January 22, 2012 meeting of the Tyrrell County Genealogical and Historical Society

Anne Poole and Roberta Estes

Jennifer Sheppard, a Professional Genealogist with the Lost Colony Research Group, Genealogy~DNA~ Archaeology will be the guest speaker at the January 22, 2012 meeting of the Tyrrell County Genealogical and Historical Society. Ms Sheppard will talk about the Lost Colony Research Group's ongoing search for descendants of the so called "Lost Colony". She will share information about the group's research, DNA testing and the archaeology digs taking place on Hatteras Island. A DVD of the April 2010 dig in Buxton will also be shown. In addition she will have conch shells (found in one of the middens) on display at the meeting.

The DVD includes interviews with Roberta Estes, Administrator for the Lost Colony Research Group showing the types of artifacts found during that particular dig. Also included is a spot with Anne Poole, Principal Researcher for the Group, explaining native middens, their content; and information on how the Indians would have used these items in their daily lives.

The TCGHS meets at 2:30 pm on the 4th Sunday of every month except November and December, at the Senior Citizen's Center in Columbia, NC. The physical address of the center is 406 Bridge Street, Columbia, NC 27925. All are welcome to attend.

Directions:
Take Route 64 to Columbia. At the stoplight, turn left onto Broad Street (if coming from the Outer Banks, you would turn right). Continue on past Main Street, to Bridge Street and turn right onto Bridge Street. (406 Bridge St., Columbia, NC 27925). Then turn left into the parking lot - this is the Columbia Medical Center Complex. Please Note: the parking lot is one-way.

If anyone has questions about the January meeting or the TCGHS in general, feel free to contact me directly at glroberts@cox.net

Cathy







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Hatteras Island 1704 Visitor

December 2011

Hatteras Island 1704 Visitor

By Baylus Brooks

In the North Carolina Colonial and State Records, Volume 1, Page 603, in a letter written by John Blair, we discover that John Blair visited the early colony of North Carolina in 1704.  Here's what he had to say: 

"You may also consider the distance that the new colony of Pamlico is from the rest of the inhabitants of the country, for any man that has tried it would sooner undertake a voyage from this city to Holland than that, for beside a pond of five miles broad, and nothing to carry one over but a small perryauger, there are about fifty miles desert to pass through, without any human creature inhabiting in it. I think it likewise reasonable to give you an account of a great nation of Indians that live in that government, computed to be no less than 100,000, many of which live amongst the English, and all, as I can understand, a very civilized people. 

I have often conversed with them, and have been frequently in their towns: those that can speak English among them seem to be very willing and fond of being Christians, and in my opinion there might be methods taken to bring over a great many of them. If there were no hopes of making them Christians, the advantage of having missionaries among them would redound to the advantage of the government, for if they should once be brought over to a French interest (as we have too much reason to believe there are some promoters amongst them for that end by their late actions), it would be, if not to the utter ruin, to the great prejudice of all the English plantations on the continent of America.


Cont. here:
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~molcgdrg/nl/nl12-11b.htm

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Anne Poole ~ Lost Colony Genealogy and DNA Research Group

Anne Poole ~ Lost Colony Genealogy and DNA Research Group

There are few people out there, who have found their calling. Anne Poole, who hails from our own home state of North Carolina, never really went searching for hers. Instead it was dropped right in her lap at a very tender and early age. And I for one, am so glad it was. She and a team of dedicated volunteer researchers, are one a mission to solve one of America’s oldest mysteries. And the answer, may not be any further than your own back yard.

Anne, has become a dear friend of mine. She reminds me of a strong southern woman, who walked right off the pages of one’s favorite book. Recently, I came up with the idea of she and I sitting down for a blog chat. Least that is what I’m going to call it. Here goes…

Q: Anne…I know you are from North Carolina. But where exactly were you born and raised ?
A: I hail from right here in Durham !

Q: Now I know you have two daughters. And recently, we found out that I have a Hatteras/Ocracoke
family tie to both. Would you mind telling everyone a little about their Outer Banks bloodline ?

A: Sure. Susan and Elizabeth have their OBX connections from their great grandmother, who was a Dailey and was born on Ocracoke Island. She is on their daddy’s side. She also looked very, very, native with dark skin and gray eyes…..I used to say that her eyes looked like steel they were so gray !

 Cont. here:
http://hatgensoc.wordpress.com/2011/07/16/an-interview-with-anne-poole-co-founder-of-the-lost-colony-genealogy-and-dna-research-group/
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Under the House

by Roberta Estes

 

Have you ever eaten under a house?  No, really….a picnic maybe?  Well, you haven’t lived until you have.  In Hatteras, many houses are on stilts, and under the house becomes a living or a storage area – well – at least until the next flood.  Anything left under the house just gets washed away.

 

In our case, we rented a house for a group of individuals and we have to feed about 25 folks 3 meals per day.  Our lovely pirate, George, cooks for us.  Blackbeard beware – you have serious competition…

  

 

Here’s the pirates lair – under the house.  

 

 

Only on Hatteras will you find a pirate that cooks for you, and has his lair under the house!  Truly a unique  Outer Banks experience.

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Back on the Road Again

by Roberta Estes

 For the past several years, the Lost Colony Research Group has sponsored and coordinated an archaeological dig on Hatteras Island.  This April marks our fourth dig in cooperation with the University of Bristol and we welcome you to blog along with us on our journey.

Today was arrival day for most of the crew.  Several from our group are present at this dig.  Not everyone is arriving at the same time.  Anne Poole has been here on the island for several days already setting up and getting ready, along with Cousin George.  Bless Cousin George, he cooks for us all for 2 weeks on the “gypsy wagon”.  Nancy Frey, our British genealogist who lives in Canada arrived yesterday as well.

Louisa, our graduate student from the University of Bristol has also been here for several days preparing as well.  She also worked last December on getting ready for this spring’s dig.  Coordinating an effort of this size is nothing trivial.  Yesterday evening through about 3AM this morning, the rest of the Bristol crew arrived on several flights.  Altogether, it was a 25 hour trip for them.  Canceled flights and other misadventures plagued them, but eventually they did all arrive safely.  This morning was the “things that go bite in the day” lecture.  We discovered last year that British students aren’t familiar with the wildlife here that Hatteras Islanders take for granted.  You know, things such as snakes, ticks and alligators.

And then, the dig began. 

But I hadn’t arrived yet.  I was still in the death grip of Old Man Winter – or at least still struggling to escape him.  I awoke this morning in Beckley, Va. to discover there was SNOW on the vehicles.  Now it was bad enough for me, but folks there believe that spring has already arrived, and there were couple on motorcycles.  They had a very cold ride.

I put off my departure by going to Tamarack to see what new and wonderful artisan creations they had, and I was not disappointed.  They had ample new goodies to keep me interested for a long time.  I’ll probably stop on the way back to purchase.  Unfortunately, it is Saturday, and their quilter in residence, Elaine Bliss was not in today.  I always enjoy visiting with Elaine.

By 10 AM, I had hoped the snow would have melted off, but it had not.  I decided I really needed to go ahead and leave as I had a 9 hour drive in front of me and I really did not want to navigate Highway 12 on Hatteras Island at night.  I don’t know….it’s just something about the sea covering the road that I find disconcerting…..

I headed South, after taking note of a very confused goose who was standing in the grassy area of the cloverleaf, wondering to himself where he took a wrong turn, as snow and sleet pelted him.  Not only had the snow not melted, it got WORSE and turned into a blizzard.  By the time I got to Flat Top, which seemed to be the highest elevation while crossing the Appalachian Mountains, there was a significant amount of snow covering everything.  Dawn, who lives on Hatteras Island, pleaded with me to pull over and make a snowball, put it in the cooler and bring it to her.  She tells me they don’t get snow on Hatteras.  Had I been able to find a place to pull off to take a photo, I would have also gotten her snowball….but that didn’t happen.

By the time I was descending the mountain on the other side of the two tunnels, the snow had stopped and I wondered where the smoke was coming from.  Shortly, I discovered it wasn’t smoke, but was fog, drifting through the valleys.  Fog was followed by very high winds that caused people to fight for control of their vehicles, then rain, then brilliant sunshine by Winston-Salem and 64 degrees, then overcast by Raleigh and raining off and on between there and Hatteras Island.  I have experienced a years worth of weather in just under 12 hours.

I have also discovered that the reason hotels are only open here in the spring, summer and fall is because they do not have heat.  Suffice it to say that I’m glad I have long underwear with me and two quilts from my car.  If I get any colder, I’ll also be sleeping in my down vest….but I digress.

North Carolina never disappoints me.  The beauty and diversity here found in nature and the nature of the people are truly unparalleled elsewhere.  One of today’s finds was a house on State road 98 near Rocky Mount that was almost complete covered by wisteria.  This reminded me of a forest type of ginger bread house found only fairy tales.  Wonderful fodder for a fertile imagination….

 

Then, in Manteo, I found the most remarkable pink pick-up truck.  I didn’t realize that trucks came in this color of pink.  I think this must be hibiscus pink.  It was parked outside another colorful feature of the island that I’ve talked about during every trip, Kitty Hawk Kites.  Truly a colorful scene, and one to be found only on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  

 Welcome home!

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