THROUGH
MOUNTAIN MISTS
Early Settlers of Union
County, Georgia
Their
Descendants...Their Stories...Their Achievements
Lifting the
Mists of History on Their Way of Life
By: Ethelene Dyer Jones
Observing
Columbus Day
On October 12, 1492, Christopher
Columbus arrived on an
island in the Bahamas
and named it San Salvador,
claiming it for Spain
and in honor of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of that country who
had
outfitted his fleet of ships, the Pinta, the Nina and the Santa Maria.
We observe Columbus Day in
recognition of
his outstanding navigational feat and the discovery of America. With
his belief
that the world was round, and that by sailing west he could get to the
east and
India,
Columbus
created bold and investigational exploration for his era.
Christopher Columbus was born,
according to
the best information available, in Genoa, Italy,
in 1451.
His father was a middle class wool weaver and merchant, Domenico
Colombo, and
his mother was Susanna Fontanarossa. According to claims by Columbus
himself,
he went to sea at age 10. Before he married Filipa Moniz, a daughter of
the
Porto Santo governor, Columbus
had made several sea voyages. In 1481, Columbus and Filipa had a son
named
Diego.
Columbus had a hard time getting heads
of state in Europe to believe his
theory that if he sailed west he
could land at the spice-rich islands of the East
Indies.
Little did he know that the way had other lands rather than being an
uninterrupted sea.
Finally, in 1492, King Ferdinand
of Spain
agreed to
outfit Columbus
with three ships. Queen Isabella was less enthusiastic. However, if the
adventurer did discover new lands and claim them for Spain,
he would be given an annuity
of 12,000 Spanish maravedis ($840), and he would receive one-eighth of
any
commercial venture brought on from new lands. He was also named
"Admiral
of the Ocean
Sea (the Atlantic Ocean)".
It took him from August 3, 1492 to October 12, 1492
to arrive at the Bahamian
Island of San Salvador (so
named later). He observed in
his journal: "I could conquer the whole of them (the natives) with 50
men,
and govern them as I pleased." On the first journey, he also landed at Cuba
and
explored that island. He took several Indians (so named by him because
he
thought he had arrived in the East Indies)
back with him to Spain,
but only about seven of them survived the sea journey.
His subsequent voyages and his
appointment
as governor or chief viceroy of some of the islands met with
disappointment. Columbus
was physically
and mentally exhausted. His body was in much pain from advanced
arthritis.
Blamed with many atrocities, Columbus
was arrested and taken back to Spain.
He lingered in jail for over six weeks before King Ferdinand finally
released
him. He died at about age 55, and following his release from jail had
become
fairly wealthy on the percentage he received in gold from Hispanolia.
The story of Columbus is fascinating. Having a day
to
celebrate his contributions to American history is significant.
c2007
by Ethelene Dyer Jones; published Oct. 11, 2007 in The Union Sentinel,
Blairsville, GA. Reprinted by permission. All rights
reserved.
[Ethelene Dyer
Jones is a retired educator,
freelance writer, poet, and historian. She may be reached at
e-mail edj0513@windstream.net;
phone 478-453-8751; or mail 1708 Cedarwood Road, Milledgeville, GA
31061-2411.]
Updated July 12, 2018
Back To Union County, GAGenWeb
Site