Survivors: the Meherrin

The Meherrin are an Iroquoian-speaking people with ties to the Tuscarora and Nottoway.  They originally lived in the Piedmont area of Virginia when encountered by English settlers.  By the early 18th century, they had moved into what is now the border of Virginia and North Carolina to evade oncoming Settlers.  By 1705, they had been granted a reservation in 1705 in disputed land between the two colonies at Manley's Neck.  The land was ultimately assigned to what became North Carolina in 1706 and, despite earlier promises made to the Meherrin, Carolina authorities began to destroy homes and crops in an effort to force the tribe to move.  They were given refuge in Virginia, at the mouth of the Meherrin River.

This respite wouldn't be for long.  They allied with the Tuscarora in 1715 during the Tuscarora War, revolting against encroaching and slaving of Natives by Settlers.  After the War, they were confirmed on land in what is now Bertie County, North Carolina.  Continued encroachment by Settlers convinced many of them to flee with the Tuscarora to join the other Iroquois tribes in New York.  However, many families did stay in North Carolina, keeping their communities together throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.  In 1986, they were granted state recognition in North Carolina and remain there, based in Hertford County, North Carolina.