The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1908-07-06


home was in the centre OF the /
Croatan settlement, where he
mad the best opportunities of in
berviewing leading me@ of the
tribe. The first step was to find
the reason for the striking En-
glish names found among the
Croatans, and so these were com
pared with those on the roll OF
Whites lost colony. Out of the
120 persons in that colony 50
family names were represented
and of these White, Bailey, Dare,
Cooper, Stevens, Sampson, Har-
vie, Howe, Johnson, Willes, !
Brown, Smith, Harris, Little,
Taylor, Jones, Brooks, Coleman,
Gramme or Graham, Bennett,
Lucas, Wilkinson, Wears, Berry,
Butler, Wright, Allen, Chapman,
Lasie, Cheven, Paiue, Scott, Lit
tie, Martin, Patterson, Bridger,
Wood, Powell, Pierce, Chairman,
Payne and Sampson are found
among the Croatans of
this time. The name Darr, Durr
and Dorr is variously used by
these people and is really Dare.
Their pronunciation is broad and
they use great numbers of old
English words. Families bearing
the names Dorr or Durr are to be
found in the western part OF
North Carolina and these are
claimed by the Croatans, who as
sert that the Dares, COOpers,
Harvies and a few others retain
the purity of blood and were gen.
orally the pioneers of immigra-
ton.
They have a tradition of their
leader or chief who went to Eng
land but have not preserved his
name, speaking Of him as Mayno
or MaynOr, but a woman of great
age spoke of their head man
as Wonoake, which may be a
corruption of Roanoke.
The name MaynO is quite COM
mon among them and represents
in their tongue quiet and law
abiding people.
In the eastern part of this
State, not far from Roanoke Is
land, the land is very peaty, and
the soil has to be guarded against
, fires, which occasionally destroys
vast tracts, eating deep into the
, ground, and forming basins, the
largest of which, with it's bottom
entirely composed Of charcoal, is
known as Lake Mattamuskeet
which in the Indian tongue means
burnt lake. There was a tribe Of
Indians of the same name as
this lake. The great difficulty has
} been to ascertain the date Wher
: the Croatans left the coast coun
try for the interior, but it seem:
certain that they have lived II
Robson county over 220 years
The traditions universal among
: them show they were seated
= there long before the great wa
with the Tuscaroras began il
I'LL. 1t seems that in thei
2 friendship for the whites, SOM
, of the Croatans fought undo
j Colonel Barnwell, who was il
: command of the troops and friend
e ly Indians sent up from Soutl
: Carolina to aid the North Car
: DINA settlers in crushing tn
e Tuscaroras after the great mas
Il sacre by the latter. The trad
e ton goes further that the Croa
e tans in this war had taken a nun
d Der of Mattamuskeet Indian
e prisoners and took the latte
8 back with them to Robson a
e slaves, the defendants of thes
J. Mattamuskeets yet living ther
j. and claiming this decent, som
= of them being able to locate tn
: region where their ancestor
If lived. 1t is to be noticed tn;
IS the Croatans always speak {
1t Virginia" as the place whel
er their people lived. They mea
"a the Virginia of Sir Walter Ra
r eigh's founding.
ed TARDY JUSTICE.
m The tardy justice which Mort
as Carolina gave to these stranl
E. and most interesting people can
10 to them in the spring of 1873
as and when the act of the Legi
OF lature recognizing them as Gro
Il tan Indians was publicly rea
m an aged Indian, a very intellige
y, man, remarked that he h;
Ia always heard his ancestors call,
IT, Hatteras Indians. There a
nd those who believe that the sc
On Element on the Lumber river w
1g made as early as 1850, for Fren,
u Huguenots, exiled from the
De homes, who found refuge
1g South Carolina, sent certain
ng their number as settlers to Nor
re Carolina in 1903 and these foul
IT, the Croatans with good farr
'rt and roads and evidently lol
wv settled there.
re The language spoken by t
lte Croatans is a very pure b
1t quaint old Anglo-Saxon a.
Est there are in daily use some
ge words which have come doy
an from the great days of Ralei
us and his mighty mistress, Que
ad Elizabeth. These old Sax
lite words arrest attention instant
ng For man they say Mon" pl
ne nounce father" 'fayther;" [
al, mension for measurement;
ed for ask; hosen for hose; love
lat for loving; wit for knowlede
ere housen for houses. Many of
ly; words in daily use by them ha
zen for many a long wear been {