Hatteras Tribe: Meaning unknown. Linguistic Connections – The Hatteras belonged to the Algonquian linguistic family.
Hatteras Location. Among the sandbanks about Cape Hatteras east of Pamlico Sound and frequenting Roanoke Island.
Hatteras Village. Sandbanks, on Hatteras Island.
Hatteras History. Lawson (1860) thought the Hatteras showed traces of White blood and therefore they may have been the Croatan Indians with whom Raleigh’s colonists are supposed to have taken refuge. They disappeared soon after as a distinct tribe and united with the mainland Algonquians. In 1761, the Rev. Alex. Stewart baptized 7 Indians and mixed-blood children of the” Attamuskeet, Hatteras, and Roanoke” tribes and 2 years later he baptized 21 more.
Hatteras Population. The Hatteras population has been estimated with the Machapunga and other tribes at 1,200 in 1600; they had 16 warriors in 1701, or a total population of about 80.
Connection in which they have become noted. The possible connection of the Hatteras with the Croatan has been mentioned and their name has become perpetuated in the dangerous cape at the angle of the outer sand islands of their old country.