THE FIRST REMOVE
Maybe she calls these removes because they portray moving from place to place and each time she is being "removed" further and further from her freedom and original home.
12 Matching Annotations
- Jan 2026
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press.rebus.community press.rebus.community
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There were now besides myself nine English captives in this place (all of them children, except one woman).
Wow, I was expecting a lot more strangers to be being held captive with her. I also especially didn't realize that they were all mostly children.
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though we were scattered from one end of the earth to the other, yet the Lord would gather us together, and turn all those curses upon our enemies. I do not desire to live to forget this Scripture, and what comfort it was to me.
It's so tragic how divided out society was. Her referred to "enemies" were actually humans too but they treated her so awfully that she wanted too situations to flip around and her "enemies" to get the "curses" or mistreatment that she had taken from them
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I was glad of it, and asked him, whether he thought the Indians would let me read? He answered, yes.
I hope this isn't foreshadowing of the Indians later not letting her read.
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And indeed quickly the Lord answered, in some measure, my poor prayers; for as I was going up and down mourning and lamenting my condition, my son came to me, and asked me how I did. I had not seen him before, since the destruction of the town, and I knew not where he was, till I was informed by himself, that he was amongst a smaller parcel of Indians,
This is a representation of how strong her faith is. We previously saw it helping her stay motivated in bad times but we now see that she doesn't forget about it in good times either. For example, when she comes in contact with her son again, she is attributing this victory to God himself.
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She was about ten years old, and taken from the door at first by a Praying Ind. and afterward sold for a gun. When I came in sight, she would fall aweeping; at which they were provoked, and would not let me come near her, but bade me be gone; which was a heart-cutting word to me. I had one child dead, another in the wilderness, I knew not where, the third they would not let me come near to: “Me (as he said) have ye bereaved of my Children, Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin also, all these things are against me.”
Even in horrific circumstances she was able to relate losing all three children in all different ways to the bible. I bet this helped her stay motivated because at this point she has little to hold onto but her faith. This will make her feel less alone i'm sure.
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Then they went and showed me where it was, where I saw the ground was newly digged, and there they told me they had buried it.
It's so sad that she wasn't even able to burry her own child. I'm sure she had a much stronger attachment to them too because she took care of it with her life for the babies final days. She also had no one else by her side.
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et before the cure was wrought, I may say, as it is in Psalm 38.5-6 “My wounds stink and are corrupt, I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly, I go mourning all the day long.” I sat much alone with a poor wounded child in my lap, which moaned night and day, having nothing to revive the body, or cheer the spirits of her,
I bet she is relating these verses of the bible to her current situation to feel more comforted and eased. For example, here she compares Psalm 38.6-6 which talks about painful wounds to her struggling with a sick child, no home, and evil masters.
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David, “I had fainted, unless I had believed, etc” (Psalm 27.13). The next day was the Sabbath. I then remembered how careless I had been of God’s holy time; how many Sabbaths I had lost and misspent, and how evilly I had walked in God’s sight; which lay so close unto my spirit, that it was easy for me to see how righteous it was with God to cut off the thread of my life and cast me out of His presence forever. Yet the Lord still showed mercy to me, and upheld me; and as He wounded me with one hand, so he healed me with the other.
This is showing how she is connecting God to her present situation. She is realizing that yes, these are hard circumstances God put her in, but it could be worse. She could be dead but she isn't. I wonder if that is because God is trying to teach her the strength resilience that he has.
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having no Christian friend near me, either to comfort or help me. Oh, I may see the wonderful power of God, that my Spirit did not utterly sink under my affliction: still the Lord upheld me with His gracious and merciful spirit, and we were both alive to see the light of the next morning.
Its so inspiring even though she was all alone in this moment she was still able to turn to God. At this point in the story she is helpless but God is by her side. She has already referenced how God saved her and kept her going in these key moments various times.
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All was gone, my husband gone (at least separated from me, he being in the Bay; and to add to my grief, the Indians told me they would kill him as he came homeward), my children gone, my relations and friends gone, our house and home and all our comforts—within door and without—all was gone (except my life)
At this point I would have such a hard time continuing to stay motivated. I can't imagine all of your loved ones being taken away;
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barbarous creatures,
Interesting how she describes the humans as barbarous creatures. This is dehumanizing and shows how much of an enemy she saw her captures as. She didn't see them like herself at all
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