by E. B. Brown
Note 55: Wet nursing
When a mother was unable to nurse her newborn child, due to illness, death, or social practices, another lactating woman called a wet nurse would feed the child. Wet nurses were also employed when a mother could not produce enough milk to sustain her child. Maternal mortality rates have caused the necessity of wet nurses since about 2000 B.C., but during the seventeenth century wet nurses were commonly used by wealthy English women.
A wetnurse was usually a young woman who had recently had a child. Women could nurse more than one child at once, since the body will increase milk supply according to the demand. Infants could also be fed from a cup with the milk of an animal, but that required the presence of a lactating animal to gather the milk from.
As long as a wetnurse or new mother continued to breastfeed, her milk would continue to flow. Upon weaning the child, the body goes through a change and milk flow naturally dries up. For some period of time after weaning, the body is still receptive to the breastfeeding action, and in many cases breastfeeding can be resumed if there is a demand. The ability to “relactate” is variable according to how long it has been since the mother weaned the last child she nursed and the general health of the mother. Upon relactation, milk may not come in fast enough to satiate a hungry newborn, and supplemental methods must be used to ensure the child is given enough sustenance. Return to text
Note 56: Basse family
The Basse family settled in Virginia in 1621. Nathanial Basse acquired a tract of land west of Warrosquyoake Plantation that would later be named Basse’s Choice. Nathanial is believed to have sired ten sons and three daughters, and it is through his third son, John, that all the currently living Nansemond people are descended from.
I came upon the Basse family during research of my own family genealogy. A man named John Basse is my 10th great-grandfather and he reportedly married a Nansemond woman by the Christianized name of Elizabeth who was the daughter of “King of the Nansemond”. This is not the only Native American connection in my ancestry, but it was the only one that I could actually find any sources for that might lead to validating it. It was exceedingly difficult to confirm ancestry records without written sources, made much more complicated by the fact that the sources simply did not exist. Records of Native American births, deaths, and marriages have been destroyed or even not recorded, due to the cultural oppression in subsequent years after English settlement. There are few records of Christianized Indians from that period, and even less of those who chose not to live among the English and were non-Christianized. At the time that John Basse married Elizabeth in 1938, record keeping for those who were not wealthy or of high status was quite sparse; if Elizabeth had not been the Christianized daughter of a Nansemond King, there would likely be no detailed written records of John Bass marrying an Indian woman, other than a mention of the marriage. The scarcity of records was also affected by the burning of the Virginia archives during the Civil War.
As documented in John Bass’s Prayer Book (additional info), Elizabeth was the daughter of a “King of the Nansemond”. As I attempted to verify the genealogy connection with reliable documentation, I soon realized that there were a lot of problems: The John Basse/Elizabeth connection was one fraught with misinformation and inaccurate written accounts. Verifiying the authenticity of the lineage was nearly impossible, especially when going a five or six generations in descent past the marriage of John & Elizabeth. Despite my own problems in this respect, it is known and acknowledged by the Nansemond Indian Tribal Association that most, if not all, of the current living Bass family members of the tribe descend from the union of John Bass and Elizabeth. Return to text
Note 57: Tobacco as currency & hogsheads
After 1622, the measure of a man’s wealth was directly proportionate to the amount of tobacco he cold sell. Tobacco quickly became the main currency in the Virginia colony once demand surged via English trade. Tobacco became the single most valuable type of commerce in all transactions. By 1639, more than 1.5 million pounds of tobacco had been exported to England.
The amount of tobacco for export was stabilized by placing the pressed tobacco leaves into large oak barrels called hogsheads. Each full hogshead weighed about one thousand pounds. The tobacco would be inspected and approved before it was released for sale, and sellers would roll the barrels to buyers or set them in a warehouse for export to England. John Rolfe’s first shipment of tobacco to England consisted of four hogsheads which were sold for 3 shillings per pound.
In addition to export, tobacco was used as currency in the colony. One could use tobacco to pay for anything that could be bought with silver or gold. Payment was made in pounds of tobacco. Return to text
Note 58: Mattanock town
Mattanock was one of several Nansemond towns located along the Nansemond River. The original Mattanock land was identified by Helen Rountree and was deeded to the Nansemond Indian Tribe, who created a cultural center and recreation of the historic village. Return to text
Note 59: Basse’s Choice and Nansemond who joined them
As the situation worsened between the English and Indians, many tribes chose to leave their native lands. Some non-Christianized Nansemonds chose to leave their native lands, however, some stayed behind and chose to integrate to live among the English. As it was mentioned earlier, today all current Nansemonds are known to be descended from the union of John Basse and Elizabeth, the Christianized daughter of a “King of the Nansemond”.
According to verbal histories handed down through family members, John Bass was about six years old when the Massacre of 1622 occurred. His father, Nathanial, and mother, Mary, were in England at the time, but several of the Bass children remained behind on their plantation. Young John escaped the slaughter, although his brother Humphrey was known to have been killed. When his parents return a few weeks later and found their children dead and young John missing, his father made necessary repairs to the house and his mother gave birth to John’s brother, in May 1622. By some accounts, John is reported to have been rescued and taken in by friendly Nansemonds, during which time he grew to understand the Nansemond ways and culture and eventually fell in love with Elizabeth, daughter of a Weroance.
The story of how he managed to make it into adulthood after the Massacre of 1622 is not fully substantiated, but historians agree that John married Elizabeth in 1638. John’s father, Nathanial, was a Puritan, and the Basse’s Choice plantation and Warrosquoake Shire represented the largest group of non-Anglican settlers in the colony at that time. Converting non-believers to Christianity was a high priority for Basse and his family, and they seemed to reach their goals by forming marriage alliances and subsequent Christian conversions. The marriage of John and Elizabeth was the first of many intermarriages, paving the way for his brother Edward to marry a Chownanoc women named Mary Tucker in 1644. Return to text
Note 60: Opechancanough and myasthenia gravis
Opechcacanough is know to have displayed several physical symptoms of affliction which worsened as her grew older. His eyelids dropped so much that he had followers who would prop his eyelids up when he was talking; his legs grew so weak that he needed to be carried by litter. Historical accounts indicate that his symptoms would flare up in times of increased activity and then diminish somewhat with a period of rest. All of these symptoms are specific to a neuromuscular disease called Myasthenia Gravis, and Opechancanough is considered the first person in America to have suffered from the disease. Return to text
Note 61: Christianization of the Norse
When Erik the Red ruled the Greenland settlement around the beginning of the second century, the Norse followed the old ways and retained their beliefs. Things began to change when Erik’s son, Leif, became an explorer and spent time with the King of Norway, Olaf Tryvaggson. King Olaf was responsible for baptizing Leif Erikson, who eventually returned to Greenland and embarked on a missionary campaign to convert the Norse. Although Erik never converted, most of the inhabitants of Gre
enland did, including Erik’s own wife, Thjodhild. Around the same time in Iceland, the question of religion was put to the general assembly, and it was decided that they would convert as a whole to Christianity. Although they converted, the Icelanders continued to hold onto customs such as infanticide and eating horse flesh. Return to text
Note 62: The ceremony of oak and mistletoe
The Ceremony of Oak and Mistletoe is an ancient pagan practice intended to cure the effects of poisoning. It was first described by Pliny the Elder in his writings in the first century A.D. The ritual consisted of climbing a sacred oak tree to gather the leaves of mistletoe twined in the branches, during which the gatherer wore a sacred cloak. The mistletoe was cut with a sickle, and the leaves were used to make a tea that would both cure infertility and counter the effects of any poison in the body. Return to text
Note 63: John Basse married Elizabeth
Records from John Basse’s prayer book state:
John Basse married ye dafter of ye King of ye Nansemond Nation by name Elizabeth in Holy Baptizm and in Holy Matrimonie ye 14th day of August in ye yeare of Our Blessed Lord 1638 Dyed 1699 A.D.
Copy of original page from the John Bass family prayer book, North Carolina Digital Collections. (click & hold to enlarge photo)
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Note 64: Capture of Opechancanough
Opechcacanough was captured at a village on the Pamunkey River. Due to his weakened state, he was carried back to Jamestown on a litter to be held in a cell for the English to gawk at. He was believed to be almost one hundred years old at the time of his capture. Return to text
Note 65: Death of Opechancanough
Opechcanough was held in Jamestown for about two weeks. He was shot in the back by the guard who was assigned to watch him, and some of his reported last words were:
"If it had been my fortune to take Sir William Berkeley prisoner, I would not have meanly exposed him as a show to my people."
New York Public Library Digital Collection
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Note 66: Winn and his brothers seeing the English arrivals at Jamestown
By the time that the English arrived to colonize Jamestown in 1607, the Powhatan people were already accustomed to seeing men arrive on ships. Spanish missionaries, Spanish and French explorers, and other Englishmen had arrived and not stayed. The older members of society acted on previous experience when dealing with the foreigners; however, the young children who observed these comings and goings could not know how devastating the arrival of the Europeans would be to their homes and culture. Winn and his brothers grew up during a time of great upheaval, and it seemed fitting that over the course of theirs lives they had experienced both the beginning of English settlement and the subsequent downfall of their own way of life. Return to text
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Transcribed as follows:
Book of John Basse-Norfolk County Virginia
North Carolina Digital Collections. Call No. 400.1.1.418
Nathaniell Basse and Mary Jourdan was marrid ye 21 day of May in ye
yeare of our blessed Lord and Savior 1613
Humphrey Basse sonne of Nath'll and Mary Basse his wife was borned
ye 15 day of ye month of July in ye year of our blessed Lord 1615,
dyed in 1622
John Basse was borned ye 7 day of viiber in ye year of our Lord 1616,
ye sonne of Nathaniell and Mary Basse his wife
William Basse sonne of Nathaniell and Mary Basse was borned on ye xxv
day of Xber in ye year of our blessed Lord God 1618
Anthony Basse sonne of Nathaniell Basse and Mary his wife was borned
on ye xiii day of March in Gods yeare of 1620
Edward Basse ye sonne of Nathaniell Basse and Mary his wife was borned
ye 8th day of Maye in ye yeare of God 1622
Anne Basse the daughter of Nath'll and Mary his wife was born in ye
yr of X't 1624, ye 9 day of Sber
Geneveve Basse ye daughter of Nathaniell Basse and Mary his wife was
borned on ye 9 day of Sber in ye year of our blessed Lord God 1624,
about ten minutes after Anne was borned
Blessed be God for His tender Mercies. Amen
Humphrey Basse sonne of Nath'll and Mary dyed ye 22nd day of March in
ye yeare of our Lord 1622
John Basse married ye dafter of ye King of ye Nansemund Nation, by
name Elizabeth in Holy Baptism and in Holy Matrimonie ye 14 day of
August in ye yeare of our blessed Lord 1638
William Basse sonne of Nath'll and Mary Basse was married to Sarah Batten
ye 20th day of September in ye yeare of our Lord 1641 A.D.
Edward Basse sonne of Nath'll & Mary Basse yt unregenerated by the Spirit
of God took in marriage one virtuous Indian mayd'n by the Christian name
of Mary Tucker and went to live amongst the Shownanocs in Carolina in
1644 A.D. - He went to Carolina in later years in persute of trade and
not in 1644
This the Book of John Basse - Steal it not...
John Basse borned in 1616 - John Basse dyed in 1699 A.D.
Norfolk County
Virg'a
This doth certify that William Bass, son of John Bass and grandson of
William Bass, is of English and Indian descent and is not a Negroe nor
y't a Mulattoe as by some lately and malitiously stated. His late Mother
Sarah Ann Bass was a virtuous woman of Indian descent, a daughter of
Symon Lorina and Joan Tucker lawfully begotten. Sd Joan Tucker was a
sister of Robin Tucker a Christian Indian of ye Nansemund nation.
Ye sd William Bass, ye elder, was a son of Mary Bass and William Bass,
Senr. Mary Bass was a daughter of Great Peter, King of ye Nansemunds.
These are of common knowledge.
All of the Basses of this County descend from Capt'n Nathaniell Basse,
as satisfactorally proved by the records preserved
May ye 17, 1797 (return to previous text)
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This map made by John Smith is one of the earliest and most significant maps of early Virginia.
John Smith, Virginia, 1612 [1624, 9th State], Huntingfield Collection, Maryland State Archives SC 1399-1-101.
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This map by Alsop shows the location of Jamestown and some of the Native American villages in the region.
Expanded view of Jamestown
George Alsop, A land-Skip of the Province of Mary land, 1666 [1869], in Gowan's Bibliotheca Americana, Maryland State Archives SC 1213-1-435.
This map by Debry is an expanded version based off of John’s Smith’s original map. I included it due to the detailed map showing the location of the Roanoke colony.
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Roanoke Colony location
Theodore DeBry, 1590, plate 1. Volume I of Theodorous de Bry, Collectiones Pergrinationun in Indiam Occidentalem. Frankfort: T. De Bry, 1590-1634. LVA-Map
FURTHER READING
Jamestown Rediscovery/Historic Jamestown
http://historicjamestowne.org/history/history-timeline/
1973. Helen C. Rountree. Indian Land Loss in Virginia: A Prototype of U.S. Federal Indian Policy. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
1989. Helen C. Rountree. The Powhatan Indians of Virginia: Their Traditional Culture. Norman : University of Oklahoma Press.
1990. Helen C. Rountree. Pocahontas's People: The Powhatan Indians of Virginia Through Four Centuries. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.
1993. Helen C. Rountree. Powhatan Foreig
n Relations, 1500-1722. Charlottesville : University Press of Virginia.
2006. Helen C. Rountree. Pocahontas, Powhatan, Opechancanough: Three Indian Lives Changed by Jamestown. Charlottesville : University Press of Virginia.
The Nansemond Indian Tribal Association
http://www.nansemond.org/index.html
The Pamunkey Indian Tribe
http://www.pamunkey.net/
The Center for Algonquin Culture.
http://www.algonquinculture.org/