Jamestown Diary sample entry
Jamestown Diary of William Wilkinson, Surgeon
December 5, 1606
I am a surgeon. I give medicine to people who are sick. I use needles, medicine, scissors, and lots more stuff. I might take bullets out of people. I don’t really work with others except my assistant. My assistant brings people into my house. He helps me get the tools. My assistant’s name is Ben.
I have a big family. I have a wife named Anne. She likes to cook bread. I have four children. Their names are James, Emily, Sarah, and Kathryn. James likes to run and chase the chickens. Emily likes to help my wife cook. Sarah likes to garden and smell flowers. Kathryn likes to race James. We all like to have a picnic after church on Sunday.
I heard one of my patients Robert talking about the King James charter for this new land. I wanted to try this new economic venture with the Virginia Company of London. I will buy stock to purchase land in Jamestown to start a new business as a surgeon. I am sort of nervous. I have decided to pack a knife, saw, scissors, and all my medicines, as well as my Bible.
March 10, 1607
Three ships take off from England to travel across the Atlantic Ocean to Jamestown. They are the Susan Constant, the Godspeed and the Discovery. I travel on the Susan Constant. The ship is 116 feet long. The captain’s name is Christopher Newport. One of the weirdest passengers is John Smith. He is locked up the whole time. This is quite an adventure.
The trip is very long. I do not eat much food because most of it rotted. I try to play dice with Robert but I keep my eye on John Smith because he is in chains. If anybody gets sick, I try to help them. It was snowing, so we are freezing most of the time. All you can see is water. I meet two soldiers named Anas Todkill and James Read. We play cards. I am tired of reading my Bible from Robert Hunt and want to arrive in the New Land.
It is tough being on the ship with all of these people. I fear the ship will sink and I often dream of arriving
December 5, 1606
I am a surgeon. I give medicine to people who are sick. I use needles, medicine, scissors, and lots more stuff. I might take bullets out of people. I don’t really work with others except my assistant. My assistant brings people into my house. He helps me get the tools. My assistant’s name is Ben.
I have a big family. I have a wife named Anne. She likes to cook bread. I have four children. Their names are James, Emily, Sarah, and Kathryn. James likes to run and chase the chickens. Emily likes to help my wife cook. Sarah likes to garden and smell flowers. Kathryn likes to race James. We all like to have a picnic after church on Sunday.
I heard one of my patients Robert talking about the King James charter for this new land. I wanted to try this new economic venture with the Virginia Company of London. I will buy stock to purchase land in Jamestown to start a new business as a surgeon. I am sort of nervous. I have decided to pack a knife, saw, scissors, and all my medicines, as well as my Bible.
March 10, 1607
Three ships take off from England to travel across the Atlantic Ocean to Jamestown. They are the Susan Constant, the Godspeed and the Discovery. I travel on the Susan Constant. The ship is 116 feet long. The captain’s name is Christopher Newport. One of the weirdest passengers is John Smith. He is locked up the whole time. This is quite an adventure.
The trip is very long. I do not eat much food because most of it rotted. I try to play dice with Robert but I keep my eye on John Smith because he is in chains. If anybody gets sick, I try to help them. It was snowing, so we are freezing most of the time. All you can see is water. I meet two soldiers named Anas Todkill and James Read. We play cards. I am tired of reading my Bible from Robert Hunt and want to arrive in the New Land.
It is tough being on the ship with all of these people. I fear the ship will sink and I often dream of arriving