Recently a friend, Ian Schoenherr, sent me a copy of a painting by Howard Pyle that beautifully depicts the life of the first settlers along the Delaware River.
This picture was an illustration for an article written by Woodrow Wilson called “Colonies and Nation,” published in Harper’s Monthly Magazine in 1901. It was meant to show a family of Quakers and their home along the Schuylkill River (which is why the sun is setting over the river). But it could just as easily have been along the Assunpink or Raccoon Creeks in West New Jersey.
Ian writes a blog on the work of Howard Pyle, and I am sure he knows more about this painter than just about anyone. You can visit his blog to see an early Thanksgiving scene by Pyle. It won’t be what you expect.
Obviously Pyle had no first-hand experience of living along the Delaware in the 1680s, but I think his depiction is credible. These people had to shelter themselves quickly so that they could begin the work of clearing fields and planting crops. All without benefit of machinery. Their toughness and resilience amazes me and fills me with admiration. Doesn’t matter if they were nice or not.
Roger
December 7, 2009 @ 10:02 pm
I think it matters.
Marfy Goodspeed
December 8, 2009 @ 7:52 am
Roger’s comment (“I think it matters.”) has gotten me thinking. First of all about who these early settlers were, and secondly about who we are.
I would like to reassure Roger that for the most part these people really were nice. They treated the Indians as fairly as they could, given their own prejudices, and they treated each other well, for the most part. But if you read the Burlington Court Book, you will see that they were like people everywhere, some good, some not so good.
As for us, I think we want to know that the people who preceded us in this place were basically good people. That not only were they incredibly brave and strong, but also peaceable, and, what really appeals to me, prepared to take responsibility for their own governance. The early efforts to establish a true functioning democracy in this sparsely settled place are truly impressive.
But I was thinking in terms of the sheer fortitude it took to leave the known civilized world behind and establish a new home without any of the support that we all take for granted. So, even those greedy or belligerent types who managed to do this get my respect.
Joyce Kintzel
April 25, 2013 @ 11:31 am
Exactly what I thought about my Quaker ancesters when I started my family tree search. Their fortitude. The sheer magnitude of deciding what to bring with them for survival, knowing they would have to find immediate shelter for their families and no malls to buy their supplies. I just can’t imagine their thoughts as they readied themselves for a long journey across the sea. I would love to know their reaction when they landed. I have tried to put myself in their place and shudder to think about having to be responsible for the health and welfare of my family as a woman. I hate to cook, can’t sew. My family would have gone naked and starved.