FISHERMAN'S NET PUBLICATIONS CATALOG 5e

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 |     |   |              EARLY AMERICAN SETTLERS            |   |     |
 |     |   |     AND THE FIRST THANKSGIVING PROCLAMATIONS    |   |     |
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                EARLY ATTEMPTS TO ESTABLISH AMERICAN COLONIES
 
 Croatan, also known as Croatoan, was an island off North Carolina, south of
Roanoke Island. This island existed at the time the English first attempted
to establish colonies around 1585. It was obliterated by shifting sands and
may have become a part of another island, possibly Hatteras or Ocracoke. The
colony had 121 people and was established by Sir Walter Raleigh. The fate of
the colonists is unknown; some may have taken refuge with a friendly Indian
tribe on Croatan Island and eventually became absorbed into that tribe. The
only trace of the colony is in the word Croatoan that was carved into a tree.
In the latter part of the 19th century a large group of mixed-blood Native
Americans of Robeson County in southeastern North Carolina claimed they were
descendants of these vanished colonists and the Croatan tribe, though this
claim cannot be substantiated. However, North Caroliona has given official
recognition to them as Croatan Indians.

 In 1587 the English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh sent a group of settlers to
North America under the leadership of John White. They established a colony
which they named Virginia, after Queen Elizabeth I, who was called the Virgin
Queen. A month or so after the colonists had established their settlement on
Roanoke Island, just off the mainland of what is now North Carolina, a baby
was born on August 18 to Ellinor Dare, the wife of Ananias Dare. Ananias was
a member of Governor White's staff and Ellinor was the governor's daughter.
The chlld was named Virginia, after the colony. Nine days after the birth of
the baby, Governor White returned to England. A war between England and Spain
interrupted communications with the American colony and four years later no
trace of the colony could be found.
 
 The Plymouth Company was one of two joint-stocks English companies chartered
on April 10, 1606, to colonize North America (the second company being the
London Company). The Plymouth Company was formed by Sir Ferdinando Gorges and
George Popham. The first group of colonists left England but was captured by
the Spanish. The second group of 120 colonists left England in 1607 and they
settled on the Kennebec River, near what is now Popham Beach, Maine. A severe
winter and Popham's death forced the return to England in October 1608, and
no permanent settlement was ever established by the Plymouth Company. In 1620
the company became the Council for New England, but was disbanded in 1635.

            JAMESTOWN AND WILLIAMSBURG
 
 Jamestown, in the colony of Virginia was the first permanent settlement
 in America established by the English. It was located on an island in
 the James River, and is now a part of the Colonial National Historic
 Park southeast of the city of Richmond. Jamestown was founded on May 14,
 1607, by a group led by Captain Christopher Newport. The London Company
 had hired the captain to transport colonists. Many died from famine and
 disease during the winter of 1609-10. Those who survived were encouraged
 to stay in Jamestown when new settlers and supplies arrived the next
 June. The colony prospered and became Virginia's capitol. The first
 representative assembly in America was held in Jamestown In 1619. That
 same year slavery was introduced into the colonies.

 The village was often attacked by Native Americans, 350 colonists were
 killed in 1622 and 500 more in 1644. Colonists rebelled against Governor
 William Berkeley and badly burned Jamestown in 1676. The seat of
 government was moved in 1699 to the community of Middle Plantation which
 was settled in 1633. It was renamed Williamsburg in honor of William III
 of England and became the cultural center. When the government was
 transferred to Richmond in 1780, Williamsburg declined in importance.
 The National Park Service and the Association for the Preservation of
 Virginia Antiquities have now excavated and restored Jamestown and
 relics unearthed are housed by the Jamestown Archaeological Laboratory.

 Jamestown Festival Park has full-scale replicas of early ships, a
 recreation of James Fort as it was in 1607 and other displays depict
 culture of the time.

       THE MAYFLOWER, PROVINCETOWN AND PLYMOUTH COLONY
 
 The Colony of New Plymouth was founded in the New World by one of the
 sects of Puritans that separated from the Church of England during the
 reign of Elizabeth I, queen of England. After much persecution they
 took refuge in the Netherlands but eventually decided to immigrate to
 America. A group of London investors financed them in exchange for most
 of the crops they were to raise in America during the first six years.
 Their ship, the Mayflower, took on many additional passengers and left
 Plymouth, England, on Sept 16,1620. When they reached the American
 coast, strong winds drove the ship north to Provincetown Harbor, at the
 end of Cape Cod.
               :\                :\        On November 21, 1620, after
               : \               : \       66 days sailing across the
               :                 :         stormy, cold Atlantic Ocean,
       /~~~~~~~|~~~~~/   /~~~~~~~|~~~~~/   the Mayflower finally landed
      (:`:.:':.|`:.:(   (:`:.:':.|`:.:(    in Provincetown Harbor, at
       \_______|_____\   \_______|_____\   the end of Cape Cod. These
               |                 |         were the first colonists who
      /~~~~~~~~|~~~~~~~//~~~~~~~~|~~~~~~~/ had come to the New World
     /         |      //         |      /  seeking religious liberty
    (`.`.`.`.`.|.`.`.((`.`.`.`.`.|.`.`.(   and freedom. 
     \         |      \\         |      \ 
\     \________|_______\\________|_______\      Since these Pilgrims had
 \             |__               |  |~~~~~~~~~/ originally planned to
  \~~~-----___|___|______________|__|_----~~~/ settle in Virginia but had
   \. .  . . . . . .  . .   . . . .   . . . / instead landed way north of
    \                                      / where they intended, a change
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ of plans were necessary.

 Since they were beyond the jurisdiction of the London Company, they set
 up a new civil government. While they were still on board the Mayflower
 sitting in Provincetown Harbor the first constitutional American
 political democracy was formed. The document written was the Mayflower
 Compact. It reads:
   In ye name of God, Amen.
   We, whose names are underwriten, the loyall subjects of our dread
   soveraigne Lord, King James, by ye grace of God, of Great Britaine,
   France & Ireland, king, Defender of faith, etc. Haveing undertaken
   for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith and
   honor of our king and country, a voyage to plant the first colony in
   the northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and
   mutually in the presence of God, and one of another, covenant and
   combine ourselves together into a civil body politic, for our better
   ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and
   by virtue hereof to enacte, constitute, and frame such just & equal
   laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions and offices, from time to
   time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the generall
   good of the colony, unto which we promise all due submission and
   obedience. In witness where we have hereunder subscribed our names
   at Cape Cod the 11th of November, in the year of the reign of our
   sovereign lord, King James of England, France, and Ireland the 18th
   and of Scotland the 54th, ano.dom. 1620.
   
   John Carver Richard Warren John Turner Edmon Margeson William Bradford
   John Howland Francis Eaton Peter Brown Edward Winslow Stephen Hopkins
   James Chilton Richard Britteridge William Brewster Edward Tilly
   John Crackston George Soule Isaac Allerton John Tilly John Billington
   Richard Clarke Myles Standish Francis Cooke Moses Fletcher
   Richard Gardiner John Alden Thomas Rogers John Goodman John Allerton
   Samuel Fuller Thomas Tinker Degory Priest Thomas English William White
   Christopher Martin John Rigdale Thomas Williams Edward Doty
   William Mullins Edward Fuller Gilbert Winslow Edward Leister
   
   During the brief but difficult five weeks spent in Provincetown, the
   Pilgrims made sorties into the surroundings looking for a more suitable
   area in which to to establish a permanent settlement. With the start of
   winter and some of them beginning to get sick, they sailed the Mayflower
   to the better protected Plymouth Bay which was on the mainland.

                          TO ALL YE PILGRIMS
 "To All Ye Pilgrims: Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year
 an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, beans, squashes, and garden
 vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with
 fish and clams, and inasmuch as He has protected us from the ravages of
 the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us
 freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience;
 now, I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives
 and little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the
 hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday, November ye 29th of the
 year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty-three, and third year
 since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor,
 and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings."
                       -William Bradford, the governor of Plymouth Colony
   _________________________________________________________________

   "The Holy God having by a long and Continual Series of his Afflictive
   dispensations in and by the present Warr with the Heathen Natives of
   this land, written and brought to pass bitter things against his own
   Covenant people in this wilderness, yet so that we evidently discern
   that in the midst of his judgements he hath remembered mercy, having
   remembered his Footstool in the day of his sore displeasure against us
   for our sins, with many singular Intimations of his Fatherly
   Compassion, and regard; reserving many of our Towns from Desolation
   Threatened, and attempted by the Enemy, and giving us especially of
   late with many of our Confederates many signal Advantages against
   them, without such Disadvantage to ourselves as formerly we have been
   sensible of, if it be the Lord's mercy that we are not consumed, It
   certainly bespeaks our positive Thankfulness, when our Enemies are in
   any measure disappointed or destroyed; and fearing the Lord should
   take notice under so many Intimations of his returning mercy, we
   should be found an Insensible people, as not standing before Him with
   Thanksgiving, as well as lading him with our Complaints in the time of
   pressing Afflictions:

   The Council has thought meet to appoint and set apart the 29th day of
   this instant June, as a day of Solemn Thanksgiving and praise to God
   for such his Goodness and Favour, many Particulars of which mercy
   might be Instanced, but we doubt not those who are sensible of God's
   Afflictions, have been as diligent to espy him returning to us; and
   that the Lord may behold us as a People offering Praise and thereby
   glorifying Him; the Council doth commend it to the Respective Ministers,
   Elders and people of this Jurisdiction; Solemnly and seriously to keep
   the same Beseeching that being perswaded by the mercies of God we may
   all, even this whole people offer up our bodies and soulds as a living
   and acceptable Service unto God by Jesus Christ."

   On June 20, 1676, the governing council of Charlestown, Massachusetts,
 held a meeting to determine how best to express thanks for the good
 fortune that had seen their community securely established. It was
 unamimously voted to instruct Edward Rawson, the council clerk, to
 proclaim June 29 a day of thanksgiving. That proclamation is reproduced
 here in the same language and spelling as the original. These early
 colonies later united with other New England colonies to form the
 Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691.
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                              Psalm 136
  \\\\v////O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good:\\\\v////
   \\|||//   for his mercy endureth for ever.           \\|||//
    \|||/  O give thanks unto the God of gods:           \|||/
     ===     for his mercy endureth for ever.             ===
    /|||\  O give thanks to the Lord of lords:           /|||\
   //|||\\   for his mercy endureth for ever...         //|||\\
  ///|||\\\O give thanks unto the God of heaven:       ///|||\\\
 ////|||\\\\ for his mercy endureth for ever.         ////|||\\\\
 
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   \\\|///   May you have a very Blessed Thanksgiving!   \\\|///
    \|||/    \|||/    \|||/    \|||/    \|||/    \|||/    \|||/
     ===      ===      ===      ===      ===      ===      ===
    /|||\    /|||\    /|||\    /|||\    /|||\    /|||\    /|||\
   //|||\\  //|||\\ from New Covenant Ministries//|||\\  //|||\\
   _________________________________________________________________

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