My Book AboutColonial Life in New

EnglandBy

Brandi Hemrich

My parents gave me the name Alexis Michell Jamison. I was named after my Grandmother Alexis. She died in 1656. I live in the colony of Virginia. My family and I have been living there our whole life. I have brown eyes and brown hair. I probably got it from my father. He has beautiful thick and curly hair. My parents were thankful that I was a girl.

I have a very large family. I have three brothers and a sister. My sister’s name is Hannah. My oldest brother is Ace. My twin brother is Jonathan. The youngest in my family is William. Tammra is my caring mother. Thomas is my hard working father. Ace is sixteen, my twin brother is ten, Hannah is fifteen, William is nine, and my mother and father are both thirty-three. I love my family very much.

I live in a hut. It is very small, but when my parents get enough coins we will get a log cabin. Our roof is made of straw, so when it rains, we have to put a bucket wherever it leaks. I have to share a tiny room with my sister and my three brothers. We have a small fireplace inside and outside. Although we live in a tiny hut, we care for a large farm. We have sheep, cows, pigs, and twelve hens. My dreams are to keep the animals safe and get a bigger house.

I love what I wear. My mom made my clothing when I was nine. I have a hat. My hair hangs down over my shoulders. My dress is brown and is very long. I have straps across my chest. I also wear an apron to keep my dress from getting dirty.

My father is a house builder. He builds houses especially for the poor people. I am very glad he helps the poor. My Great-Great –Great Grandfather was a house builder. My brother’s dream is to be a builder like Papa. In the evening, my father asks the family if we can help paint the fence. I love to paint the fences blue. I love my father’s work.

My mother ,Tammra, is a nurse. She is a caring woman. I help my mother in the morning. She teaches me how to stitch and patch. She usually cares for people who are in war. But she even cares about little children who are very ill. My mother is the first nurse in our generation. Hopefully, I will be the second nurse in our family.

My brothers, sister, and I have several chores everyday. William and Jonathan feed the animals while Ace cuts the wood for the fire. They do a good job . Hannah and I cook, stitch clothes that has holes, and make candles. My favorite chore is cooking. Chores are really important to do.

Whenever I am done with my chores I play with dolls. I love to make the dolls. I have made seven dolls. Each of them are my family members. The tall one is my father, the doll who carries the bowl is my mother, the doll with the curly hair is Hannah, and the doll with a sword in their right hand are my three brothers. Finally, the one with the long cape is me. After supper I play with them. Playing is something I enjoy.

Our family eats vegetables and meat. My father and brothers go hunting for the meat. My favorite meat is deer. While they are hunting for meat, Hannah and I pick some fruits and vegetables from the garden. Then when we gather everything I help Mother cook. While we are cooking, Hannah is setting the table. Then, when everything is cooked we have a delightful meal.

I go to the school called Deer Creek. I have a very wonderful teacher. Our teacher is Mrs. Bee. I am a fifth grader and so is Jonathan. William is a third grader, Ace is a ninth grader, and Hannah is an eighth grader. We use a hornbook for learning our alphabet. I study the hornbook every day. I love to learn at school.

I am punished in two ways. There is a piece of wood hanging in our house that was carved by an Indian and was given to my father when he was nine. He would spank me with the carved wood. My second punishment would be given more chores for a week. I would have to go to my room to do my homework, read, make beds, and do laundry. It is the same punishment for my sister and brothers.

Since my mother is a nurse it is easy to be healed. We lay in our bed and drink hot soup all day. Our mother made a medicine made of cow’s milk, mixed with lettuce, chunks of carrots, and a cup of cranberries. It surprisingly works, but we can only drink a spoonful a day or we get sicker. We think it is very strange. But we take the medicine for three days and we feel much better.

Every Sunday morning we go to a church in our village. Our family tries to dress the best. The church is named after our settlement, Deer Creek Church, Our mother said that this church was built by our Grandfather. I wakeup in the morning, take a bath in the nearby creek, brush my hair, clean my teeth, and make breakfast for everyone. Our neighbors and relatives meet us at the church. That’s were I meet my friend, Anna. Church is a wonderful place.

There are punishments and laws in this village. If someone does something bad, they will be took to a house that has a tiny desk. There, on the desk is a piece of wood that has been carved into a little hammer. The people who have been doing drugs or anything else is sent there. They are told if there are going to prison or not. Prisons are very dark. They have bars to let none escape. We have several punishments and laws.