Prior to the arrival of the colonists from Jamestown and Captain John Smith, little is known of its previous history. Indians inhabited the Island around 10, BC and left evidence behind with numerous artifacts including arrowheads, tools, pottery, beads, and many other items.
Many of these items are on display in our Indian Artifact Exhibit here at the Museum. After inciting tribe after tribe to revolt, he finally surrendered to the Romans. Because of his nobility and the renown of his heroism, he gained the admiration and respect of Claudius and was allowed to remain in practical freedom in Rome.
Around ca , Hugh Gwynn was exploring the Chesapeake Bay and stopped at a small island at the mouth of the Piankatank River. Legend has it that he heard cries for help from an Indian girl who had fallen from her canoe. Seeing her in the water, he dived in and pulled her to safety.
About 5 years later in , Hugh Gwynn's request was granted by patent acres, nearly a quarter of the Island. It is uncertain the gap in time from discovery of the Island in and but we do know that Hugh represented Charles River County in the House of Burgesses in Get more stories delivered right to your email. Your e-mail: Sign Up. Share on Facebook Pin it on Pinterest. A lifelong Virginia resident, Beth loves exploring different parts of the world and currently resides in Alexandria. She holds a degree in English Literature and one of her short stories has been featured in the Shenandoah Review.
It became quite a fight. We do find the names of the complainants. They were both young fishermen, single. The witnesses are ages 15— There are three witnesses who are middle-aged married watermen. We also find who were the witnesses for James Smith. Also testifying for Smith were two Black men and his wife.
Smith has a lawyer. He calls witnesses. His wife testifies. In his instructions to the jury, the judge says that if the jury believes Smith used no more force than necessary, then they must find him not guilty. The jury ignores this and finds Smith guilty. Shortly after the trial, even though Smith served his time and paid his fine, he is informed that people are going to lynch him. He is hidden away in a church for three days. He is told he needs to get off the Island now.
It is obvious that the move was under duress. He was doing business with people on the mainland as a fisherman and oysterman and crabber. Why are you going to give that up? The Smiths become renters in Norfolk. The sons begin working as delivery drivers. Some become chauffeurs later and take on other jobs, becoming mechanics.
Ida no longer teaches; she becomes a housewife. It really displaces everyone. Imagine this multiplied by 20—30 times, with families having to leave everything they have and ending up in different cities.
It changes everything. Smith goes from someone who owns his own business, pays wages, and owns property to renting where he lives and working a hard menial job shoveling coal. His older children move to Hampton and build their lives there. The family is never the same. He is still a coal trimmer. Both of his sons die of tuberculosis in their forties. Smith now has the Jackson children living with him because his daughter and her husband moved to Hampton, lost a baby to pneumonia, then she died of childbirth.
That baby died a year later, and then her husband dies of cancer. There is just this cascading trauma. Is it a lack of medical care? We do know that Smith and his wife died before the decade was out.
James died of a heart attack at And Ida dies of diabetes a few years later. It is very disproportionate. Black men and women who had this prosperous life in the community, they die young, as do their children and grandchildren. We keep digging to learn more. A descendant posted a blog in Mathews County in that said his great-grandfather, who had attended the trial, overheard one of the white men who filed charges against Smith saying he had lied.
These guys were 20 and They had to come home for Christmas all cut up. Perhaps they felt the need to come up with an excuse. And there were more threats of violence.
While Smith was in jail, people were talking about lynching him. By the time Smith got out of jail, things were very dire. Maybe people were unhappy he got a light sentence.
Maybe land was behind this. The second piece of acreage is sold to the brother of the storeowner where the initial fight took place. The sales happened extremely quickly.
They were getting pretty good money, but these were not voluntary sales. The Smiths had wanted to pass this land to their children and grandchildren. By the end of , all the Black families had moved elsewhere; by the end of , almost all their land had been sold. I thought that all I inherited from my ancestors was anger. Now I know they tried their best.
The narrative is so faulty. But you look at how people feel today. These are not easy lives. It changes what your narrative is for your life today.
0コメント