Precontact and archaeological studies For thousands of years various cultures of
Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands lived along the
Potomac River and its tributaries in the coastal area. Archeological excavations have yielded much data about the precontact early cultures. At Indian Point on
Potomac Creek, for instance, part of the later Patawomeck area, archeological excavations in the 1930s revealed a Native American burial ground (
Potomac Creek, 44ST2). Researchers sent 134 exhumed human remains from the grounds to the
Smithsonian Institution. The
state-recognized Patawomeck tribe may undertake claiming the remains for
repatriation and burial under the
Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), though a tribe has to be federally recognized to utilize NAGPRA without extra petitioning. More recently, a 1996 archeological study by the
College of William and Mary revealed Native American
artifacts dating back to the 15th century. More than 10,000 artifacts were recovered, mostly pottery sherds of the "wrapped-cord type" common among local indigenous people. While the ancient village site is protected under
historic preservation laws, the land is being steadily eroded by the creek. Strachey returned to England in 1611 and later published a book on his travels. His book is considered the primary source of information on this period of Virginia history and Native peoples of the region. The Patawomeck continued to ally with the English in their conflicts with the Powhatan in 1622 (even after Captain Isaac Madison took their weroance prisoner), and in 1644. After settlers began moving into their area in the 1650s, pressures mounted in competition over resources and differing ideas of how to use land. Violent disputes followed. In 1662, Colonel Giles Brent took their weroance, Wahanganoche, prisoner. After an extensive trial in Williamsburg, Wahanganoche was found not guilty and released. He was nonetheless murdered by Giles' conspirators in 1663 while returning home from the trial. In October 1665, the colonial government forced the tribe to sell their remaining land to the colony for a few matchcoats. In 1660, the
Conoy said they had been a tributary tribe to the Patawomeck.
20th century In 1928, the anthropologist
Frank Speck wrote of the Native American population living around the original Patawomeck capital. From his studies of the
Algonquian peoples, he believed they were remnants of the old Patawomeck nation. Although without solid proof they were not from another tribe, he called them the "Potomac". Many families living in and around
White Oak in
Stafford County had oral histories linking them to the Patawomecks; these included families with the names Sullivan, Newton, Green, Bourne, Bullock, Fines, and Curtis. However, racism in Virginia caused many families to hide their Indian ancestry. In particular, Virginia's
Racial Integrity Act of 1924 and the work of state Bureau of Vital Statistics registrar
Walter Plecker ensured that for most of the 20th century, official records recognized Virginians as either "white" or "colored", erasing Indian heritage from the public record. == State-recognized tribe ==