Tavin Shire

Jennifer Brooks

Description

Reminiscent of "Last of the Mohicans", Tavin Shire is a story of love, survival, and coming to terms with God in the brutal Pennsylvania wilderness of 1755.
The Shire family had settled over the mountains to begin a new life, until the bitter fury of the French and Indian War violently fell upon them. This captivating novel details the experiences of a young man, Tavin Shire, as he begins his trek across the Pennsylvania wilderness to liberate his two sisters from a Lenape Indian raiding party, only to discover that the woman he loves has also been taken.
Facing the challenges of his own limitations, savagery within both Indian and White cultures, faltering courage, and his wavering faith in God, Tavin is caught between the ideals he clings to and the reality of a world at war. As the frontier explodes in brutality, the lore of the wild draws Tavin back time and time again. Struggling to discover who he is and how God can be good in the midst of the burning ashes of loss and grief, he ultimately discovers life changing truth.
The magnificent and the tragic collide and meld into the unimaginable, providing a friend closer than a brother, a love to last a lifetime, and a family only God could conceive.

Sujets

• Religious
• Native Americans
• French and Indian War
• Faith
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: WestBow Press
• Date de parution: 15 janvier 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781664284647
• Langue: English

Extrait

TAVIN Shire
Discovering courage, love, and God’s goodness on the embattled frontier.
JENNIFER BROOKS


Copyright © 2022 Jennifer Brooks.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
 
 
WestBow Press
A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.westbowpress.com
844-714-3454
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6642-8465-4 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-8464-7 (e)
 
 
 
WestBow Press rev. date: 01/10/2023
CONTENTS
Prologue
 
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
 
Acknowledgment
PROLOGUE
I write this today as an ancestor of German Palatines who experienced the miseries of fleeing from their own country due to the devastations of war, exhaustive taxation, religious persecution, and famine.
Centering on the tragic circumstances of families of both Native American and white settlers in the Pennsylvania wilderness of the mid-1700’s, a quick overview highlighting the historical background and surrounding events of the day is warranted.
Palatine German immigrants arrived in America in the 18 th century ready to begin a new life. Native peoples felt the encroachment of white settlers pushing them further and further west. The French feared losing control of the Ohio Valley and with it, the flourishing fur trade, while the British sought more and more of it all.
Soon Britain declared war with the French, and the gates of fire encircled settlers living on the fringes of civilization. Of course, the full expanse of these historical facts cannot be summarized in such a brief synopsis yet covering a bit of the specifics describing the behind-the-scenes of the account offered here will help in understanding how the story itself is well within the context of feasibility, even probability.
POOR PROTESTANT PALATINES
The German Palatinate, located between the border of France and the left bank of the Rhine, was known for its rich farmlands and vineyards. This coveted land saw thirty years of misery and devastation. Between 1684 and 1713, the people of the Palatinate lived with constant political/religious chaos and physical suffering.
War and Taxation :
Virtually the entire 17 th century was one of continuous turmoil as King Louis XIV of France sought to expand his empire. During the War of the Grand Alliance (1689-1697), the French sent soldiers time and time again to ravage the Palatinate. This war ended in 1697, with the Treaty of Ryswick, leaving a badly battered Palatinate.
Unfortunately, peace was not to last. In 1707, the War of the Spanish Succession began. Once again, towns, villages and farms were burned and plundered. Money was demanded from poor peasant farmers, taxed so heavily that many resorted to beggary or thievery.
Religious Persecution :
The reformation in Europe had encouraged the growth of Protestantism. By 1648 three churches were officially recognized: Lutheran, Catholic and Calvinist. Yet at the same time, the populace was expected to follow the religion of the reigning king. As a result, the Palatinate became a rollercoaster of religious requirements, based on whomever came to power at any given time, bringing great persecution to those whose faith was contrary.
Queen Anne came to the British throne in 1702. She was ambitious to secure religious and civil rights for all Protestants in England and the continent.
Longing for Land :
A royal charter had been granted to William Penn in 1681 for Pennsylvania. The people of Amsterdam and the Rhine Valley were very familiar with “Penn’s Province”, and with the Palatinate all but stripped by war, the enticement to emigrate to the New World was powerful.
The Deep Freeze :
A final and devastating blow came in 1708-09 with one of the most severe and deadly winters ever recorded. The diary of twelve-year-old Conrad Weiser noted that the sea was frozen to the shore, animals froze in the forest and birds dropped dead from the sky.
The Migration :
Queen Elizabeth recognized the dire suffering of the Palatinate and authorized refuge. Traveling down the Rhine took four to six weeks to reach Rotterdam, where ships would be used as transport to England. Once in London, they became charges of the government. Most of the refugees were in rags, with no money. Public sympathy rose, with Londoners providing food and shelter for those in need, yet the burden soon became overwhelming. By early June 1709, one thousand people were arriving each week. The sheer numbers made it an unmanageable situation, and England closed its border to German immigrants.
The Board of Trade met during that summer to consider proposals for resettling refugees. Most wanted to be sent to North America, but with England’s ships engaged in warfare, and with many other considerations, there was some hesitation.
In July 1709, the Council of Ireland proposed that the refugees be brought to Ireland. There was a desire by the English for a stronger presence of Protestant settlers in Catholic southern Ireland. In August of that year, approximately 790 families were relocated.
Thousands still remained in England. Making an economic decision, the Lords of Trade proposed that a group be sent to the Hudson Valley in New York state to train in the production of naval stores (turpentine, pitch, tar and ship masts) for the British fleet. Of more than 2,800 who made the trip, nearly 500 died on the way or shortly after.
A number became indentured apprentices, while many made their way further north and settled land along the Mohawk River, invited by five Mohawk chiefs who had witnessed their plight in London. Others recalled the luring descriptions of Pennsylvania from William Penn and settled there.
FRENCH and BRITISH CONFLICT
The Seven Years War (1756-1763), or French and Indian War as it became known in America, proved once again that the long imperial struggle between France and Britain was far from over. Although it was a complicated global war, the unfriendly embers that smoldered for control over the Great Lakes region and the Ohio Valley finally ignited into a raging fire of brutal conflict across the entire territory.
Shortly after the French built Fort Niagara in 1726, the English began construction of Fort Oswego, establishing a British presence and threatening the French stronghold.
The remote forests of the western wilderness beckoned to British citizenry and government ambition. The French rightly feared the Great Lakes trade system would fall into English control, blocking their fur trade supply routes. Determined to defend their territory, in 1754 the government of New France took steps to prevent British intrusion and constructed Fort Duquesne where the Ohio, Monongahela and Allegheny rivers converge (modern day Pittsburgh), making it a strategically important fortress.
A series of battles erupted (or continued as the case may be), including the defeat of General Edward Braddock, with over two thousand soldiers, which contributed to the official British declaration of war on May 20, 1756.
Amid these cold hard facts lies the unfelt truth. Real people, real families, and real tragedies were caught up in the turmoil. Whole communities were ravaged by brutal, deadly attacks. Whole counties were all but abandoned, leaving their possessions and property in exchange for their very lives. If captives were not tortured, put to death, or adopted into the life of an Indian village, they were exchanged for either money or some valuable commodity, to fill a labor void as slaves and to increase population in Canada. Once native tribes discovered that selling captives was a lucrative business, a steady stream of captives became the norm. Hundreds were taken.
Raids were relentless and well planned, designed to inflict the most pain and suffering possible. Prowling war parties successfully caught settlers who were unprepared to defend themselves. British and Provincial Militia proved ineffective against guerilla warfare techniques used by French and Indians. During times of crisis colonists gathered in defensive buildings that had been fortified, referred to as blockhouses or guardhouses.
There was little early success against the French. Superior in military leadership and numbers, and with the strong support