The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-01-20
QUEEN ANNE OF PAMUNKEY
TIE END or HER LONG AND EVENT
FIJI REIGN IN VIRGINIA.
How Her People Paid Tribute-Cor,plainis
Against the Colonists-Ihe Tribe SUI
Loyal to the State.

ouean Anne. Of the Pamunkey, began
her reign In le6 while Edward Digs
was Governor OF Virginia, and Oliver
Cromwell was Lord Protector of Great
Britain Twenty years after this tiiie
she was in consultation Win the hnhS
agents rpOn matters important 10 the
welfare OF the colony -, Nearly thirty
Years later, I'm 100, ner hlustrious name
saKe being on the throne OF England
and EdGard Mott Governor or virginia,
She again appears IN the exercise or her
TcvaI lar negative, ard together with her
great men of Pamunhey IOWH, re-
rowing a petition that certain lands she
had sold 10y permission should at Once
takes. patents TO the purchasers be made
out. 'This document received her oWi
signature ana seal and those OF her
great men, Mr. John; Nj Peck NJ
Myunk.." The Pamunkeys at TINS time
enjoyed the privileges OF vast hunting
grounds: also special grants OF lands in
their own right. me former extended
west ward far beyond the limits OF the
latter. even beyond the bounds OF the
swamps of the Chiekahoininy. one OF
the conditions under Whieh she heiid TINS TINS
annual tribute TO the Governor and
commander-in-chief OF virginia. Inc
payments were to be IN Iurs ana ali
other skins OF Wiid animals some o,
which. especially the beaver were very
valuable at that time, PeltinS Of an
Kinds commanded good prices. and for
more than seventy years after the set
had furnished the chief circulating me-
dunn in general tratiic. II was hcces-
sary in order for her people 10 collect
these skins by hunting, tnat tne country
over which her PRIVILEGES cAIehuei s'i hon,,
be protected. The whites nad bteh
slowly cncroaching upon her territories,
they had in many instances Pesunl,h5
upon her weakness. annoy el ana 1ilNtu
off her DEPENDENTS, until the evil was
seriously threatening the integrity OF
her little kingdom. Her petition SETS
forth her case in strong terms. she
and her great men insist that tneli
nation will not long be able To pay the
| amounts of beaver elk, bear and other
furs required, unless by the interpOsition
| of the GovcrnOrment the whites, VINO
wee then invading her hunting grounds,
we e driven OF. Unless this was done
the colony would not only lose its tribute,
but her Young men would be forced 10
| abandon the country ana leave the oll
| and inArm 10 die from want ana stafNa-
| ton.
This lengthy and touching appeal is
| duly signed as follows:
| Queen Pamunkey, Anne. Air. Tounks.
| Mr.. John, Mr. To-white, Tho. Beck, Fra
| Maoco, Sham Muarin. Henry Marshall
| James CoWan, ThOs. Rogers, 49, Charles,
| Thos. Secawesha, and John Hicks, being
a fun retlnue OF her great men. heiei
| was accordingly afforded the Queen and
| her people for a time.
Eight years after this, Alexander Spots
wood being Governor, she again feels
| obliged to make a special appeal FOR re-
| lief, and in this case her petition IS
| expressed in such quaint and urgent
| terms that the document IS taken almost
| literally from the original:
| ITO the Honble Alexander SpotsWood
| his MaJts Lieutenant-Governor OF VIZ
| GINA. &c Anne, Queen Of Pamunkey
| In Dehalfe of herselfe and her nation o.
| Pamunkey Indians, Humbly Shewth"
| Ihuf ttrl. af no n
| ment, wee sold unto Mr.. Robert Napier,
| nifty acres Of land who transferred the
| same unto Mr.. Pettiffer. he unto Mr..
| Hugh owen, who pr the pretence of that,
| aid obtain a patient for three hundred
| and ten acres Gas they sayD. and wee
| likewise did sell and assent that pat
| tent might issue unto Phillip sutherland
| and George Sutherland, for three hundred
| acres. both which are within the bounds
| of our Indian town, now, so It may please
| yor Homer that when they obtained a
! patient Tor surveyed the same in order
| for pattenD, wee had no notice Of the
| surveyor laying Of IL out, and since when
| other people possession their bound cas-
| we are Informed Is customary once In
| four years., yer Petition rs never had
| no notice or the same or ever was Wafn-
| ed TO any pOsSeSsiOnina- they as
| well as several others taking the adj
vantage of our ignorance, doe every year
| build and occupy our land, which is be-
| yond their bounds which wee sold them,
| or that they have patients for, as wee
| conceive-rherefore. wee humbly pray
| that 20 Honor would not grant any pat
tents for any more land that's adjoining
| our Town tas we are i'm formed Petitions
| for some are now before YOU. and that
| you would protect i'm our Rights, having
no one els to apply our sells unto for
| justice, and wee being a SMALL poor
| nation are willing If II suiets with yo'r
| Honor. Leave and Permission to Lett
| them the land for yearly rent and not
| otherwise. wee wholly leave owry sells
IN m fofln md a..
| which was always found to be Hon'ble
| and just, and wee as in Duty bound
shall fu ever, pray fer yo' Health and
So far as we know this was the last
| appearance of the Queen Of the Pamun-
keys in public Her power was fast
| declining, and the possessions of her peo-
| pie wasting before the advance of the
| white man. 1t is impossible TO say how
| long she ruled and who was her success
sor We have told how she succeeded
TotoPotomoi her husband, in 1856. and
| we ma her in power as late as 11i5
| lnasmuch as we find no other Indian
ruler OF her name in the annals OF Vir-
| ginia history, il is fair to conclude that
| the reign OF this noted person exceeded
in duration that OF any other sovereign
in the Empire. of which her little kingdom
was but an insignificant part. Her pub
lie career, beginning during the PrOtec-
torate. continued through the reigns OF
four other British monarchs, and now
survived TO witness the accession OF a
new dynasty in the person OF the First
George of Hanover.
The history of the Pamunkeys does not
end here II is well known hat a rem
nant of this ancient tribe is yet TO he
found In King William county Va, occu-
| pytng about eight hundred acres of land
near where the York River railway
crosses the Pamunkey river. Including
men, women and children, they number
about eighty PERSONS. None Of these are
of pure Indian blood. their progentors
for many generations having intermar-
ried with whites, mulattoes and blacks
| Notwithstanding this, the distinctive
physiognomy of the original race strongly
prevails among them. The observer can
| not fail TO recognize he now peaceful
peasants and fishermen Of Pamunkey
town to be real descendants Of the tawny
| warriors of 1861 Their form of govern
ment has, from time to time, undergone
changes coincident with that OF tht
colony. and State with which they haNt
beer so long associated. The land upor
which they now live Is, and has beer
| ever since the war for American indepen
dence, held in trust by the State for thei
benefit. At one time the trustees were
| twelve in number, and We're appointed
by the Colonial Governor, and subSe
| Quently by the Governor of the State
OF late years the number has been re
duced to four, who are appointed by tn
| county court. The tribe itself is still pre-
| sided over by chief and his head men.
who are chosen by the votes OF the adul
| males of their own people.
Although subject TO the penal and civi
Code OF the State, the Inhabitants o
Pamunkey town pay no taxes either I
| Virginia or TO the United States Govern
| ment, excepting only when engaging II
| any occupation for which license
required They support their own school
and provide their own instructors The.
Ill. ala nj hi a