Sparks Journal

March 1, 1770

To My Dearest Father,

I have just started a new job as a silversmith; I have decided to follow along in your footsteps. One of the men that I work with taught me how to make a teapot. I have already made my design in a piece of pewter and have an idea of the shape I want the pot to be. Next, I will be making the mold. I was planning on giving it to mother for her birthday, so please don’t say anything. My beautiful wife, as you know, is doing very well and so are your grandchildren, Peter and Sarah. Although, Sarah has been sick for the past few days and yestereday she had to be sweated, which meant that she had to be put in a box or small room filled with steam and heat which causes her body to sweat heavily so that the bad influences would leave her body through the skin. Oh and by the way, Linda and I are having another child. We are all very excited, even the children. There has been a lot of tension in the town because there are British soldiers camping out on the Boston Common and they are here patrolling the streets. They are everywhere and they are able to stop anyone that they want and ask them where they are going, what they are carrying in their bags, and so on.

Just a week ago, I believe, I met these two men at a tavern called The Green Dragon. I have seen them a few times at work but I have never had the chance to talk with them. Their names are Jonathan Minus and Paul Revere. We have become good friends this past week, and I have received a lot more information about the soldiers from them both. None of us are happy with the soldiers being here, so it gives us a bigger variety of what to talk about. Just last night we went down to the common to spy on the soldiers. One of them was pacing back and forth and practicing firing with his musket at a tree. The scary thing was that the tree he was aiming at was right next to the tree we were hiding behind.

The British soldiers are also called Lobsterbacks or Redcoats by the colonists. They are called that because the coats that the soldiers wear are bright red. As I walk down the streets all I hear are the townspeople complaining about how the Redcoats have taken work and pay away from their lives and it makes me nervous that a Lobsterback is going to take that away from me. I feel very terrible for the men that have no more jobs or money because of the British. There is no way I could live like that because I have a wife and three children that I have to shelter and feed. For this past week the townspeople have been getting even more and more aggravated by the soldiers being here in Boston, as am I.

Linda just called me for dinner and since it is Friday we are probably having fish tonight and that is one of my favorite meals. So I am ending this letter right now but I will definitely write again sometime soon and I just want you to know that I miss you so and tell mother the same. Linda and the children say hello and they miss you as well. If you get a chance, write back soon.

Your loving son,
William Johnson

March 6, 1770

Dearest Father,

I dare to say that last night was the worst event in Boston that I ever did see! There was a large fight on King Street.

I was working on my tea pot for mother. What I did was I melted some sterling silver in a graphite and clay crucible. Than when the silver was about 2,000 degrees I poured it into the mold that I made before. While I was waiting for the silver to cool off I heard people hollering. I looked out my window and I saw a small group of colonists tormenting the sentry that stood out side the Custom House. Eventually the sentry lashed out at the men which brought more colonists to the scene. Someone began to ring the church bells which usually signaled a fire. Because of that I thought there was a fire so I ran out of the house with a large bucket of water. I was very frightend yet confused, when I found out that there was no fire I threw the bucket down and ran towards the crowd. I saw a mob of noisy men and boys throwing snowballs and oyster shells at the sentry. As I was watching all of this I felt like I wanted to join the group and go against the sentry but I decided not to. The sentry called for help setting up a clash. When the British soldiers came to the sentry’s support, a free-for-all ensued and shots were fired into the crowd. After the first shot was fired many more followed. This action left several people wounded and five dead including a young slave named Crispus Attucks.

The scene exploded in to hysteria with more soldiers, an alarm bell, and a mob of men running from the town and the docks shouting “Kill ‘em! Knock ‘em down!” Someone in the large crowd struck a soldier with a club, knocking him to the ground. He sprang to his feet and was struck by another club, thrown from a distance. The clear white snow was stained from the blood of the soldiers and colonists. I was so frightened; it was the worst rebellion I have ever seen.

The children and Linda are doing well and they say they miss you so.   Linda is very excited about having another baby, as well am I. All she has been doing for the past few days is resting and being calm. The children and I have been doing all the work for these past days so, Linda can get her rest. I miss you so.

Yours always,
William Johnson

October 25, 1770

Dearest Father,

I know many months have passed since I last wrote. Right now there are trials going on for the Massacre that happened on King Street.   When the British soldiers were put on trial for the slaying of the five men who died, several people who were witnesses were asked to tell what happened. Yesterday British Captain, Thomas Preston came to the trial. He has been held in jail for seven months since the massacre. His attorneys needed to prove that he had not issued the command to fire. The prosecution had to prove that he did, and was therefore responsible for the five deaths. During the trials all of the British soldiers had to stand at the back of the court room and they did not have a say in anything. I really hope the soldiers are found guilty because they do not deserve to get away with killing the townspeople. As I watch the lawyers, through the window, question the witnesses I wish to be one so I can tell everyone what I saw and that I could get the soldiers in trouble.

I am really happy because I finished my very first tea pot that I had ever made. What I did after the silver cooled down was I removed it from the mold. Than I filed and smoothed the edges of the silver. And that is called cleaning up the casting. When I finished that the tea pot was finished. Linda is very proud of me for finishing my first tea pot. I am very proud of myself also.

Linda gave birth to David Johnson on the 16th of March. David is now 7 months old. He is very handsome and I am very happy. Sarah and Peter have been so excited these past days they have been wanting to play with little David but Linda and I keep having to say “no” because he is still too small.

I miss you so and so do Linda and the children. Tonight I think we are going to have a mix of carrots, onions, and potatoes. I’m really excited because even though Linda makes it a lot I still love that meal.

Yours truly,
William Johnson

Historical References:

Bibliography

Cobblestone. Cobblestone Publishing Company. New Hampsire, 1980.

Day, Nancy. Your Travel Guide to Colonial America. Minneapolis, Minnesote: Lerner Publishing Group, 2001.

Hakim, Joy. From Colonies to Country. New York: Oxford Iniversity Press, 1993

Harness, Cheryl. The Revolutionary John Adams. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 2003.

Kristina and LaYona. Silversmith. <http://www3.cesalo.K12.us/ investigate -America/colonial/occupations/silversmith/index.htm>.

Pocantico Hills Central School. The Silversmith. 7 April. 2006.<http://www.pocanticohills.org/tradesmen/silversmith.htm7>.

Revere Silver. The Worx Group. 6 April. 2006. <http://www. paulreverehouse.org/ bio/silver.shtml>.

Silversmith. 3o March 2006. <http://www.colonialwilliamsburg.com/ almanack/life/ trades/tradesil.cfm>.

Susan Provst Beller. The Revulationany War. New York:Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 2003.

The Boston Massacre.Archiving Early America. 30 April. 2006. <http://www.earlyamerica.com/review/winter96/massacre.html>.

The Boston Massacre. The New York Times Company. 26 April. 2006. <http://americanhistory.about.com/liberty/weekly/aa041401a.htm>.

The Silversmith. Adobe PageMill. 7 April. 2006. <http://www.eesd.org/cadwallader/ room%2020/colonial_trades/silver/silver.html>.

Artist's Rendering

Historical Reenactment

Historical Terms
Musket	Lobsterback
Sentry	Mob
Hysteria	Rebellion

About the Historian
Maria is in 7th grade at King Middle School. She has lived on Peaks Island for her whole life. In her spare time she likes to hang with her friends, watch T.V., listen to music, eat and go swimming. Maria also loves to play lacrosse with her friends.