Ebook A Brief History of Isle of Wight County, Virginia

In the western part of the county, now-south ampton county, there was another tribe. Called the Nottoways, who were identified with our earliest history. They were intimately connected with the white settlers, and for more than one hundred yea/rs lived 011 their own lands, bartered the products of their hunting and fishing with the white. People for guns, blankets, etc., sold to them their lands, and, except for their fondness for rum, seem to have been a peaceful and well disposed people, more sinned against than sinning. For in 1752 the Gen eral Assembly of Virginia passed an act declaring that if any person or persons shall hereafter, under any pretense whatever, take from the Indians any of their guns, blankets or other apparel, such persons so offending shall pay to the Indian or Indians so injured the sum of twenty shillings for every such offense; and if the offender be a slave, he shall receive, for such otiense on his or her naked back, twenty-five lashes, well laid on. But generally the Indians were treated with the greatest kindness until the time of the great Indian massacre, in 1622, for the colonists were thoroughly imbued with the idea of converting them to Christianity.