Editing Gates County, North Carolina (section)

===Early history===
As in other areas along the waterways, Indigenous peoples of the Americas lived in this region for thousands of years, with different groups leaving and new ones migrating to settle again. They created settlements, increasingly permanent, along the [[Chowan River]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The History of Gates County |url=https://gatescountync.gov/index.asp?SEC=9FA438DA-A6A9-48BA-B015-DBA6C392FF0D |access-date=June 1, 2022 |website=gatescountync.gov |language=en}}</ref>

At the time of European contact, the [[Chowanoke]] were the largest tribe in North Carolina of the many in the [[Algonquin language|Algonquian language]] family and it occupied most of the territory along the river. After suffering dramatic population decreases by the early 17th century due to [[infectious diseases]] from Europe, which they had no immunity to, most of the survivors were pushed out by encroaching [[Tuscarora people|Tuscarora]], an [[Iroquoian]]-speaking tribe.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Tribe {{!}} Chowanoke Indian Nation |url=https://www.chowanokenation.com/ |access-date=June 1, 2022 |website=thechowanokenation |language=en}}</ref>

In 1585, the [[Ralph Lane]] Colony explored the Chowan River at least as far up as present-day [[Winton, North Carolina|Winton]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 9, 2016 |title=Lane Expedition Sails to America |url=https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2016/04/09/lane-expedition-sails-america |access-date=September 16, 2023 |website=www.dncr.nc.gov |language=en}}</ref> In 1622, the [[John Pory]] Colony led an expedition from Virginia to the Chowan River.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Powell |first=William S. |year=1994 |title=Pory, John |url=https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/pory-john |access-date=June 1, 2022 |website=NCpedia |publisher=University of North Carolina Press}}</ref> (Pory was secretary of the Province of Virginia.) In 1629, [[Robert Heath|Sir Robert Heath]] was granted a [[Land patent|patent]] to settle Carolina. This patent embraced Gates County.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Powell |first=William S. |year=1988 |title=Heath, Robert |url=https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/heath-robert |access-date=June 1, 2022 |website=NCpedia |publisher=University of North Carolina Press}}</ref>

The Chowanoke waged war against the encroaching colonists in 1644 but they ultimately lost.<ref name="land"/> During the 1650s, colonists from Virginia began to move increasingly into the [[Albemarle Sound]] region. Colonel Drew and Roger Green led an expedition into the Albemarle area. In 1654, Francis Speight was granted a patent for {{convert|300|acre|km2}} of land near Raynor Swamp. The first English settlement in Gates County was established near Corapeake in 1660. In 1670, Colonel Henry Baker of [[Nansemond County, Virginia|Nansemond County]] obtained a grant of land for {{convert|2400|acre|km2}} near [[Buckland, North Carolina|Buckland]].

The Chowanoke renewed their effort to expel the colonists, warring from 1675 to 1677. Following the English defeat of these forces, in 1677 they created a [[Chowanoke]] Indian Reservation, the first within the present-day United States. The 11,360-acre reservation was established at the Chowanoke settlement between Bennett's Creek and Catherine Creek in Gates.<ref name="land">[http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2016/08/10/chowanoke-descendants-reclaim-ancestral-land-envision-cultural-center-165361 Justin Petrone, "Chowanoke Descendants Reclaim Ancestral Land, Envision Cultural Center"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812120054/http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2016/08/10/chowanoke-descendants-reclaim-ancestral-land-envision-cultural-center-165361 |date=August 12, 2016 }}, ''Indian Country Today,'' August 10, 2016; accessed August 10, 2016</ref>

From 1684 to 1722 Gates County was a part of the Chowan precinct. In 1711, the Society for the [[USPG|Propagation of the Gospel]] established an [[Anglican]] school for Chowanoke and other local Indians at Sarum, with a Mr. Mashburn as the teacher.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Estes |first=Roberta |date=January 30, 2014 |title=Sarum School – Chowan Indians – Thomas Hoyle |url=https://nativeheritageproject.com/2014/01/30/sarum-school-chowan-indians-thomas-hoyle/ |access-date=September 26, 2023 |website=Native Heritage Project |language=en}}</ref> During the 18th century, the Chowanoke lost most of their land, selling off portions to help the tribe survive. Men's names were recorded in tribal conveyances, and many descendants can trace their ancestry to these families. Some members began to intermarry with other tribes, such as the nearby [[Meherrin people]], as well as Englishmen and Africans.<ref name="land"/>

In 1738, local settlers created a mail route from [[Suffolk, Virginia]] to [[Corapeake, North Carolina]] and [[Edenton, North Carolina]]. The stagecoach route crossed the Chowan River at [[Barfield, North Carolina|Barfield]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=First Post Road Historical Marker |url=https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=2783 |access-date=June 1, 2022 |website=www.hmdb.org |language=en}}</ref>

Gates County was organized in 1779 from parts of [[Chowan County, North Carolina|Chowan]], [[Hertford County, North Carolina|Hertford]], and [[Perquimans County, North Carolina|Perquimans]] counties. It was named for General [[Horatio Gates]],<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ | title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | publisher=Govt. Print. Off. | author=Gannett, Henry | year=1905 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n134 135]}}</ref> who had commanded the victorious American colonial forces at the [[Battle of Saratoga]] in 1777.