Magdalena

<p>“I’m cold and hungry. Our trees are dead. Animals and birds froze to death.”</p><p>That was part of a 1709 entry in young Magdalena’s diary.</p><p>From her loft bed she overheard her father below.</p><p>“Dearest Susannah we have to go. We’ll starve here! We have to sell our land and sell the only cow and horse we still have.” </p><p>Mami was crying softly.</p><p>Dawdi continued “Our plows tools and spinning wheel will fetch some money too. Then we can pay the prince’s departure tax and get a boat to Rotterdam.”</p><p>The historically cold winter had devastated not only their small farm near the Rhine River but a large area of Europe as well.</p><p>Magdalena’s peasant family embarked with many others on a decades-long trek to England the Hudson River Valley the Mohawk River Valley the Susquehanna River and Pennsylvania. They interacted with people of other cultures including Mohawks. </p><p>At times Magdalena’s sorrows and hardships seemed insurmountable but she never lost hope of someday having her own family and farm. Did she realize her dream?</p><p>Magdalena is based on factual evidence in the lives of Germanic immigrants who left their farms in 1709. Magdalena’s friend Conrad Weiser was a historic figure who became a famous Indian interpreter having lived a year with a Mohawk family.</p>