Before the first white settlers were here more than two centuries ago, the lands of Franklin County (formerly Granville County) and surrounding areas were inhabited mainly by the Saponi and Occaneechi  (part of the Saponi Nation) and Tuscarora Indian tribes who lived and hunted these lands. The Occaneechi and the Haliwa Tribes became part of the Saponi Nation.

 The very first white settlers in our area were probably white pioneer hunters who came in from Virginia and lived among the Indians. But the fear of the numerous Indians in the area made the process of settlemnt very slow.  There is practically no evidence of the presence of white settlers in Granville until after the strength of the warlike Tuscaroras was broken in 1711. From that date on, the arrival of white settlers was steady. (See Granville Connections - Journal of the Granville County Gneralogical Society 1746, Inc. Volume 2 Number 1 - Winter 1996)

It is believed that in 1676, due to trouble over beaver skins and difficulties with the Susquehnna Indians, the Oconeechi Indians (who lived on Oconeechi Island in the Roanoke River) moved to the area around what is now Hillsboro; therefore, between 1676 and 1701 the entire tribe crossed over Granville County to the area where John Lawson (a surveyor and historian who made trips to the interior of North Carolina in the early 1700's.) found them in 1701.  (See Granville Connections - Journal of the Granville County Gneralogical Society 1746, Inc. Volume 2 Number 1 - Winter 1996)

The Tuscarora Indian Nation (believed to have been six tribes) occupied much of the North Carolina inner coastal plain at the time of the Roanoke Island colonies. They were considered the most powerful and highly developed tribes in North Carolina. The Tuscarora Upper Towns, those under the sway of Chief Tom Blount and occupying sites along the upper Neuse, Tar and Roanoke rivers had sufficiently profitable relations with white [colonists] to accept the new situation as long as they were not directly threatened. (See "Tuscarora Indians" by Thomas C. Parramore, 2006, Published on NCpedia https:www.ncpedia.org)

The Tuscarora Indians, a very warlike tribe, lived in the Granville District along the headwaters of the Neuse River in the  vicinity of Knapp of Reeds Creek. Granville (County) was part of the original home of the Tuscaroras and it was the hunting ground for several other tribes. (See Granville Connections - Journal of the Granville County Gneralogical Society 1746, Inc. Volume 2 Number 1 - Winter 1996)

The Occaneechi Indians were a tribe of American Indians who lived in the Piedmont region of what are now North Carolina and southern Virginia prior to European settlement. Although no written accounts of the Occaneechi language have survived, the tribe is thought to have spoken an eastern Siouan dialect like many of their Piedmont neighbors. The early Virginia historian Robert Beverley noted in 1705 believed that Occaneechi was the general language used by other Indians in the trade. (see "Occaneechi Indians", by R.P Stephen Davis Jr., 2006, Published on NCpedia https:www.ncpedia.org)

On through the 1700's, settlers drifted south from Virginia seeking new land for planting not only tobacco, but many other crops, many of them introduced to the settlers by the Native American Indians: corn, beans, sweet potatoes, squash, pumpkins, peanuts. Colonial settlers learned and adopted beneficial agricultural practices from these Native American Indians.

Through the years, many Indian relics have been found, especially near creeks and waterways. Relics found on Cedar Creek, farm of Dr. Walter Thomas were examined by experts who reported that an Indian Village must have been located in that vicinity in the valley east of "Mountain Hill" behind the old homestead which is on the old Simms property. Archeological investigations have uncovered the remains of small villages. These discoveries (graves, pottery, etc.) has yielded the belief that Iroquois war parties and European-introduced diseases had devastated the Occaneechi in the early eighteenth century. By 1712 portions of the Occaneechi had left the Eno River Valley area (Just west of Durham, N.C.) and moved to the northeast.

The ancestors of the Occaneechi-Saponi were an ancient people who collectively call themselves YESAH or the people. The YESAH originally came for lands to the west, over the Appalachian and Blue ridge Mountains in the area known today as the Ohio River Valley. As the Yesah settled in the new land to the East (Virginia and North Carolina) they formed numerous villages such as the Saponi, Totero and Occaneechi. During the Revolutionary War the Saponi people split into two factions, one siding with the British Crown and other stayed and fought on the American side. The side loyal to the Crown migrated north to New York. By 1790 the bulk of the remaining Saponi tribe migrated down the old Occaneechi trading paths onto their former lands near the Eno river in the northwest section of Orange County, NC.

Since 1980 the Occaneechi tribe has been involved with the research laboratories of Anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the excavation of the old Occaneechi village on the Eno River in Hillsboro, NC.  The Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation has expressed an interest in uncovering and preserving it rich cultural and historical legacy. Since 1985, the Occaneechi tribe has conducted extensive genealogical and historical research for the preparation of petitions for official state and federal recognition.

 The Occaneechi band of the Saponi Nation was recognized by the state of North Carolina in 2002. (Excerpts Courtesy of: WWW.OBSN.ORG   prepared by Forest & Lawrence A. Dunmore, III Esq.)

For further detailed history of journey of these native American people - See WWW.OBSN.ORG