1907 Lyon Gardiner Tyler
Page 46
”the
King presently conducted me to another Kingdome, upon the top of the next
northerly river, called
Youghtanan.1…
1 Now known as Pamunkey River, which joins the Mattapony
River at West Point, forty miles from
Chesapeake Bay, to form the York River.”
Page 85
“Fourteene
miles Northward from the river Powhatan, is the river Pamaunke, which is
navigable 60 or 70
myles, but with Catches and small Barkes 30 or 40 myles farther. At the
ordinary flowing of the
salt water, it divideth it selfe into two gallant branches.1
On the South side inhabit the people of Youghtanund, who
have about 60 men for warres. On the
North branch Mattapament, who have 30 men. Where this river is divided, the
Country. is called
Pamaunke, and nourisheth neere 300 able men. …
1 Youghtamund
(now called Pamunkey) and Mattapanient
(Mattapony).”
NARRATIVES OF
EARLY VIRGINIA; 1606-16254
LYON
GARDINER TYLER 1907
Lyon Tyler is quoting John Smith in this section. But
what is important to notice is that John Smith was speaking of the Kingdom of Youghtanund, yet
Tyler’s footnote references the name of the river. Clearly the rivers were named by the
kingdoms living on them and the fact that the rivers name changed is a good indicator that the Indian
kingdom that controlled the river changed. Combined with the fact that the Pamunkey were
huge with 300 men and the Youghtanund
were small with only 30 men, it seems safe to say they were either totally destroyed or had remnants absorbed into the Pamunkey,
thus causing the river name to be changed.
