Sarah Kemble Knight
(1666-1727)
Sarah Kemble Knight's husband, a sea captain
and the London representative for an American
company, was frequently abroad. In his absence,
the capable and energetic Mrs. Knight ran a
boardinghouse in Boston. She also taught school
(Benjamin Franklin is reputed to have been one
of her pupils), gave handwriting lessons, and assisted people with legal matters. It was in this
last capacity that she journeyed from Boston to
New York in the fall of 1704, to settle a family
estate.
In Colonial America, it was almost unheard
of for a woman to travel such a long distance
with only guides as company. Overland travel
was unsafe and far from comfortable, as
Knight's account makes clear. A trip that today
might be made by plane in an hour, or by train
\n four, took Knight about two weeks on horseback. But those two weeks were hardly wasted
time. Knight's shorthand diary of the journey,
kept for her own pleasure and not published until the nineteenth century, gives a lively and accurate portrait of life "on the road" in early
Ferry Scene on the Susquehanna at Wright's Ferry,
near Havre de Grace by Petrus Svinin (1811). Watercolor.
eighteenth-century America. It also offers a nice
secular contrast to the religious tenor of much
Colonial writing. At the same time, it puts us in
the company of a most interesting traveling companion. Knight's shrewd observations, her personal strength, and her no-nonsense attitude are
qualities especially appealing to modem readers.
Like many travelers today, she complains about
the food: A Frenchman's fricassee was "so contrary" to her notion of cookery that she went to
bed supperless. The beds were bad: "my poor
bones complained bitterly." And the prices were
too high, "as dear as if we had had far better
fare." The feisty Sarah Knight has more in common with Ben Franklin than with many early Puritans. Her point of view is practical rather than
theological, and she is more apt to allude to etassicalliterature than to the Bible. To this extent,
her diary suggests how Puritan culture was
changing. Knight looks forward to the country's
future rather than backward to its origins.
A few years after Knight's journey, her husband apparently died: After 1706, there is no further reference to him in her diaries. In 1714, she
moved to New London, Connecticut, with her
married daughter. There she ran a shop and an
inn and made a number of investments in property that-as we might expect-were extremely
profitable.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art,
New York. Rogers Fund. 1942.
Sarah Kemble Knight
31
THE JOURNAL OF
MADAM KNIGHT
FROM
A JOURNEY FROM BOSTON TO NEW YORK
As you read Knight's journal, try to form a precise idea of the writer's tone, or attitude toward
her material. How does this tone contrast with
Tuesday, October 3, 1704
A
bout eight in the morning, I with the post
proceeded forward without observing anything remarkable; and about two, afternoon, arrived at the post's second stage, where
the western post met him and exchanged letters. 1
Here, having called for something to eat, the
woman brought in a twisted thing like a cable, but
something [somewhat] whiter; and laying it on the
board, tugged for life to bring it into a capacity to
spread; which having with great pains accomplished, she served in a dish of pork and cabbage,
I suppose the remains of dinner. The sauce was
of a deep purple, which I thought was boiled in
her dye kettle; the bread was Indian, and everything on the table service agreeable to these. I,
being hungry, got a little down; but my stomach
was soon cloyed [filled], and what cabbage I swallowed served me for a cud the whole day after.
Having here discharged the ordinary 2 for self
and guide (as I understood was the custom), about
three, afternoon, went on with my [second] guide,
who rode very hard; and having crossed Providence ferry, we came to a river which they generally ride through. But I dared not venture; so
the post got a lad and canoe to carry me to 1'other
I. Knight is traveling on horseback in the company of mail
carriers. They have reached a stop where two carriers
exchange pouches of mail.
2. discharged the ordinary: paid for the meal. "Ordinary" referred both to a meal bought in a public house (as it does here)
and to a public house itself (as it does later in Mrs. Knight's
account).
32
The Colonial PeriOd: The Age of Faith
what you might have expected from a Puritan
writer? What does the tone reveal about the writ·
er's personality?
side, and he rode through and led my horse. The
canoe was very small and shallow, so that when
we were in, she seemed ready to take in water,
which greatly terrified me and caused me to be
very circumspect, sitting with my hands fast on
each side, my eyes steady, not daring so much as
to lodge my tongue a hairbreadth more on one
side of my mouth than l' other nor so much as
think on Lot's wife,3 for a wry thought would have
overset our wherry [small boat]; but was soon put
out of this pain by feeling the canoe on shore,
which I as soon almost saluted with my feet; and
rewarding my seuller, again mounted and made
the best of our way forward. The road here was
very even and the day pleasant, it being now near
sunset. But the post told me we had near fourteen
miles to ride to the next stage (where we were to
lodge). I asked him of the rest of the road, foreseeing we must travail in the night. He told me
that there was a bad river we were to ride through,
which was so very fierce a horse could sometimes
hardly stem it; but it was but narrow, and we
should soon be over. I cannot express the concern
of mind this relation set me in: no thoughts but
those of the dangerous river could entertain my
imagination, and they were as formidable as various, still tormenting me with blackest ideas of my
approaching fate-sometimes seeing myself
3. Lot's wife: Lot's wife was turned into a pillar of salt when
she turned to look back at Sodom, the city she and her family
were fleeing (Genesis 19:28).
American Stage Wagon (1798). Colored engraving.
drowning, otherwhiles drowned, and at the best,
like a holy sister just come out of a spiritual bath
in dripping garments.
Now was the glorious luminary with his swift
coursers arrived at his stage,4 leaving poor me
with the rest of this part of the lower world in
darkness, with which we were soon surrounded.
The only glimmering we now had was from the
spangled skies, whose imperfect reflections rendered every object formidable. Each lifeless
trunk, with its shattered limbs, appeared an armed
enemy; and every little stump like a ravenous de4. That is, the sun had set. The reference is to Apollo, the sun
god in Greek mythology. The Greeks believed that he pulled
the sun as he rode across the sky in a chariot drawn by
"coursers," or horses.
vourer. Nor could I so much as discern my guide,
when at any distance, which added to the terror.
Thus, absolutely lost in thought, and dying with
the very thoughts of drowning, I come up with the
post, who I did not see 'til even with his horse;
he told me he stopped for me, and we rode on
very deliberately a few paces, when we entered a
thicket of trees and shrubs, and I perceived by the
horse's going we were on the descent of a hill,
which, as we come nearer the bottom, 'twas totally dark with the trees that surrounded it. But I
jknew by the going of the horse we had entered
the water, which my guide told me was the hazardous river he had told me of; and he, riding up
close to my side, bid me not fear-we should be
over immediately. I now rallied all the courage I
was mistress of, knowing that I must either venSarah Kemble Knight
33
ture my fate of drowning or be left like the children
in the wood. s So, as the post bid me, I gave reins
to my nag; and sitting as steady as just before in
the canoe, in a few minutes got safe to the other
side, which he told me was the Narragansett country....
Being come to Mr. Havens',6 I was very civilly
received, and courteously entertained, in a clean
comfortable house; and the good woman was very
active in helping off my riding clothes, and then
asked what I would eat. I told her I had some
chocolate, if she would prepare it; which with the
help of some milk, and a little clean brass kettle,
she soon effected to my satisfaction. I then betook
me to my apartment, which was a little room
parted from the kitchen by a single board partition; where, after I had noted the occurrences of
the past day, I went to bed, which, though pretty
hard, [was] yet neat and handsome. But I could
get no sleep, because of the clamor of some of the
town topers in next room, who were entered into
a strong debate concerning the signification of the
name of their country (viz.), Narragansett. One
said it was named so by the Indians, because there
grew a brier there of a prodigious height and bigness, the like hardly ever known, called by the
Indians narragansett; and quotes an Indian of so
barbarous a name for his author that I could not
write it. His antagonist replied no-it was from a
spring it had its name, which he well knew where
it was, which was extreme cold in summer, and
as hot as could be imagined in the winter, which
was much resorted to by the natives, and by them
called Narragansett (hot and cold), and that was
the original of their place's name-with a thousand impertinences not worth notice, which he
uttered with such a roaring voice and thundering
blows with the fist of wickedness on the table that
it pierced my very head. I heartily fretted, and
wished 'um tongue-tied; but with as little success
as a friend of mine once, who was (as she said)
kept a whole night awake, on a journey, by a
country left, and a sergeant insigne,7 and a deacon, contriving how to bring a triangle into a
square. They kept calling for t'other gill,8 which
5. The phrase "children in the wood," or "babes in the
woods," refers to a ballad in which two children are taken out
to be murdered and instead are left in the woods, where they
die during the night.
6. Mr. Havens': the public house where they are to stay.
7. left .•• insigne: a lieutenant and an ensign, low-level military
officers.
8. gill: measure of wine or liquor. A gill is four ounces.
34
The Colonial Period: The Age of Faith
while they were swallowing, was some intermission; but presently, like oil to fire, increased the
flame. I set my candle on a chest by the bedside,
and setting up, fell to myoid way of composing
my resentments, in the following manner:
I ask thy aid, 0 potent rum!
To charm these wrangling topers dumb.
Thou hast their giddy brains possessedThe man confounded with the beastAnd I, poor I, can get no rest.
Intoxicate them with thy fumes:
o still their tongues 'til morning comes!
And I know not but my wishes took effect; for
the dispute soon ended with t'other dram. And so
good night!
Friday, October 6
I got up very early, in order to hire somebody to
go with me to New Haven, being in great perplexity at the thoughts of proceeding alone; which my
most hospitable entertainer observing, himself
went, and soon returned with a young gentleman
of the town, who he could confide in to go with
me; and about eight this morning, with Mr. Joshua
Wheeler my new guide, taking leave of this worthy
gentleman, we advanced on toward Seabrook.
The roads all along this way are very bad, encumbered with rocks and mountainous passages,
which were very disagreeable to my tired carcass;
but we went on with a moderate pace which made
the journey more pleasant. But after about eight
miles riding, in going over a bridge under which
the river run very swift, my horse stumbled and
very narrowly escaped falling over into the water;
which extremely frightened me. But through
God's goodness I met with no harm, and mounting
again, in about half a mile's riding, come to an
ordinary, were well entertained by a woman of
about seventy and vantage [more], but of as sound
intellectuals as one of seventeen. She entertained
Mr. Wheeler with some passages of a wedding
awhile ago at a place hard by, the brides-groom
being about her age or something above, saying
his children was dreadfully against their father's
marrying, which she condemned them extremely
for.
From hence we went pretty briskly forward and
arrived at Saybrook ferry about two of the clock
afternoon; and crossing it, we called at an inn to
bait9 (foreseeing we should not have such another
opportunity 'til we come to Killingsworth). Landlady come in, with her hair about her ears and
hands at full pay [busily] scratching. She told us
9. bait: stop for food and rest.
she had some mutton which she would broil,
which I was glad to hear; but I suppose [she]
forgot to wash her scratches; in a little time she
brought it in; but it being pickled, and my guide
said it smelled strong of head sauce [cheese
sauce], we left it, and paid sixpence a piece for
our dinners, which was only smell. ...
I
Responding to the Journal
Analyzing the Journal
Identifying Facts
1. Name at least five facts that you learned from Knight's
diary about daily life in early eighteenth-century
America-facts about food, inns, and travel.
2. Identify the "twisted thing like a cable" that is spread
on the table before lunch (page 32).
3. Find at least three details in the journal that indicate
that Knight's grammar and syntax were different from
today's standard English.
Interpreting Meanings
4. Find at least three details in the entry for October 3
that show Knight's talent for wry humor and comic
comparisons.
5. Explain the comparison implied in the metaphor describing the sunset on October 3. Is this stylistic
device different from what you might have found in
William Bradford's or Mary Rowlandson's writings?
Explain.
6. How does Knight's journal differ in tone from the
writings of William Bradford and Mary Rowlandson?
7. What did you like or dislike about Sarah Knight's
journal? How does it compare with travel literature
written today?
Writing About the Journal
A Creative Response
1. Writing a Journal Entry. Write a journal entry in which
you narrate a trip you have taken recently. To dramatize the differences-and the similarities-between
travel today and travel in the early eighteenth century,
consider these topics: method of travel; length of trip;
discomforts or dangers; food; motel or hotel accommodations. Before you write, decide what tone you
want to take toward the trip: Humorous? Self-mocking? Satirical? Serious?
Tavern sign from New London, Connecticut (c. 1750).
Morgan B. Brainard Collection, The Connecticut
Historical Society, Hartford, Connecticut.
A Critical Response
2. Analyzing Character. You have read selections by two
remarkable women who lived in Colonial America. The
experiences they describe are vastly different. But can
you detect any similarities in their characters or personalities? Write an essay in which you discuss the
characters of Mary Rowlandson and Sarah Kemble
Knight. In your essay, consider these points: their
response to danger; their ability to surmount difficulties, even terrible sufferings; their attitude toward
food; what they reveal about their religious convictions.
Quote from both journals to support what you say.
Sarah Kemble Knight
35