The Adventures of Ann: Stories of Colonial Times

In Short

Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman presents four interconnected stories following Ann Ginnins, a stubborn five-year-old girl bound out to a childless Braintree blacksmith and his wife in 1753. As Ann grows into young womanhood under the eye of a strict mistress, her willful spirit sparks constant small rebellions, from driving home the wrong cows to fleeing toward Boston with her indenture papers in hand. Yet her deep capacity for devotion shines through as she rescues her foster sister from a blizzard, shelters a hunted fugitive, and eventually earns an honored place as an adopted daughter and wife. It endures as a vivid portrait of colonial domestic life.

The Story

The arc of Ann Ginnins’s life begins with a legal document. In 1753, a poor English mother binds her five-year-old daughter to Samuel Wales, a Braintree blacksmith, to serve his household until her early twenties. Expecting a quiet, blue-eyed child of ten, Mr. Wales is dismayed to find a curly-haired, dark-eyed girl who fills him with immediate apprehension. Brought home to Samuel’s strict wife, Polly, Ann is set to tedious domestic labor like winding quills, though she vastly prefers herding cattle, loitering through pastures, and hunting for sweet flag and checkerberries. Her mischievous streak quickly surfaces: when kept from a festive quilting party to retrieve the cows, she deliberately lets down the neighboring farm’s bars and drives home the wrong herd instead.

Ann cherishes a secret hope of escaping her servitude, knowing her legal indentures are locked in Mr. Wales’s tall wooden desk. When her master leaves the desk unlocked during a family crisis, Ann steals the papers and flees along the Boston road at night. Her flight is cut short by Captain Abraham French, a stern tithing-man, who catches the runaway and quietly returns her to her master's doorstep.

As time passes, Ann’s place shifts. When Deacon Thomas Wales dies, his widow moves into the southwest room of the family homestead, and Ann is sent to assist her. The living arrangement proves tense due to an feud over the household oven with a high-spirited aunt, Dorcas, but Ann wins the family's deep affection when Dorcas’s baby falls dangerously ill with croup during a midnight tempest; Ann braves the raging storm on foot to fetch the doctor, saving the child's life.

Following Samuel Wales’s death, Mrs. Polly chooses to adopt sixteen-year-old Ann as her legal daughter rather than retain her as a bound servant. Ann, overcome with remorse for her past rebellions, tearfully confesses her old theft of the indentures, cementing a genuine bond between them. Shortly after, Ann's childhood friend, Hannah French, disappears into the dangerous expanse of Bear Swamp. Ann tracks her down, retrieves a pet cow from a nearby pasture, and triumphantly leads the exhausted Hannah home on the cow's back.

Ann's bravery surfaces again one winter Sunday when she spots a thief attempting to steal "Red Robin," a prize bay horse belonging to young John Penniman. When the fleeing culprit later corners her in the moonlight, begging for mercy from a posse, Ann hides him inside her home's grain chest and feeds him hot Indian mush before extracting a solemn vow that he will never steal again. Her compassion pays off: years later, Ann marries John Penniman himself. Though the newlyweds briefly move to the wilderness of Vermont, they return to live with Mrs. Polly, fulfilling the old mistress's deepest wish.

How It Unfolds

Bound to service Five-year-old Ann Ginnins is separated from her mother in Boston and signed away into sixteen years of indenture under Samuel and Polly Wales.

Rebellion in the pasture Resenting her endless household chores, Ann retaliates during a domestic quilting party by driving the neighbor’s cows into her master’s barnyard instead of her own.

The midnight escape Learning that her indenture papers govern her freedom, Ann snatches the unlocked documents and runs away toward Boston, only to be caught and brought back by a stern tithing-man.

Braving the tempest Sent to help her master's aging mother, Ann risks her life walking through a howling winter storm to bring a doctor to her sick infant cousin.

A daughter accepted Following her master's death, Mrs. Polly offers to formally adopt sixteen-year-old Ann, prompting the girl to confess her past misdeeds and embrace her family.

Rescue on cowback When her closest friend vanishes into the treacherous Bear Swamp, Ann tracks her down and ingeniously hauls the exhausted girl home on the back of a friendly red cow.

The thief in the grain chest Ann catches a desperate horse-thief, chooses to hide him from an angry search party in the family grain bin, and extracts a promise of reform before letting him escape.

Riding home to Braintree Ann marries John Penniman, and after a short stint settling frontier land in Vermont, the pair return on horseback to spend their lives caring for Mrs. Polly.

The People

• Ann Ginnins (later Ann Wales) wants her personal liberty and the warmth of a real family, though her impulsive temper and hatred of tedious labor lead her into frequent mischief. Through her fierce courage during family emergencies and her deep loyalty to those she loves, she transforms from an untamed bound girl into a treasured daughter and wife.
• Mrs. Polly Wales wants an obedient, dutiful household and a well-trained apprentice who respects authority. Though initially sharp, dictatorial, and quick to punish Ann’s missteps, her hard edges are softened by grief and time, ultimately revealing a warm, fiercely protective motherly heart.
• Samuel Wales wants to fulfill his moral duty to his community while maintaining peace in his quiet home. He is a gentle, tender-hearted man whose reluctance to cause distress often tempers his wife's strictness.
• Grandma Wales wants a peaceful, orderly widowhood in her family homestead. She dotes on Ann, defending the girl from unfair burdens while ensuring she learns proper respect.
• Hannah French wants simple domestic comfort and safety. As Ann’s gentle, delicate childhood companion, her innocence inspires Ann’s protective instincts.
• John Penniman wants a life built on steady character, good land, and the affection of Ann. He is a handsome, forgiving young man who admires Ann’s fiery spirit.

In Its Own Voice

"He had expected to see a girl of ten; this one was hardly five, and she had anything but the demure and decorous air which his Puritan mind esteemed becoming and appropriate in a little maiden."

Samuel Wales reacts with immediate dread upon first meeting the dark-eyed child he has agreed to take into his household.

"'I'm going after the doctor for Thirsey,' said Ann, her black eyes flashing with determination."

Ann insists on braving a blinding blizzard at midnight when her young cousin falls dangerously ill with croup.

"'I am content that the man is safe,' said John Penniman. 'Prithee, why should I wish him evil, whilst I am riding along with thee, on Red Robin, Ann?'"

John smiles down at his new bride as she confesses to having saved the horse-thief who once tried to steal his prize mount.

What It's Really About

Beneath its charming vignette structure, the book explores the tension between strict Puritan social order and the irrepressible human spirit. In colonial Massachusetts, children—especially bound servants—are expected to be submissive, quiet, and tirelessly industrious. Ann’s dark eyes and curly hair visually signal her rebellion against a society that values plainness and conformity.

The narrative questions whether morality stems from rigid obedience to rules or from spontaneous empathy and courage. While Ann repeatedly breaks protocol—mislaying livestock, running away, and harboring a criminal—her actions are driven by passion, loyalty, and a strong inner compass. Ultimately, the story argues that affection and wild grace, rather than strict indentures and law, are what truly bind a community together.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate classic American fiction like Louisa May Alcott's work will find a charming, grounded gem in this collection. Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman writes with quiet humor, rich domestic detail, and a deep understanding of colonial New England life. The narrative avoids sentimentality, capturing both the bleakness of cold meeting-houses and the cozy warmth of a fire-room hearth.

The story moves at a gentle, episodic pace, rich with archaic spellings in legal documents and heavy regional dialect ("dretful perticklar," "simballs," "riz bread"). Modern readers must adjust to the casual acceptance of child labor and the strict class dynamics of the era, where young orphans were routinely bound out as property. Yet Ann herself feels surprisingly modern: quick-witted, fiercely independent, and stubborn to a fault. Her adventures offer a comforting, clear-eyed look at how love and belonging are forged through life's small, everyday trials.