Saturday, 28 January 2012
Letters from a wife of another British Administrator to her sister in Britain 1775-1783
Dearest Elizabeth,
I miss you so very much! I hope you are well! Grandy has been so hard to live with lately. He is so uneasy and anxious, which is making me uneasy, anxious, and very stressed out. These 13 Colonies I keep telling you about cause the stress.
On and on he goes, “The 13 Colonies are going to revolt! They are so rebellious! My career is over!” Blah blah blah. The only thing that has really caught my attention since Grandy started blathering on was this meeting. The meeting is called Continental Congress. The 13 colonies are holding the meeting next week. They are going to talk about their rebellious plans. Wish me luck dear sister. I will be hearing about the details of this meeting until I am at my deathbed.
Your loving sister,
Balthilda
Dear Elizabeth,
The worst possible situation has occurred (according to Grandy). A rumor has been flitting through town, and apparently, the 13 Colonies are going to take up arms against the British! Grandy is in the bathroom right now. He’s been there for over an hour. I should probably go check on him. At least he isn’t bawling anymore. Although I am hearing several distinct sniffles. Oh, the bawling just started again. You know I really wished we stayed in Britain.
Good wishes to all.
Balthilda
Dear Elizabeth,
You won’t believe it! War has broken out! I am very concerned for Grandy’s health. Every night he comes home- he is not fighting in the war, he is overseeing some men in training and discussing possible target plans- and falls asleep on the wooden chair in the kitchen. He doesn’t even lock himself up anymore to cry. Now he goes outside and chops wood. I don’t know which is worse. Things are very tricky. Remember my old friend, Janie? I wrote you about her a long time ago. Well, her husband, Harry, was a part of the 13 Colonies. We used to chat at the market, but now we cannot. They are so strict here. If anyone who is for the British side shows favoritism to the 13 Colonies, you could get in big trouble. Likewise for the 13 colonies. Life is getting so complicated. Uh oh. I’d better sign off here. Grandy just came in from chopping the wood. He’s got a nice RED rag wrapped around his hand. It’s dripping.
Love you Elizabeth! ~Balthilda
Dear Elizabeth,
The British have lost the American Revolution! Our neighbors, the Macdonald’s are good friends, and members of the 13 colonies. However, they favoured Britain. Now they are being forced to move out of the United States, by the 13 Colonies. We are going to move with them. Grandy has lost his job, and there is no use for us here anymore. We love Britain more that the United States, and we can’t see our lives here anymore. We cannot afford to keep any of our belongings. I do not know if, and when I will ever get the chance to write to you. My life is getting more and more miserable. The 13 Colonies have been destroying the neighbor’s property. Just yesterday, they set fire to their Cornfield. The fire spread onto our home, and the logs Grandy has been so carefully stacking exploded. The fire seeped into our home, and all the curtains are black. I love you, dear sister.
Balthilda
A journal Entry from Marina Macdonald, 1783
Oh! My life is filled wish anguish and despair. Today, those ruthless 13 Colonies put my husband on a mule and paraded him around, beating him. I locked Mary in the house and chased after those contemptible lunatics. I screamed at them to let my husband go, but they just flung me away. I have a big bruise at my temple. They called John such awful names; I must plead for forgiveness about even remembering them. I have no more hope.
The next day:
Why? Why would those worthless people set fire to OUR CORNFIELD?? Mary was beyond upset. John told us that we are to leave tomorrow. At least our neighbor’s, Grandy and Balthilda, will join us. The fire caught onto their home too.
The Day of The Move:
We were eating a bit of breakfast sadly, our belongings all packed up, when the vermin attacked again. They ran into our home and forced us brutally out the door! Can you believe the nerve! I am no longer upset that we have to leave, but I only wished that we had been treated fairly. Poor Mary was so scared. The only folks that speak to us around here are Grandy and Balthilda. Everyone else shuns us.
There is no reason for us to live here anymore.
Letters from a wife of another British Administrator to her sister in Britain 1775-1783
Dearest Elizabeth,
I miss you so very much! I hope you are well! Grandy has been so hard to live with lately. He is so uneasy and anxious, which is making me uneasy, anxious, and very stressed out. These 13 Colonies I keep telling you about cause the stress.
On and on he goes, “The 13 Colonies are going to revolt! They are so rebellious! My career is over!” Blah blah blah. The only thing that has really caught my attention since Grandy started blathering on was this meeting. The meeting is called Continental Congress. The 13 colonies are holding the meeting next week. They are going to talk about their rebellious plans. Wish me luck dear sister. I will be hearing about the details of this meeting until I am at my deathbed.
Your loving sister,
Balthilda
Dear Elizabeth,
The worst possible situation has occurred (according to Grandy). A rumor has been flitting through town, and apparently, the 13 Colonies are going to take up arms against the British! Grandy is in the bathroom right now. He’s been there for over an hour. I should probably go check on him. At least he isn’t bawling anymore. Although I am hearing several distinct sniffles. Oh, the bawling just started again. You know I really wished we stayed in Britain.
Good wishes to all.
Balthilda
Dear Elizabeth,
You won’t believe it! War has broken out! I am very concerned for Grandy’s health. Every night he comes home- he is not fighting in the war, he is overseeing some men in training and discussing possible target plans- and falls asleep on the wooden chair in the kitchen. He doesn’t even lock himself up anymore to cry. Now he goes outside and chops wood. I don’t know which is worse. Things are very tricky. Remember my old friend, Janie? I wrote you about her a long time ago. Well, her husband, Harry, was apart of the 13 Colonies. We used to chat at the market, but now we cannot. They are so strict here. If anyone who is for the British side shows favoritism to the 13 Colonies, you could get in big trouble. Likewise for the 13 colonies. Life is getting so complicated. Uh oh. I’d better sign off here. Grandy just came in from chopping the wood. He’s got a nice RED rag wrapped around his hand. It’s dripping.
Love you Elizabeth! ~Balthilda
Dear Elizabeth,
The British have lost the American Revolution! Our neighbors, the Macdonald’s are good friends, and members of the 13 colonies who liked Britain better, have left their home. They are being forced to move out of the United States. We are going with them. Grandy has lost his job, and there is no use for us here anymore. We love Britain more that the United States, and we can’t see our lives here anymore. We cannot afford to keep any of our belongings. I do not know if, and when I will ever get the chance to write to you. My life is getting more and more miserable. The 13 Colonies have been destroying the neighbor’s property. Just yesterday, they set fire to their Cornfield. The fire spread onto our home, and the logs Grandy has been so carefully stacking exploded. The fire seeped into our home, and all the curtains are black. I love you, dear sister.
Balthilda
Sunday, 22 January 2012
Another letter from Hélène and Marc-André
Dear Amélie and Jean Frédéric,
How are you keeping up North?? I have some très bonne news for you. The British have finally gotten rid of that ridiculous Stamp Act! We 13 Colonists are very happy with this news. This afternoon, we got a letter from our old neighbours, remember the Moreau’s? Elyse and Martin? They are colonists who moved to Boston, and did something quite similar to what my Marc-André and our colonists have done. Remember the boycott?? Well a tax on imported tea caused the Colonists there to jump on the boat and dump out all the tea into the water! I am mad, but glad to know that the British aren’t just picking on us. I believe that these British are treating us unfairly. We should get to choose our own government to pay taxes to!!!
With love and affection,
Hélène, Marc-André
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Written by a member of the 13 Colonies regarding the American Revolution
Dear Amélie and Jean Frédéric,
I hope that you both have found peace and happiness up in the North Valley. Marc-André and I miss you dearly but are glad you no longer are under such strict and cruel British rulings. I apologize for not writing sooner but Marc and I have not found the money. Ah excusez-moi.... j'ai oublié! You see, the British people have created a new tax that is called The Stamp Act. This tax is so how do I say this.... absurdité! These idiot British are making us French pay for every piece of printed-paper we use. Apparently, this extra tax would be used to pay the cost of defending us 13 Colonies from the British. How ridicule!! Marc-André says: “They are pushing their limits! They are going to need that money to defend all of the angry colonists at their doorsteps tomorrow!!” He also sends his love. Marc- André and other colonists have organized a boycott. From now on, we 13 Colonists resolve to never, ever buy any goods or services from these British.
We will write soon. With love, your dearest relatives,
Hélène and Marc-André Lachapelle
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
A French Habitat Farmer, Quebec, 1774-
What are these British people thinking? First they come and practically take over our land, and now they are ‘keeping us happy’ because they might ‘need’ us as allies! Oh, all right allow me to backpedal…as the British say…
I was delivering some farm fresh vegetables, as I do every week, to a large British settlement. They have been paying me for these vegetables I bring with rare objects-like fruits- and sometimes, extra fabrics, for the wife to make clothes. Anyways, I arrived at the settlement and went into the ‘Grand’ area, where I waited for someone to come get my vegetables. After waiting for a long time, I decided to go explore. This is when I came across the scheming Brits, hard at work.
The governor man, Carleton, was talking to another man. He seemed to be making recommendations.
The governor man, Carleton, was talking to another man. He seemed to be making recommendations.
“The French will be our only allies if the 13 Colonies attack! The colonies are unrested! Keep the French happy as clams and give them some more rights! They will be allowed to keep talking in that strange lingo that none of our recruiters understand, keep being Catholic, and, I’m breaking boundaries here, but let them have the civil laws!”
Now because I am expertly bilingual, Je suis experte bilingue, I understood everything that governor said, right down to strange lingo and well, I did not get the thirteen nations, (Is it some kind of pudding?) or the civil laws part…. But all in all it is pretty clear. The Brit’s are bad!
Written as a British Administrator, Quebec 1763-1774
Why do all the people here, except for my fellow British, never go along with what we, the British, want?? I see that the French have lost the war, but why do they not welcome us? If the war is over can we not live in peace? It would be so easy if only the French would do exactly what we say. But as of right now, the French are not the worst problem, the real issue lies in these ‘First Nations’ as they call themselves.
They don’t understand why it is important for them to give up their land for us. I mean, we are the British; we came here, so give us a place to live!
Then these First Nations went as far as to form an alliance and take over a few of my British forts! The leader of this group, Pontiac, was a real bugger. His big goal was to protect the land of the Nations people!
Anyway, eventually we made peace with Pontiac, and the problem ended, but we wanted to avoid this situation happening again. Thus we concluded that we needed to slow down the settler’s west movements. Well, I guess it was that other British guy that concluded it, but I seconded the notion, and we made the decision as a group of British.
Alright, so soon following the big decision, Britain decided to make a Proclamation. I managed to scan a copy when there was this big meeting going on, so enjoy!
So basically, the purpose of this huge document is to organize the places, I believe that they are called territories, in North America that we, the British got in the Treaty Of Paris- another long story. And then, if you had the gift of reading between the lines, you would then see that what it really means is to keep peace with the First Nations – control their relationships with settlers to avoid fights- as well as get the French to give up some of their laws and make the French adopt into British culture, by taking away a bunch of their ‘rights’ but giving them a couple new ones.
And after that, there was this big huge negotiation with the First Nations for Treaties on their land.
Now it is time for my least favorite part! The Quebec Act! So if you remember, we, the British, wanted to get the French to adopt our culture. A way we figured to do this was to close up this place called the Ohio Valley so there would be no westward expansion. We hoped that people in search of land would then come to Quebec instead, but those Catholic French guys stole the BEST LAND! And then, this is the worst part, the governor; a fellow named James Murray, LIKED THE FRENCH BETTER THAN US, THE BRITISH!!!!!!!! So then we got a new governor, Carleton, and he also favored the French to the British merchants! Is that not sad????
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