OCRACOKE ISLAND HISTORY - Hyde County, NC ******************************************************************* USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is obtained from the contributor of the file. Submitted for use in the USGenWeb Project Archives by Hyde County NCGenWeb (jmack@bbs.carolina.net) These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written consent of the contributor, OR the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. Return to the NCGenWeb Archives Table of Contents http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/ncfiles.htm#NC ******************************************************************* OCRACOKE ISLAND HISTORY by Earl W. O'Neal, Jr. The boundaries of Ocracoke have evolved over the last three to four hundred years. According to some marine geologists, the formation of Ocracoke began about 17,000 years ago. One of the first European explorers to write about the North Carolina coast was Giovanni da Verrazano, an Italian navigator in 1524. Some sixty years later the Sir Walter Raleigh expeditions began in the years 1584, 1585 and 1587 which gained the attention of Europeans. Ocracoke Inlet has played a major role in the development of North America and during both the American Revolution and the United States Civil War. The Ocracoke Inlet has been the entrance to the Pamlico Sound and the mainland that has remained open since the 1500's. The island of Ocracoke as it is known today has had many names identified on maps over the last four hundred years such as Wokokon, Wocokon, Okok, Ocacock, Occacoke, Ocracok and finally Ocracoke. The original Colonial owners of Ocracoke Island were John Lovick by grant in 1719, Richard Sanderson the second owner bequeathed the Island to his son or nephew, Richard Sanderson in 1733. The third owner Richard Sanderson sold the Island 2,110 acres lying between Hatteras Inlet and Ocracoke Inlet to William Howard the fourth owner on July 30, 1759 for 105 pounds, who was the first owner to reside on the Island. Two months later he sold one half or 1055 acres to his friend John Williams, a pilot, for 52 pounds, 10 shillings on September 26, 1759. In 1762 William Howard and John Williams sold 100 acres to Francis Jackson and in 1764 an additional 100 acres. Ocracoke has changed in size over the years, at one time before the maps in the sixteenth century it is believed it may have been attached to Portsmouth Island. It has been attached to Hatteras and part of the Hatteras Banks as indicated on published maps between the years 1778 to the mid 1800's. A map published by Harper & Brothers, March 1, 1862 shows Hatteras Inlet which today is the Eastern end of the Island. The Island has varied from eight miles to the approximate present day length of 18 miles. It has been divided over the years by a couple of small inlets which have opened and closed. Several maps between 1826 and 1830 show the Village of Ocracoke with the name Pilot Town. As early as 1743 there was a settlement on Ocracoke called Pilot Town, which was named that because the only settlers were pilots, who were squatters, not owning the land they lived on. The Island was first annexed to a county precinct government in 1770; it having been observed by a member of the Colonial Assembly that "those lawless bankers on Occacock Island are not paying taxes anywhere." At that time it was annexed to Carteret Precinct which had been formed in 1722 from Craven. Carteret also included Core Banks. Occacock Island prior to 1770 had belonged neither to Currituck, Craven or Carteret; it was an isolated, independent island until all the area south of Old Hatteras Inlet was put into Carteret. It was not until 1845 that Ocracoke Island, that portion of the Outer Banks below Old Hatteras Inlet down as far as Ocracoke Inlet, between it and Core Banks, was moved from Carteret County into Hyde County, and it has been in Hyde geographically and politically since that time. Population of the Island has grown from 59 people in the early 1700's, 168 in 1790, declined to 139 in1800, and then grew to 536 residents by 1850 and has continued to increase more slowly to the present. A faster growth rate has been noted during the 1980 to 1998 period and as of today the village has an estimated year around population of 790 people. The Seasonal population on any one day during the summer months as estimated, can range as a minimum 3,000 to 7,000 people. Ocracoke Island today is the most Eastern end of Hyde County bordering the Atlantic Ocean and is about 20 miles from the mainland comprising of 5,575 acres in all, and except for the Village (775 acres), is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area. Cape Hatteras National Seashore became official on January 12, 1953 comprising of land purchased by the Government. Ocracoke has a rich history from its founding through the pirate activities, ship wrecks, the use of the land for free roaming live stock and fishing. Of note is the battle between Lieutenant Robert Maynard and the Pirate Blackbeard, Edward Teach (some records show Edward Drummond) on the Adventure in Teach's Hole Channel where Blackbeard was killed on November 22, 1718. The surviving members of his crew were taken to Virginia for trial. In 1715 the colonial assembly, recognized the need to improve trade and navigation along the North Carolina coast, passed and act for "settling and maintaining Pilots at Ocacock Inlett." It wasn't until the 1730's that pilots actually began settling at Ocracoke. The pilots at Ocracoke played an important role during the American Revolution in guiding ships through the Ocracoke Inlet and getting supplies through to support General George Washington's troops. In the early stages of the Civil War, Ocracoke Inlet was protected by Fort Ocracoke, constructed on Beacon Island, located about one mile inside the Inlet. After the Federal forces attacked the Confederate installations on the Outer Banks in 1861 and the fall of Fort Hatteras, Fort Ocracoke (Fort Morgan) was abandoned. Due to the importance of the Inlet, Federal forces sunk several schooners loaded with rock in the inlet, blocking its use for the rest of the war. As the years past, other inlets formed and the need for pilots diminished, commercial fishing became a major occupation along with many men that served in the U.S. Life Saving Service which in 1915 became the U.S. Coast Guard. During World War II, a Navy Amphibious Section Base was located in Ocracoke Village with as many as 600 personnel. The Ocracoke Lighthouse is one of the major historical sites in the Village of Ocracoke. It was built in 1823 and is still in operation today as the oldest operating on the coast of North Carolina. Below is the Ocracoke Island Museum - Home of Captain David Williams and wife Alice Wahab Williams. Typical Ocracoke home built in the 1890's. Moved from its original site and became the museum in the early 1990's. [Image] Ocracoke is also noted for it's wild ponies, which have been here as long as the people have inhabited the Island and there are numerous stories as to how they got here. For such a small island it has a wealth of history and many books of stories and articles written about it. The Village of Ocracoke still retains some of the physical characteristics of a small fishing village. It is very unique as to its residents and their genealogy. Since there were few people in the earlier years present on the Outer Banks, there was a lot of inter marriages due to the small number of different surnames. All of the families are linked heavily to each other and to the mainland Hyde County, Hatteras Island including all of Dare County and somewhat lesser to the present day Carteret County. Following is a list of the family surnames on Ocracoke. OCRACOKE FAMILIES ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BALLANCE - Came to Ocracoke about 1789 from Currituck County. BLOUNT / BRYANT - The first Blount family came to Ocracoke ater the Civil War from Blount's Creek, Beaufort County. One of their daughters married a Bryant from Engelhard, NC and resided at Ocracoke. BRAGG - The name Bragg appears on Ocracoke between 1747-1770 when a Bragg was appointed constable. Came from Portsmouth Island and South River in Carteret County. FARROW - The Farrows from Hatteras Banks were pilots at Ocracoke in the 1700s. First recorded resident was in 1843. FULCHER - One of the Fulcher families on Ocracoke came from Hatteras Island. Two brothers that made Ocracoke their home came from Hatteras Island but their parents may have moved there from Carteret County. A third line came from Carteret County, on Core Banks. The first Josephus shows up on the 1840 census. GARRISH - The first Garrish was mentioned in the estate papers of Jobe Wahab, August 20, 1785, when his estate paid Garrish for gradeschooling his son. He apparently was considered an educated man and may have been hired privately to teach Jobe's son. There is a possibility, he may have been a ship builder as his son was. He did purchase his marriage license and got married in Craven County, probably because he traded or did business there. At this time no record has been found of a Garrish in Craven County at that time. GASKINS - The first Gaskins on Ocracoke was a Collector of Customs at Port Ocracoke in 1789. GASKILL - Benjamine Gaskill came from Portsmouth Island, married Jane Williams of Ocracoke and moved here sometime before 1787. HOWARD - William Howard was the first identified on Ocracoke, when he purchased the island on July 30, 1759 from Richard Sanderson. He came to Eastern North Carolina about 1745 from which time he was associated with Carteret and Hyde Counties. He may have come from the Maryland Colony, but proof has not been found. JACKSON - The first was a pilot on Ocracoke and arrived between 1743 and 1746. O'NEAL - Many different spellings have been noted O'neil, Neal, Neil, Neel, Neale, O'Neele and 0'Neel. Some in the same immediate family spelled their names differently. The first three O'Neele's (O'Neel), brothers and their uncle moved to Ocracoke from Hatteras sometime before 1778. SCARBOROUGH - Moved to Ocracoke between 1740's and 1790 from Hatteras Banks. STYRON - The first Styron's identified at Ocracoke occurred prior to 1790 census. They moved from Portsmouth Island. TOLSON - There were two Tolson households identified in the 1830 Ocracoke census and none were listed in 1820. WAHAB - Thomas Wahab and his family moved to Ocracoke sometime after 1790 and is listed in the 1800 census. They moved from Hatteras Banks. WILLIAMS - John Williams, a pilot, witnessed the deed when his friend William Howard bought Ocracoke on July 30, 1759. Two months later he purchased half of Ocracoke from William Howard on September 26, 1759. We have not been able to prove where John came from or when he arrived. He may have arrived any time after 1743 as a pilot. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Contributed by Earl W. O’Neal, Jr., Ocracoke, NC ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Copyright 1998