The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-06-09

of Raieighss F~aiIures-The NAM
semond settlement Explorations
from virgtnta-Early Grants 10 Court
Favorftes Yardley,s Adventures.
Earliest Serllemepta.

Earliest Settlements.
Studies in Nortfa Carolina History
Raleigh abando1sd the search for the
lost colony the year before the great
queen died. His fortune had been spent
and debts had accumulated in conse-
quence OF II. Other troubles fell thick
and fast upon him about the same time
or soon afterwards. which eventually
brought him 10 prison and the grave.
It would be an error TO suppose that
h efforts OF this great man in behalf
Of North Carolina accomplished moth
ing. Although he failed to plant an
abiding colony, to him, nevertheless,
belongs the honor OF being the father
Of American colonization. He pointed
out the way to success, though he
could not walk therein himself When
his energy and zeal were expended
others too up the burden n carried
it to the dumping ground OF success.
One OF these helpers in the cause OF
colonization was Richard Hakluyt. the
man who preserved all the records OF
the attempted settlements on Roanoke
island and published them in a large
volume, thus giving the best account
Of those adventures and settlements.
He a learned from thu, failure
Of Raleigh that no one mar
could command resources and iniu-
ence enough to plant a permanent set
| Element on a hostile shore. He. there
fore, formed a company OF influential
and wealthy men, who bought Raj
| eigh's grant and secures the royal ia
vor in their project of colonizing the
| New World.
1t was this company that brought
| about the settlement at jamestown,
Virginia, in 1907. This colony, estab-
lished by Hakluyt and his associates,
led directly to the permanent occupan-
cy of North Carolina; for it was from
the Virginia adventures that the first
| permanent settlers came into the state.
| Directly north of Gates county, across
the Virginia line, is the county OF
| Nansemond. There, as early as 1909,
| according to Captain John Smiths ac-
count, a colony of n hundred persons
had been established. This colony prov
ed to be the cradle of North Carolina;
! for it was from this place that exp:or-
ing and colonizing parties ven out and
! founded homes for themselves in the
| rich Chowan country to the south. At
first, these settlements We're sporadic,
the settlers being influenced by the
natural attractiveness of the country
ond the desire to make for themselves
| homes surrounded by fertile lands.
|! Later, however, organized efforts were
made, and these are the ones that the
| records describe.
! None of the records accessible tell OF
| the date when these bold aiventurers
| planted themselves in Carolina; but as
it was only two years from jamestown
| to Nansemond, we can safely say that
| it was previous to 1920 that settlements
were made along the Chowa river.
There is record Of an exploration
| made by Secretary Porey, of the Vir-
| ginia colony. He went by land from
| Jameston to the lower part of the
| Chowan river in 1922, inspecting the
country as to it's suitableness for a set
Element, and returned giving a favora-
BILE report. Nothing is said in the re-
port as to settlements that had been
made already or that followed in
Porey's footsteps, but it is very proba-
BILE that his explorations encouraged
| settlements in that quarter.
Charles the First granted, in 1880, to
Sir Robert Heath, the attorney general
Of England at that time, "All h land
extending from the coast westward for
more than one thousand miles, and
lying between the thirty-first n thir-
ty-sixth parallel of latitude" This in
Guided the greater portion of North
Carolina, and was called Carolina.
Heath held on to this gift of his royal
master for some years and then trans
ferred his claim to Lord Maltravers,
who afterwards became a of Arun-
del.
Coke, in his history of Carolina, says
tina settlements were made under the
auspices Of Lord Maltravers, but he
forgot to give the date of such settle
ments or to mention what part of the
country was thus settled. Coxe'S tes-
| timony, however, is confirmed by the
proceedings of the governor and coun.
Gil of Virginia in 1859. In that year the
king addressed a letter to the Virginia
authorities, ordering them to assist
Lord MaltraverS in seating Carolina
The Virginia records, also, make men
ton Of the fact that William Hawley
anne over as governor of Carolina
which fact seems to indicate very con
clusively that there was a Carolina Il
govern before 1910.
In that same year leave was granted
by the legislature Of Virginia to 10'
persons, "freemen, being single, anC
disengaged Of debt" to %colonize some
portion of North Carolina. Thus the evt
idence seems to be good that settle.
ments were made under the HEATH
grant. These settlements, however
were no doubt scattered and few, as M
reliable record has been made OF them
Explorations continued from 1640 t
1854 from time to time without any ma
Cor1di result. Grants IOr settlement!
were made by the king in 1641 and 164.
to four individuals, their rights in tn
latter year being extended for fourteen
years. During that time the spirit o.
discovery and settlement became thor
oughly aroused, and many coloniZinl
parties were formed to settle in the Al
bemarle region.
In 1853 Roger Green, the clergyman
who ministered TO the Nansemond set
Element, obtained a grant Of 10, 900 acre
of land to the first 100 persons VIII
should settle themselves on the Roam
oke and the south side of the Chowal
and its branches. This enterprise prov
ed successful and in a very short tim
beautiful farms were opened up alon,
the banks Of those rivers.
Meanwhile more extended explora
lions were made into Carolina from diff
ferent quarters. Francis Yardley mad
a journey into the state in 1854, enter
ing by the way Of Roanoke island an
exploring a large tract Of territory 4
the eastern district. He made a repor
r ~ -