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Secrets of Christopher Seider
Revealed by Native American
by Alexandra K
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February 22,1770
Dear Diary,
It was a cold windy morning. I put on my deerskin dress and
moccasins. For the morning meal we had corn bread I had made in the
summer for the winter. After we had our morning meal, my husband left
our home in Weymouth, to do trading of some deer skin in Boston.
He got his feather hat on and went off. When I went outside I saw a few
of the young people playing ball. They looked like they were having fun.
My husband came home just in time for the evening meal. We were
having meat. He had interesting news from his long journey to Boston
that made me very curious. I usually get curious about things because I
always want to know more about it.
He said that when he went out to trade some meat to the butcher there
was an angry mob following a man. He had asked the butcher what
was going on? He told him that a man named Ebenezer Richardson had torn
down a sign that read importer, which was a word I did not quite
understand. He had an angry mob throwing rocks, stones, and snowballs
at him. It had something to do with the British, as we call white men,
the Loyalists, and the Patriots. I knew what these names meant, for I
have gone up to Boston to do some trading before today.
My husband got very interested in what was going on so he followed the
mob. The mob stopped at a building which was the man’s home. The mob
was still throwing rocks and stones at him. He saw the horrified
and angry face on Mr. Richardson. He said that he was just about
to head home when he heard a shot! Ebenezer shot into the angry
mob. My husband ran back and peered through the crowd finding a young
boy laying on the ground, one shot in his head and chest. The people of
the crowd were yelling Christopher! Christopher! He was so terrified he
headed right for home.
It was a very interesting story and I wanted to know more about what
had happened. Hearing about what was happening reminded me of when I
was sick with the fever and my mother took care of me. She used herbs,
flowers, and berries she had found in the bushes. My mother would make
liquid from the herbs for me to drink. I had gotten very hot and
sweaty. Being sick made me not be able to eat very much at all. I
was very lucky to have lived because a lot of the natives died from the
fever.
I think I may go into town tomorrow and find out some more information
about that young boy and what happened.
-Rosemarie
February 23, 1770
Dear Diary,
Today got me very interested in what is happening in Boston. I might
not be a part of it, but I still have my thoughts.
For the morning meal I got some cornbread. Today I was going into town
to do trading, which was good because I wanted to find out more about
this young boy. My husband today, would stay home and train some of the
young eleven- year old boys to be men. They would go hunting and shoot
bow and arrows. They would even challenge each other.
After that I headed for town. When my long journey was over and I had
gotten into town, there were lots of white men following someone. I
followed behind . We had gone from a building called Faneuil Hall, past
the Town House, down passed the Liberty Tree, and to a graveyard named
the Granary Burying Grounds. The name Christopher Seider was falling
off the lips of the townspeople. It was the young boy my husband
was talking about; I had arrived in the middle of his funeral.
I asked a white man who was carrying the body and he said Samuel Adams,
and that Samuel Adams also organized the funeral. I thought that was
very wise of him to do something that generous. I gazed upon the crowd
finding hundreds and hundreds of people and children marching. There
were people yelling horrid names to whoever had done the deed and women
crying.
After this funeral I went and did my trading of fur. I got thinking
about what had happened and how horrible it was. I wanted to know more
about the person who had done this deed and why they had done it. For
the evening meal my husband had shot deer with some of the young boys
he was training. I told him of what had happened that morning.
I wonder if this event might change Boston.
-
Rosemarie
March 2, 1770
Dear Diary,
It was a cold morning. I asked my husband if today I could go trading
for him. He answered yes and said he had work to do at home. I thanked
him. I wanted to go trading again to see how the people in Boston
were doing after the big event with Christopher Seider. It was early,
so not many of the people in the tribe were awake. I did not have
morning meal because I did not feel the need for food.
I headed out when the sun was rising. I had my deer skin and fur to
trade with in one hand. I thought I would first trade and then go look
around. I had to be home before the evening meal because I would
have to make the meal.
When I got into town some of the people looked upset. I went to the
shop I was trading my items in. I asked the man of the shop why some
people looked upset. He had said it was because of what Ebenezer
Richardson had done. He also said Ebenezer was put on trial for what he
had done.
It had changed Boston. A lot more people had gone on one side either
the Loyalists or Patriots. There also were some people that were normal
and not angry or upset which had gotten me upset, for they didn’t care
about what had happened to the young boy.
I told the man thank you and headed off into town. I heard people
talking of how retched things were and how people’s lives were
changing. Some people were saying that the young boy deserved being
shot for throwing rocks and stones at poor Ebenezer. I saw some of the
white men in a park training. They were shooting their guns at the
trees. They had red suits on; they had hats, belts, and guns. They
looked angry.
I saw enough so I headed home. When I came home it was dusk and my
husband had just come in with fresh meat and we had our evening meal.
Now I am sitting hear and writing. I am thinking about what has
happened in these past few days. I think it was horrible what
happened to the young boy and I think Mr. Richardson should be put into
jail for good.
I also have very many feelings: Sad about what happened, angry for what
Ebenezer had done, and confused in why Ebenezer might have done it.
I am going to sleep now with many of thoughts in my mind. This was a
very interesting event that I do not think Boston will ever forget. My
thought is that it changed not only Boston but the people in
Boston.
-Rosemarie
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Historical References:
Allison,Robert J. A Short
History of Boston.
Beverly, MA. Common Wealth Editions,
2004.
Daily Life in 1621 What
was Life like
for the Wampanoag and
the
Pilgrims?.
Scholastic.
< http:// teacher. Scholastic.com/thanksgiving/pilmoth/ daily.htm>
Dams on the Presumpscot
River.
Institute of Museum and Library
Serviced. April 3, 2006
<http://www.abbemuseum.org/+3.html>
Day, Nancy. Your travel
Guide to Colonial America.
United States. Learner Publishing Group. 2001
Hoose, Philip. We Were there
too.
New York, NY: Folkways
Music Publishers,2001.
Mahin,Chris. Boston Massacre.
<www.wou.edu/las/socsi/Kimjensen/Bostonmassacre.html>
Shoales,Gary Parker. Background
Information
April 2,2006
<http://home.att.net/~betsynewmark/bostinfo.html>
Wolfson,Evelym. From Abenaki
to Zuni: A Dictionary of
Native American Tribes.
United States.
Walker Publishing Company,Inc. 1988
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