He begins by explaining his health and unimaginable starvation. The letter innnediately captures the attention of the reader simple because many people cannot conceive of such barbaric times. I have never read something so terrible, and never will I understand the helplessness the family must have felt. Although quite tragic, the letter ties in nicely with Sheidley's lecture on seventeenth-century Virginia. Sheidley sets up the scenario beautifully by first describing a colony screaming of labor shortage.
Tobacco is introduced as a new cash crop and as a result, labor and land become exploitative.
In other words, land and labor began to bought, sold, and slavery is introduced. Families were separated, and masters could punish their servants. Masters were know to not feed, clothe, or shelter their servants. Also, masters could sell their servants to owners of land at any time and with no notice. It is very easy to understand why Frethome would write such a chilling letter to his family.