American History

My name is John Williams, son of Michael and I am related to the famous Salem, Massachusetts minister, Roger, who was banished to Providence for his controversial sermons admonishing the colony for not doing enough to separate itself from the Church of England. (Taylor, 2002) I reside in Salem, Massachusetts with my wife Amanda, and my young son, Michael. I have lived in Salem all of my life and my family has lived here since 1703, when my father moved here from Plymouth to pursue a livelihood as a fisherman. I am a Puritan and my familys faith came with them to Salem and burns as bright today as it did in Plymouth.
    The life of a fisherman is a difficult one. In Salem and other coastal and open ocean fishing communities, the life expectancy of a fisherman is very short. In fact, very few fishermen can expect to still be commercial fishing by middle age. (Vickers, 2005) There are two reasons for this. One, seafaring on the Atlantic Ocean and in New England winter weather, is treacherous. When a Noreaster blows, there is little an able captain can do than ride it out and hope for the best. The other reason is that life as a fisherman is physically hard and good men get used up early. (Vickers, 2005) As a deckhand on my fathers ship, the work was very difficult and a childs age is not considered as important as the job they are assigned to do. On the sea, I was a deckhand. On the land, I went back to being my fathers son. It has always been that way in New England fishing communities, and it will be that way when my own son is old enough to accompany me as I prepare him for a life on the sea. (Vickers, 2005)
    As a deckhand on my fathers ship, I worked very hard but received very little pay. It is a matter of custom for all wages earned by children to go directly to their parents. (Vickers, 1994) There is a practical reason for this. As I said before, fishermen do not expect to continue their life on the sea into middle age. Many fishermen are injured while at sea, and those lucky enough to survive their injuries are forced to retire, and their sons wages are sometimes the only income that the family has. (Vickers, 2005) This was the case of my father who retired at the age of 43 due to his injuries and I became captain at the age of 24. This is also true for the widowed mothers left behind when their husbands die at sea. (Vickers, 2005) For these reasons, in New Englands fishing communities, a son is groomed for a life at sea from the moment he is born. (Vickers, 1994)
     I have been captain on my ship for ten years now. In that time, I have found operating my ship difficult for many reasons. Not only is life on the sea difficult, but just maintaining the ship and paying for labor is costly. In New England, we have a system that allows ship owners like me to secure money in order to operate. The common name for this system is clientage, and it is a method of extending credit to fishermen by merchants so the fishermen can operate. (Vickers, 1994) The way clientage works is that merchants offer fishermen credit for supplies at set prices. Also, those fishermen that accept this credit are only allowed to deal with the single merchant who offered them credit. (Vickers, 1994) The problem with this for fishermen like myself is that it sets low prices for my labors and eliminates market competition from others who might want to buy my haul for better prices. (Vickers, 1994) Because fishing is seasonal for many of the fish I am trying to catch, I am not able to fish all year long and I have to feed my family and pay for upkeep of my vessel and this unfair system is all that is available for those fishermen such as myself. Despite my fervent religious belief, I curse those greedy merchants and their hold over honest, God fearing fishermen men like me.
    In New England, cod is a primary source of nutrition (Taylor, 2002) and this is what I fish for as well. Most often, the best fishing is at the Grand Banks off of Newfoundland, but it is also one of the most treacherous as well. The Grand Banks have claimed hundreds of New England fishermen and I myself broke my arm and ribs in a storm in 1717, when I was still a deckhand for my father but was training as a rigger. It doesnt matter where a cod fisherman goes for his fish. In New England, we go wherever the fish are, even if it means risking our lives at the Grand Banks or Nova Scotia. (Vickers, 1994) This is the life of a fisherman and we have no choice but to follow the schools of fish, wherever they may lead us and face whatever danger may follow our pursuit of them.
There is a progression to duties and titles for a fisherman. I started out as a deckhand for my father but soon became a rigger. A rigger had to know not only how to tie many knots, but also had to know how to arrange ropes and ties within pulleys and catches so that the rope doesnt fray and split. (Vickers, 2005) In a storm, a sail that is rendered useless because a rope breaks or comes loose can spell doom for the ship and the crew. The lives of all aboard may depend on a riggers expertise and my father would not allow me to become a mate until I had mastered all of the duties of a rigger. As a mate, a mariner learned most of the duties and requirements of being a captain. (Vickers, 2005) In fact, while I inherited my ship and role as captain, those fishermen who sought to be a captain could only do so by first mastering the skills of a mate. (Vickers, 2005) After becoming a mate and working long enough to satisfy my fathers desire that I know all of its requirements, I began to learn the many responsibilities of being a captain. Included in these duties were map reading and navigation. Also, I had to learn maritime law (Vickers, 2005) and how to manage my ship for supplies and picking and supervising my crew. Learning all of these duties, from being a deckhand to mates duties are part of being a good captain and my father made sure I learned all of this in the eight years I accompanied him on the open sea. 
On land, I am well respected in my community as a God fearing, responsible citizen. I go to church when I am not at sea and my hopes for my family walk hand in hand with my religious faith in that I trust God to watch out for me, especially when I am at sea and not able to look after my family. Soon, my son will begin his life as a fisherman. This is not a matter of choice but rather one of necessity and although he looks forward to being with me on the open ocean, I fear for him for the sea can be fickle and deadly. Nonetheless, I have hope for the future and with the help of almighty God, I know my life will be blessed.