The Journal of Obadiah, Quaker Boy

by Michael Florio - Garrisson Elementary School - Oceanside USD

send to printer

1 May, 1685 Day 1

Even though I’m only twelve years of age it seems a century has gone by since fathers’ death, two years ago in London of the Plague. Mother has been lonely and unable to properly care for me, Moses, my younger brother, and Rebecca, my older sister.

Now we are leaving everything we know behind for a new start in a new land. I have heard talk of savages and of an unending land filled with trees and opportunities. The four of us huddled on the deck of the small ship and under the warmth of a woolen blanket watched England disappear into the damp fog. God help us all.

2 May, 1685 Day 2

I hardly slept last night. The little ship tossed and groaned all night in heavy seas. I feel sick. I stuffed every thing I own into a small wooden chest. One of the things I saved was a copy of fathers’ favorite book, “ TheGreat Case of Liberty of Conscience”. It’s a well-written book with a cracked hard cover. On the inside page is the date, February 1679. Father gave the book to me just before he died and said that William Penn wrote it while he was in prison for defending his opinions of religious tolerance. Father was a believer, like Penn, that people would be better people and happier if they lived by the fundamental principles of religious toleration. Which is not the case at our home in England.

I remember when a few years ago mother and father took all of us to hear George Fox speak. He was a leader of the movement towards religious toleration. It was very exciting when non-believers broke up the meeting with shouts and some of Fox’s followers were even brought to prison. I shall ask mother more about Quaker beliefs tomorrow and if we will persecuted in our new home in Pennsylvania as we were in England.

10 May, 1685 Day 10

I hardly slept last night. This little ship moaned and creaked in heavy winds while the passengers sick with the flux clung to rigging and blankets. The sails were taken down last night due to the fierce wind.
I stayed below decks all day trying to sleep in the smelly darkness.

11 May, 1685 Day 11

Today I asked mother about why she became a Quaker. She explained that the real name for Quakers is “Friends”. They deny all strife and war and do not use weapons of any kind. She said that to every man and woman God has given a measure of the Lightof His son a measure of Grace.

That’s why it doesn’t matter if a man is a Jew, a Gentile, a Turk or an Indian or even a Barbarian and no matter where he came from he can be saved. She said that the part that troubles people the most is that since we all have the Inner Light there is no need for priests and ministers. There is also no need for fancy churches for God can be found anywhere. The churches are quiet places because He [God] speaks to us in the quiet of our hearts, so we must be still and listen to His messages. Then when we hear these messages we let others in the church know by standing and speaking these words. Some of the time it would be very quiet and at other times people would shout and be so overtaken they would tremble at the Word of the Lord and so outsiders called them “Quakers’. The Friends did not find this nickname offensive so it stuck.

I like being a Quaker even more now than I did before ‘cause I believe we should try to live together in a peaceful manner, and I must say that even the Indians, who some people call savages, must also have this Inner Light and hear God in their own words.

12 May, 1685 Day 12

The weather finally calmed. The fresh filled the sails and we made good speed. It was good to feel the sun again and smell the ocean air.
I dread having to stay below decks in the darkness and foul air. The lack of privacy is unavoidable but today mother tied a blanket to the upper timbers with rope to give us a bit of privacy but the noise and smell continued.

14 May, 1685 Day 14

I feel much better today. I hear we are about half of the way to the New Land of Promise, as mother calls it. Mother says I finally have my sea legs. Moses and Rebecca are still scared and do not sleep much during the night. There has been little to eat and the water tastes musty. Most of our water now comes the moisture that drips off the sails and into barrels set beneath them. This water tastes like tar! Some of the crew added rum to a barrel of water and called it grog. I am not sure why, but they serve it only twice a day. I hope to try some soon for it must taste better than the awful tasting water.

16 May, 1685 Day 16

I made a new friend today! His name is William. He is thirteen years of age and says he has wealthy parents. They have enough money to buy a farm in New Jersey. Since we do not have money to buy a farm mother must live with friends and I will be an indentured servant and work as an apprentice cooper for seven years. He does not seem one year older than myself. I hope we can become friends.

17 May, 1685 Day 17

When I saw William this morning he had a bloody ear. When I asked him what happened he said that while he was sleeping last night he awoke with a rat gnawing at his ear. There are a few cats on board and I’m sure they are kept very busy with all the rats on board. Most of the food is in barrels, which helps in keeping the rats from getting into our precious supplies.

19 May, 1685 Day 19

William’s ear seems little better today. Although he’s very excited about living on a farm he’s scared too because of all the talk he has heard about Indians. He was glad that at least he could live with his parents and not have to spend seven long years away home working for a stranger who could turn out to be a harsh taskmaster. Many of the passengers are taken ill with the flux. Two people died last night; I know this because I saw crewmembers throw the bodies overboard this morning. Mother said that there is too little room on board to keep all the dead bodies so they are thrown overboard. She added that they
wrap two cannon balls with each body so that it sinks quickly.

God help us. I hope we all remain well.

22 May, 1685 Day 22

Today was Rebecca’s birthday, she is nine, but looks more like six years of age. Since father died we have had little money and have not been eating like we should. Rebecca is frail and has little energy.

Today is the best day so far; William and I explored the upper deck trying not to be spotted by any of the deck mates. It was great fun, while it lasted until who should catch us, but the ship’s cooper! I find this to be a good fortune for me. He is a kindly man with sharp blue eyes and a wrinkled, brown, smiling face. His name is Mr. Higgins and is kept always busy with the very important job of keeping all the ships’ barrels water tight and in good repair.

His shop is cluttered with axes and saws and hammers and lots of thin pieces of wood and metal hoops. The floor was coated with a layer of wood shavings. He asked me if I was interested in helping him clean the workshop, I said yes! Mr. Higgins’ leathery face turned into a broken toothed grin as he slapped me on the back and called me by name, Obadiah, and handed me his broom. He introduced me to his three cats, Missy, Patches, and Smoke and set himself to work shaving a long strip of wood for a barrel he was repairing. He sang as he worked and I felt happy he found me.

24 May, 1685 Day 24

I saw them throw three more bodies into the ocean this morning on my way to Mr. Higgins’ workshop. Only three quarters of our original passengers are left. We should be arriving in about fourteen days. Mr. Higgins seemed glad to see me as he handed me the broom again and leather apron. There were many things to do and the time went by quickly. I heard that my mother will find ads looking for a coopers’ apprentice in New Castle, Pennsylvania and that is how I will find my place. I told him that I was on my way there. He congratulated me and began reminiscing about his own apprenticeship back in London. He seemed to swell with pride as he explained to me that the invention of the barrel was the greatest world has ever seen. He boasted how barrels are used to transport goods over long distances and how goods of all sort were stored in barrels.

Why if there were no such things as barrels, goods would just stay where they were made there’d be little trade and people wouldn’t be able to travel over great distances”, He explained.

“Do you have any idea how hard it is to make a barrel so that it doesn’t leak?” He asked.

He said that he remembered when he was my age and that he was not allowed to make a barrel until he had worked six years as an apprentice. I asked what he did for all those years; he explained that there were a lot of tools to take care of like long knives, as he pointed to several hanging above his workbench. Just look at all these tools! There are hammers and hand adzes and axes. They all need to be kept sharp.

I asked if the journeyman cooper treated him fairly. He looked at me and said that he was lucky to have such a good man to work for. In return for all his hard work he was given a place to sleep, food and after nearly seven years a chance to make decent wages. He chuckled
as he recalled the time when he finished his first barrel. First, the journeyman had to be sure it was water tight, and it was.

Then he burned the inside with a torch and while it was still smoking he was told to climb inside. After Mr. Higgins crawled inside his boss put the barrel on its side and rolled it through the main street of town pounding on it and shouting at the top of his lungs. This was all done of coarse, to let the townspeople know that the young apprentice was now a journeyman cooper. Everyone cheered and yelled their good wishes. He was now on his own, to earn his own living.

Mr. Higgins wiped a happy tear from his eye, put his hand on my shoulder and looked into my eyes and said, “ It’s a noble profession son, work hard and it will serve you well.”

1 June, 1685 Day 32

This morning I awoke to the sounds of birds! We must be near land at last! There seems to be new life aboard ship as people are packing their belongings together and talk is of their next challenge, building a new life in a strange and dangerous new land.

We made it, mother, Moses and Rebecca, but it wasn’t an easy journey. Many people aboard are still sick and many died. We were the lucky ones. As the dark edge of the horizon grew thicker I wondered what it will be like in this land of new promises and what it will be like to meet with the Delaware.

Mr. Higgins said we have entered Delaware Bay and will be sailing up the Delaware River a short distance to New Castle, where we will be docking. This town of about 240 homes will be my home for the next seven years. It is about 40 miles from Philadelphia and only about 10 miles from Chester, where mother will be staying on a farm with Friends.

Mr. Higgins said there would be a lot of work for me is this rapidly growing area. I will surely miss mother, Rebecca, and Moses but I feel as though every thing will work out and we will all prosper in this New Land of Promise.

I will also surely always remember William. And as for ole Mr. Higgins, well every time I finish a barrel I will remember his kind words and smiling eyes.