Leslie

= = = = =Jamestown Colony and Virginia=

My grandfather died about two years ago and I still haven’t gotten to clean his attic. One day I had nothing to do so I went to clean it out. When I got up there in the attic I was in complete awe! The attic was filled to the brim with junk, or what I call junk. An hour later the attic looked like I had never touched it! So I kept on working. I found a lot of history books and objects. I really had no use for them and I’m not really fond of it either, so I put it in a give away pile. As I got close to the end I saw something that caught my eye. There was a big square object covered by a blanket in the corner. When I got to the object I knelt down and threw off the blanket. I couldn’t see very well because the light was very dim. I dusted it off and there was this incredibly designed chest. There was a lock on it and no key so I had to break it with a hammer. I opened it and when I looked closely I saw it was all history things. Amazingly it was very exciting and interesting at the same time. On the front of the chest was written “Jamestown”.

Wow! This chest is one of the Jamestown colonist’s chests! Inside the chest were real artifacts from Jamestown, like a [|letter] written by John Pory. John Pory was the Secretary of Virginia. He was writing to Sir Dudley Carelton about good harvest from former years, death, and starvation. He also wrote about the colonists' consumption of growing tobacco and keeping servants.

I also found a book, the cover said " [|Jamestown laws and documents]". These laws and documents are from 1606 - 1660. Back then in 1606 the ministers had to do their church services according to the Ecclesiastical laws and orders of the churche of Englande. "And whosoever of them shalbe found negligent or faulty in this kinde shalbe subject to the censure of the Governor and Counsell of Estate." Isn't that wierd that they had to follow the laws of Englande for your church service and you can't do anything else or you will be punished. Now, you can teach any way you want to.

I saw a gold frame under a piece cloth in the chest. Under the cloth was a [|picture] of John Smith. The portrait was original! It looked so worn out. John Smith was born 1580 Willoughby, England. "John became actively involved with plans to colonize Virginia for profit by the Virginia Company, which had been granted a charter from King James I. After setting sail on December 20, 1606, this famous expedition finally reached Virginia in April 1607 after enduring a lengthy voyage of over four months in three tiny ships. When the sealed box that listed the names of the seven council members who were to govern the colony was opened, Smith's name was on the list. On May 13, 1607 the settlers landed at Jamestown ready to begin the task of surviving in a new environment."

There was only one more thing inside the chest. It was not rolled up very well. I unrolled it and it was a [|map]. I was pretty sure that it was a map of Virginia because everything else in the chest was from Jamestown or Virginia. This map was created by John Smith. It seems like John Smith did alot of things for Jamestown and Virginia. Sense it is an old map the boundries and the details were not exact. At the corner of the map there was a picture of an indian chief and other indians at a ceremony. There was also a lady in the other corner, some historians say it was Pocahontas. I have found some much stuff in this chest. It is so amazing!

I never thought history could effect me so much, but it did. It gave me a better understanding of life, that the Jamestown colony had. The way they lived, ruled, and created maps, etc. with mostly just there knowledge not alot of tools, thats amazing! Now, I think that some of the men like John Pory and John Smith are great leaders. They are even better than some leaders that we have today. The colony had to suffer so much for a new life, and a world. Now, after finding this chest with all these artifacts I have great respect for the leaders and people of Jamestown. I hope that I can help apply their ways of the past to our ways of the future. ==  ==