Secret Along the St. Mary's
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Book Description
"Secret Along the St. Mary's" by Virginia B. Troeger is set in southern Maryland in the year 1664. Twelve-year-old Susannah Clark lives on a small tobacco farm with her older brother, her father, and her father's servant. Although they have a servant, the Clarks are not a rich family. As the story begins, we learn that Susannah's mother had died from fever several months earlier. Her death leaves ...
More"Secret Along the St. Mary's" by Virginia B. Troeger is set in southern Maryland in the year 1664. Twelve-year-old Susannah Clark lives on a small tobacco farm with her older brother, her father, and her father's servant. Although they have a servant, the Clarks are not a rich family. As the story begins, we learn that Susannah's mother had died from fever several months earlier. Her death leaves the grieving family with one less pair of hands to farm, do housework, and raise Susannah's younger brothers. Unable to cope with the demands of both farming and raising the young twins, Susannah's father has a neighbor family tend the babies. It is decided that once cousin Ellinore arrives from England and settles herself into life as an indentured servant in the household, the boys will come back to the Clark family under her care.
Why all the servants? Voluntary servitude was common at this time. Many, including Susannah's own parents, were able to pay their passage from England and later buy fields of their own by first "renting" themselves out as servants at established plantations. The average term of servitude was four years, with those younger than sixteen serving longer terms. For Susannah's family, the system works well. Unfortunately, as with any system, there are those who abuse it. A servant on a nearby plantation, Benjamin Duckett, takes it upon himself to flee from one such abuser, his cruel overseer. Shortly after his escape, Benjamin runs into Susannah, whom he implores not to tell anyone of his departure. An understandable request, it is also a weighty one, for as they both know, running away from servitude is against the law. Susannah struggles with her decision on how to handle Benjamin's secret, especially when she discovers that her family canoe has gone missing . . . the very day that Benjamin left.
Publisher | Silver Moon Press |
Binding | Library Binding |
Reading Level | Ages 9-12
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# of Pages | 92 |
ISBN-10 | 1893110354 |
ISBN-13 | 978-1893110359 |
Publication Date | 10/2003 |
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