Background of the Cron tans
Mr. Lawrence bring* out some now detail*
in connection with ono of (lie best-known
stories dealing with flic early settlement
of North Carolina.
Hamilton McMillan of
Robeson County was a law¬
yer by profession, but the
quest of scholarship was his hobby,
and he devoted much time to a
Kinstaking effort to solve the prob-
n of Raleigh’s lost colony. He
was the only Carolinian who could
properly be called the father of a
race, for in the legislature of 1885
he sponsored the law which gave
to the people then known as Croa-
tan Indians, a separate racial
status and their own separate sys¬
tem of public schools — a privilege
they still enjoy.
Raleigh made several efforts to
settle a permanent colony on Roa¬
noke Island. One of these expedi¬
tions, under the governorship of
John White, landed in 1587. On
August 13 of that year the sav¬
age chief Manteo was christened
and called Lord of Roanoke, and on
the 18th of the same month there
was born to Eleanor, daughter of
Governor White, a child named
Virginia Dare — of whom we have
heard so much in the splendid
pageant of Paul Green.
Invited by Indians
Governor White soon sailed for
England to accumulate fresh sup¬
plies, but before his departure the
colonists had been invited by the
Crootan Indians to visit them, and
had tentatively accepted an invita¬
tion to remove fifty miles into the
mainland. When White left it was
understood that if the colonists
went to Croatan they would carve
that word on some large tree; and
that if they were in any distress at
the time of leaving, the Christian
cross should be carved above the
word.
Three years later when Gov¬
ernor White returned, he found the
island a scene of desolation, and
not a trace of the colonists save the
word CROATAN carved on a tree.
without any cross or sign of dis¬
tress. From this he inferred that
the colonists were safe at Croatan,
when Manteo was born and where
the savages were friends of the
English. The pertinent question
arises, where was Croatan?
By
К.
C. LAURENCE
Croatan was one of the long
islands, or banks, between the
ocean and Pamlico Sound, and was
within the present county of Car¬
teret. It is so called and located on
maps dating back to 1666, and a
sound of that name is still so called.
But the colonists were not only to
go to Croatan, but fifty miles into
the mainland. This would locate
them between Pamlico and Neuse
rivers, and there in 1660 Rev. Mor¬
gan Jones found among the Tus-
caroras a tribe known as ‘‘Doegs.’’
light of complexion and who could
understand the Welsh speech —
proving beyond a peradventure
some earlier association with the
whites. Then in 1714. Lawson,
early historian, relates that he was
told by the Hatteras Indians that
some of their ancestors could talk
in a book, and they had grey eyes,
a feature possessed by no other
tribe.
In Robeson County
French emigrants as early as
1690 settled between the Pamlico
and Neuse, and here the first set¬
tlers found a native race to whom
they gave the name "Melange”
meaning "mixed.” At the earliest
coming of the white settlers into
what is now Robeson County, there
was found along the waters of the
Lumber a tribe of Indians speaking
English, owning slaves, and prac¬
ticing many of the arts of civiliza¬
tion, who colled themselves "Mal-
ungeans.” I doubt not these were
descendants of the mixed race
above referred to, who had moved
from Neuse and Pamlico to other
hunting grounds in the valley of
the Lumber.
These ancient people scattered
over Robeson and adjacent terri¬
tory, and here may be found their
great trails and highways, such as
the Lowrie road, near which were
found numerous large burial
mounds, skulls which are all of
Caucasian type, with cranial de¬
velopment far in excess of that of
the savages. Confirmatory evidence
is found in the names prevalent
among these people and which are
also found on the roster of Ra¬
leigh's colony, such as Sampson,
Brooks, Chavis, Lucas, etc. And
they use many old English words,
dating back to the days of Chaucer,
such as "hit” for it, "hwing" for
wing, "aks” for ask, "hosen" for
hose, "housen” for house, "lovend"
for loving, "mension” for measure¬
ment, "mon" for man. And at the
first coming of the whites they
found numerous Indians with blue
eyes and auburn hair. They also
possess many of the characteristics
( Continued on page 23)
THE STATE. OCTOBER 20 1945
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