Samuel Brown

"It is likely that Scottish merchants and factors became established on the shores of the Chesapeake in the latter half of the seventeenth century." ... "Among those immigrants identified are Able, James and Samuel Brown, brothers from Dumfries, who settled in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, before 1665." (Pg57,SCOT).

NOTE: It is not known if the Samuel in the above quote is the same family as the one that is later found among the Cherokee; but until/unless additional info is found, this paper will accept that these two are possibly related, perhaps father & son. If this is correct, then this Samuel BROWN, Sr. was actually Samuel II & this son would then be Samuel III. In any event, the following biography is about a Samuel BROWN who was a trader at Tuckasegee, North Carolina in 1714.

Samuel BROWN Sr. (bn. abt. 1675) had at least two sons, Samuel BROWN Jr. (bn. abt. 1698) & John BROWN (bn. abt. 1700). All three were involved with Indian trade. Association with Colonel James MOORE, perhaps participating in his military campaign against the Tuscarora (which consisted of 33 white men and some 850 Indians from various tribes) seems quite possible. Between 1711 and 1713 about 300 Cherokee warriors served with the South Carolina army of Colonel MOORE. In about 1714 Samuel BROWN Sr. became an Indian trader at the Cherokee village of Tuckasegee, North Carolina. James MOORE had an Indian wife. Samuel BROWN Sr. married a Cherokee woman. Samuel learned the language well and often served as interpreter. Chicken began his tour of Cherokee towns in Jul 1725.On Aug 26 two of Squirrel King�s NDNs overtook him at Tomassee in the Lower Cherokee country w/the intelligence that the Upper Creeks planned to attack the Cherokee Overhills towns. As much as anything else the warning amountd to a peace offering on the part of the Savannah Riv Chicks to their more numerous n bothersome neighbors. Col Chick refused to believe them; if the story was true, he assumed that he would have heard it from the proper source, the capt at Fort Moore. ,,, bull commissioned veteran chick trader JB to recruit a party of Samuel BROWN was a licensed trader at the Cherokee out town of Tuckasegee (Tsiksitsi), North Carolina. In 1725 Colonel George CHICKEN was sent to the Cherokee by the British to supervise trade and alienate the Cherokee from the French. After conferring with a group of Overhill Cherokee at Quanassee (near present Murphy, North Carolina), CHICKEN continued on with traders Eleazar WIGGAN (Old Rabbit) and Joseph COOPER past the Cherokee valley town of Tamantley (Tomantley, Tomotley, Tomatly) to Elejoy (Ellijay, Allagae). The headmen of five towns in the area received CHICKEN in a very friendly manner. One of the leading men present was the head warrior of Great Terriquo (Tellico). CHICKEN also visited Tunissee (Tenassee, Tonasee, Tennessee), where the "King of the Upper People" lived. (Cherokee Settlement map from �Cherokee People�.): CHICKEN summoned Samuel BROWN, Sr. (of Tuckasegee) to Keowee to answer questions. CHICKEN was investigating complaints of Indian abuses by certain traders. In particular he wanted to learn about John HEWITT & John SHARP. CHICKEN had heard HEWITT had been working for Samuel BROWN without a license (not true). CHICKEN�s questions about John SHARP were addressing complaints about SHARP mistreating Indians. (Samuel BROWN�s son, John, worked for John SHARP.) On 26 Aug 1725 John SHARP & Alexander McCORMICK were disbarred by CHICKEN from taking any �skines�. Also on that day Samuel BROWN Sr. was charged by Agent CHICKEN with the following: �You are hereby Authorized and required as soon as you Arrive in the Catabaw Nation to Inspect into the Lycences of all persons trading there and an Accot thereof to take and return to me on Oath as soon as possible as also an Accot of all persons Trading or residing in those parts without my leave or Lycence and all persons in the said Nation are hereby required to pay due Obedience to these my Orders as they will Answer the Contrary at their Peril.� Samuel was still a licensed trader at the Cherokee "out town" (middle or valley town) of Tuckasegee (Tsiksitsi), North Carolina. In 1733, upon learning about the trading village at Fort Moore, General James Edward OGLETHORPE, founder of the first Georgia colony at Savannah, persuaded Parliament to bind western trade to Georgia rather than South Carolina by requiring licenses for all traders. �A List of the Early Settlers of Georgia" by E. Merton COULTER & Albert B. SAYE, page 65, states Samuel Sr. was "an Indian Trader, who on 14 Jun 1736 had orders from Mr. Oglethorpe for a 500 acres lot and house in Fort Augusta". (Page 65 of the same source says Samuel BROWN Jr. was an "Inmate at Savannah on lot 51. Son of Saml. Brown of Augusta, Indian Trader." Also: �BROWN, Samuel. Plat 250 Acs. Craven County. 1/20/1735�. March 1738) Mr. Samuel Brown, one of our Indian Traders, being newly come to town out of the Cherokee Nation, principally to take frome advice about a wound which he got in his head among his fellow traders, was at the Club this evening, when I went thither, and he gave me the following Relation viz.- That besides the 500 acres of land he had at Augusta, and which he was intent upon improving of there was a small Island lying in the river (Savannah), betwixt that and New Windsor (and therefore in the Province of Georgia) which he said Mr. Oglethorpe had granted him to hold by Leafe, and that he had put several People upon it to cultivate land; but that the Carolina Governor of New Windsor had taken an opportunity to drive all his men off, alledging, that it was Part of Carolina, and he would plant it himself. I could fay little to it, but thought it worth Notice here. Mr. Caufton went for Ockfead in the afternoon, much disordered and feverish. Lt. Kent was commander of Ft. Augusta, Sept. 1738. Samuel is on a census at Augusta in 1738: A list of the whole Inhabitants of the Township of Augusta in Georgia: Samuel Brown 2 men 1 woman 1 child. Under date of Tuesday, September 19, 1738, Colonel William Stephens, writing at Savanah, enters this memorandum in his journal, kept for the information of the trustees: �Mr. Samuel Brown, one of our principal Traders in the Indian Nations, came to Town by way of Augusta, in a weak state of health; and as he was a Settler also at that Place, where he had built a House upon a Lot granted him, he had some Stay in his Way. I was sorry to hear by him that they were grown extream sickly thereabouts; that it came through Carolina by Degrees to their Settlement at New Windsor, and thence soon crossed to Augusta; that a great many were down in Fevers at his coming� � At the same Time I received a Letter from one John Miller, who keeps Stores at Augusta to serve the Indian Traders, acquainting me that the Inhabitants were settling in a very irregular Manner by building Stores on five hundred Acre Lots some Miles distant from each other up the path towards the Creeks; The reason for which is that the Out Parts have the Advantage and chance of intercepting the Customers of those who live in or near the Town of Augusta; but consequently He under greater Danger of being off by Enemies of any Sort; Whereas a collected Body of People would be better able to defend themselves, or retire and take the Benefit of the Fort; Moreover it will be in the Power of such Indian Traders as run in Debt with the settled Storekeepers to go to one of those out-lying Stores and be supplied, and then return to the Indian Nation, thereby defrauding their former Creditor who cannot bring them to regular Justice. Mr. Brown confirming this, I thought it worth Notice, and conceive it may be worth the Consideration of such as have Power to regulate it better.� (Lt. Kent-Commander of Ft. Augusta-Sept. 1738) Samuel Sr. certainly was onto something when he set up trade with the Cherokee in 1714. A horrible plague infected European cattle about 1709 to 1720. Northern France lost almost all its cattle; and England banned imports of cattle. This, of course, resulted in a shortage of leather; and the deer hide trade from America boomed.

Samuel Brown Sr.

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