Sparks Journal

February 22, 1770
Dearest Mother and Father,

I am doing well, though the scars from smallpox are bothering me. It’s been a while, but I have finally opened up a small shop on King Street, in Boston. I work with a seamstress who sews together dresses that I measure and fit. Yesterday I made mother a new brown dress that I will send to you later. I am very aware of the news in the town now because my customers come in and inform me. My seamstress and I talk about the news and what is going on in town. I have been working very hard and I have sewn my linen shirt that has been torn for quite a while. Right now I am not working for a while, because we have to boycott English goods and all my material comes from England. So until I find a new place to get fabric, I can only take orders. ‘Tis a very cold day today as it has been this whole week.

Things aren’t looking up in Boston since the Redcoats have come because of the incident today. I saw a protest that was going on about a rod away from where I was standing . The people that were protesting looked to be young men. They stood in front of Theophilus Lillie’s shop as I have heard from a few of my customers. The Bostonians that have been coming into the shop say that Theophilus Lillie was ignoring a boycott. Then this man named Ebenezer Richardson came to his aid and things like rocks and snowballs looked to be thrown at him. I ran over to the protest and saw a gun fired through the window. Then a young boy laid dead in the street. My customers said his name was Christopher Sieder. Most of Richardson’s house looked to be destroyed. His wife was struck by a rock as I was told by James Maverick, a customer at my shop and a good friend of Ebenezer Richardson. I don’t like what the Redcoats are doing in Boston. It’s unfair that they get to come into Boston and kill people. This is our land ; they should be sent back to England. Another thing I don’t like about the Redcoats is that they make so much noise in the Common all day and night long.

Today I had a very rough day at work. So I am going to go to bed . I am looking forward to your response. Will you send me fabric from Connecticut because you can import goods from England?
-Your son John Attucks

February 23rd 1770
Dearest Mother and Father,

I have had only one customer today on King Street because we have to boycott English goods . It is very cold, but I am adjusting to the weather. I had an order from an older man named Samuel Franklin who ordered five dresses for his daughters who are going to a party on Beacon Hill. This event is rare because it only happens once in a while. To get the fabric for these dresses I need you to send some to me from England. Send it from Connecticut to Boston by horse. Samuel and I have made good friends. Though he is a Loyalist, he is still a good person. I had to hurry up and put in these orders before I attended a young man’s funeral. His name was Christopher Sieder . I had decided to go because he was young and I feel like I should stay on top of what’s going on in Boston.

As I attended the funeral there was a huge crowd and it looked to be hundreds of people. I could barely see the coffin and who was holding it. When I got to see the coffin it was very small. The people in the crowd had very long looks on their faces and hadn’t spoken a word in nearly a half an hour. We walked past the State House, then past Faneuil Hall, then around the Liberty Tree, past the Common, and to the Granary Burial Ground, where he was buried. Things are not looking too well in Boston and people are really thinking about what the British have done, especially me. The Patriots are now yelling at British soldiers as they walk down the street with words like Lobsterbacks and they also tell them to go clean the privies. I have a bad feeling about the future in Boston because of this event and because of the way people are acting towards the British. I’m feeling very upset that a British soldier took a life from a Bostonian. It just angers me and other Bostonians, as well.

I have to finish the dresses by June first and I have a lot more work to do. So, will you please send me the fabric in a week or two?
-Your dearest Son John Attucks

December 16th 1770
Dearest Mother and Father

I’m sorry I haven’t written to you in a while. I have just gotten back from a few hard days at the shop. Back in March the church bells rang and I came outside with a bucket of water, but there was no fire. I looked around in the street and saw hundreds of people with buckets. We were confused about what was happening . Then out front of the Customs House I noticed British soldiers fighting with a large mob of Bostonians. I went over and kept hearing the word fire. Out of nowhere a British soldier shot close to me in the large crowd and hit a very tall man. Then they fired again. I heard the shots, but couldn’t see the victims. The crowd backed away as we look to see the injured Bostonians. Three laid dead in the street and people were saying two people were still alive, but looked seriously injured.

Later that evening I heard from a few customers. Both people that were still alive after being shot were now dead. I asked them who died and they said the first three who died in the street were Crispus Attucks , Samuel Gray, and Samuel Maverick, and the two who died later were Patrick Carr, and James Caldwell.

Ever since they killed them, Bostonians have been in rage. Matthew Kilroy and Hugh Montgomery have been charged guilty of manslaughter and the letter “m” has been branded on their thumbs. They were sent to Castle Island and imprisoned, is what I was told by Samuel Adams. I met Samuel Adams after Christopher Sieder’s funeral. I was asking him if he had come to my shop before, because he looked familiar to me. Samuel Adams and I have become good friends and have discussed the issues in Boston. I also participated in the funeral of the massacre victims. Again it looked to me that thousands of Bostonians had gathered to honor the massacre victims. The crowd was very large I couldn’t see anything. We, the Bostonians, are getting stronger and are coming together as a town.

The boycott is over and now I am importing goods because I really need the money. I only have 40 pounds and I need more so I can fix all the things that are broken and to purchase new materials. I am having very few orders at the shop now that the massacre happened. Sarah and I have become good friends and we talk about the news in Boston everyday. She knows a lot about the massacre, as her mother is friends with Thomas Preston. Her mother said that the word “fire” was yelled by someone and the British soldiers fired not knowing where, just firing in the crowd. Thomas Preston said he didn’t want them to fire if they had a choice. There was a lot of confusion, so they said they fired because someone told them too.

I hope you are doing well and I hope to see you soon. Write back to me.
-Your dearest son John Attucks

Historical References:

Colonial trades.http://www.aldencarter.com/colonies2.htm
<4.26.06>

Boston Massacre.Champagne,Jim. http://www.Bostonmassacre.net/academic/essay3.htm
<4.26.06>

.Glen Matthew.
http://www.pocantichills.org/tradesman/milliner.htm
<4.4.06>

Parakeet.Worldbook <4.10.06>

Colonial Boston. Shoals,Gary. http://Home.att.net./~Betsynewmark/bostinfo.html <4.27.06>

.http://Theaterspresso.org/shows.htm <4.27.06.>

The Colonial WilliamsBurg Foundation. Colonial Williamsburg. Milliner.<3.31.06>.http://History.org/almanack/life
/trades/trademh.cfm.

Welcome to colonial America.<4.3.06> http://www.promotega.org/csu300zs/trades.htm#milliner

Hoose, Phillip.We Were There,Too! NewYork,Ny:Folkway music publishers ,2001

Artist's Rendering

Historical Reenactment

Historical Terms
Lobsterback	Rod
Loyalist	Patriots
Liberty Tree	Mob

About the Historian
Ryan is a seventh grader at King Middle School. He likes to play basketball and baseball. He is a very good math student and is in Algebra class. He likes to read books about sports.