Roanoke, Hatteras, Attamuskeet Indians Baptized 1763

Colonial and State Records of North Carolina

Letter from Alexander Stewart to Daniel Burton

Stewart, Alexander, 1725-1772

November 06, 1763

Volume 06, Pages 995-996


[From North Carolina Letter Book. S. P. G.]

Mr. Stewart to the Secretary

Glebe near Bath N. Carolina Nov 6 1763

Revd Sir:

As soon as my health would permit, I set out for the benefit of the sea air, to a part of Hyde County called Atamuskeet (this Place I formerly informed the society) is separated by an impassable morass from the other parts of that county and is only to be come at by water and upwards of 70 miles from Bath, while I was there I preached twice at the Chapel and baptized 64 white children one Adult white, 11 black adults and 11 do. infants, and at the other chapels in Hyde County 42 white infants and 5 black do. the remains of the Attamuskeet, Roanoke and Hatteras Indians, live mostly along that coast, mixed with the white inhabitants, many of these attended at the Places of Public Worship, while I was there & behaved with decency seemed desirous of instruction & offered themselves & their children to me for baptism. & after examining some of the adults I accordingly baptized, 6 adult Indians, 6 Boys, 4 Girls & 5 Infants & for their further instruction (at the expence of

——————– page 996 ——————–

a society called Dr. Bray’s associates, who have done me the Honor of making me Superintendant of their schools in this Province, have fixed a school mistress among them, to teach 4 Indian & 2 negro boys & 4 Indian girls to read & to work & have supplied them with Books for that purpose & hope that God will open the eyes of the whites everywhere that they may no longer keep the ignorant in distress but assist the charitable design of this Pious society & do their best endeavours to increase the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.—The baptisms in this Parish have been since I wrote last 63 white infants & 2 adult whites. 17 Black infants & 1 adult, number of communicants, inhabitants &c. as much as usual, so that the number baptized by me in all is 236.—I have nothing to add to the society but that I am now living in the 1st Glebe House ever finished in this Province, & tho’ I have much impaired my health, by fatigues & duty in so large a district, yet that I go thro’ with it cheerfully, as I hope for a more lasting inheritance for myself hereafter & if it please God to spare me, but a little to put every thing in order in this Parish that my successor may find a comfortable subsistance

I am Revd Sir your obdt & humble Servant

ALEX. STEWART.

http://docsouth.unc.edu/csr/index.html/document/csr06-0281

Hat tip to Sharron Brace for this document.

About Roberta Estes

Scientist, author, genetic genealogist. Documenting Native Heritage through contemporaneous records and DNA.
This entry was posted in Altamuskeet, Hatteras, Roanoke. Bookmark the permalink.

2 Responses to Roanoke, Hatteras, Attamuskeet Indians Baptized 1763

  1. Linda Dail says:

    any chance of finding the names of the baptized? 

    Linda Dail – Researching: Alexander,Allen,Berry,Bethea,Carraway,Commander,Dail,Deal,Dew,Dial,Exum,Finklea,Finckley,Fore,Forrest, Haselden,Hayes,Hunnings,Ives,Jackson,Jones,Lane,Mace,Mann,McCotter,Meekins,Murphrey,Phelps, Roberts,Rountree,Speight,Spivey,Smith,Sanders,Saunders,Tart,Tingle,Turnage,Williams

    • Not only have I looked for years, so did Baylus in different collections and correspondence. They are never named in any of his personal records. There was a report a few years ago by one researcher that his family names (by amazing coincidence) were the ones recorded in that record, but going back to the original source record shows no names at all. That is very common during that time period.

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