I "lifted" this timeline from another list...thanks to Eugene Chesson 1584 Two ships. captained by Phillip Armardas (age 19!) and Arthur Barlowe, spent 6 weeks in summer along the mid-Atlantic coast of present day North Carolina and Roanoke Island (but then called "Virginia") sailing under the auspices of Sir Walter Raleigh. 1585 Raleigh named Lord and Gov. of VA and second expedition settles Roanoke Island. 1586 Sir Francis Drake visits Roanoke Colony but a storm drives his fleet to sea. 1587 Second colony started with 89 men, 17 women, and 2 children. Virginia Dare born Aug 18 1587. 1590 Roanoke Colony had disappeared, leaving as the only clue "Croatan" 1607 Jamestown, VA colony, first permanent colony in the new world under Capt. John Smith. 1608 Jamestown Colony sends two men to Chowan region to search for the 1587 colonists. 1622 John Pory, secretary of Virginia colony explored Chowan region and possibly the initial band of settlers moved into NC from VA following down the Blackwater and Chowan Rivers to a region that is now Gates County (ealier Chowan Co.); one of the early regions was Orapeak (Corapeake). 1638 County of Norfolk VA formed to include territory as far south as modern Oracoke Inlet. 1646 Expedition from VA against Indians along the Chowan River led by Maj. Gen. Richard Bennett (by land) and Col. Thomas Dew (by water). 1648 (Approx.) Henry Plumpton of Nansemond Co. VA, Thomas Tuke and several others bought land along the Morratuck (Roanoke) River from Indians but no evidence that they settled then. 1650 Edward Bland and others explored the Chowan, Meherrin and Roanoke River areas 1653 Colony established along the banks of the Roanoke River and the south side of the Chowan River with setytlers from VA after a grant to the Rev. Roger Green; possibly first permanent European settlement in NC; Virginians began to take up land in the Roanoke (Albemarle) Sound region. 1657 Nathaniel Batts, first known permanent European settler in the Albemarle region, had a hosue on the Chowan River by this year (other sources suggest a date of 1665). 1662 Samuel Stephens appointed "commander of the southern plantation." Etc. Some brief early history can be found in Winslow's "History of Perquimans County" who says "...As Chowan River has its headwaters in VA, with the Blackwater as one of its tributaries, the inference may well be drawn that those early settlers followed the water courses... the land adjoining the Dismal Swamp was an impenetrable tangle..." The Introduction to the 1st volume of "Colonial Records of NC" by Parker says that "The Chowan area was then considered part of VA, where the new settlement was known as the 'southern plantation'." And a little more history can be found in the Prefatory Notes to the 1st Vol. of Saunder's "The Colonial Records of NC" Carol Pridgen Martoccia 903 East Fifth St. Greenville, NC 27858 PRIDGEN Homepage : http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/6297 PRIDGEN Archives: http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl List manager for the Pridgen Family and for Wilson County, NC (NCWilson)