Hi, Very well said. That's my sense, too, of what it was like, exactly. Out of all that deprivation came eventually hundreds of us contemporary genealogists, those researched and tyhose not yet researched. Gene ATKIN <genea2@juno.com> Forty Surnames, etc.: <http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/a/t/k/Eugene-L-Atkin> On Fri, 29 Jan 1999 00:32:09 -0500 "G. Lee Hearl" <glh@naxs.com> writes: >Now that we have had our discussion on wine and water...and a few >other >things to drink, let's consider what a trip from Europe to America was >like >on a sailing ship in the early seventeen hundreds.. The ship takes on >passengers in Amsterdam and sails to England, Scotland or Ireland >where it >is tied up for two weeks waiting for cargo and other passengers.. The >people who boarded in Amsterdam are not allowed to leave the ship and >have >to spend the little money they have for food while they wait..Cargo is >finally loaded and more passengers are crowded aboard until the space >allowed each person is two feet by two feet by six feet..Finally the >ship >sails, most of the passengers have never been on a ship before and >half of >them get seasick, that makes everybody else sick..nobody can leave >their >"space" and go up on the deck for fresh air..Some woman goes into >labor and >begins screaming with pain...everybody gets so upset..they decide to >push >her out a port hole into the ocean..a child dies and is buried at >sea.. >nobody can take a bath...everybody gets lice...they are being fed salt >cured meat...and the water supply runs low...they hit a storm and >everyone >thinks they will never live through it...they all start to >praying...or >cursing the day they got on that ship...parents die, leaving small >children >to look after themselves..the food supply runs out and there is >nothing >left except the ship biscuit..and it has made several voyages back >forth >across the atlantic and is full of bugs and worms...finally after two >months or more under such conditions..land is sighted...Everyone who >is >still able..gives thanks to the Lord..The ship docks in Barbados..they >all >get some fresh water but are not allowed to leave the ship..Finally >they >arrive in Philadelphia, sick,starving, dirty, covered with lice and >broke, >facing several years of indentured service for their passage to the >new >world. After such a trip, our forefathers were prepared to face the >wilderness, wild animals, savage Indians or anything else to stay here >because they knew they were never going to get on another ship! G. Lee >Hearl Abingdon, Va. > > >==== VAAUGUST Mailing List ==== >**************************************************************** >The Augusta County mailing list page has instructions on how to > subscribe and unsubscribe from the list > Visit it at: >http://www.rootsweb.com/~vapulask/augustaquery/augustalist.htm >*************************************************************** > > ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]