Thanksgiving and the Hugonots

5-6-1688

Wednesday

Today while we were eating supper some men came and said that we had to leave our home and country and go and live somewhere else.

I do not really want to go, but Mama says that that can not be helped. So I suppose I had better get used to it. And after thinking about it four the past five hours or so I think that I am starting to get used to it. But what makes me sad is that this house is the only one I ever lived in and here is the the only place I’ve ever known and now we’ve been ordered to go to some place new and different.

I don’t think I’d mind as much if I was the one who was wanting to go some place else. I really don’t mind it that much, going to the new world. But I’d like to have lots of time to pack! But I guess that can’t be helped either.

The solders said we’ve got to be out by tomorrow afternoon or their going to throw us out. So I’ve been up all night packing, and helping pack. I doubt that we can get all the things we want into the wagon and on to the boat as well.

Papa says that the boat will probably already be crowded and overloaded and the captain won’t let us take very much on board. But Mama says that if we get there and there is spare room on board, and we didn’t bring any more than the absolute necessities, and we can’t come back and get more, then we’ll regret not taking it along.

I think I agree with them both! We should be prepared for the worst, and pray for the best. I personally intend to carry this book. I think I’d try to bring it with me if I had to swim all the way. Though the pages would get all wet and messy.

I’m so worn out. But I’m also a little excited... and scared, more so than I have reason to be I guess. What ever happens I can know that God is watching over us and nothing happens unless He lets it. I’m getting sleepy now and my hand is tired. I guess I’ll go get a little nap before it’s time to get up again.

Hannah

5-7-1688

Thursday

I’m going to sleep on hay tonight! This is my very first time to try it. Mary and Rachel are not very excited about it. But they will not complain no matter how unhappy they are with the situation. They are awfully good about that. I complain a lot more than they do about things. I guess that means I am immature. They are always telling me that things can always be worse than they are and we ought to be quite thankful that they are not. So I just decided just now that every time I write in here for the rest of my days that I’m going to say how something could be worse than it is, and be thankful that it isn’t! So here it goes.

We might not have had this nice barn to sleep in, with all this nice, clean, smelly, hay to sleep on, and these nice people who said they would let us stay in here.

We might not have gotten a place to sleep at all, and we might not have plenty to eat and and all these sweet animals that are staring at us as we get ready for bed.

Thank you LORD that we do.

Hannah

5-9-1688

Saturday

Oh, today has been so wearisome!

We finally made it to the coast yesterday noon. It started raining the night we slept in the barn and it rained all day long and was still raining that night a bed time. There were not any houses near by so Mama found all us girls a place in the wagon and kept the rain out with a piece of canvas.

When we woke the next morning were damp an dirty but the sun had come out and there was a stream near by to wash up in. So that made us feel a lot better. and so we set off again and made it here by noon yesterday as I said. Then we went trekking all over town trying to find a place to spend the night until almost three O’clock and all of us girls were so tired that Papa and Mama left us siting by the road with all of our luggage there with us, and took Benjamin and headed back into town because they had to go and sell the horse and wagon it town. It was very sad to see old Prince go but he is just an animal after all.

But any way, we sat there for the longest time and we watched people walk past, fisher men and farmers and business owners, they rode. And Mary and Rachel talked quietly with each other and kept an eye on baby Joseph, while I played with Leah, Ruth, Sarah and Phoebe. I should have liked to hear what they we’re talking about, but then again, they we’re probably talking about their concerns about the trip, and if I heard them I might get really worried. I tend to do that often and exaggerate things and worry, especially when I’m tired. So I suppose it’s best that I didn’t hear.

But I did have fun playing in the sand by all that water watching the sun draw near the horizon.

As it was getting almost to sun set a nice fisherman came along and asked us if we needed a place to stay that night. He was about middle aged, and I think he was kind of worried about us. Rachel talked to him. She told him we were waiting on our parents to get back from town. At the time I was thinking “This fellow may have seen other folks like us, being forced to leave the country and wants to help”. He ask if we’d mind if he waited with us until our parents got there. Mary said that we wouldn’t mind. And so we sat and waited until it was almost too dark to see and then Papa, Mama and Ben, came tramping back down the road to find us all siting there in the dark waiting for them.

And long story short we did end up spending last night with the fisherman (his name is Allen) and his family (his wife and two little boys).

This morning Papa brought Ben and I (of all of us to pick from I don’t know why he picked me, though I’m happy he did;) back to town to see if we could find a boat to leave on. Papa said he was looking for one that was planning to sail soon. We brought some lunch with us and had a good time walking all up and down the the wharves asking different folks where they were going, if they were taking passengers, and if so how much would a one way trip for 10 people would cost. I suppose it’s probably needless to say we got some strange looks! One gentleman nearly fell of the wharf when we asked him, then he said: “Mister! I hardly got room for ten crew men! not a spare inch of space left on this here girl!” He was right. The deck was covered with baggage all under canvas and the hold looked like it was nearly over flowing!

In the end we found no one who said the they had room for 10 passengers. Papa says we can’t wait a whole lot longer and we may have to go on separate ships! I don’t think I can express how badly I don’t want to be separated from part of my family. We’re all praying that the Lord will provide a way so we will not have to split up.

Hannah

5-11-1688

Monday

The Dauphin

Nice Captain, Nice crew (in my opinion, I think Papa agrees with me)

Will take: 5 passengers as of seven o’clock this morning.

Bound for: Plymouth, Massachusetts

The Titan

all right Captain, pretty rough crew (the captain says so himself, I agree with him.)

Will take: 6 passengers as of eight thirty this morning.

Bound for: Boston Massachusetts

Mary, Rachel, Ben, Leah and I are leaving tomorrow at dawn on the Dauphin

Papa, Mama, Ruth, Sarah, Phoebe and Joseph are leaving a whole day later, on the Titan.

Captain is supposed to keep an eye on us during the trip and will be finding someone to get us to Boston as soon as we land in Plymouth, and he promised father that if he could not find any one to take us the he would go himself. Papa gave Ben the bag of money to keep for him. Papa gave us all some thing to be in charge of. I’m in charge of keeping an eye on Leah. Leah’s in charge of keeping an eye on the our Bible, because Papa sent it with us. Ben’s in charge of keeping the money. Papa told him to put it on a string around his neck, and he’s got it on now, I think he’s kind of proud to wear it, because it’s almost all the money we have in the world. Papas taking only a little with them be cause he’s afraid it might get stolen on the way over.

Oh and Rachel is in charge to see that we all look all right and Mary is supposed to make sure we all act all right. We’re all getting up very early tomorrow to pray for safety on the trip and then we’re going down to the dock and getting on the ship and leaving France for good.

Hannah

The Huguenots were a group of people from France who followed John Calvin and his teachings. But instead of choosing to leave their home country, (like the pilgrims) they were told to. It was ether that or become a Catholic. So most left.

We read the book, Escape Across the Wide Sea, over several lunches, quite a while back and really enjoyed it. I have just recently finished this writing project, and I really enjoyed my self. :-D It turned out to be twenty and a half pages long (what can I say, it's hereditary, okay.) Mama read it over the other night and said it aught to be published, somewhere... So I figured our blog would do. (For now...;-) I'll be posting till Thanksgiving since it is so long, and I'd really like to know what you think. =)

Anna