The infortunate : the voyage and adventures of William Morales notes

chapter 1 early life and misfortunes:

• Son of established clockmaker in London

• legal apprenticship

• Father passes away - inheritance left to mother

• Moraley falls into deep debt faces creditors and slides down social ladder

Chapter 2 identure contract

• trying to escape poverty signs contract and commits to identured servitiude 4-5 years for passage to Americas

• Boards Bonetta with 20 other servants and prepares to sail across the atlantic

Chapter 3 crossing the ocean an arrival in Philadelphia

• Moraley details harsh life at sea: terrible smells, strictly rationed and poor quality food biscuts + beef

• Passengers in a desperate attempt try drinking salt water or alcohol to quench their thirst

• The arrive at Deleware bay and Moraley details how beautiful Philadelphia is just after christmas

chapter 4 The market of servants

• Directly after arriving indentured servants are put up for sale

• Moraley is unsold for a brief period so it leads him to explore Phildelphia

• He is purchased by a clockmaker Isaac Pearson based in Burlington New Jersey

• Moraley talks about jarring transition - strips him of his english clothes and replaces with coarse servant worn out garmants

chapter 5 servitude native Americans and colonial wildlife

• Moraley is adjusting to his life as a laborer

• Fasicinated by landscape wildlife - rattlesnakes and flora

• Writes extensively about interactions with native americans - culture, customs and appearance as an outsider, their skills in enviroment

Chapter 6 Observations on African slavery and religous sects

• Moraley writes intensive detail about middle colonies

• Notes massive wealth gaps, brutal reality of enslaved African ppl working on plantations how it contrasts identured servititude

• comments and analyzes religous practices

• quakers - acknowledges charitable acts criticizes participation in economic system of servitiude

• swedish lutherans - tightly knit communal identity

Chapter 7 tales what its about + Transition out of indenture + Poverty changes people

• local gossip and folktales from new jersey and pennsylvania

• The Expiration of Servitude & Freedom - works at an ironwork transition out of indenture

• The Fluidity of Human Character - wanders through new york, new jersey and pennsylavania encounters fellow laborers notes how ppl change from genorisity to indifference after falling into poverty

Chapter 7 tales regional folklore and picture of bad luck

• Tales of Regional Folklore and Superstition: highlights the unique habits, superstitions, and social hierarchies of ordinary colonial folk: quakers, Natives, enslaved Africans

• The "Picture of Bad Luck": counters benjamin franklins idea of rags to riches - failing at odd jobs, getting a ring stolen during a drunken celebration, and consequently losing a fiancée who could have pulled him out of poverty

• believes bad luck can derail life

Chapter 9 the Valentian of faithful lover

• inserts a romantic novella “The faithful lover”

• Fictional narrative that mirrors his own experience with fidelity, betrayal, lost fortunes and faith.

Chapter 10 runaways witches and narrow escapes

• returns to his personal timeline

• Leaves new york wanders through New Jersey, Maryland

• Witnesses ducking of ‘witches’ runs into dangerous wildlife - snakes

• assists a stranded mother and her children

• is pursued by creditors is afraid of being thrown in debtors prison

Chapter 11 the return voyage and arrival in ireland

• Realizes American dream has failed him

• secures passage back across Atlantic by working aboard a ship

• Details return which takes him to dublin harbor through Ireland, Northern england.

• describes himself looking ragged

Chapter 12 Returning to Newcastle and the legacy of the ‘infortunate’

• Finally completes journey makes his way to his family’s home in newcastle

• Reunites with his mother stays with her until death

• sells what remains of family property satisfying his debts

• Concludes memoir by reflecting on badluck has a suprisingly resilliant optimism about his survival as a common man