Hyde County, North Carolina: History
=== Early history and creation ===
Sources conflict over when the area that eventually grew to encompass Hyde County was settled by Europeans. The earliest known colonial land deeds in the present day county date from 1704 or 1705. European settlement remained sparse over the subsequent decades, though the English established a small fort on the northern shore of Lake Mattamuskeet. In 1711, Algonquin-speaking Native Americans in the area joined with the proximate Tuscarora people in launching a war against the settlers. The conflict was won by the settlers in 1715, with many captured Native Americans enslaved and the remaining Tuscaroras largely expelled from North Carolina. The local Algonquin natives were gathered on the newly created Mattamuskeet Reservation, which comprised most of the eastern mainland section of what eventually became Hyde County. Due to pressure from the settlers, the Native Americans began selling their land in 1731. By 1792, all of the reservation had been sold, and its inhabitants either left the region or intermarried with local European Americans and African Americans.
The county was formed December 3, 1705, as Wickham Precinct, one of three precincts within Bath County. The name Wickham was derived from the manor of Temple Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, the family home of John Archdale, governor of North and South Carolina from 1695 to 1696. In 1712, it was renamed Hyde Precinct for Edward Hyde, Governor of North Carolina from 1711 to 1712. In 1739, Bath County was abolished, and Hyde Precinct became Hyde County. In 1745, Lake Mattamuskeet and its adjoining territory were transferred from Currituck County to Hyde County.
Communities coalesced and churches were formed in the aftermath of the Revolutionary War.
In 1819, the portion of Hyde County west of the Pungo River was annexed by Beaufort County. Four years later, the area of Currituck County south of New Inlet was transferred to Hyde County. This area included Hatteras Island.
In 1834, an "apprenticeship" program was begun whereby local Native American children were placed under the tutelage of white families to learn trades. Lasting until 1865, the policy resulted in the loss of much independent Native American cultural identity in the area. In 1845, Ocracoke Island was transferred from Carteret County to Hyde County. Ocracoke benefitted from a modest shipping industry which persisted into the mid-1800s, while the mainland portion of county was largely agrarian, though farmers struggled in the swampy terrain. Locals also fished and harvested oysters. In 1860, 37.4% of Hyde's population were slaves—a proportion lower than many other counties in eastern North Carolina. …