Beginning about 1714, one of the first, if not the first, Indian Schools was at Fort Christanna on the Meherrin River above the Fall Line in the Virginia piedmont.
Hired by Governor Spotswood, Charles Griffin became the first and only schoolmaster for the Fort Christanna Indian School.
There were 78 Indian children held at the school within the years of 1714 and 1716, these included sons of leaders of Virginia and North Carolina tribes, including Meherrin children who were held at Fort Christina as hostages, to ensure that they and other Indian Nations would not attack the colonies.
In 1718, when Fort Christanna was closed, Charles Griffin was transferred to the William and Mary Indian School, apparently taking some of the students with him.
A list of Indian children that attended Fort Christanna is not known to exist.
