Their William was only 24 years old according to the gravestone on Portsmouth Island. He is buried beside two of his brothers-in-arms in a small gathering of weathered gravestones just behind the post office. It made me wonder though, is William really there? The gravestone said he died in 1863. Lot of battles in 1863 – Chancellorsville, Vicksburg, Gettysburg. That’s a long way to haul a body in the middle of a civil war. More likely that they buried a few things precious to him that he left behind on the island. All I could think about looking at William’s grave was what a hard life that young man would have had even if he hadn’t gone off to war. And his mother – how many children did she have? Was William her only boy? So many headstones engraved with the words “our little angel” for children whose lives lasted as few as two days there on the island.

Considering how hard life on islands like Portsmouth were 100 years ago, war would have been the least of their worries. Men went out on boats every day – both mariners and fishermen – knowing that anything could happen. An unexpected squall, especially heavy fog, becalmed seas, even pirates could mean a sudden end to their lives. No bodies to bury – no real explanation for mothers and wives left behind. If they were lucky, their troubles would happen close enough to shore so that the Coast Guard could send out a rescue crew to bring them safely home. Then they could go out and do it all over again the next day.

When I think of islands, I envision a tropical paradise complete with flowery drinks and hammocks and long lazy days reading and falling asleep in the warm sand. But there was none of that here. Here was a life of toil, endeavor and uncertainty. There was no mandatory evacuation because a hurricane was headed for their island home – not that they would have been aware of the magnitude of those storms headed their way. But they knew where they lived – they were not naïve. Nothing of importance was ever left below a certain level in homes or businesses. The floors were made imperfect so that the water could rise and recede again through slits and cracks causing the least amount of damage.

Would they have said their lives were hard? If you don’t know anything else, does a kind of contentment or resignation set in? These were spiritual people who believed in God and His plan for them. A lifetime of devastating storms, unrelenting mosquitoes, constant worry for those who made their living from the sea – a hard life? Yes. But one of peace, belief, and even a kind of serenity, too. A human life.

 

Donna Devereaux is an elementary school Media Specialist from Charlotte, NC. She participated in an NCCAT seminar last month on Ocracoke. The seminar's focus was to help teachers become better writers and teachers of writing. During their week on the island, the NCCAT teachers took a trip to Portsmouth Island. Thanks, Donna, for sending us your essay and photos.

To book your trip to Portsmouth Island, contact Rudy, Donald or Wade Austin at 252-928-5431 or 4361.