(He told his mule to “whoa”).
Some of the earliest inhabitants of Wilson County, North Carolina, were the Tuscarora Indians. The Tuscarora claimed land between the Tar River and the Neuse River and also from the Pamlico Sound to near Raleigh. Until 1855 the area that is now Wilson County was part of Edgecombe County. The new County was formed from sections of Edgecombe, Nash, Wayne and Johnston counties. Wilson County was named in honor of Louis Dicken Wilson, a union general during the Mexican-American War and North Carolina politician from Edgecombe County.
One of the major Tuscarora villages of the area was located near Toisnot Swamp and was considered one of the most highly developed tribes in Eastern North Carolina. The Tuscarora were fishermen and also hunted deer, rabbits and other small game for food. They had expertise in growing squash, beans and especially different varieties of corn. They knew the food values of different colors of corn. They also grew hemp for medicinal purposes and for the fiber.
The Tuscarora did not have a word for religion. They believed that all of life was spiritual. They believed that there is no separation between daily activities and spiritual affairs.
After conflicts with European Colonists most of the Tuscarora moved North and some went West. By 1722 most tribes had left the area. Much has been written about these tribes that inhabited Eastern North Carolina. I can only write about what historians have recorded as to the history of these early inhabitants. What I do know from personal experience is that arrowheads, spearheads and other artifacts were fairly easy to find in the 1930’s through the 1950’s at and near Pender’s Crossroads especially in fields that were near creeks.
Most of these artifacts were unearthed when farmers plowed their fields with a mule and a hand-held plow or while chopping or harvesting crops. The farmers were close enough and watched the soil being turned over by the plow exposing the arrowheads. My personal knowledge of this is from following behind my father as he plowed his fields with a mule and hand held plow. He frequently stopped to examine a few by telling his mule to “whoa.” He would pick up the arrowheads and put them in his pockets. He had several shoe boxes full of those coveted treasures. In more recent years the fields are cultivated by big tractors and other heavy machinery. The big tractors were moving too fast, covering multiple rows and the farmers are not close enough to see and retrieve the arrowheads. The heavy equipment has likely damaged some of the treasures.
There is a rich history of the Tuscarora here in Wilson County. Although most left and went North or West after the Tuscarora War some 650 Tuscarora families remained in North Carolina, Virginia and South Carolina. Some remained near Pender’s Crossroads.
Montress Greene
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