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Dear Journal,
I am Henry Wingfield and I am a carpenter in Plymouth. My father, Edward Wingfield was the president of Jamestown and I had one brother, John Wingfield. As a child I was raised in Jamestown, but I went back to England to get further educated in carpentry and I became an apprentice. There I came upon people who had the same beliefs as I. We were called Separatists because we wanted to found our own church and we separated from the English church. I decided to join these people in coming back to my town. Though I was a carpenter, I was not viewed as a "stranger", because I had come along for a religious purpose. Strangers were the common people (craftspeople, servants, and farmers) who only wanted to come for a better life. When we were at sea, our ship was tossed and turned in every direction and we ended up here in Plymouth. I learned of these peoples history along the voyage and most of them had been in England, but had then gone to Holland because they had been persecuted in England. In Holland they could not find work because craftspeople would not let them in their guilds. Also they were afraid their children lost all the ways of the English, so they made and arrangement with the Virginia Company. William Bradford was our leader and historian. For our first winter here it was been terrible. There were lots of diseases going around, there we had trouble growing food and it was very cold. Soon after that terrible winter we met the Native Americans. Since I disliked them as a child I had a hard time getting to like them, but I soon realized they were doing many helpful things for us. Squanto and Samoset taught us how to grow food such as, corn, beans, and pumpkins. They also taught us better ways and places for hunting and fishing. They even helped us arrange a treaty with the Wampanoag tribe. Even though they are much different then us and sometimes I still feel we are more civilized I am very grateful to these Native Americans for their generosity.

Henry Wingfield