John Lawson (explorer)

John Lawson (born December 27, 1674 in London , † September 1711 in Carolina ) was an English explorer , adventurer and writer. From 1700 Lawson was instrumental in the exploration and development of the northern part of the former British colony of Carolina, now the US state of North Carolina .

Life

Little is known of Lawson's life prior to his arrival in Carolina. He was the son of Dr. John Lawson and [Isabella] Love and, according to the preface to his work, was well educated.

He traveled to America in 1700 and arrived in Charleston on August 15th . On December 28 of the same year, Lawson started a two-month expedition up the Santee River in a canoe with five other British and various Indian guides to explore the then unknown country north of Charleston. The expedition ended about 1,000 kilometers further north at the mouth of the Pamlico River (now in Beaufort County ). During the expedition, Lawson made extensive notes, which he published in 1709 (see below).

At the end of the expedition, Lawson purchased land in the area where the expedition ended and worked there initially privately, then as a surveyor on behalf of the colonial administration . At that time, some scattered Europeans were already settling in the area. Lawson's possessions grew into North Carolina's first permanent settlement, Bath , which soon flourished and became North Carolina's main port of call. Lawson was involved in 1710 with the Swiss Christoph von Graffenried and Franz Ludwig Michel in the founding of the second oldest city in North Carolina, New Bern , by Swiss and German immigrants.

Lawson was kidnapped and killed by the Tuscarora in 1711 after they discovered that Lawson had tried to take advantage of them in a trade. This event led to a deterioration in the climate between the Europeans and the Tuscarora and thus contributed to the outbreak of the Tuscarora War , which after the initial successes of the Tuscarora ended with their expulsion.

A New Voyage to Carolina

Lawson worked out the notes he had made during the expedition during a stay in London in 1709. He published it in the same year under the title A New Voyage to Carolina . It contains a diary-like chronicle of the expedition as well as a map and detailed descriptions of the flora and fauna of North Carolina. The publication also contains a largely unbiased account of the customs of the Indian tribes with whom he met and a short dictionary of the language of the Tuscarora Indians . Lawson's records are the oldest available documents dealing with an Iroquois language after those of the French Jacques Cartier . The book became a bestseller , appeared in several editions, also under the title The History of Carolina , and was among others. a. translated into French and German . The widespread use of the plant attracted many settlers to North Carolina and thus contributed to the colony's rapid development.

Web links

• John Lawson: A New Voyage to Carolina, London 1709. E-Text , Gutenberg Project
• Biography John Lawson
• American Philosophical Society Exhibition