Discoveries of America: Personal Accounts of British Emigrants to North America during the Revolutionary Era

253 Pages·1997·3.51 MB·English

by  Barbara DeWolfe (editor)

Discoveries of America is a collection of personal letters written by 18 of the
thousands of British emigrants who came to North America in the 15 years
preceding the onset of the American Revolution. These accounts are rare:
Few letters sent by emigrants during the colonial period exist. The letters
reveal the motivations, experiences, characteristics, and emotions of these
people who populated America at a crucial time in its history, and provide
new insights into the mechanisms of the British-American migration, es-
pecially the organization of personal networks of family and friends.
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DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA

DISCOVERIES
OF AMERICA
Personal Accounts of British
Emigrants to North America
during the Revolutionary Era
Edited by
BARBARA DE WOLFE
Harvard University
Foreword by Bernard Bailyn
CAMBRIDGE
UNIVERSITY PRESS
PUBLISHED BY THE PRESS SYNDICATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 IRP, United Kingdom
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 2RU, United Kingdom
40 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011-4211, USA
10 Stamford Road, Oakleigh, Melbourne 3166, Australia
© Cambridge University Press 1997
This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception
and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements,
no reproduction of any part may take place without
the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published 1997
Printed in the United States of America
Typeset in Adobe Caslon
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Discoveries of America : personal accounts of British emigrants to
North America during the revolutionary era / [edited by] Barbara
DeWolfe.
p. cm.
ISBN 0-521-38542-3 (hardback). - ISBN 0-521-38694-2 (pbk.)
1. British Americans - Correspondence. 2. British - Nova Scotia -
Correspondence. 3. Immigrants - United States - Correspondence.
4. Immigrants - Nova Scotia - Correspondence. 5. United States -
Emigration and immigration - History - 18th century - Sources.
6. Nova Scotia - Emigration and immigration - History - 18th century -
Sources. 7. Great Britain - Emigration and immigration -
History - 18th century - Sources. I. DeWolfe, Barbara.
E184.B7D57 1997
97i.6'oo42i - dc2O 96-21690
CIP
A catalog record for this book is available from
the British Library.
ISBN o 521 38542 3 hardback
ISBN o 521 38694 2 paperback
For My Friends and Family

CONTENTS
Foreword
Preface xi
A Note on Selection xv
Editorial Procedures xix
INTRODUCTION I
NOVA SCOTIA
Narrative of Charles Dixon 38
Letter of James Metcalf 44
Letter of Luke Harrison 47
John Robinson and Thomas Rispin, A Journey through
Nova Scotia 51
MIDDLE COLONIES
Letters of James Whitelaw 88
Alexander Thomson, News from America 108
Letters of Hugh Simm 122
CHESAPEAKE
Letter of John Campbell 149
Letters of David Duff 158
Letter of Thomas Feilde 164
NORTH CAROLINA
Letters of Alexander McAllister 170
Letter of Alexander Campbell of Balole 183
SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA
Letters of Alexander Cumine 187
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