Governor T1
ни
as Pollok
Serious dissension
ашопц
I lie Colonists,
fieree fighting with tlie Indians — these and
other problems made his administration a
most strenuous one during* the early his¬
tory of the state.
HE crest of James Pollok of
Balgre, a stricken wild boar
with the motto “strong and
stout." was conferred by his Maj¬
esty King James IV, in apprecia¬
tion of the service rendered by
Pollok in saving the King’s life
when he was attacked by a wild
boar in the forest.
Л
tale with
much the same colorful setting is
to be found in Scott’s "Quentin
Durward."
Thomas Pollok was born on his
father's estate “Balgre" in county
Renfrew in Scotland in 1664. He
came to Carolina as Deputy for
Lord Carteret, one of the Lords
Proprietors, to whom a vast colo¬
nial empire had been granted by
the royal King Charles II in 1663.
When Pollok emigrated to the
Albemarle he found conditions
most primitive; the settlers were
few in number, located along the
sounds or near the mouths of the
rivers. As there were no roads,
transportation was exclusively by
water, and such trade as there was,
was with New England. As there
was no stable paper currency, and
as specie was scarce, the trade was
largely in barter, the prices being
regulated by the Assembly. These
New England traders sold many
slaves to the early Colonists.
Helped Organize St. Paul’s
Pollok was an important man
from the beginning and he was
a staunch supporter of the Estab¬
lished Church. He was one of the
organizers of St. Paul’s Church at
what was then Queen Anne’s
Creek, later known as Edenton,
and when this church was organ¬
ized in 1701 Pollok was one of
its first vestrymen. The original
church building stood upon an
acre of land near “Hayes." the
Colonial seat of Governor Samuel
Johnston. When the stipend of
the first Rector was fixed at thirty
pounds, Pollok became responsible
for five pounds thereof, the only
other person becoming so responsi¬
ble being Edward Moseley, who
was also a Deputy for a Lord
Proprietor.
THE STATE. August 25. 1945
By R. C. LAWRENCE
Before Colonel Pollok went on
a visit to Scotland he had acquired
large bodies of land along the Cho¬
wan. the Roanoke and the Trent
rivers. ITis principal seat was
"Balgre," near Edenton. but he
had another seat. "Salmon Creek."
On his visit to Scotland he married
Martha West who bore him four
children. Late in life he married
Esther Wilkinson, but had no
issue.
His oldest son Thomas succeeded
his father as Deputy for two of the
Lords Proprietors, and he also
served as surveyor general of the
Colony, as historian John Lawson
had done. The younger Pollok
also became Chief Justice. Cullen,
another son of Thomas Sr., became
a Major in the British army, but
left no sons. Martha, a daughter
of the elder Thomas, married Rev.
Thomas Bray, missionary sent to
the Colony by the Bishop of Lon¬
don. and he established the first
public library in North Carolina.
In 1694 Thomas Harvey was
named Governor, and he appointed
Col. Pollok as a member of his
Council. For the next thirty years
Pollok was very active in Colonial
life, both military and civil. He
was for many years Major General
of militia.
Became Governor
When Edward Hyde, cousin of
Queen Anne, became Governor in
May 1712, the oath was adminis¬
tered to him by Thomas Pollok.
and the same day Pollok was him¬
self confirmed in office as Deputy
for John, Lord Carteret, who had
succeeded his father. Sir George,
as one of the Proprietors. On
September 9. 1712. Governor
Hyde died of yellow fever, and
Pollok became Governor by virtue
of his being President of the Coun¬
cil. He had previously refused the
governorship when it was tendered
to him by the Lords Proprietors.
He came to office at a parlous
time. The Colonists were them¬
selves torn with dissension as the
result of Cary’s Rebellion. There
was a strong Quaker faction that
would not bear arms and was
hostile to the Established church.
The march of the settlers south
to the Pamlico and the Neuse had
aroused the resentment of the
powerful Tusearora Indians. On
September 11, 1711, these Indians
without warning struck the white
settlers and within two hours
more than one hundred and thirty
had been scalped and butchered.
The reign of terror lasted for three
days. Those on the frontier who
could do so escaped to Bath and
other places of refuge. The only
thing that saved the infant Colony
was the fact that “Tom Blount,”
one of the powerful Tusearora
chiefs living on the Roanoke had
not joined in the uprising, and
therefore the Albemarle was
spared.
The Colony was too weak to
put down the savages and appeals
for help were made both to Vir¬
ginia and to South Carolina. No
aid was received from Virginia,
but South Carolina responded
nobly, and sent a considerable
force under Col. John Barnwell.
This force, united with such as
Carolina could furnish, attacked
the Tuscaroras and defeated them
in two severe engagements at the
Indian stronghold near New Bern.
In September, 1712. Governor Pol¬
lok made a treaty with Tom Blount
and applied to South Carolina for
further aid. Again South Carolina
responded and sent a force of
mixed whites and Indians. This
force, and the North Carolinians
captured the Indian stronghold
and slew 800 warriors. Completely
vanquished, the Tuscaroras gave
no further trouble, and the rem¬
nants of the once |x»werful tribe
went to New York Slate where
they became incorporated into the
Long House of the Six Nations.
Governor Pollok played an im¬
portant part in founding the colony
( Continued on page 18)
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