Andersons of Colonial N. Carolina

Edwd Moseley

North Carolina ss.
Before me Edward Moseley Esqr one of the members of the Council and being Authorized to take the Depositions of Certain persons relateing to the boundarys of this Government, personally Came and appeared Richd Booth aged sixty three years or thereabouts who on his Oath on the Holy Evangelists taken saith that in or about the year 1661 this Deponent came into Virginia and served Major Merritt six years (who then lived about Twenty miles from the Weyanoake Indian Town the Weyanoks living very near a plantation that now belongs to Collo Harrison betwixt Blackwater River & Weyanoake River which Weyanoake River by reason of the Declension of the Weyanoake Indians and the Nottoway Indians removing nigher to it has since in this Deponents memory gained the name of Nottoway River by the Virginians) And this Deponent further saith that in the year 1667 he being employed by one William West to go in a Canoe with Certain goods &c to the Maherine Indian Towns one Jno Browne and a certain Weyanoake Indian called Tom Frusman being in the Canoe with him as they went down Blackwater River this Deponent then being a Stranger in those parts any other than by hearesay enquired what river that was they first mett with on
their Right Hand they answered it was Weyanoake and Opposite to the Rivers mouth was a field belonging to the Weyanoakes it being then about one of the Clock in the afternoon this Deponent enquired how far it was to Maherine River they answered they should gett there before sun down which they did accordingly whereby this Deponent Computed it was about thirteen miles by Water and this Deponent further saith that he never understood that the Weyanoake Indians ever lived to the Southward of that River
RICHd BOOTH.

Capt et Jurat Decimo die January Anno 1707 Coram me
Edward Mosely

Of course the Virginia hotshots in 1707 would consider that a bald-faced lie.  Well, the bit about the Nottoway River being called the Weyanoake River anyway…  That little tidbit was what the fuss was all about.  North Carolina insisted the boundary was the Nottoway River as it is today (they won the dispute).  Virginia insisted the bounday was some miles south.

The lies are what I find fascinating in this squabble.  Lies and Scoundrels… It is difficult for me to find the truth or the truth tellers.

So… Richard Booth came to the Kingsale Swamp area of IOW/Nansemond in 1661. In 1667 he was working for William West and canoed past the mouth of Nottoway River and headed down to trade with the Meherrin Indians.  But who was the “Major” Merritt that he says he “served” six years?

Keep in mind that the Virginia depositions were conducted by Philip Ludwell and Nathanial Harrison, Jr.  Below is the deposition of Benjamin Harrison (of Virginia).

DEPOSITION OF BENJAMIN HARRISON IN REGARD TO INDIAN AFFAIRS, 1707.

Benjamin Harrison, Esq., aged sixty-three years, or there- abouts, being sworn, saith:

That to the best of his remembrance in the year one thousand six hundred and sixty three in the month of September, the Waynoak Indians sent in to the Governor and informed him that their king was killed by the Pohick Indians, whereupon a party of men were imediately sent out, who brought in the Queen and severall other Waynoak Indians; and in a few days after, another party of men were sent out of which this deponent was one, the Queen and her Indians went back with them, and they found the rest of the Waynoak Indians by the side of a great Swamp to the Westward of Nottoway River sheltered with a peace of a puncheon fort; about five or six miles from their Town; which was then called Wariecoke, standing near the banke along the South side of Nottoway River, to which place the English and some Indians went to gather corne for theire Journey in, and then they went back to the beforementioned swamp, and brought all the Waynoak Indians (they could find) in amongst the English; where to the best of this deponents re- membrancethey stayed about two yeares; and then, the English being uneasy at the Indians hunting upon their lands, the Indians went out again, as this Deponent was informed (and verily believes) to the Southward of Meheren River but to what particular place he does not know, they continued out (as well as this Deponent remembers) about two yeares; and then the Tuscarora Indians and they having some difference, the Waynoaks came in to Meheren River where (as they said) the Tuscarora’ fell upon them; and then they sent again to the Governor, who sent another party of men out to them, of which this Deponent was one; they found the Indians in an old field called Unotee very near the banke of Mehern River on the North side of it, sheltered with an half moon made with puncheons, and they brought them in a second time amongst the English. In these Expeditions the Deponent Crossed Nottoway River four times, one night they Quartered very near it; and in all the Discourse that this Deponent had or heard about it, it was always called Nottoway River (and by no other name) both by the English and Indians, and whilst the Indians stayed amongst the English they had some Cabbins in the Deponents orchard, where he had severall Discourses with them, and he does verily believe that if ever Nottoway River had been called by any other name he should have heard something of it from them, but he never did. The second time the Waynoak Indians came in they stayed amongst the English about a yeare or more and then they settled upon the South side of the Black Water Swamp, at a place now called the old town, where they staved about seven or eight years, and then they removed about four miles down the Swamp on the same side, which was their last Settlement, very near the place where this Deponent now hath a Plantation; upon which Charles Merrit was overseer, who went thither about the year I69I or I692, and continued there about five years and then he removed to some land belonging to the Colledge, where as this Deponent was informed, he stole severall of his hoggs, and upon this being known, the sense of his guilt (as the Deponent verily believes) made the said Charles Merrit runaway into North Carolina, and since that time this Deponent hath been severall times told by the Nottaway and Meheren Indians that the said Merrit has desired them to speake to him (this Deponent) that he may have leave to come back again into Virginia, which he was desirous to do if he might he out of fear of being prosecuted for the said hoggstealing. This Deponent further saith that he hath been concerned in the Indian trade both with the English and Indians for about five and thirty years passt or more; and hath many times had Discourseabout MeherrinRiver, Nottoway River, and Blackwater, and he never heard them called by any other name than what they go by at this day. He believes he may have severall times have heard the name Waynoak River or Creek but never knew where it was, till of late the Inhabitants of North Carolinamaking encroachmentsupon the Queens land (as this Deponent apprehended). He made inquiry about it of the Nottaway, Meheren, and Nansemond (or Pochiack) Indians and they all said that after they left Mapacre they Waynoaks went to the Southward of Meheren River and setled in a fork between the two great swamps which are the head Branches of a small River that empties itself into Chowan, and that (they say) is Waynoak River, and that they neither knew or ever heard of any other Waynoak River but that.

And this Deponent furthersaith, that about five and twenty years ago, the Tuscaroro Indians fell upon the Waynoaks, at thelr last settlement upon Blackwater Swamp; and the Nottoway Indians were said to join with the Tuscaroras: Whereupon the Queen of the Waynoaks complained to the Deponent of the wrong the Nottoways did them, for that the Waynoaks had paid them a yearly acknowledgement for their liberty of living at Warueake (upon Nottoway River) as long as they lived there, and afterwardsthey paid them for the liberty of living upon the Blackwater, and of late, this Deponent enquiring (about it) of the Nottoways, they confirmed the truth of the Waynoaks hav- ing paid them an acknowledgement, till the Articles of Peace were made with the English; and then they looked upon them- selves to have no further right to any land than those articles do give them, so they did not receive the Acknowledgement any longer. And further this Deponent saith not.

BENJA: HARRISON.

Novemb I5, 1707. Sworn to before us,

N. Harrison,Jun’, Ffran: Mallory.

Colonial Letters, &c.,  The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography , Vol. 5, No. 1 (Jul., 1897), pp. 42-53

Mr. Benjamin Harrison, Esquire, seems to have a personal dislike of Charles Merritt. But then even if Charles Merritt was a hog stealer what in hell does that have to do with the name of the Nottoway River?  Nothing that I can see. It seems to me more like a calculated attempt to discredit any testimony of Merritt.   Ahh… the intrigue.

Let’s see what the hog stealer had to say: