It is part of the lore here in Isle of Wight Co. that the river was named after the unconverted pagans (Indians) that lived along the shores. The name goes back to the 1630's. The original name of the river was the Warraskoyack River, which was the name of the Indians that lived in this part of Isle of Wight Co. But that name proved to be too hard to say or spell for the English. Maybe the difficulty that the English had in using the name Warraskoyack , along with the Indians failure to accept the Church of England as their faith, and the fact that the Warraskoyack not only participated in the Massacre of 1622, but also successfully drove the English out of Isle of Wight Co. for more than a year, all aided in giving this beautiful river its present name, "Pagan River"
Hmmmmm............. I had read that the name "Pagan" was actually a derivative of the word "pecan" for the pecan trees that grew in a grove by the little river that flows into the mighty James. I am not saying that your version is incorrect or that the version I have heard is correct. Just another version. Deane Ferguson Mills York County, Virginia Subject: [VAISLEOF-L] Re: Pagan Creek > > It is part of the lore here in Isle of Wight Co. that the river was named after the unconverted pagans (Indians) that lived along the shores. The name goes back to the 1630's. The original name of the river was the Warraskoyack River, which was the name of the Indians that lived in this part of Isle of Wight Co. But that name proved to be too hard to say or spell for the English. Maybe the difficulty that the English had in using the name Warraskoyack , along with the Indians failure to accept the Church of England as their faith, and the fact that the Warraskoyack not only participated in the Massacre of 1622, but also successfully drove the English out of Isle of Wight Co. for more than a year, all aided in giving this beautiful river its present name, "Pagan River" > > > > > ==== VAISLEOF Mailing List ==== > Genealogy - where you confuse the dead and irritate the living. >