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| Sailing to America |
Once in a while it is nice to be waited on hand and foot, and to partake of the good life. The meals were excellent, the stateroom well kept, and we saw some great shows on board. The price was also right, under three hundred dollars per person. That was a good time to travel.
However, I got to thinking about my ancestors who came to this country by boat in the early part of the 18th century. I'm not sure what life was like on those sailing vessels, but I'm sure it was not like our trip to Mexico. They probably ate lots of bad food and drank foul water. I'm sure they had uncomfortable sleeping accommodations, and I know that there were no stewards and waiters to attend to their needs.
Their voyage took many weeks. It must have seemed at times that it would never end. I'm also sure that those small ships rocked endlessly in the waves, as opposed to our huge ship with stabilizers that minimized motion. Those poor souls who got seasick must have suffered tremendously.
Yet, those brave pioneers came to a new world, facing unknown dangers, and many new hardships. They carved out farms in the wilderness and raised their families in a new land. The freedom to live and worship as they chose must have been worth all those hardships. A tip of the hat to Henry, George, and Jacob Weber and David Martin and all my other ancestors who settled this land and passed on their faith to their descendants.
Copyright © Jay D Weaver - 2005