Bøker av Donna A Watkins

Building on the success of her first book, Diverse Gashes author Donna A Watkins now focuses her investigative talents on the less-studied population of women and children who lived in Plymouth Colony in her new work, Weaker Vessels. In this distinctive and compelling volume she sheds a new light on these less fortunate members of Pilgrim society, thus permitting us a glimpse into the pressure and ordeals which they experienced during the seventeenth century in America.The majority of extant literature about the Pilgrims reveals a propensity to disregard or belittle these vital members of society, even though they, too, shared in the everyday struggles and challenges that were presented to them as they established their place in the New World. The author's aim is to rectify these omissions by presenting a case for remembrance of these exceptional individuals. Once again drawing her inspiration from tenacious research centered on an extensive array of court records, transcriptions, books, diaries, journals, and first-person accounts, Watkins carefully presents us with an impartial look at these neglected, yet essential, members of Plymouth. Their lives are examined in a nonjudgmental way within the context of the culture in which they lived, even given the unmistakable biases of the men who produced the laws and inflicted the punishments for various crimes and indiscretions committed in the colony. The reader is left to decide whether the punishment fits the crime, and what might have been the true motivation of those involved in the judicial process.General laws and standards of the colony are examined with considerable insight, as are the intricacies and nuances of daily life in Plymouth. The details of courtship, marriage and divorce are scrutinized and explained, revealing some surprising aspects that may bewilder the modern reader. Domestic and civil violence are elucidated in their sometimes gruesome detail, as are the facts about children in servitude, unusual deaths in the colony, the consequences of "unnecessary talking," and the results of "unclean acts." Notable women of the colony are finally given their due in brief biographies, as are the seldom mentioned gerontological aspects of growing old in Plymouth society.The time is right to call out these casualties of history, and in this timely and powerful book Donna Watkins presents us with an eloquent chronicle of their lives, a story that is long overdue.

Based on an astonishing true story, and backed by years of meticulous research, leads us back in time to July 22, 1648, when the murder of a four-year-old girl took place under suspicious circumstances in Playne Dealing, a neighborhood on the outskirts of Plymouth Colony. William Bradford, the governor at the time, made little mention of this incident and its aftermath in his detailed journal, which has triggered both suspicion among historians and varying theories about the event ever since. The brutal murder of Martha Bishop, daughter of Alice Martin Clarke Bishop and her husband Richard, was an act of severe violence. Investigators arrived upon the scene to find Martha and her surroundings covered in blood, with a trail leading up a ladder to Martha's body, hacked with "diverse gashes" across the neck with a large knife. Alice openly confessed to the crime and was tried, sentenced, and executed within three months-the first and only woman in Plymouth Colony to be hanged.How could something so dreadful take place in the supposedly idyllic world of the Pilgrims? The possibilities are seemingly endless, but Donna Watkins attempts to narrow them down by delving into the origins and history of the Separatist movement, following the Pilgrims across England to their temporary home in Holland, and finally to their settlement in America. She provides details of daily activity in the colony in order to help us gain an understanding of the residents' lifestyle and beliefs, and the pressures of survival in Pilgrim society that may have played a role in Martha's sad fate.While not all questions surrounding the incident have been definitely answered, reflecting on what happened that morning in 1648 in Playne Dealing and the reaction of both Governor Bradford and the Pilgrim community provides a rare opportunity to shed new light on Plymouth and its residents. There are many hypotheses regarding Alice's motives, but it is the author's hope that this reflection on her experience within the Pilgrim colony may lead to a fuller understanding of both our nation's early history and the rigors of life during the time period.You may be wondering- Why this story? Why now? The year 2020 is the 400th anniversary of the founding of Plymouth Colony, a time for introspection and reflection on our national character. Alice is the author's ninth great-grandmother through her daughter Damaris. That Alice and Martha are family members has given her a sense of compassion for them both. While there can be little doubt that Alice committed the crime and, at least within the Pilgrims' set of values and beliefs, deserved her harsh punishment, the author feels she merits a defense and an attempt at explanation. The result is