Adventurers to the American Continent risked their lives upon the stormy seas, thence across a western frontier of buffalo paths and Indian villages, followed by six years of the devastating war of the American Revolution, and finally, in a Naval War of 1812 that included the removal of Indians further westward to make room for new settlers. The daring western journey ended in the Carolinas, Kentucky, and Virginia.
The first man to “patent” land in what is now Pitt County was Lewis Duvall. It was at or very near the present Boyd’s Ferry and he named it “Mount Calvert and Mount Pleasant.” That was in 1714. That year and the next he patented 1,648 acres, in three tracts. Duvall died, and some years later his daughter sold the land to Edward Salter, who had settled at “Tuscarora,” the farm owned by Mrs. F. C. Saunders.
The Tuscarora war ended in 1715. The Tuscarora chief, King Tom Blount or Blunt (1675-1731) who had allied with the British Carolina Colonies, later went to New York to join the Iroquois. Upon the outbreak of the Indians in South Carolina, King Blount fearing that his Indians might suffer, asked for a settlement on the Roanoke River and were given 53,000 acres of land in Bertie County, to which they soon moved and resided for many years. King Tom Blount was succeeded by his son, James. Later, they removed to New York, but still held their lands in Bertie and long received rents for them.
Settlements continued to grow along the river. Capt. John Spier settled at Red Banks, and it is said there was a warehouse there as early as 1725 for the inspection of tobacco.
George Moye settled below Pactolus, and complained that an Indian, belonging to King Blount’s town, had fired into his house and wounded two of his children. The Council found that as the Indian was drunk and had no malice, and that as the children were likely to do well, he should be fined twelve buckskins and twelve doe skins, to be paid to Robert West, collector, for George Moye. This event occurred in May, and the skins were to be paid in August. Then the Indian was to be given back his gun. Moye complained at the October sitting of the Council that the fine had not been paid, and the Indian was ordered to appear before the Council. Were the white living amongst the Indians? Yes, indeed!
In 1727, Robert Williams purchased from the Earl of Granville all the lands located on the south side of Tar River, between Otter’s and Tyson’s Creeks, extending several miles inland. Settlements had become many higher up the country, and in 1730 the people between the Roanoke River and Contentnea Creek of the Neuse River (in Pitt County), petitioned to form the precinct of Edgecombe. Edward Salter was one of the Commissioners of Peace for Beaufort Precinct in 1731 and in 1734.
Tar was an important article of export, and North Carolina produced more than all the other colonies. Pitt County, a forest of the long leaf pines, furnished a large share of this product. In 1735, the inhabitants of Tar River numbered twenty families, and it is said that 1,000 hogsheads of tobacco were raised.
The early settlers took up the richest and nearest lands on the rivers and navigable streams. Laws were passed to prevent one man from taking too much land on the rivers, to the exclusion of others. So he was allowed only 640 acres in one tract, and not another in two miles of this, unless by special warrant. Families lived mostly on the streams and every family had a for transporting produce. To prevent non-residents entering land for speculation, it was required that one should reside in the province two years before he could sell his lands and rights. For entering lands, a quit rent of one shilling for every fifty acres was required, and three years were allowed for building a habitable house, clearing, fencing and planting at least one acre.
Educational advantages were very poor. The rich were educated in England or at Williamsburg, Virginia, or Charleston, South Carolina ; some were taught at home. The daughters were generally taught by their mothers or placed with those who undertook to educate them. The poorer classes had so few advantages that few learned much as there were no common schools. Servants were sometimes taught to read and write by their mistresses. The rich got their clothes mostly from England, or other colonies, and dressed well.
England discouraged manufacturing in the colonies, and the hand-loom was the only means of making cloth.
At first no one but a minister of the Church of England was allowed to perform the marriage ceremony, but owing to the scarcity of those ministers laws were passed giving others that right also. There were laws against the marriage of Indians and whites, yet unions with friendly Indians were frequent. Since this type of marriage was outlawed, marriage certificates were not recorded at local court houses.
The era of which we speak was a struggle for new lands, and human survival among the rawest of conditions. The inclination of historians has been to demean the Indian tribes as being ignorant and incapable of learning. Yet, they communicated with white traders, and maintained villages. Many examples of writing skills have been passed down to us of the Mayans, Creeks, and Cherokee Indians.
If you were alone in the wilderness among a few white families, and Indian tribes, what would you do?
During these years the pirate Teach, or “Black Beard,” was known to frequently visit the Carolina waters. A sister, Susie White, lived near Boyd’s Ferry, on the Grimes farm, in Pitt County. Tradition says that Teach very often visited her. When he would return from a cruise and wanted to take a rest or vacation, he would visit his sister. Not far away, in the lowgrounds, stands a cypress, once famed as the lookout of Teach. It was known as “Table Top,” being much taller than any of the surrounding trees and had a large flat top, very thick. Into its body were driven spikes, or were cut notches, so that it was not difficult to climb. From its top could be had a splendid view of the river to, and below Washington. There Teach resorted to see if the river was clear of a hostile boat, or to watch them, and then act according as circumstances demanded. A storm ultimately broke off the top of the cypress tree, but the body was left standing.
Many and wonderful are the tales told of Teach’s buried treasure in Pitt County, North Ccarolina. Many attempts were made to find it on the lands on both sides of the river wgere many a holes were dug. But there is no record of the treasure being found. Interestingly, It also became known that the grave of Susie White was disturbed by unknown midnight treasure seekers.
Source: Sketches of Pitt County: A Brief History of the County 1704—1910, by Henry T. King.
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