Two Elizabeths Chapter Two

John Haddon, having bought the land in what was then West Jersey at the urging of Penn, was not as enthusiastic about the idea of resettling there as was his daughter. He had a successful business that provided well for the family, many friends at the Meeting and in the community as a whole,. Adventure seeking for its own sake is not a particularly Quaker value, but in any case he had probably reached the point in life where one tries to limit risks, rather than seek them out.
He sent two men to the new plantation to build suitable housing for his family anyway, in case he was given a sign that God's intentions were for him to go there. But that call didn't come for John Haddon. Time and again some business or health matter would prevent him from making even an investigative trip to see his new estate. Eventually he saw his own procrastination as the sign he'd been seeking. He gathered his family, and told them that he'd lost interest in going to America, and would consider giving the estate to a family member whose interest was keener than his. Elizabeth was heartbroken, of course. But not being the brooding sort, she considered her father's words, and the following evening summoned the family to the great family table. There she announced to them that she was, in fact, a family member with a keen interest, and that she proposed to go to West Jersey and establish herself there, as she believed that she had received the call her father had waited for.
Her family was as sceptical as any family at that time would have been about the ability of a girl of Elizabeth's age to settle in a new world and successfully operate a farm. But devout as they were, they did not take talk of calls from God lightly. When they gently expressed their doubts, Elizabeth responded that, in fact, young girls had led countries at various times and places in history, and that it could not be more difficult to run a farm than it is to run a country. Besides, she said, her call was to minister to the natives and to the people who were struggling, and she was certain that God would provide for a servant performing that work on his behalf.
Whether or not Elizabeth truly believed what she was saying, or was refusing to relinquish her life long dream, and in doing so was using the arguments that she knew would be most persuasive to her family, was a question that crossed the minds of the family. But these doubts were unspoken out of the great respect that Elizabeth held amongst them, and out of respect for her intentions. So rather than deny her, they asked her to meditate, in Quaker fashion, for a period of three months, to seek the light that would confirm to her that this was indeed the path chosen ,not by her, but for her.
It should be no surprise, just as it was no surprise to her family, that every day of the three months brought a stronger conviction in Elizabeth that she was intended to go to America. She became more affectionate to her family as the weeks went by, in a way that indicated to them that she knew that soon she would be missing their company. Her way was lit most clearly, but whether the source of the light was divine inspiration, her sense of adventure, her enormous curiosity, or a vague hope that perhaps she might encounter John Estaugh there, Elizabeth, in all likelihood, could not have determined herself.
The manner of this extraordinary family was to refrain from expressing doubts and fears that might inhibit their children from following the path chosen, so in spite of what must have been great trepidation about the safety and health of their beloved daughter, arrangements were made , when the three months were up, for Elizabeth to travel to the new plantation. She would be accompanied by Peter and Joseph, two workmen who were up to the task of helping Elizabeth establish the farm. Also accompanying her would be Hannah, the family housemaid, who had known Elizabeth for most of the girl's life, and who, in the isolated home to which they were headed, would become the dearest of friends. Into one of the great chests she packed, Elizabeth quietly slipped the ear of corn that had been a gift from John Estaugh.