Native American roots run deep in Hyde; much is unknown

Part one of a two-part series on the legacy of the early Hyde people.

Traces of history lie in the names.

The surname Macy, for example.

While linguistically Scots-Irish, in the Hyde County area, McKee is well documented as being related to the Matamoskiites, Ramona Brown said.

Her great-uncle on her mother’s side, Napoleon Mackey, is a Native American who was interviewed and cited by archaeologist Patrick H. Garrow in his 1975 publication, “The Matamoski Documents: A Study in Social History.” At nearly 200 pages, it is probably the most comprehensive study yet conducted on the Matamoskiet tribe.

Brown said Mackey lived “behind the lake itself in a little town called Fairfield”. “I remember as a kid I used to go there a lot, especially on holidays.”

During his visit, she remembered her mother and grandfather telling stories about Lake Matamoskite. “The grandfather—he was born in 1904—told us that that lake was actually a dry land, and he said that his ancestors… actually were able to walk in that area. Over time, it became a natural lake.”

Brown, who has worked in journalism for 40 years, noted that when she researched the history of the lake, what she found supported the oral traditions shared by her grandfather. Brown, who grew up in Beaufort County and now lives in…