Chronology of American Indian History

P

of what is now Massachusetts and sail to Spain. There
Hunt begins to sell his captives, until priests stop him
and take over the care of the Indians, whom they try
to convert to Catholicism. Among those taken in by
the priests is a young man named Squanto. During
the next five years Squanto will travel to London,
where he will become fluent in English and knowl-
edgeable in British ways. After his return to North
America in 1619, his experiences will allow him to
help colonists of Plymouth adapt to their new envi-
ronment (see entry for MARCH 1621).

Dutch traders arrive in what is now New
York State.
Four Dutch firms merge to form the United New
Netherlands Trading Company. The company re-
ceives a royal charter that grants the firm a monopoly
on lands claimed by the Dutch crown in what is now
New York State. The charter allows Dutch traders to
begin taking advantage of the lucrative Indian fur
trade in northeastern North America.

“[M]y chiefest intent and pur-

pose [is] to strive with all my

power and body and mind, in

the undertaking of so mighty a

matter, no way led (so far forth

as mans weakness may per-

mit) with the unbridled desire

of carnal affection: but for the

good of this plantation, for the

honour of our country, for the

glory of God, for my owne sal-

vation, and for the converting

to the true knowledge of God

and Jesus Christ, an unbelieving

creature, namely Pocahontas.”

—John Rolfe in a letter to Virginia

deputy governor Thomas Dale on

his reasons for marrying

Pocahontas

April 5

Pocahontas marries John Rolfe.

With the permission of the powerful Indian leader

Powhatan, John Rolfe, a wealthy Jamestown settler

(see entry for 1612), marries Powhatan’s daughter

Pocahontas (see entries for DECEMBER 1607 and

SPRING 1613) in a Christian ceremony. The wed-

ding is primarily an act of diplomacy, symbolizing

a truce between the Powhatan Indians and the

English. While it is unknown whether Pocahontas

entered the union voluntarily, the marriage produces

one child, Thomas Rolfe. For many generations,

prominent families in Virginia will trace their an-

cestries back to Thomas Rolfe and proudly claim

Pocahontas as an ancestor (see entry for 1924).

1615

August

Samuel de Champlain goes to live among

the Huron.

To solidify the allegiance between France and the

Huron, Samuel de Champlain (see entry for 1603)

travels to the Huron villages, where he lives until

the following spring. The Huron welcome Cham-

plain, who has earned their friendship by helping

them fight their Iroquois enemies (see entry for

1609). While staying with the Huron, the French

leader joins them in another successful raid on the

Iroquois near present-day Lake Ontario.

1616

Smallpox strikes New England.

Tribes throughout what is now New England fall

victim to a massive smallpox epidemic. The non-

Indian disease may have been spread to them by

whites fishing in coastal waters or by English slave

traders who raided Indian villages in present-day

Massachusetts two years earlier. Over the next three

years, Indians, who have no natural immunity to