THE STATE
June 8, 1935
GOVERNORS OF NORTH CAROLINA
- No. 16— THOMAS POLLOCK -
- By W. J. Sadler -
THE administration «f
Colonel Thom»* Pol.
lock
и*
the sixteenth
Governor of the Albemarle
ami the second Governor of
North Carolina,
«ал
fea-
lured by a decisive defeat
of Indian tribe" who li*d
been making life mberable
for the eolonitls. The sub¬
sequent immi|{ration of the
Tuscnrora*. the moat |">w-
erful group of red men to Xcw York
slate, resulted in a natation of hostil¬
ities among the remaining tribe*.
Colonel Polloek, described by hi.-
torinn* a* a man of “wealth, ability
and influence," "a* the ni«ce«*or to
Edward Hyde, who had been taken by
death during the yellow fever plague
which swept the colony in the latter
stage* of his tragic administration.
Had Prerioualy Refused
Pollock previously had refused the
Governorship, following a rebellion
organized by him nnd George Durant,
another influential settler. This took
place during the misrule of Seth
Sot he!, which resulted in Sothel’s im¬
prisonment and final expulsion from
the Albemarle. That gentleman’s
reign of petty tyrannies had lasted
for six long years. It finally was end¬
ed hv the concerted action of Pollock.
Durant and others who took the law
into their own hands and jailed the
man who was responsible for their
oppression.
Pollocks appointment ns Chief
Executive was not at the hands of
the Lord* Proprietor*, *afely en¬
sconced in their English baronial
halls, but came from the Council of
the Albemarle; a body of lawmakers
which corresponds to the General As.
semblies of the present day. In fact,
it was more than a year before the
T.ords Proprietors learned of the death
of Edward Hyde, w'hom Polloek suc¬
ceeded, nnd it was then that t Key-
named another of their favorites to
make the trip to the Xcw World and
take over the governmental reigns of
the Old North State.
SUBJUGATION of hostile Indian
trihevs and (Ik* restoration of relig¬
ious freedom were the principal ae-
eoniplisliments of Colonel Thomas
Polloek. sixteenth Governor of the
Albemarle and seeond Governor of
North Carolina. He was a man of
••wealth, ability and influence."
historians assert.
Historical account* of Pollock ’* as¬
sumption of the Governorship are
rather thrilling, and consist almost
entirely of narratives of hi* pug¬
nacious effort* to break the power of
the Indians ami assure peace for the
white settler* over whom he ruled.
An Indian named Tom Blount was
the ruler of the Tuscnrora*. and an¬
other named Handcock was chief of
the Cotcehneys, the two most power¬
ful tribe* which were waging war
against the white men. Blount agreed
to a false truce with Governor Pol¬
lock. swearing that he would capture
Handcock and deliver that trouble¬
maker to the Chief Executive.
Blount's failure to live up to the
terms of the truce had little adverse
effect upon the fortune* of the coin-
nist*, however. Pollock prudently
had requested Sir Edward Moseley.
Governor of South Carolina, to send
aid to his domain* to the north, and
several thousand white troops and
Indian* friendly to the settlers ar¬
rived before Blount and his cohorts
could cash in on their treachery.
A Decisive Defeat
The Indians, upon learning of the
arrival of reinforcements, barricaded
themselves within a walled enclosure
which they dubbed Fort Xolioroeo.
But the force of whites and friendly
Indians, under the command of
Colonel Jam?* Moore, decided that
the time was ripe to put the fear of
God into the heart* of their enemies.
Consequently, with a sizeable equip¬
ment of the heavy artillery of those
days, they attacked the fort, routing
it* defender* and inflicting 800 or
more casualties upon them.
In addition, more than 5<M1
prisoner* were taken, while
the loss of the attacker*
amounted to only -16
whites and 1*1 Indian*.
Colonel Moore’s victory
resulted in the Tnsearoras
losing the power they had
attained. The tribe finally
evacuated their holdings
in the Albemarle, moving
its surviving member* to New York
Mate where they became adherents
of a group of Indian* which later
were known
»*
the Six Nation*.
Subdued Other Tribes
Moore was not satisfied with hi*
achievements against the Tuscaroras
and the Cotechoey*. He very vigor¬
ously made war against other tribe*
which had been hostile to the white
men. harrawdng them until they re¬
tired in confusion nnd ceased to be a
menace to the colonists, for the time
bring, at least.
It was during the administration
of Governor Pollock that the city of
Beaufort was laid out. That was in
1713. almost Iwo and a quarter cen¬
turies ago, so Beaufort probably can
lay claim to being the oldest city in
North Carolina, with the exception of
Bath.
A Successful Rule
Governor Pollock also did much to
restore religious tolerance within the
colony, lie allowed the Quaker* and
other denominations to worship as
they chose, which several of hi* pred¬
ecessor* had failed to do. During
a number of previous administrations,
the Governor- had issued edicts de¬
claring that all of the inhabitants of
the Albemarle must worship accord¬
ing to the dictate* of the Church of
England. Those statutes had result¬
ed in much bitterness and dissension
iu the colony.
Apparently. Polloek*» administra¬
tion. while not overly brilliant, was
a success. He served until May. 1714.
when another Chief Executive was
appointed l>y the Lords Proprietor*,
and arrived in North Carolina to take
up his duties.
