The Choptank (or Ababco) were an Algonquian-speaking Native American people that historically lived on the

Eastern Shore of Maryland The Eastern Shore of Maryland is a part of the U.S. state of Maryland that lies mostly on the east side of the Chesapeake Bay. Nine counties are normally included in the region. The Eastern Shore is part of the larger Delmarva Peninsula tha ...

on the

Delmarva Peninsula The Delmarva Peninsula, or simply Delmarva, is a large peninsula and proposed state on the East Coast of the United States, occupied by the vast majority of the state of Delaware and parts of the Eastern Shore regions of Maryland and Virginia. ...

. They occupied an area along the lower Choptank River basin, which included parts of present-day

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, Dorchester and Caroline counties. They spoke

Nanticoke Nanticoke may refer to: * Nanticoke people in Delaware, United States * Nanticoke language, an Algonquian language * Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape, a state-recognized tribe in New Jersey Place names Canada * Nanticoke, Ontario ** Nanticoke Generating S ...

, an

Eastern Algonquian language The Eastern Algonquian languages constitute a subgroup of the Algonquian languages. Prior to European contact, Eastern Algonquian consisted of at least 17 languages, whose speakers collectively occupied the Atlantic coast of North America and adj ...

closely related to

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

. The Choptank were the only Indians on the Eastern Shore to be granted a reservation in fee simple by the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

colonial government. They retained the land until 1822, when the state of Maryland sold it, in part to pay for the state's share of the

District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

History

The name Choptank is thought to be from the Nanticoke word ''tshapetank:'' a stream that separates, or place of big current. The Algonquian-speaking Choptank were independent, but they were related in culture and language to the

, the larger

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immediately to their south, which was dominant on the Eastern Shore. After the arrival of English colonists, the tribes' histories took different paths. The Choptank maintained good relations with the European settlers. Eventually they were assimilated into the mainstream society through intermarriage. Like many other small tribes, they ceased to exist as a separate entity, although their descendants survive. The only Indian reservation which the English established in fee simple on the Eastern Shore was the Choptank Indian Reservation in 1669. The territory included what later became the city of

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

, the county seat of Dorchester County. The last town in Dorchester County occupied by the Choptank was Locust Neck Indian Town, which they left about 1790. In 1822, the state of Maryland sold the land of the reservation for development. The state used some of the proceeds to pay its share of contribution to the formation of the District of Columbia The

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''Choptank'' was named after the tribe. It served from 1918 until 1946. The towns of

Choptank, Maryland Choptank is an unincorporated town and census-designated place on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, in Caroline County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 129. The town was founded in the 17th century. It is loca ...

, and Choptank Mills, Delaware,Placenames - Choptank Mills, Kent County, Delaware, U.S.A.
are named after the river. Fictional members of the tribe are characters in the early chapters of James Michener's 1978 novel, '' Chesapeake''.

References

{{authority control Eastern Algonquian peoples Extinct Native American tribes Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands Nanticoke tribe Native American history of Maryland Native American tribes in Maryland Lenape Algonquian ethnonyms

History

See also

References