colonies, John Smith, when he was only 15. They were close friends and were always together. As my great grandfather Henry was accompanying John everywhere he was the eyewitness of al the events connected with John. My grandfather James used to tell me the stories about John, which he heard from his father and my great grandfather Henry. To tell the truth, those stories were a bit legendary for me at that time, but now I know that they were completely true and are inseparable part of our history. Especially I liked listening to the story of Pocahontas and John Smith, as they had some connection with me and my sister. The Indians, whose chief was Powhatan, shared the land with the colonists, the leader of which was John Smith. Powhatan wanted to kill John as he was invading the land of the Native Americans. But his daughter Pocahontas, who saw in John Smith an intelligent person and a good leader , came to rescue him putting her head on his when her father Powhatan was trying to kill John. Powhatan let John Smith live. The Indians started to appreciate him and adopted him into their tribe (Colonial America). This was the story that gave birth to my sisters name; Pocahontas - after Powhatan’s daughter and my name; John- in the memory of John Smith. I live with my mother, Amanda; my father George; my sister Pocahontas and my uncle Patrick. My father is a doctor. He is a very important man in our region. He was at every home and in every family. He is present at every funeral and birth. He is equal both to the schoolmaster and the innkeeper, and not much inferior to the minister. People appreciate and respect him very much. His is especially famous for his popular medicine, which consists of toads burned to a crisp and powdered, then taken in small doses for diseases of the blood (Elson). My uncle Patrick is a merchant. He takes cargoes of fish and cattle and the products of the forest and of the soil to the West Indies, to England, and to Spain, and brings in return molasses and the many articles of manufacture that we can not make at home. I used to help him. We usually made the furniture for the household and many of the implements of the farm as well. My sister and my mother spun the flax and wove it into a coarse cloth from which the family is clothed. We live in a house that is not furnished well. It is solidly built of wood. It would have been very cold in winter but for the great open wood-fire, about which my family gathers in the evening and makes brooms, shells nuts, and tells interesting stories about England and my ancestors (Elson). I like those moments very much, as they bring my family even closer. The town where we live is a straggling, rural village with unpaved, shady streets partly covered with stumps of native trees. There are three important buildings in our town, that are near one another -- the church, the tavern, and the blockhouse. The church is built of logs, provided with benches, and never heated. Our congregation is summoned by the sound of a horn or a drum, and the people sat in order of social rank and listened to the long sermons. I hate going to church, because I get bored there and even fall asleep. I remember once I fell asleep during the sermon and was awakened when received a rap on the head from the rod of the tithing man. The same happened to my sister Pocahontas. She was awakened by the brushing of her face with a rabbits foot appended to the rod(Elson). The tavern is the best place I like to spend my time. It is not only a lodging place for travelers, but also a drinking house, and a place of general gossip for the village and neighborhood. Here the people gather on special days to gossip, to get the latest news, and to discuss politics and religion. The tavern is considered a public necessity, and a town that doesn’t have one is subject to fine by the General Court. The principal drinks are rum, small beer, and eider, and these are used freely by men, women, and children. I prefer drinking beer there; it is not so strong and is pleasant to drink (Elson). I like reading very much. My first teacher was my mother. She showed me and my sister how letters are written and read when I was only 5. From that moment on I read everything that I find. I have graduated from the college at Newtown and now am eager to continue my education at Harvard. I want to become a lawyer. I think that by becoming a lawyer I’ll be more helpful for my nation. I believe in individual rights and independence from the British government. Till present I can’t recover from the experience I had in our Puritan church. I believe in freedom of speech and religion and I think that it should be up to people to choose which church to go and who to believe in. I think that all men are created equal and that God provided all the people with certain unalienable rights, among which are the right for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (americaslibrary.gov). As I told you before, I was born in Jamestown and have lived my whole life here, in Virginia and my roots are deeply connected with this place. It is the best place in the world and I am happy of being a part of it. I believe that things will be better in my country in the future and we will witness brighter days from now on. I’ll be one of those who will do his best to make our life better. I am John Darcy and this is my life story and the story of my ancestors. I hope that you’ve liked it. References 1. “Colonial America”. A Story Of Our Nations History. 10 Dec. 2008. http://library.thinkquest.org/28936/history.htm#Colonial America#Colonial America> 2. Elson Henry William. “History of the United States of America". 1904. The MacMillan Company. New York. Chapter X p. 206-208. Transcribed by Kathy Leigh. 10 Dec. 2008 3. Read More