My Life

Hi, my name is Anna Castleman. I’m living in Massachusetts and I’m 35 years old. My grandparents brought my mother over from England, and I was born here. Now, I have my own family. My husband is a shipbuilder and works eighty hours a week. We have many kids: six girls and four boys. The children are very helpful with doing the daily chores such as making candles, cloth, and clothes. We are just living day to day right now because King William and Queen Mary are creating new laws that force the colonies to trade only with England. I don’t think this is fair to us. If we could sell our items, such as rum, to other countries we could make a lot more money. The only thing my family and many others can do is pray that God will make this better. We go to church all day every Sunday to pray for God’s guidance. Most of the neighbors that go to church with us have children that do not know how to read. My husband and I think reading and arithmetic are very important skills that will help our children as they grow. I am very happy my parents taught me. That is why I make time each day to teach our children. With Benjamin Franklin publishing a newspaper down in Philadelphia, my children need to know how to read so they understand what is happening around us. The sun has already set and I must go to sleep so that I am ready to get up early to work tomorrow.