William Byrd’s Book, “Villainy Often Goes Unpunished,” page 11, provides us with this information:
CCR-192…
“The Honble. Landgrave Robert Daniell Esq
Govrnr of No. Carolina
The Humble Petition of Nicolas Dawe Sheweth
Whereas yr Honrs. Petitionr. Having Receaved Dammages to ye Value of five pound by Tom King of the Woccon Ind: Most Humbly Craves yr. Honrs. mature Consideration in Reference to my Losses, so hereby I may receave some Satisfaction As in Duty bound Shall pray”
There is no date on this item, but Robert Daniel was governor of North Carolina from 1703 to 1705.
Referring to the 1606 Hondius-Mercator map, Woccon is Ocracoke Island. On Hatteras Island, at Indian Town, the second circle on Hatteras Island, above, we find Tom King’s Creek mentioned in several deeds, the first in 1716.
Patent Book 8, pat 2692, p 113 John O’neall Oct 9 1716 440 ac at Cape Hatterass joining ye mouth and side of Tom King Creek, the sound, and ye woods. Wit Charles Eden, N. Chevin, C. Gale, Fra. Foster, T. Knight
In 1756, the Hatteras Indians were involved with a court action regarding their land, where it became evident that while they had always lived there, they didn’t have a patent or land grant, and the Europeans were not recognizing their ownership. They remedied that by requesting a land grant, which was given in 1759 and bordered King’s Creek.
Colony of NC 1735-1764 Abstracts of Land Patents, Volume One – B by Margaret M. Hofmann
Page 382, pat 5398, page 268, book 15, William Elks and the rest of the Hatteras Indians March 6 1759, 200 ac in Currituck including the old Indian Town, joining the sound side, the mouth of King’s Creek and Joseph Mashue.
While we never hear of Tom King again in the records, we do find his namesake creek, right in the middle of Indian town on Hatteras Island not long after, and on the land that would eventually be recognized as the Hatteras Indian village.
Tom King appears to be a Hatteras Indian identified by a European name. King is not, however, a surname we find on Hatteras Island. Did Tom King have descendants, and if so, what happened to them?
I have been researching some King Indians from close to the same area. This note came from the Chowanoke Descendants Community’s founder:
“Jno King an Indian” complained to the governor’s council in 1695 that his people were “denyed their liberty of Hunting to which they pretent title by former agreement.” The Council ruled in his favor, saying “the Indians have liberty to hunt on all wasteland that is not taken up…” Michelle LeMaster, “In the Scolding Houses’” Indians and the Law in Eastern North Carolina, 1684-1760,” in The North Carolina Historical Review LXXXIII, no. 2, April 2006 Tribal affiliation not listed for King, but was apparently a leader of one of the tributary Algonquian nations of the Albemarle region, including Chowanoke, Yeopim, Hatteras, etc. Lars
I have oral tradition of being Native through my King line but still uncertain of the tribe.
Thomas Robbins
Thank you for sharing. I did not have this item.