Happy 4th of July to all our American Followers!
As a special treat here is a letter describing life in Snowhill, nr Augusta Georgia in December 1775 written by indentured servant Baikia Harvey to his Godfather Thomas Baikie of Firth, Orkney.
Dear Godfather,
I am very sorry that I did not take your Advice and stay at home with you as I have found to my sad experence that I ought not to have slightig your advice. Mr Gordon was vere good to me but Mr Brown us'd me vere ill and I Runaway from him & wint to the Armey that was mar[c]hing up to the Back parts of South Carolina against a sett of people they will call Torrys in this Country and whin I came back I went to Ane Mr LeRoy Hammond Merchant in So. Carolina & he Bought my time which I am vere glad of for he & his Lady uses me vere will & give me Cloaths & I Ride with my master & loves them Both You'l Please to send me all the money you can Collect that is my Due by the first safe opportunity that I may be enabled to Buy my time & Put myself to some Tradesman to Learn his calling for a Tradsman has good Wages in this Country I beg that none of my Relations may come to this Country Except they are able to pay thir passage thir Selves and then they may come as soon as they may like this is a good poormans Country when a man once getts into away of Liveing but our Country people knows Nothing when they come hear the Americans are Smart Industours hardypeople & fears Nothing our people is only Like the New Negros that comes out of the ships at first whin they come amongst them I am just Returnd from the Back parts When I seed Eight Thousand men in Arms all with Riffel & Barrill
Guns which they can hitt
the Bigness of a Dollar Betwixt Two & Three hundred yards Distance the
Little Boys not Bigger than my self has all thir Guns & marshes with thir
Fathers & all their Cry is Liberty or Death Dear Godfather tell all my
Country people not to come hear for the Americans will kill them Like Deer in
the Woods & they will never see them they can lie on their Backs & Load
& fire & every time they Drawsight at any thing they are sure to kill
or Criple & they Run in the Woods Like Horses I seed the Liberty Boys take
Between Two & Three hundred Torrys & one Libertyman would take &
Drive four or five before him just as the shepherds do the sheep in our Country
& they have taken all thir Arms from them and put the Headmen in Gaile so
that they will niver be able to make head against them any more - Pray Remember
me to my Dear friend Mr James Riddoch Mrs Gordon Madam Allin Madam Young My
Uncle & Aunt & all their Femily & in perticular Mr John Gordon -
I am Dear Godfather Your most Obident and
Hum'l Godsone
Baikia Harvey
Snowhill Near Augusta in
Georgia
Decem'r 30th 1775
P.S. Please to write me
the first Opportunity to the Care of Mr. John Houston in Savannah Georgia
Province & C-
Hi, my friends over there in Orkney. I've been fighting a Chinese virus, kindly brought to me by neighbors we picked up at the airport. I'm doing better now. But I wanted to assure anyone who might care to visit Georgia now, that you will be welcomed gladly and will not be used badly! ^_^
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed reading all the posts I've missed. Thanks for continuing to update the blog.
Sue.
Thank you for your comment, Sue and sorry to hear you have been unwell. I hope you feel better soon.
DeleteSorry too that our current posts have been fewer than usual, but our regular blogger, Archiver, has recently reproduced ANOTHER small human being and maintains that that is more important than archives.
Hello from Texas, USA! I recently discovered George Brough (of Evie and Rendall) as an ancestor, which lead me to this letter, which led me to your post. I've no idea if you will receive this, but it does appear your blog is still active. I really want to thank you for the transcription of the letter as I could not get all of it. The records of George Brough include a copy of the passenger list of his family sailing from Orkney to Georgia in 1774. This young Baikia Harvey is listed on the very same ship register, as a 16-year old. I've found other references to this letter, including a site that says "he was killed in battle in 1779, while serving in a patriot unit attacking a British post". I've not found the source of his death though.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I wanted to thank you again for your post. It was/is of great interest to me.
Incidentally, my wife and i visited Kirkwall and its surrounding area about five years ago, before I knew there was a small family connection. We loved our visit (a lot!) and now we have even more reason to someday return! I look forward to reading more of your posts.
Cheers,
Jeff Fisher
Allen, Texas
Hi Jeff, thank you for your comment. It is good to get such positive feedback which makes our job worthwhile. And, yes the blog is still active. I hope you enjoy reading our other posts. If you visit us here in the Archive, we will let you see the original letter.
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