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Show W Page 257 Author's Note The lost settlement of Martin's Hundred, founded in 1619, was inadvertently discovered by archeologists in the 1970s when excavations were undertaken at Carter's Grove, Virginia. An attempt has been made to depict the physical characteristics of Martin's Hundred as accurately as possible, based upon the findings of those archeological excavations. While most of the incidents in New World Around Me are fictional, others are based upon actual events. Young women and orphans went to Virginia from England around the time depicted, the women to become wives to the unmarried settlers, the orphans to become servants. The Indian uprising of March 22, 1622, is a documented occurrence in which approximately 347 white settlers died. Just as many incidents described in the book are based on truth, so, too, are many of the people who walk through these pages. Richard Kean was the chief lieutenant of Martin's Hundred. While it is known that he lost his life in the uprising, it is not known for certain how he died, although a skeleton was found in the company compound that, according to archeologists, belonged to a tall, muscular man with a well-developed wrist, typical of a swordsman. The author has taken the liberty of claiming this unknown skeleton as Richard Kean. |