Dear Readers! Today is January 18, 2015 and this is an older unfinished post about the very cool explorer Henry Woodward, credited with bringing rice into the South Carolina colony for one thing, so I think for now I am just going to post it. So, as one wise person told me, “take what you like and leave the rest”. I will finish researching this and repost it soon!
Cheers and Happy New Year!
Charlotte
“The man that most students of South Carolina Indians would most like to interview would probably be Dr. Henry Woodward, and Englishman who lived in the area beginning as early as 1666. He was left by the Robert Sandford Expedition that year in exchange for an Indian called “Shadoo” as a sort of early cultural exchange program. He was not left against his will, but remained voluntarily. He returned to England in 1682 and was something of a celebrity.” – from Chapman J. Milling, Red Carolinians, p 55
Pg 104 Narratives of Early Carolina – Salley – pg 104
Woodward remains one of the most enigmatic English explorers of the period, intimately tied to the history of the Carolana settlement and its challenge to Spanish Florida. He was among the original English settlers and it was his first priority to learn about the country and its natives, including their languages. He entered the unexplored interior, traveling beyond the Chattahoochee River. In the 1660s, he appears to have been the first Englishman to trod the soil of what is today the central Florida Panhandle. Upon his return to the Atlantic coast, he encountered the Spaniards at their old settlement of Santa Elena, near what soon became the 1670 demarcation line between Spanish Florida and English Carolana. There, apparently, he was captured and carried to San Agustin. The governor of that city, Don Francisco de la Guerra y de la Vega, was surprised to receive a letter from Woodward in Latin, requesting baptism into the Catholic Church. Governor de la Guerra treated him more as a guest than as a prisoner. The learned doctor lived with the parish priest, Father Francisco de Sotolongo, a graduate of the University of Mexico, during the period of catechism. While in residence, Woodward noted a great deal about the Spanish status in Florida. Some historians believe that he might have allowed himself to be captured in order to spy out the Spaniard’s strength. After the sack of 1668, Woodward sailed from San Agustin with Searle’s buccaneers.
I leaveing an English man in their roome for the mutuall learning their language, and to that purpose one of my Company Mr. Henry Woodward, a Chirurgeon, had before I settout assured mee his resoluc +¯on to stay with the Indians if Ishould thinke convenient,1 wherefore I resolved to stay till the morning to see if the Indians would remaine constant in this Intenc +¯on, according to which I purposed to treate fur ther with them on the morrowe, therefore I went a shoare to their Towne, tooke Woodward and the Indian with mee and in presence of all the Inhabitants of the place and of the fellows relac +¯ons asked if they approved of his goeing along with mee. They all with one voyce consented. After some pause I called the Cassique and another old man (his second in authority) and their wives, and in sight and heareing of the whole Towne delivered Woodward into their charge, tell ing them that when I retorned I would require him att their hands. They received him with such high testimonyes of Joy and thankfullnes as hughely confirmed to mee their great desire of our friendshipp and society. The Cassique placed Woodward by him uppon the Throne, and after lead him forth and shewed him a large feild of Maiz which hee told him should bee his, then hee brought him the Sister of the Indian that I had with mee telling him that shee should tend him and dresse his victualls and be careful of him that soe her Brother might be the better used amongst us. I stayed a while being wounderous civilly treated after their manner, and giveing Woodward formall possession of the whole Country to hold as Tennant att Will of the right Honoble the Lords Proprietors, I retorned aboard and imediately weighed and fell downe.
An Indian that came with mee from Edistowe with In
tenc +¯on to goe no further then Port Royall seeing this kindnes
and mutuall obligation betweene us and the people of this
place, that his Nac +¯on or tribe might bee within the League,
voluntarily offered himselfe to stay with mee alsoe, and
would not bee denyed, and thinking that soe hee should be the
more acceptable hee caused himselfe to be shoaren on the
Crowne, after the manner of the Port Royall Indians, a fashion
which I guesse they have taken from the Spanish Fryers.
Here is a story about Henry Woodward and Capt. John Thurber
