2 Chapter 1 Mysterious Beginnings

Chapter 1 Mysterious Beginnings The man who became Blackbeard might have been born in Bristol, on the southwest coast of England, around the year 1680. Only one record has been found to prove that. The man's real name is a mystery, too. It often appears as Edward Teach. However, it was also written as Thatch, Tache, Tack, or Thatche.

It does make sense that a man like Teach would have come from a place like Bristol. At that time, Bristol was one of the major ports in England. It is located on the River Avon, which leads to the Atlantic Ocean. Shipbuilders in Bristol were famous throughout England for the strength and

design of their boats. The busy docks were crowded with ships and sailors. A boy like Edward Teach would have found lots to see and do. In fact, many young boys found jobs on ships as cabin boys or servants.

Ships left from Bristol for trips to ports all around the world. All those departing ships meant that there was a great need for sailors. Thousands of men from Bristol had become sailors on merchant ships. Others joined the British Royal Navy.

By the 1600s, European countries—including Spain, England, and France—had claimed parts of the Americas and the Caribbean islands as colonies. The only way to reach those colonies

was by sailing, so sailors headed west in great numbers. The ships carried food, clothing, building materials, slaves, and colonists to the New World. They returned with sugar, rum, gold, tobacco, and spices. Edward Teach was said to have fought as a sailor in Queen Anne's War, which lasted from