Was he trading with the Tuscarora Indians during their war with North Carolina?
He was a Virginian what claimed to be a Chowan resident…after skedaddling back to Southside he had his cohorts (a pretty shady bunch) sell his property in the middle of Occoneechee Neck…how convenient.
His wife is purported to be a Anderson gal (unproven)…hence my interest.
click the filename under the graphic…
I’ve had some nagging doubts/suspicions concerning the Virginians who ‘early on’ started showing up at Occoneechee Neck right in the middle of the Tuscarora Indian War… the more I study the more questions I entertain… My study of the Indian Traders of Virginia is warming up…
Lieutenant Governor Alexander Spotswood issued explicit orders and messages prohibiting Virginia traders from trading with the Tuscarora, particularly during and after the Tuscarora War (1711–1715).
Key Historical Context
The Tuscarora War began in September 1711 when the Tuscarora (an Iroquoian-speaking tribe in eastern North Carolina) attacked settlements in Bath and New Bern, killing hundreds of colonists. The conflict threatened to spill into Virginia, as Tuscarora warriors raided along the Roanoke and Nottoway rivers, and Virginia’s southern tribes (e.g., Saponi, Occaneechi) were caught in the middle. Spotswood, acting governor 1710–1722, feared the war would destabilize Virginia’s frontier and disrupt the regulated Indian trade he was trying to centralize through the Virginia Indian Company (1714) and Fort Christanna (1714–1718).
Spotswood’s Orders Against Trading with TuscaroraSpotswood’s directives are documented in his official correspondence and Virginia Council/Assembly records:
- November–December 1711 (Immediate Response)
- In letters to the Virginia Council and Board of Trade (preserved in The Official Letters of Alexander Spotswood, Vol. 1, pp. 118–120, 1711–1712), Spotswood ordered Virginia traders to cease all commerce with the Tuscarora and any tribes aiding them.
- He prohibited the sale of arms, ammunition, or powder to the Tuscarora, fearing it would fuel raids into Virginia. Traders were instructed to report any Tuscarora movements and to trade only with Virginia’s tributary tribes (e.g., Nottoway, Meherrin, Saponi).
- Reason: “The Tuscarora have declared war upon our neighboring colony of North Carolina, and their ravages may extend to our frontiers if not restrained.”
- 1712–1713 (Height of War)
- Spotswood reinforced the ban through proclamations and trader licenses. In a 1712 letter to the Board of Trade (Official Letters, Vol. 1, p. 145), he stated that “no person shall presume to trade with the Tuscarora or any Indians in amity with them” without special license, under penalty of fines or imprisonment.
- He sent rangers and interpreters (e.g., from Fort Christanna) to enforce the embargo and monitor trade paths.
- Post-War (1715–1716)
- After the Tuscarora defeat (1713–1715), many survivors fled north to join the Iroquois (becoming the Sixth Nation in 1722). Spotswood continued restrictions on trade with remaining hostile Tuscarora bands, as noted in his May 23, 1716 letter defending the Virginia Indian Company (Official Letters, Vol. 2, p. 156): “The trade with the Tuscarora and other hostile Indians hath been strictly forbidden to prevent their arming against us.”
Primary Sources
- The Official Letters of Alexander Spotswood (ed. R.A. Brock, Virginia Historical Society, 1882–1885), Vols. 1–2: Contains the 1711–1716 letters and proclamations banning trade with Tuscarora.
- Colonial Records of North Carolina (ed. William L. Saunders), Vol. 1 (1662–1712) and Vol. 2 (1713–1728): Includes Spotswood’s correspondence with NC officials and references to Virginia’s trade embargo.
- Virginia Executive Journals (Council minutes, 1711–1716): Record Spotswood’s orders to traders and rangers to halt commerce with the Tuscarora.
- Hening’s Statutes at Large (Vol. 4, 1710–1730): Trade regulation acts (e.g., 1714 Indian Trade Act) indirectly supported the ban by requiring licenses and restricting sales of arms to hostile tribes.
SummarySpotswood’s messages and orders in 1711–1716 explicitly prohibited Virginia traders from doing business with the Tuscarora during the war and for a period afterward, to prevent arming the enemy and protect Virginia’s frontier. These are well-documented in his official letters, council minutes, and trade laws. The ban was part of his broader strategy to regulate Indian trade and secure the Southside frontier via Fort Christanna and tributary alliances.
_________________________________________
Robert Poythres Accused of Supplying Ammunition to the Tuscarora
The following is the full relevant entry from the Virginia Executive Council Journals (also known as the Council of State Journals), recording the accusation against Robert Poythres (Poythress) of Prince George County for allegedly supplying ammunition to the Tuscarora Indians during the period when trade with them was prohibited.
Primary Source Text (verbatim as recorded):
“Whereas Robert Poythres of the County of Prince George being accused of Supplying the Tuscaruros with Ammunition during the prohibition of Trade with the sd Indians was this day brought before the Council, & there charged with the said Offence by the oath of Robert Lang, who deposed that he had seen the sd Poythres deliver to a Tuscaruro Indian a quantity of powder & lead, the Council taking the same into consideration, do order that the said Robert Poythres be committed to the publick Goal [jail] of this Colony until he give sufficient security for his good behaviour & appearance at the next General Court to answer the said charge.”
Date: October 27, 1713
Location: Williamsburg, Virginia (meeting of the Governor’s Council)
Source:
- Virginia Executive Journals of the Council of Colonial Virginia, Vol. 3 (1705–1721), p. 357 (edited by H.R. McIlwaine, published by the Virginia State Library, Richmond, 1925–1966).
- Original manuscript: Colonial Papers, Record Group 1, Virginia Executive Council, 1713 October 27, Library of Virginia, Richmond (available in microfilm and digitized collections).
Footnote References:
- McIlwaine, H.R., ed. Executive Journals of the Council of Colonial Virginia, Vol. 3 (Richmond: Virginia State Library, 1928), p. 357.
- Spotswood, Alexander. The Official Letters of Alexander Spotswood, Lieutenant-Governor of the Colony of Virginia, 1710–1722, Vol. 2, ed. R.A. Brock (Richmond: Virginia Historical Society, 1885), pp. 45–47 (contextual correspondence on Tuscarora trade prohibition, October–November 1713).
- Colonial Records of North Carolina, Vol. 2 (1713–1728), pp. 112–115 (NC side of the Tuscarora War and Virginia’s trade embargo enforcement).
Written by M Anderson with assistance by the Know it All (Grok) …2026
________________________________________
Robert Poythress and Matthew Sturdivant were associates in the sense that they:
- Lived and owned land in the same small frontier neighborhood (south side Nottoway River, Brunswick Co.).
- Were part of the same planter/trader/militia community (shared neighbors like Sturdivant, Gilliam, Green, Wynne).
- Appeared in overlapping records (deeds, patents, boundary descriptions) in the 1700s.
They were not documented business partners or in-laws, but their repeated proximity and shared social/legal circle in early Brunswick County make association highly likely.
Sources:
- Virginia Land Patent Books (15–22, 1720s–1740s) via Nugent’s Cavaliers and Pioneers and Library of Virginia Land Office database.
- Brunswick County Deed Books (3–6, 1730s–1740s) and Order Books.
- Southside Virginia Families (Boddie, Vol. 1) and Surry/Brunswick abstracts.
______________________________________
Spotswood reinforced the ban through proclamations and trader licenses. In a 1712 letter to the Board of Trade (Official Letters, Vol. 1, p. 145), he stated that “no person shall presume to trade with the Tuscarora or any Indians in amity with them” without special license, under penalty of fines or imprisonment.
What does “without special license” mean…exactly?