Raleigh
Dec 3, 2015
The image of Blackbeard as a bloodthirsty criminal has its origins in "A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates," written in 1724. Historian Baylus Brooks examines the legend of Blackbeard in a newly released 46 page pamphlet published by the Historical Publications Section of the N.C. Office of Archives and History. In "Blackbeard Reconsidered: Mist's Piracy, Thache's Genealogy," Brooks finds a gentleman instead.Brooks cites Nathaniel Mist as presenting only the last two years of Blackbeard's life in "A General History of the Pyrates," yet that representation came to be accepted by scholars for centuries. Even Blackbeard's origins and name were a mystery. Was it Edward Teach or Thatch? Was he from Bristol, England or some other locale?
Official government records in Jamaica and Church of England records provided Brooks new insight into the identity of Blackbeard that allowed him to present the immediate lineage of Edward Thache, a respected resident of Spanish Town, Jamaica. Blackbeard's actions now can be placed in an appropriate historical context. This genealogical research is enhanced by Blackbeard's family tree contained in the publication, along with information on when the family moved to Jamaica.
It is undeniable that Blackbeard died Nov. 22, 1718, in a bloody battle with Royal Navy Lt. Robert Maynard near Ocracoke. This after his flagship, Queen Anne's Revenge, had been, perhaps purposefully, run aground near Beaufort in June 1718, following his one year as America's most feared pirate captain.
"A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates," was penned under the name Capt. Charles Johnson. For many years Johnson was believed to be Daniel Defoe and, more recently, Nathaniel Mist. Like much else associated with Blackbeard, questions arise.
This Historical Publications Section of the N.C. Office of Archives and History is within the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.