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By Will Johnson
The nights were softer back then. Our music was the gentle sound of the wind rustling through the leaves of the sea grape trees below my grandmother's house.
From that location, next to the church on Hells Gate, you could see St.Maarten and all the islands around. At night there was hardly a light to be seen on any of the islands except on St.Kitts at Sandy Point.
I can still smell my grandfather's supper. He loved roasted sweet potatoes and smoked herring done on the old coal pot. That was also the last meal he requested the day before he died.
My grandmother used to take a puff or two on an old corn cob pipe, while telling me stories of our ancestors.
This was just after the second world war.
It was a great treat for me to spend a weekend at the home of my grandparents. They were the parents of my mother Alma Simmons.
I am the son of Alma Simmons, the daughter of James Horton Simmons,the son of Alice Eliza Horton and Charles Simmons, the daughter of James Horton III of St.Eustatius and Catherine Elizabeth Hassell, the son of James Horton II and Peter Ann "Tanner" Simmons,
the son of James Horton I and ALice Eliza Hamilton, the son of Mark Horton and Martha Adriaansen, the daughter of Jacob Adriaansen the son of Isaac Adriaansen the son of Peter Adriaansen, the son of Abraham Adriaansen from Vlissingen who landed on St.Eustatius on April 25th, l636 and claimed it for the Dutch. I own the property on St. Eustatius close to where he landed.
My grandfather's brother Peter George "Unc" Simmons born l858 used to tell the family that Alice Eliza his mother had been named after her great grandmother who was a close relative of Alexander Hamilton. I have not been able to prove that (yet) but I reserve bragging rights as long as the research continues.
I am related through the blood to the Johnson, Hassell, Beale, Horton, Hill, Vanterpool, Vlaun, Kelly, Correa, "Coonks", Pierce, Molinieux, Adriaansen and Hamilton families.
Back in those quiet days and gentle nights I would be regaled with stories handed down through the generations to my grandmother and on to me. And so I am now the memory priest of the family.
It was at this spot when my mother was six weeks old in September l909 that a bolt of lightning came crashing down from the skies. It killed her sister Loura (l2 years old), destroyed the old house, nearly killed Alice Eliza Horton, badly burned my mother's cousin Violet and scared Uncle Reuben Simmons into a statue. Alice Eliza was a "rank" Anglican and refused prayers from the Roman Catholic priest, Father Mulder ,stating that no one should come close to her till her "Minister" arrived. She lived to tell the story for three more years. These are the stories I remember. These memories are the ones I drew on when I was homesick like a dog in the boystown on the then isolated and beautiful lagoon "Spaansche Water" on Curacao.
By now you will have already read that for the first time sine l97l I am not a candidate for the Island Council elections.
Although the URA party in l969 was established by Edsel "Papy" Jesurun on Curacao, it was more convenient for the Democrat party to link me to the FOL party in their campaign.
It did not help my cause when Stanley Brown came up during the elections to lend some support. Freddy Lejuez was my campaign manager on St.Maarten.
Carl Anslyn (DP candidate) issued a pamphlet against me on Saba in which he appealed to the population to get their firebuckets ready and to make all necessary preparations as "Will Johnson is on a mission which includes burning down your house."
It did not help either that all those years I was always dressed like Fidel.
I remember once causing an uproar on St.Maarten's airport when five friends of mine and I were going to St.Eustatius. Chester Wathey was at the airport. He was not amused and confronted me about my intentions. In later years I realized that there is fear in numbers.
One nut dressed like Fidel was bad enough, but six people travelling together dressed like communist gueriallas was downright menacing.
After doing so well in the l969 elections on Statia I used to go there as often as I could. I have wonderful memories of those trips. My bedroom was the room in the old guesthouse which is now the Vincent A.Lopes Island Council Hall. I like to tease Clyde van Putten and them that I used to sleep in the room where they now debate.
I have climbed into the Quill at least l2 times, probably more than anyone from Saba ever did. When I am in Statia I am at peace among friends and I pay a ritual visit to the graves of Richard Horton born l731 and his mother-in-law Joanna Dinzey.
Richard was the brother of James Horton 1 and they were sons of Mark Horton and Martha Adriaansen. He (Richard) was the Church Warden for the Old English church. I have held in my hands the Record Book which he kept for the church. It is more than 250 years and in perfect condition. Safely located in the National Archives behind the Central Train Station in The Hague. When I visit The Hague I make a regular pilgrimage to the archives to do research.
In November l970 a group of us formed the WIPM party. In l97l we won on Saba and St.Eustatius and struck a mighty blow to the Democrats on St.Maarten where we first got two seats out of five, then one was taken away, but later returned when Sydney Lejuez crossed the floor and joined the WIPM party.
Since l97l I have been a candidate in every island election. On March lst 2007 for the first time in 36 years I am not running for office. I hope to now take on other challenges. To return to the memories of my youth and to share these memories with my many friends. I am proud that in all the elections in which I took part that in every polling station on all three Windward Islands that I got votes at each polling station.
Proud also that if given any length of years and if my peace is distrbed by any chickenleg and johnny cake politicians, that I will pull a Compton on them and return to the field of battle I am so accustomed to.
This is not a farewell to arms, just the sound of the bugle calling me to pick up my tent and move on to other challenges.
And so I say THANK YOU to the loyal friends and supporters on all the islands of my youth and my dreams.
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