Truckin' on the Western Branch

The Nansemond Indian Tribe Fred Bright , a Churchland resident, is the historian of the Nansemond Indian Tribal Association that now numbers just over 300 members. He has done extensive research on the tribe and shared this: The Nansemond Indian Tribe evolved from Isle of Wight County, Virginia, down into Gates County, North Carolina. Earliest records of the Nansemonds dealing with the English occur along the Nansemond River. Helen Rountree, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at Old Dominion University, documented the movements of the early Nansemonds in numerous publications. Not much, however, has been written about the modern Nansemonds.

Early records show that some of the Nansemonds began to immigrate into the Norfolk County area known as Deep Creek.

Remember, most early roads were the result of expanded small Indian trails that grew larger with use by horses and wagons. A 1699 map shows two main roads in the local area, namely “The Road,” and “The Main Road.” The Main Road ran from Craney Island down what is now Jolliff Road, named after John Jolliff who owned a large tract of land there in 1682. The Road ran from the Nansemond River following what is now Route 460, moving along “Military Highway” (so named during the war because the government needed a major

highway for moving military traffic to and from the bases in Norfolk and Little Creek). The Road veered off from the current Military Highway and into Deep Creek along Old Galberry Road. The Road became known during the early migration as “The Galberry” and is cited several times in wills and deeds associated with the Nansemond Indians and land purchases at that time.

Fred Bright. Images by Sheally

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