Betty, also known as Mrs Betty and Queen Betty, is believed to have been the name of the niece of
Cockacoeske who succeeded her as
Weroansqua or chief of the
Pamunkey
The Pamunkey Indian Tribe is one of 11 Virginia Indian tribal governments recognized by the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the state's first federally recognized tribe, receiving its status in January 2016. Six other Virginia tribal governments, t ...
tribe, a
Native American tribe of Virginia, in the late 1600s to early 1700s.
History
On 1 July 1686, the Council of Virginia was informed of the death of
Cockacoeske, ruler of the Pamunkey for 30 years:
Though the new ruler is described as Cockakoeske's niece, her name is not given. The name "Ms. Betty Queen ye Queen" appears in a land transaction of 1702, and by 1708 "
Queen Ann" is mentioned.
A Study of Virginia Indians and Jamestown: The First Century
Chapter four, by Martha W. McCartney for the National Park Service of the United States.
The ''Dictionary of Virginia Biography'' suggests that Betty and Ann may have been the same person:
References
People of the Powhatan Confederacy
17th-century women rulers
18th-century women rulers
Female Native American leaders
Tribal chiefs
Pamunkey people
17th-century Native American women
18th-century Native American women
18th-century Native Americans
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