"Free Negroes" on Gingaskin land: the 1784 petition (Northampton County, VA, 26 Nov. 1784)

SUMMARY"Free Negroes" on Gingaskin land: the 1784 petition (Northampton County, VA, 26 Nov. 1784) [Connections: Virginia & Eastern Shore, Nov 5, 2026]

RECORDWhite residents of Northampton petitioned the House of Delegates. They said the 600 acres "set aside by law for the Gingaskin Tribe of Indians" had become a refuge for "free Negroes & other disorderly persons," and that only five or six Gingaskin members were left. They asked for trustees to reserve some land for the tribe and lease out the rest. The Library of Virginia also holds a 10 Oct. 1787 petition asking for the land to be sold. Its blog says the petitions argued that no "real" Indians were left on the reservation. HOSTILE

WITNESSthese petitioners wanted the land, and calling the residents "free Negroes" served that goal

PATTERNThis is the first move on the Eastern Shore. The Native people on reserved land are described as "free Negroes," and that description is then used to argue the reservation should end

LENS (WW9)The renaming came before the land grab, and it was written by the people who wanted the land

OPENWho signed (the abstract says 21 residents; the names are not on the index page). Whether the "free Negroes" named were Gingaskin spouses and kin

SOURCEDigital Library on American Slavery, Petition #11678401; Library of Virginia, "The Gingaskins of Virginia". Primary: Legislative Petitions of the General Assembly, 1776–1865, Accession 36121, Northampton County, 26 Nov. 1784 and 10 Oct. 1787, Library of Virginia.