Peninsula In Passage

Survivors from the Lost Colony may have made their way north from the Outer Banks of Carolina in search of those friendly tribes White visited in 1585. Traveling south or west was not an option because of the Spanish and hostile tribes. Did these refugees interact with the Chesapeake or

Nansemond tribes? Rumors and sightings of English survivors interspersed early colonial lore. Fred Bright, Nansemond descendent and tribal member shared his thoughts - It makes the most sense. Going south to Georgia or whatever would have meant going through hostile Indian territory, through heavily forested areas with no trails. If you look at the coastline of Virginia and North Carolina and realize that they (the lost colonists) had things, they had boats; it would be no problem to follow the coast along to the Chesapeake Indians. The Chesapeakes had been dealing with the Spanish for years and they were friendly. Of course Powhatan sent old Opecancanough to wipe out the Chesapeakes and anyone with them would have been wiped out too. No one really knows. This is all speculation. Nansemonds were involved when they went after the Chesapeakes but there’s no way to know if captives were taken. But in my mind it’s the only thing that makes sense. Beware of People from the Sunrise

Fred Bright

In the early 17th century the powerful chieftain Powhatan dominated the native tribes including the Nansemonds. When tribal medicine men predicted that “strangers from the sunrise” would threaten their lands, Powhatan responded by waging war and exterminating the Chesapeake tribe on the Elizabeth River and the Accomacs on the Eastern Shore. Shortly afterward the English arrived on the Chesapeake Bay. Could they have been the predicted threat from the east?

John H. Sheally II

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