The Great Year

The Great Year

Sumada time alls we cud talk bout was the year 1619. Ya see that’s da year whens the legendary Jamestown John brought da “Combs” name to da new world! We’uz always a jokin’ dat be the reason all them women came dat year but that ain’t all the story!

Jer

Life ‘n Jamestown’uz real difficult twixt da original settlin of 1607 and 1619, da Great Year. Da original settlers’d never planned on growin’ all ‘eir own food. They thought trade wit’ them Injuns, da local Powhatans, between supply shipments from England woulda been da answer.

Da initial lil’ group of 104 men and boys chose da location cuz it’uz favorable for defense purposes, but there weren’t no good huntin’ there and the water wutten so good neither. Though they’uz doin’ some farmin’, few of these settlers wuz accustomed to real work and didn’t know nuttin bout farmin’. Day failed to plant da crops early ‘nough to gets any successful harvest. Hunting’uz real poor and day quickly kilt all the small game. Dem colonists were dependent on tradin’ wit the Injuns and a-trustin’ for da supply ships from England ta show up regular for their food.

Wit’in a few years of John Rolfe’s successful croppin’ a tabacci the colony gots itself ‘agether. Injuns’uz harassin’, even a-massacurin’ but dem Europeans wuz demandin’ da tabacci weed more n’ more. Nex’ ya know more settlers and servants was a needed. Hate was a-buildin’ toward dem Injuns. A 100 acres a land wuz jus a-given to dem colonists just for bringing indentured servants to da colony so ‘ere wuz ways to become real impotant in dem days.

Three real important things a-happened in da colony in da Great Year of 1619:

1. Da colonists’uz granted a voice ‘n theirs government and the House of Burgesses was a-started up. The first representative government in all of America. Da people voted for two men in each settlement in the Gini Colony to represent ‘em in law makin’ at the House.
2. They gots da opportunity to obtain wives. Up ‘til den, there had been very few lady folk in Gini. For da first twelve years, the Colony wus a-made up a almost nuttin but men. The London Company sent 90 young ladies ta Jamestown dat year. They’uz real soon all a-married off. After dat many a da new colonists brought ‘eir families.
3. John Combs, one certain indentured servant, a-came to Gini on the Marigold.

Though it wuz mostly great  dat year, there wuz a bad thing 'bout it too. Dat wuz the year slaves came to Gini too. Da tabacci trade growed, it’uz real hard ta find people who’d work in dem fields. Not many a da English were a-willin to do that kind of work! The Injuns neither. Dem Dutch sailed into the harbor of Jamestown wit a bunch a Negra Slaves; 20 of ‘em’uz purchased by da rich plantation owners! Den they a realized dem folk was real good workers, den hundreds more wuz a-bought in. Then da slavery a-spread like crazy ta all da English Colonies.