Timeline 1700

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1700

East. About 500 of the 3500 whites in South Carolina were French Huguenot protestant refugees. French traders solicited business from the Cherokee; but the English gave them firearms. The country about the mouth of Hiwassee River (Tennessee) was held by the Creek. Major Cherokee settlements were further north, on the Little Tennessee River.

John LAWSON set off from Charleston on a 59-day venture into the Carolina frontier (Journal). He reported that every river he encountered had Indian inhabitants, each with its own ruler and customs. Often the nation bore the name of the river. The Santee, the Congaree, the Wateree, the Waxhaw, the Catawba, the Eno, the Meherrin, the Neuse, the Sapona and the Pamlico were all nations as well as waterways.

LAWSON (1700-01 expedition) wrote about the Savanna band of Shawnee. He mentioned them in connection with the Congaree & said they lived "to the south end of Ashley river". He also said they used to live on the banks of the Mississippi and "removed thence to the head of one of the rivers of South Carolina, since which, for some dislike, most of them are removed to live in the quarters of the Iroquois or Sinnagars (Seneca) (by Chesapeak Bay)".

1702

East. The first Europeans in Alabama were the Spanish & then the French. Mobile was founded. The French ruled the area until 1763 when the English took it.

1704

East. In the winter months came rumors that the Tuscarora were plotting with other tribes to destroy the Carolina colonists. Worried Pamlico River residents appealed to the government for protection. Robert DANIEL , deputy governor, called in various tribal leaders to a meeting. Peace prevailed for a short time.

Thru DANIEL's initiative the assembly passed a law making the Episcopal Church the state church of the North Carolina province. Settlers, especially the Baptist & Quaker groups, were outraged. Religious freedom was highly important to them. The Presbyterians of South Carolina sent John ASHE to London to protest the Episcopal law. It was annulled by Her Majesty, Queen Anne.

1710

East. Anglo settlements in North Carolina spread down the coast and along the riverbanks as far south as the Neuse River. Growth would pretty much remain confined to the coast for the next twenty years. A Frenchman, Charles CHARLEVILLE, set up a trading post in an old 1690s Shawnee stockade at French Lick, half a mile from the future Nashboro (Nashville), Tennessee.

Some German and Swiss established a settlement on the Neuse River in Tuscarora country (North Carolina). In turn, the Tuscarora asked Pennsylvania for permission to move there. Pennsylvania responded by asking the Tuscarora to first provide a certificate from the North Carolina government regarding their good behavior. "Their failure to obtain the certificate resulted in one of the great tragedies of North Carolina history. Unable to escape oppression, the Tuscarora turned in violence against their oppressors."(IWSC)

1711

East. In North Carolina the Tuscarora killed John LAWSON (mentioned above), sticking him all over with pitch pine splinters before setting him ablaze. A key player in the Tuscarora War, Chief John HANCOCK, from Catechna (near today's Grifton), led an attack on New Bern and other settlements. Hundreds were killed; homes and crops were destroyed. The Tuscarora War was fought in North Carolina during the autumn of 1711 until 11 February 1715 between the British, Dutch, and German settlers and the Tuscarora. An upper Tuscarora clan, led half-breed King Tom BLOUNT, turned Chief HANCOCK over to some settlers who hung him. Colonial militia destroyed many Tuscarora villages & took hundreds of prisoners. This bloody war raged on for three years.

1712

East. The English proprietors divided Carolina into North and South, placing North Carolina under a separate governor. South Carolina petitioned the king for removal from the proprietorship; and South Carolina was eventually placed under royal control. For their role in the Tuscarora War, Tom BLOUNT & his people were assigned a tract of land as a token of gratitude. This reservation was first located south of Albemarle Sound but was later changed to a region known as "Indian Woods" in Bertie County.

1713

East. Between 1711 and 1713 about three hundred Cherokee warriors served with the South Carolina army of Colonel James MOORE against the Tuscarora, helping drive them north towards the Great Lakes. Some Tuscarora sought refuge among the Iroquois. In a final battle, Colonel MOORE led his men, aided by Yamassee, into the village of Neoheroka (North Carolina).

The conquest of the Tuscarora removed a great danger from the settlements in Carolina. Regarding the role of the Cherokee in the Tuscarora War, the English, Spanish & French all took notice. As contenders for ultimate control of the future U.S., all three of these nations would now set about to deliberately "court" the Cherokee.

1714

East. Cherokee War Chief Bull Head led the Cherokee in defeating the Creek at Pine Island, near present Guntersville, Alabama. The site later became the Cherokee settlement of Creek Path. There was a trader at Tuckaseegee named Samuel BROWN. (Side note: Two brothers, John BROWN & Samuel BROWN, are found in "Scottish Emigrants to the U.S.A."; but the dates are unclear. John went to Florida & then Georgia before 1760. He is listed as a merchant accompanying William IRWIN. John BROWN had family members listed as Mary BROWN, Katherine BROWN & Susanna BROWN. John is also shown as "brother of Samuel B. in Alabama." Samuel BROWN is shown as �brother of John B.� and is listed as �Trader, Choctaw Nation.� He went to Georgia and then to Alabama before 1765. The record does not say how much "before". Another Scottish emigrant record lists a Jacobite prisoner named John BROWN. He was transported to Virginia on 29 Jun 1716. Some other Jacobite prisoners are known to have come from Virginia to become packhorsemen in South Carolina.)

1715

East. An alliance between the Cherokee & the Chickasaw was successful in pushing the Shawnee back across the Ohio. Abuses by Indian traders resulted in the Yamassee War. About 400 settlers were killed. Together, the Yamassee & the Catawba nearly wiped out the South Carolina colony. Trade business stopped for a time. A resident of Albemarle, Colonel Maurice MOORE (brother of Colonel James MOORE), led a force of cavalry & infantry south to help the South Carolinians. Colonel George CHICKEN made his first visit to the area. He would return.

1716

East. Fort MOORE was built "up the River of the Savanoes" by the colonial militia for the protection of Savanna Town (named for the Savanna band of Shawnee). The fort was built at the site of the abandoned Savanna village. Trade goods were transported from Charleston to Fort Moore where friendly Indians promised to bring their wares to sell. Captain T. HASTINGS, John SHARP & Sam MUCKLERY controlled the factory at Fort Moore. From here, Carolina traders also carried goods to the distant Creek & Choctaw nations.

1717

East. Fort Toulouse was built near Montgomery, Alabama. French traders were dealing with the Overhill Cherokee at the Cumberland River from its mouth near the Ohio. John BROWN was a packhorseman on the payroll of the Savannah factory of Fort MOORE. His supervisor was John SHARP. Many of the Anglo traders & packhorsemen were marrying Native Americans.

1718

East. The Carolina colonists sent the last proprietary governor home & requested that the king take over the colony. John MOORE served as governor until 1721.

1720

West. Phillippe Francois RENAULT uncovered rich deposits of lead at the confluence of the Big & Merrimac rivers (Missouri), which then led to rapid expansion of that area. He brought in the first enslaved Africans to the lead mines.

East. It seems there was always intense rivalry between England & France over the fur trade in America. The Cherokee trade became so eagerly sought by both countries that it even caused "splits" within the Cherokee Nation. "So long as the French colony of Louisiana remained in a feeble and thriftless condition, the English of Carolina were content only to annoy it occasionally; but now that it gave signs of durable vitality, under the auspices of a powerful company, they began to oppose it with the fiercest hostility. Rivalry in trade, together with the national jealousy, fomented quarrels, and caused blood to flow between the coureurs de bois (French "runners of the woods") and the English. (Most the runners lived among the Cherokee and often married into the Nation.)

"The French traders also met the latter in all parts of the Indian nations, within the limits of the present states of Alabama and Mississippi. Each contended for the patronage of the savages, and each endeavored to expel the other from these situations where they had established themselves." The Carolina traders, many of whom had quartered themselves in the Chickasaw towns, arrayed that tribe in war against the French, and they committed the first act of hostility, by the murder of a French officer sent among them to cultivate friendship.

1721

West. YUNWI-USGASETI (Dangerous Man) is said to have moved west to escape the white's insatiable appetite for land. His people became known as the "Lost Cherokee". A group of chiefs representing thirty-seven Cherokee towns met at Charleston with Sir Francis NICOLSON, the first British governor of South Carolina, and reached agreements concerning territorial boundaries. There being no supreme head among the Cherokee, NICOLSON appointed a chief named WROSETASATOW as such. He was also known as OUTACITE or MANKILLER. Altho white settlements were still east of the Appalachian Mountains, the common danger of white aggression aided the Cherokee in wanting to unite.

This was a departure from their past. OUTACITE was the first principal chief in their known history to attempt to represent all the Cherokee people. Up until now the Cherokee form of government was sort of a loose confederacy which consisted of many chiefs. Factional strife prevented any one chief of acquiring absolute control within their Nation. The clans sent delegated chiefs to a national council which in turn selected peace and war chiefs for their widely scattered towns. These far-flung communities had been mostly independent of each other and, to a large extent, a law unto themselves.

1722

East. Richard SHELTON was given a baron of 12,000 acres for 21 years service to South Carolina. (Date conflict. See 1734.)

West. Hearing stories of gold and silver, Frenchmen RENAULT & LaMOTTE explored near present day Potosi, Washington, Missouri. Lead was found in abundance. The French established Fort Orleans on the Missouri River (west of Jefferson City).

1723

West. Considered Missouri's oldest, Mine La Motte lead mine was established at Farmington, Missouri, by RENAULT & LaMOTTE. RENAULT purchased a large number of black slaves at Santo Domingo. The slaves had been brought there from Africa by the Spaniards. They were experienced in mining gold and silver. These were then taken from Santo Domingo to Fort Chartres, on the Illinois side of the Mississippi.

1724

East. There were about 14,000 whites and 32,000 slaves in the province of South Carolina.

1725

East. Colonel George CHICKEN was sent to the Cherokee by the British to supervise trade and alienate the Cherokee from the French. CHICKEN had been in Cherokee country in 1715. 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) to Elejoy. 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). He also visited Tunisee (Tenassee, Tonasee, Tennessee), where the "King of the Upper People" lived.

CHICKEN summoned Samuel BROWN to Keowee to answer questions. He was investigating complaints of Indian abuse by certain traders, especially that of John BROWN's supervisor, John SHARP. That might be a clue that this Samuel was related to the John BROWN (000 1695-1760) who was the packhorseman. Samuel was then a licensed trader at the Cherokee "out town" of Tuckaseegee (Tsiksitsi), North Carolina.

West. Mine a'Breton lead mine was established at Potosi, Missouri.

1727

East. There seems a 000John BROWN that is chief after this date. (I've lost my source but will post it when I relocate it.) The government of South Carolina invited the Chickasaw Nation to move from Mississippi to South Carolina. Only a small band of about 100 under the leadership of Chief Squirrel KING responded. They settled at Horse Creek, about a mile upriver from Fort MOORE. They remained there until the Revolutionary War.

1729

East. All the proprietors except Lord CARTERET sold to the crown their interest in Carolina.

1730

East. Royal Governor of South Carolina, Robert JOHNSON, ordered that 11 townships be laid out. The one at Fort MOORE was called New Windsor. There were land incentives for property along the Santee and Edisto rivers. Pamphlets were circulated in Switzerland, Holland and Germany inviting folks to Orangeburg, Congaree and Wateree. Other folks came from the British Isles.

Sir Alexander CUMING arrived among the Overhills. An energetic young Englishman of nobility (Scotish baron), CUMING had come to Charleston in 1729 hopeful of recuperating his family fortunes, which had fallen on hard times. Encouraged by his wife, who had a dream that her husband would do great things among the Cherokee, CUMING now made a daring, extended journey among them and won the friendship of their chiefs and warriors. Accompanied only by a guide, CUMING proceeded to Keowee (near Clemson, South Carolina). There, against the advice of traders, and armed with guns and sword, he brazenly entered the town council house during a meeting of some three hundred elders. When CUMING wildly threatened to burn down the council house if the Cherokee did not recognize King GEORGE II, traders such as Ludovic GRANT expected the worst. CUMING's audacity, however, overwhelmed the Cherokee leaders; and they (on bent knee) pledged their loyalty to the Crown of England & against the French in North America.

WROSETASATOW had died the previous year. Since the Cherokee Nation had no single head of government, CUMING appointed Chief MOYTOY (meaning Water Conjuror or Rainmaker) of Tellico as "Emperor" of the Cherokee. He also recruited a delegation of seven Cherokee leading men and warriors from Tellico to travel with him to Charleston and thence to England to meet King GEORGE II. The two most notable of these were the head warrior of Tassetchee, who was the highest ranked of the group and was generally accepted by the English as "King" of the Cherokee, the Oukah ULAH, and Ookounaka (Oukandekah), who later became famous as ATTAKULLAKULLA or The Little Carpenter. Others were KETAGUSTA, TATHTIOWIE, CLOGITTAH, COLLANAH, and OUNAKANNOWIE. The party was accompanied to England by interpreter Eleazer WIGGAN.

The Cherokee representatives met with the king of England & laid before him the tribal "crown of Tannasee," which "consists of the tails of the female opossum, put together in the form of a wig," plus four scalps of their enemies and five eagles' tails of peace. King GEORGE expressed his pleasure with the gift. He afterward escorted the American visitors to a gallery overlooking the castle terrace. When one of them spied a huge elk grazing in the park, he offered to display his skill with a bow and arrow. The king declined to have his stag shot. At the king's expense, the Indians were given a banquet of mutton at the Mermaid Inn, then provided lodging at Covent Garden. Their total stay was four months, plus a month (each way) at sea. Sir Alexander CUMING was not permitted to return with them.

1733

East. When General James Edward OGLETHORPE, founder of the first Georgia colony at Savannah, learned about the trading village at Fort MOORE, he persuaded Parliament to bind western trade to Georgia rather than South Carolina by requiring licenses for all traders.

1734

East. Dr. John BRICKELL was sent by the General Assembly to explore the mountain region of western North Carolina. He wrote a book about the North Carolina of that day. He later wrote about his travels among the Cherokee. Tsi'yu-gunsini (Dragging Canoe) was born about 1734 in the Overhill settlements which is now Monroe County TN. He was the son of Attakullakulla and was a fierce warrior pockmarked by smallpox as a young child.

From The State Records of North Carolina Collection of Walter Clark, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of NC, Volume XXI (Richard SHELTON is mentioned several times beginning as secretary to the Board of Trades in 1713.):

"Wednesday July 24, 1734, Mr. Shelton attending acquainted the Board that he had a Warrant from the late Lords Proprietors of Carolina granting him 12,000 acres of land but that the Gov having lately refused to give directions to the Surveyor to set out the said land he desired the Board would please to order the Gov to set out the said land."

"November 6, 1734, An Order of the Com of Council of Nov 1, 1734 refer to the Board Mr Shelton's petition & a warrant from the Late Lords Prop granting him a Barony in South Carolina and praying a confirmation of the same was read & directions were given for prepare Dft of a Report in favor thereof which was sign'd on 19 Nov 1734."

1735

East. �The Cherokee towns were now swarming with the half-breed offspring from this opportune amalgamation of the vigorous, unadulterated English stock with the more beautiful and robust of the Indian females.� �The English were at this time conducting a lucrative commerce with the Chickasaw and a portion of the Creeks.� �Hundreds of pack-horses, pack-saddles and curious looking men in half-savage garbs, together with huge piles of packed merchandize, ready for conveyance to the Indian country.� �The regular experienced English trader was a man of no ordinary traits of character. He was always remarkable for enterprise, shrewdness, courage, and an astonishing fertility of expedients." "He encountered many risks as well as hardships both on the lonely trading path and in the Indian country while in the exciting pursuit of his favorite calling.� History of Upper Carolina 1735.

West. The (first) permanent settlement at St. Genevieve, Missouri, was established.

1736

East. The South Carolina lieutenant governor issued trader's licenses to those engaged in the hide trade; but this was difficult to enforce. Altho Savanna Town was now but a landing on the Carolina shore of the Savannah River (about 100 miles upstream of the present city of Savannah, Georgia), this little village was still an important terminus of the hide trade. Rivalry between Georgia & South Carolina over trade resulted in some harassment of the Carolina traders by Governor OGLETHORPE's militia of Georgia. OGLETHORPE built Augusta and garrisoned it with a detachment of soldiers to protect the village from Indians, Spaniards and French. A party of Frenchmen visited the Cherokee Overhill towns. Though shunned by ATTAKULLAKULLA, who strongly relished his visit with King GEORGE, OCONOSTOTA, the Great Warrior of Chota, and some others flew the French flag from atop their houses. Christian PRIBER went to Tellico, learned to speak Cherokee & married Moytoy's daughter. He also set up his Kingdom of Paradise society with a confederation of Catawba, Chickasaw, Creek, Choctaw & Cherokee.

1738

East. ATTAKULLAKULLA was captured by the proFrench Ottawa. He spent 6-7 years in their captivity.

1741

East. Emperor MOYTOY was killed in battle.

1743

East. David SHELTON & Lewis SHELTON were in Wateree Township in South Carolina.

1745

East. In the eyes of the British, the Cherokee were still without a central head when the newly appointed royal governor of South Carolina, James GLEN, arrived at Charleston. GLEN was greeted by a delegation of some two hundred Cherokee who had been summoned there for the occasion. British officials appointed Moytoy's thirteen-year-old son, AMMONSCOSSITTEE, to succeed his father. AMMONSCOSSITTEE was provided a royal reception, with cannons booming, as the governor's coach carried him to the capitol to be enthroned as the new emperor of the Cherokee (in the eyes of the British). After placing a silk and fur crown on the boy's head and then receiving Cherokee headmen of various towns, the governor displayed the treaty that had been made in London in 1730. AMMONSCOSSITTEE & OLD HOP both claimed leadership. Much movement into North Carolina by white settlers began about now and continued for the next fifteen years.

1746

East. Choctaw War Chief Red SHOES formed an alliance with the British & touched off the Choctaw Civil Wars. The French governor assassinated Red SHOES. John VANN presented the government of South Carolina a bill for expenses incurred in dealing with the Cherokee. Goods were brought to the Upper Creek town of Wewoccaws.

1748

East. James ADAIR asked Governor GLEN for a trade monopoly with the Choctaw & later the Chickasaw. John VANN of the Ninety-Six community was hired to transport ammo to the Choctaw, Chickasaw & Creek. Dr. Thomas WALKER was sent by the Loyal Land Company of Virginia into Tennessee. WALKER went to the present Kingsport where he noted bison trails. He then went into Kentucky thru the Cumberland Gap, which he named after the Duke of Cumberland.

1749

East. While crossing middle Georgia, ADAIR fell in with a party of "the French Shawano" (Savanna) who, under Cherokee guidance, were on their way to attack English traders near Augusta. These Savanna were described as being friends of the Cherokee.

1750

East. There is a new generation John BROWN, packhorseman on the Savannah factory payroll, along with Jerome COURTOUNE. BROWN & COURTOUNE teamed up as trade partners. John GUNTER came to Great Bend, probably Mr. BROWN went at the same time to Creek Path. GUNTER married Catherine (Ghegoheli), Chief Bushyhead's daughter.

West. The Ogala moved into South Dakota near the Missouri River. There was also trading with the Arikara.

1751

East. The RAVEN was now head man of Hiwassee. James BEAMER (BEAMOR) outfitted seven Indians from Toogalo for their winter hunt in exchange for skins. John VANN was trading exclusively with the Cherokee and ran an establishment near Ninety-Six Creek including the "unsavory characters" of three negros, a mulatto and a half-breed Indian. Retired Indian trader, Isaac CLOUD, made his home on a branch of the Little Saluda. The head of the stream was called Cloud Creek. At this place were several springs from the Congeree to Fort MOORE and from Ninety-Six to Orangeburg. All the CLOUD family were murdered save Mary, wife of Isaac.

From an Upper Creek settlement John BROWN & Jerome COURTOUNE wrote to Daniel CLARK regarding problems with the Choctaw. ATTAKULLAKULLA often "faced dangerous opposition from his own people for supporting the British". It is recorded that ATTAKULLAKULLA a half-blood named Johnny's Brother became engaged in a quarrel, severely injuring ATTAKULLAKULLA. When it was rumored AMMONSCOSSITTEE of Tellico tried to sell Cherokee northern hunting grounds to Virginia, Old HOP (Connecorte) of Chota managed to gain some power over AMMONSCOSSITTEE. As the new Beloved Man, Old HOP led a delegation to Williamsburg, Virginia, to speak to Governor Lewis BURWELL regarding matters of trade.

1752

East. Gabriel & Jacob BROWN live next to a SHELTON at Rangers Lodge, North Carolina, at Broad River (now Anson County, Brown Creek below Great Shoals). (No. 12 - Gabriel BROWN, 200 Acres, Issued April 3, 1752, Book No. 2, Page No. 6. Location: S side of BROAD River at the mouth of a LONG Creek. Said known as RANGERS LODGE.) ("at the mouth of a large creek on the south west side of Broad River and known formerly by the name of Rangers Lodge now Browns Creek, originally granted to Gabriel Brown by a North Carolina grant 10 April 1752 supposed at that time to lie in Anson county, North Carolina") (SCUNION Archives 1168990271 Anson County Microfilm No. S 108.399 Warrants, Surveys, and Related Documents 1-909 Secretary of State, Land Grant Office North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC Part 1)

1753

East. John BROWN, John BUCKLES & John TANNER wrote to John PETTYROW about more problems with the Choctaw. They mentioned concerns for the "safety for their wives and children". South Carolina Indian Affairs Documents Governor GLEN hosted a delegation of Cherokee leaders headed by ATTAKULLAKULLA. GLEN complained about abuses by the Creek Nation. ATTAKULLAKULLA complained about abuses by South Carolina traders.

1754

East. Patrick HENRY married Sarah SHELTON at Rural Plains, Virginia. Canadian French advanced south & seized the forks of the Ohio. They took over & finished building Fort Duquesne (later Fort Pitt & then Pittsburgh) at the conflux of the Ohio, the Allegheny & the Monongahela rivers. Governor Robert DINWIDDIE (a former Scot merchant) dispatched 21-year-old George WASHINGTON to "warn the French away". When that didn't work, he called the Virginia militia into service. He also made alliances with various tribes for support of a campaign against the French. Nathaniel GIST (recommended by George WASHINGTON, also 21 years old) was sent to Chota to offer Virginia trade for Cherokee fighting men.

Virginia's governor & South Carolina's governor had different intentions regarding the Cherokee. South Carolina wanted protection against attack & Virginia desired using the Cherokee in an offensive to drive the French from the Ohio country. The two governors quarreled about the construction of a fort among the Overhills. Virginia only paid one thousand of the seven thousand pounds South Carolina had requested. Fort Prince George was built among the Lower Cherokee near Keowee.

1755

East. Whites along the Yadkin & Catawba rivers were attacked by Cherokee from Settico. Afterwards, Old HOP & Little CARPENTER sent peace messengers to the English. Considerable Cherokee land was ceded by warriors & headmen in a meeting with Governor James GLEN. Spokesperson for the Cherokee was CHULOCHCULLAK at a meeting at Saluda (25 miles northwest of Greeneville, South Carolina). Old HOP agreed to cede Cherokee land in South Carolina (amounting to the western fourth of the state). Governor GLEN responded by directing Fort Prince George be built on the land of the Catawba, far up the headwaters of the Savannah River, on the Cherokee path near Keowee. (Fort MOORE was built about 170 miles further down, just below and opposite Augusta.)

The British & the French continued their rival courting of Indian tribes to sway support in their favor. On 2 Jul 506 Cherokee chiefs, headmen & warriors gathered in a grove of trees near Saluda for a meeting with Governor GLEN. It was this day when ATTAKULLAKULLA became known as a great orator & spokesperson for his people. OCONOSTOTA led an expedition against the French & their Indian allies in the Illinois-Wabash country. He was the "first warrior" of Chota. He also commanded about 500 warriors in a campaign against the Creek. He drove the Creek out of northern Georgia. At the battle at Taliwa, Nancy WARD earned her title as War Woman of Chota when she fought after her first husband, KINGFISHER, was killed. Nancy was the niece of ATTAKULLAKULLA & later married Brian WARD, an Irish trader. OSTENACO OUTACITE or MANKILLER (also known as Judd's Friend because he saved the life of a white man) took 130 men north to help protect the Virginia frontier from the Shawnee.

1756

East. Virginia commissioners Peter RANDOLPH & William BYRD were sent to the Catawba & the Cherokee to recruit more fighters. They met the Cherokee on the French Broad River in North Carolina. They offered to build a school for Cherokee boys; but the elders wanted a fort instead, explaining that once the men knew their women & children would be safe, they would be willing to leave them & go fight. OSTENACO joined with a 250-man Virginia force in a campaign against the Shawnee. The Virginia force fell apart after their canoes overturned and dumped much of their armament & supplies into the river. Major Andrew LEWIS was sent by Virginia to Chota to build a fort. Altho he was welcomed by Old HOP. there was dissension.

With the French & Indian War came fierce competition among various tribes. LEWIS built a log fort on the north bank of the Little Tennessee a mile above Chota. Afterwards he recommended to DINWIDDIE that he crush the Cherokee into submission. Governor GLEN was being replaced. Before leaving office GLEN sent Captain Raymond DEMERE to Fort Prince George for repairs. Then DEMERE was assigned to move on to Chota. He arrived there with two hundred troops and a long packhorse train loaded with materials, supplies & presents. Old HOP's captive servant, French JOHN, was considered a French agent.

ATTAKULLAKULLA had risen in power dramatically. There was rivalry between him and Old HOP. William DeBRAHM, a German engineer, was part of DEMERE's party. So was Captain John STUART. STUART was commander of a company of South Carolina provincials. DeBRAHM began constructing a fort on a narrow ridge near the conflux of the Tellico & the Little Tennessee (south of present day Knoxville). The new post was named Fort Loudoun in honor of the Earl of Loudoun. Fort Loudoun was the westernmost English outpost for three years. It was abandoned at the outbreak of the Cherokee War & reoccupied after 1761.

Of the older John BROWN�s character, Daniel PEPPER wrote Governor William Henry LYTTELTON from Ockchoy, Upper Creeks in 1756: �I have known Brown from a boy. He is a sober and careful man, has distinguished himself bravely in war with the Chickasaws against their enemies and has conduct and courage sufficient in their way." Also in a letter to Governor LYTTELTON, PEPPER spoke of John BROWN as "being a half-breed by a Cherokee woman." In his letter, PEPPER requested that BROWN be given a commission as captain & command over a company of Chickasaw at Bread Camp.

Chief Bowl (also known as Duwali, Diwal'li, Chief Bowles, Colonel Bowles, Bold Hunter, and the Bowl), the principal chief of the Cherokees in Texas, was born in North Carolina around 1756. He was the son of a Scottish father and a full-blooded Cherokee mother. Duwali was leader of a village at Little Hiwassee (in western North Carolina).

1760

East. A major military expedition under Colonel Archibald MONTGOMERY with 1200 soldiers marched from Charleston to relieve Fort Loudoun. The column was ambushed in the mountains north of Keowee. The Army burned a few towns and hastily fell back to Charleston. Fort Loudon in eastern Tennessee fell to the Cherokee and the garrison was massacred. Twenty-three settlers were killed three miles outside the present site of Troy, South Carolina, in what is known as the Long Canes massacre. The Cherokee War went from 1760 to 1762. The Cherokee had traditionally sided with the British in the imperial wars; now a faction sought help from French officials in New Orleans.

The Catawba aided the Carolinians against both the Cherokee and the French, which then caused war between the Catawba & the Shawnee. The whites were left paralyzed somewhere in the middle. Many frontiersmen were also being massacred since war parties did not always distinguish between Catawba and settlers. Smallpox & the unrelenting burning of Cherokee fields and villages (by colonial forces) finally brought this terrible war to an end. John BROWN was commander of the Chickasaw at Bread Camp & was now called Captain.

1761

East. Colonel James GRANT enlisted Catawba scouts and captured fifteen middle Cherokee towns. They destroyed winter food storage. Treaty ceded eastern lands in the east Carolinas & South Carolina.

1762

West. Spain took control of French Louisiana at the Treaty of Fontainebleau. Fort Chartres, in Illinois, had long been the seat of government and center of trade for Upper Louisiana (Illinois District). This town was now to be surrendered to the British. The land north of the Arkansas River became known as Illinois & was ruled by governors at St. Louis, Missouri. The Spanish governors allowed French customs and language to remain in use. Arkansas had been under French control since Rene Robert Cavelier, sieur de la Salle, in 1682, claimed all of the Mississippi Valley for France and named it Louisiana. Arkansas Post had been run by the French since 1666.

1763

East. A John BROWN was present at the signing of a peace treaty after the Cherokee War. So was a John ROSS. They were listed under Head Men, Warriors etc. in the Ockchoy Square present for Governor LYTTLETON�s talk. Jerome COURTOUNE was given a journal from a Chickasaw Trader. COURTOUNE had a partnership with John BROWN. Hiawassee & Nottelies Cherokee killed trader John KELLY, quartered his body and set his head and hands on stakes. ELLIOTT's post at New Keowee was attacked. At the middle settlement of Tuckaseegee, James RUSSELL and James CRAWFORD were killed. Creek Indians of the Upper Nation murdered upwards of twenty of the English traders among them. A few only are supposed to have made their escape to the Alabama fort and Pensacola. Some reached Augusta. A deposition of Robert FRENCH, packhorseman, arrived at Fort Augusta from the Upper Creek Nation, taken on oath on 23 May 1760. Lachlan McGILLIVRAY & George GALPHIN also wrote. Richard HENDERSON sent Daniel BOONE into Kentucky to find good land for settlement.

West. British took control over Alabama. Cherokee began migrating into northern Arkansas and southeastern Missouri after the French defeat by the British. These were proFrench Keetoowah. The Cherokee were given land & welcomed in by Spain. Francis BRETON settled near Potosi and began to operate the mine bearing his name. This was the first permanent European settlement in Missouri. The territory west of the Mississippi was ceded to Spain by the Treaty of Paris at the end of the French & Indian Wars. It stayed that way until 1800. (Little Turkey Southern Division The Badger.)

1764

East. There were great migrations along the Great Philadelphia Wagon Road, which passed thru Charlotte, North Carolina. Tens of thousands of German, Scotch-Irish, English & Swiss settlers came south for the cheap land of South Carolina. They were predominantly Presbyterian folks who could trace their heritage back to the early 1600s, from lowland Scotland, to northern Ireland, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and then to the Carolina Piedmont or upland area of the Carolinas known as the Waxhaw. (Many then moved to Camden in northeastern South Carolina.) The Waxhaw area is about 160 miles northwest of Charleston, stretching from North to South Carolina. It was the homeland of the Catawba. They lived along the Catawba River. The Catawba had long been allies of the English against the Spanish and French. Included in this Siouan group were the Wateree, Congaree, Santee, Waxhaw & the Seewee. The Piedmont was experiencing huge growth by whites. Pierre Laclede LIGUEST, a furrier merchant, built the first house on the site of present-day St. Louis, Missouri. This location soon became the primary trading post of the Mississippi River Valley.

1768

East. St. Louis, Missouri, had developed into a thriving town of over 500 inhabitants, rivaling St. Genevieve as the largest settlement on the Mississippi north of New Orleans. Fort Stanwix opened large settlements west of the Appalachians including West Virginia, eastern Tennessee & Kentucky lands. (Treaty of Hard Labor)

1769

East. William BEAN built a cabin on Boone's Creek near the Watauga River. Several families soon joined him. Bean's settlement, Carter's River Valley settlement of 1771 & the settlement on Nolichucky River of 1772 were collectively known as the Watauga Settlement. Isaac RUDDELL (fifth son of John) disposed of 900 acres in Frederick County, Virginia, He moved to Washington County on the Virginia-North Carolina border where he organized a company of militia and attained the rank of Captain. Captain RUDDELL's company was paid to fight the British & the Indians under Colonel George Rogers CLARK in Kentucky & Illinois. He moved his family and a number of his relatives to the bluegrass region of Kentucky and established Ruddell's Station, also called Ruddell's Fort.

West. The population of St. Genevieve, Missouri, was about 600. This was about 100 more than St. Louis. Spanish Governor Alejandro O'REILLY prohibited Indian slavery in Upper Louisiana; but Africans could be enslaved. Legal issues arose concerning people of mixed Indian/African ancestry. O'REILLY also established a process whereby settlers would acquire land titles which stayed in force until the American takeover: (1) A settler would make a request of the local district commandant; (2) The commandant would certify that the land was vacant & did not conflict with other tracts; (3) The request and the commandant's certification went to the lieutenant governor of Upper Louisiana; (4) The lieutenant governor ordered a survey, placed the applicant in possession of the land & ceded the land (which was called a concession); (5) The application was then forwarded to the governor-general (later the intendant) at New Orleans for approval in the name of the king of Spain; The governor-general "perfected" the concession & converted it into an official grant. This formal process was so lengthy that in time (with only a few concessions actually making it to New Orleans for "perfection") a simple concession came to be treated as legal ownership during the whole Spanish period. (Extension of the Land System, pp 17-18, A. H. Rose) O'REILLY's tenure was from 1769 to 1772.

1770

East. Creek & Cherokee met with Ohio tribes at Scioto after Iroquois cession in 1768. (Lochber Treaty.)

1771

East. John DONELSON, Sr. was appointed to survey the ministerial line from a point near Long Island of Holston north to Louisa River. This was to mark the boundary of the Cherokee.

1772

East. Folks from the Watauga Settlement formed their own government called the Watauga Association. Their records have been destroyed and so little is known about them.

West. Luis UNZAGA was the Spanish governor of Louisiana until 1779. Both he & his predecessor had little luck attracting settlers.

1773

East.Thomas WOOTEN of North Carolina was granted 200 acres on the north side of the Broad River opposite the mouth of Long Canes. (Lord Dunmore's War. Land disputes.) Altho Spain haad opened the Louisiana region for Americans to settle, fewer than 1000 came before 1800.

1774

East.Watauga Treaty Transylvania Land Company (Henderson Purchase). Iroquois sold Shawnee land (Kentucky). Richard HENDERSON of Hillsborough, North Carolina. British scrambled to get treaties with Cherokee against white colonists. Shawnee stayed and fought Americans for forty years. Dragging CANOE and followers refused to abide treaty with whites; they kept raiding new settlements. Cherokee received requests from Mohawk, Shawnee & Ottawa to join them against Americans. The Chickamaugans under CANOE formed alliance with the Shawnee. Both tribes had support from British agents who were still living among them often with native wives and arranging trade. Local immigrants settled with Cherokee for Watauga land purchases.

West. French Creoles from British-side villages in Upper Louisiana were relocating to the Spanish side, A few Americans did also, but in small numbers. One of these was John HILDEBRAND & his family. They settled on the Meramec, midway between St. Louis & St. Genevieve. (They gained a concession from Lt. Governor Fernando DeLEYBA in 1779.) HILDEBRAND's family might claim to be the first successful establishment of an American family in Upper Louisiana "away from the villages".

1775

East.The Overhill Cherokee Treaty of Sycamore Shoals. The Wataugans had no legal title to the lands they occupied until Richard HENDERSON's purchase on behalf of the Transylvania Land Company. HENDERSON then sold the land to the settlers with Charles ROBERTSON as trustee for the Watauga community. John HINKSTON & other settlers built fifteen crude cabins on a broad flat ridge above the south fork of the Licking River (Harrison County, Kentucky) along an old game trail from McClelland's Station (Scott County, Kentucky) to Lower Blue Licks. Fort Boonesborough was built by Richard HENDERSON and Daniel BOONE of the Transylvania Company near Lexington, Kentucky. To avoid the Revolution many British sympathizers left Georga and settled in Alabama.

West. Large numbers of Cherokee began moving west of the Mississippi. This was encouraged by the Spanish governor. "In the second half of the eighteenth century, small numbers of Cherokees began to spend winters hunting in the valleys of the St. Francis, White, and Arkansas rivers in Spanish Louisiana."

1776

East.Mohawk, Shawnee & Ottawa ask Cherokee to fight in Revolutionary War. The majority were neutral; but 700 of what became the Chickamauga, lead by Dragging CANOE, formed alliance with the Shawnee & participated in attacks of North Carolina forts, Eaton's Station & Fort Watauga. Upper Creek & Cherokee attacked frontier settlements in Tennessee and Alabama. A frontier militia was organized. British agents lived among them with native wives. When war broke out, the Wataugans organized themselves into a military district which they named after George WASHINGTON. This Washington District was incorporated as Washington County. John STUART was assigned to supply the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw & Chickasaw with guns and ammo to use against the settlers. Dragging CANOE essentially seceded from the Cherokee Nation. His people settled along the Tennessee River in Alabama.

1777

East.John DONELSON attended the Cherokee treaty signing at Long Island. Soon after arriving on the Cumberland DONELSON became interested in SEVIER, MARTIN, CASWELL & BLOUNT in securing lands from Georgia, and in exploiting the lands in the Great Bend of the Tennessee in north Alabama. Between 1777 and 1788 six North Carolina counties were formed (Washington, Sullivan, Greene, Davidson, Sumner and Tennessee.) (Treaty of DeWitts Corner & Treaty of Holston.) North Carolina appointed James ROBERTSON as Indian Commissioner to the Overhills. Virginia appointed Joseph MARTIN. MARTIN married Elizabeth "Betsy" WARD, daughter of Nancy WARD. The thriving Chickamaugan towns became headquarters for British authority south of the Ohio. British agents Colonel BROWN & John McDONALD were established there. McDONALD's store became the British commissary. Chief Old TASSEL (ONITOSITAH) complained to NC governor about Wataugan land stealing. Nothing changed.

1778

East. The British started to plan an attack on Georgia and the Carolinas to take place in the spring of 1779. General Henry HAMILTON, British governor of the Northwest Territory headquartered at Detroit, was instructed to raise an Indian offensive to divert the American attention from the coast. James ROBERTSON, agent to the Cherokee, learned of the plot after the marching on Augusta. He told Joseph MARTIN who then warned Governor Patrick HENRY of Virginia. By the end of the year the Chickamaugans had 1000 warriors & Dragging Canoe had become the most powerful Indian war leader in the south.

West. Only a few hundred white people had lived in the Illinois country before the Revolution. These were mainly French & Spanish explorers, missionaries, fur traders & a few English farmers. George Rogers CLARK succeeded in conquering the Illinois country. After CLARK and his "Long Knives" captured Kaskaskia and Chokia from the English, the area became a county of Virginia. Many settlers crossed over to the Missouri side of the Mississippi at this time. Also, many soldiers under CLARK returned to the land as settlers. Others came in from Kentucky and Virginia. Forty boatloads of emigrants from the Holston settlements traveled via the Tennessee River to settle in the Illinois country. In October, General Henry HAMILTON retook Fort Vincennes. (The Americans called him "The Hair Buyer" because he had put a bounty on American scalps.) Spanish Governor Bernardo ALVEZ was energetic in promoting growth in Upper Louisiana.

1779

East. On 6 Jan Patrick HENRY wrote Governor CASWELL of North Carolina about a joint campaign by their two states against the Chickamauga. Afterwards, Colonel Evan SHELBY was told to raise 300 men in his district, then destroy all of the offending Chickamaugan settlements. Colonel CLARK took Kaskaskia, Vincennes & arrested British Governor HAMILTON on 25 Feb. HAMILTON was sent to a Virginia war prison. After his arrest, the Chickamaugans decided to attack the Holston settlement.

John STUART died on 26 Mar in Pensacola & Alexander CAMERON became British agent for the Chickasaw & the Choctaw. Thomas BROWN became agent for the Cherokee, Creek & Catawba. CAMERON, however, continued to live among the Cherokee. In Apr Col. SHELBY, assisted by Captain John MONTGOMERY, marched from Watauga & proceeded to attack Chickamaugan towns with 600 North Carolina & Virginia volunteers. They burned 11 towns, took 20,000 bushels of corn & appropriated McDONALD's stock of peltries & ammo. The Shelby and Montgomery expedition against the Cherokee was very disastrous to the Indians of Hamilton County. Their villages and fields were laid waste and they were dispersed to the mountains.

Most of the Chickamaugan warriors, however, were then on a campaign in South Carolina & Georgia, assisting the British. Dragging Canoe & his followers (some of them Creek) chose not to rebuild. Instead, they asked the Creek Chief Alexander McGILIVRAY for permission to build on Creek land. They built along the base of the Chattanooga Mountain the settlements which would become known as the "five lower towns". They were: Nickajack (near Shllmound, Tennessee); Running Water (below Hale's Bar Lock & Dam); Long Island (Bridgeport, Alabama); Crow Town (near Stevenson, Alabama on Crow Creek); and Lookout (Mountain) Town, on the east side of Lookout Creek. Wills Town (Willisi) was built later on. Running Water became headquarters to Dragging CANOE. Lookout Town became a meeting place for Dragging CANOE, DOUBLEHEAD, Pumpkin BOY, Bob BENGE (called "The Bench" in Tennessee and "Captain Benge" in Virginia), Will WEBBER, Bloody FELLOW, GLASS, John BOWLES (The Bowl), MIDDLESTRIKER, John WATTS (Young TASSEL), Little OWL (ATTAKULLAKULLA's son & Dragging CANOE's brother), The BADGER & others.

Isaac RUDDELL enlarged & fortified a station built by Simon KENTON & Thomas WILLIAMS in 1776. After that the site was interchangeably referred to as Ruddell's or Hinkston's.(Harrison County Kentucky) Martin's Station was a few miles away. A large number of Pennsylvania German families were there. Near Nashville a group of settlers built Fort Nashborough and started their own government for a time. Stephen SHELTON entered land at Kendricks Creek. This was a North Carolina land grant in Tennessee. Others receiving these grants were Daniel SHELTON, David SHELTON, Lewis SHELTON, Ralph SHELTON, Samuel SHELTON, Joseph BROWN, William GOFORTH, James HENDERSON, John HARRIS & John BROWN.

The NC/VA boundaries commission finished. Settlers of Watauga & Holston (including Cumberland) found themselves in North Carolina and not Virginia as they had believed. North Carolina made them the County of Washington (Tennessee). A grant of 20,000 acres in Hamilton County was made to Stockley DONELSON (son of John) by North Carolina but the boundaries described contained nearly 150,000 acres. When the first settlers arrived, they found it was Cherokee land. The county seat of Washington County (present Tennessee and then some) was Jonesboro.

In the fall John SEVIER was appointed Colonel of Militia of Washington County, North Carolina; and the Cumberland settlement was founded. James ROBERTSON and the male prisoners headed to the "Illinois country" went by land over the Kentucky Road to the Cumberland. Colonel John DONELSON took his flotilla of 30 boats and 200 people & headed for the Cumberland by going down the Holston & Tennessee & then up the Cumberland. They left Fort Patrick Henry (Kingsport, Tennessee) on 27 Dec and headed to the French Salt Licks. Cold weather stopped them for a time.

1780

East. While war raged in the east, other folks were migrating into middle Tennessee. Henderson's Transylvania Company was denied title to its purchases within Virginia's territory so HENDERSON selected the Cumberland River region for settlement. Nashborough was formed.

DONELSON's flotilla resumed its journey on 27 Feb. Warriors began following them after they passed Settico. At Moccasin Bend, Indians ambushed the party. Twenty-eight people were killed or taken prisoner. One of those captured was Jonathan JENNINGS' son. The rest of the flotilla proceeded on; but it was fired upon several times while passing Muscle Shoals. DONALDSON reached the mouth of the Cumberland on 24 Mar, On 31 Mar he finally reached Nashborough (Big Salt Lick). John ROGERS (the "White Trader") ransomed JENNINGS from the Chickamaugans; but the other young man was burned at the stake.

Major Patrick FURGUSON and a British force of about 1,200 men raided western settlements. On 7 Oct FERGUSON was defeated by about 900 Americans under SEVIER, SHELBY, CAMPBELL & WILLIAMS. FERGUSON was killed. When John SEVIER got back to his home on the Nolichucky River, he was met by Isaac THOMAS and Ellis HARLAN. They told SEVIER about a campaign being planned by the Cherokee. Within 3 days SEVIER gathered 250 men and was on his way to the Cherokee towns. When his scouts reached Boyd's Creek, they recognized Indian signs & tricked the Cherokee war party (from Chota) into following SEVIER's scouts. When the Cherokee became aware of the trap, they turned and ran. There was a skirmish in which the brother of John WATTS was among those slain.

Just after the Boyd's Creek encounter SEVIER got a letter from Colonel Arthur CAMPBELL asking SEVIER to wait for him & his men to join forces. CAMPBELL arrived 22 Dec with 400 men. The Wataugans of Washington County rallied at Sycamore Shoals under John SEVIER. They trailed eastward and were reinforced by SHELBY's Indian fighters and the force of Virginians led by CAMPBELL. They headed for Chota but found the town empty. The troops stayed a week. From Chota they sent out detachments to destroy Chilhowee & Tallassee. The army went to the Hiawassee towns via Tellico. Captain James ELLIOT was killed at Tellico. Hiawassee was also deserted. Both Hiawassee and Chestuee were destroyed. Hanging MAW and other chiefs asked for peace.

The relative calm that came after the destruction of the Chickamaugan towns made it possible for Transylvania troops to send many expert riflemen to the American forces at Kings Mountain, where "the course of the war turned in favor of the American colonists." During the Revolution Nancy WARD (Ghi-ga-u) helped American prisoners escape. Often she gave food to starving pioneers. While the Americans were fighting at King's Mountain, settlers "rear guarding" the frontier became short of rations. WARD agreed to furnish beef and had some cattle driven in. British agent CAMERON urged the Cherokee to destroy the frontier settlements while the Americans were away fighting FERGUSON. CAMERON told them that supplies would be withheld if they did not join in. The Upper Towns joined Dragging CANOE.

Ruddell's Fort was attacked by Captain Henry BYRD and his British and Indian troops. About twenty inhabitants were killed at the site. The survivors were subjected to a forced march to Detroit where they remained prisoners for the remainder of the Revolutionary War. Ruddle's Station is on the east bank of the south fork of the Licking River about 7 miles from Paris, Bourbon, Kentucky.

The Sevier expedition led by Colonel William CAMPBELL attacked the British entrenchments on Kings Mountain. Roderick SHELTON & George SHELTON were among the men in this battle (not proven). The Battle of Kings Mountain, just over the border into South Carolina was pivotal. General SEVIER also fought Indians on Lookout Mountain, defeating them badly. Among those listed were Patrick MARTIN, James BROWN, John BROWN & John RUSSELL. Many ProBritish Cherokee then went to Arkansas. There was a large post-war migration through the Cumberland Gap (before the State of Tennessee existed). This area was considered part of North Carolina, and then Washington County, Virginia. The first large migration was from Augusta County, Virginia; but others quickly followed. Among this first group were the LOWEREYs, DAVIS', CRAIGs (David, Robert & James) & the BLACKBURNS. In the spring some 300 enemy British, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Banastre TARLETON, attacked patriot soldiers in the Waxhaw. It was a brutal massacre which spilled over into the summer. The people of the Waxhaw lived in constant fear.

The only Revolutionary War battle west of the Mississippi was fought at St. Louis, Missouri. While 300 Indians went with pro-British Frenchman, Jean Marie DUCHARME, to attack Cahokia, the rest of this command attacked St. Louis. Led by Emanuel HESSE, this force included a small contingent of British Canadians, 200 Santee Sioux (commanded by Chief WABASHA), a "party" of Chippewa (commanded by Chief MATCHEKEWIS), a "large contingent" of Winnebago and Menominee, 250 Sauk & Fox & other warriors from a "half dozen other tribes". The residents of St. Louis were totally off-guard. Many were out picking strawberries. Among those killed were Jean Marie CARDINAL (trader & explorer) and his Pawnee wife, Careche-Carauche. This battle overall, however, was considered a failure. So was DUCHARME's attack on Cahokia. George Roger CLARK's Virginians scared off the attackers.

1781

East. Buncombe County, North Carolina was formed. (Treaty of Long Island of the Holston.) Tension grew so bad that there a terrible civil war in the Waxhaw. Colonel Arthur CAMPBELL criticized SEVIER (in a formal report) for not waiting for "the main body of the army" before launching an attack. SEVIER learned the middle Cherokee towns planned to revenge the Overhills. In early March SEVIER led 130 men to the Middle Towns where he burned 15 villages. In Apr Dragging Canoe attacked white settlements in the Cumberland.

1782

East. In middle Tennessee the North Carolina Military Reservation (or Military District) was created. Officers and men from North Carolina that served in their Continental Line during the War of Independence were issued military warrants which were redeemed in land within this reservation. When the title to the land passed to the individual, it became a land grant. Warrants for land and land grants were both given by North Carolina even into Tennessee's statehood period. Some North Carolina warrants were used for land outside the reservation. The opinion of North Carolina regarding Chickamauga land claims was that they fought on the side of the British, lost the war, and lost their claim to the land. North Carolina's middle district was east of the Military District explained above. It encompassed much of today's Upper Cumberland and was considered Indian land. This Middle District ran southward and then westward. This was really Indian land and was not ceded until 1805 at the Treaty of Tellico and the 1807 Convention which ended all Chickamaugan land claims. Black Fox had a camp site at the SW corner of the reservation.

Settlers ignored treaty agreements which defined Cherokee territory as being south of the Nolichucky River. Settlements were established on Dunplin Creek, on Cherokee land. In September Indian Agent Joseph MARTIN forwarded a "talk" from Old Tassel to Governor MARTIN of North Carolina which protested the violation of the treaty. Governor MARTIN ordered John SEVIER, as Colonel of the Militia, to order settlers to withdraw at once. SEVIER did not comply. While Old Tassel sought peaceful measures for removal of illegal settlers, the Chickamaugans attacked. War parties raided the new settlements during the spring and summer. They passed thru the upper towns where some warriors often joined them. In July the North Carolina assembly authorized General Charles McDOWELL and Colonel John SEVIER to raise a thousand volunteers to destroy the Chickamauga towns. McDOWELL did not take part in the campaign; SEVIER commanded it. This was considered the last campaign of the American Revolution.

SEVIER & 250 men left Big Island of French Broad River in midSeptember. At Chota SEVIER met John WATTS & Noonday (called "Butler"). WATTS offered to guide SEVIER to the Cherokee towns; but WATTS was a friend of Dragging Canoe's; and SEVIER felt he could not be trusted in this. Hanging Maw met the army at Tellico. Both Tellico and Hiawassee were peaceful towns. They were left alone. The troops went on to Settico, Bull Town, Vann, Chickamauga and Tuskegee. John ROGERS (the White Trader) left a note saying he wanted to join the whites but was afraid. ROGERS came in the next day bringing Jack SIVIL, a negro who had been captured on the Cumberland. WATTS did not lead SEVIER to the new "Five Lower Towns". Unaware of their existence, SEVIER now thought he had demolished all of the Chickamauga settlements and proceeded along Chickamauga Creek over the mountains to the Coosa River. Patrick CLEMENTS, a Tory refugee was captured and killed when he tried to escape. At Spring Frog Town, some Indians were chased; but they escaped. Next Ustinaula on the Coosa was destroyed. Robert BEAN's detachment captured a squaw, several children and a warrior of small stature with a very good rifle. SEVIER next destroyed Ellijay and Coosawatie, also on the Coosa. He then sent word that he was ready to meet the Chiefs at Chota for a peace talk. In October SEVIER met with Oconostota (his last public appearance), Old Tassel & Hanging Maw at Chota. The peace pipe was smoked. The Chickamaugans and the Five Lower Towns (Running Water, Nickajack, Long Island, Crow & Lookout Mountain) were left untouched; but SEVIER did not know this. The Treaty of Paris was signed in November between the U.S. & the English. This signified that the United States stood independent. The English returned Florida to Spain,

West. Another migration flow of proBritish Cherokee came into Missouri. (See 1763). Also, Americans were coming in ever-increasing numbers. Altho the Spanish had previously been encouraging folks to migrate, they were now worried about land seizure, threats to their fur trade & relations with the Indians. Finally, Governor Bernardo de GALVEZ recommended that Americans be allowed to enter in small numbers, so they wouldn't "pile up" on the banks of the Mississippi. This was a bold policy change for the Spanish official.

1783

East. Mobile Alabama area was ceded by Britain to Spain. The remainder of present day Alabama was claimed by Georgia. North Carolina passed the "Land Grab Act" which permitted citizens to claim Indian land in Tennessee. Attacks upon the new settlers were so bad that most of them fled as far away as Kentucky. In one incident in the Cumberland, Indians made off with most of the horses in the Bluffs. Captain PRUETT took 20 men & got most of the horses back. They spent the night at Duck River. At dawn Indians attacked & took all the horses and killed 5 men. Estaban Miro, governor of Florida, promised the Chickamaugans a fort on the Tennessee River. Peace between the Americans & the Chickasaw brought some much-needed peace to the Cumberland in November.

John DONELSON served as a commissioners to the Indians. He located at the beautiful tract of land on Stone's River near its mouth, known as Clover Bottom. He was active, along with HENDERSON & ROBERTSON, in forming the Cumberland Compact of Government.

From the Journal of State of North Carolina House of Commons for 18 Apr 1783. Among those listed as a person "duly elected to represent" his respective county was
"Caswell, David Shelton"

Also for 22 April 1784: "The returning officer for County of Caswell certified that David Shelton was duly elected to represent said County in this House, whereupon the said David Shelton appeared, was qualified agreeable to the Law and took his seat."

Then in the Fall of 1789: "Mr. Speaker and Gentlemen, ... Received also the resignation of David Shelton. Justice of the Peace for the county of Caswell endorsed "Accepted" which was read, accepted by this House and returned."

1784

East. Recorded, Stephen SHELTON given Kendricks Creek property for RWar service. North Carolina Land Grants in Tennessee 1778-1791 US.CAN 976.8 R2d shows 250 acres on north fork in what was Washington. He entered on 10 Nov 1784. The Watauga and Cumberland settlements petitioned the Assembly of North Carolina for the benefits of government. North Carolina ceded the entire over mountain territory to the Federal Government due to Indian troubles. Congress was given two years to accept or reject the grant. Angry settlers from Washington, Sullivan and Greene counties met at Jonesboro and discussed having the western State of Franklin. They even adopted a constitution. British forces left South Carolina. John McDONALD & Alexander CAMERON continued to live at Running Water & supplied the Chickamaugans to some extent.

Five hundred Rev War veterans had recently crossed the French Broad and built homes on Boyd's Creek, just a day's walk from Chota. On 19 Apr the North Carolina assembly passed William Blount's Act whereby all lands of North Carolina west of the Alleghenies were ceded to Congress to pay that portion of the Revolutionary debt. This encompassed the counties of Sullivan, Washington, Greene & Davidson which had been made from the original Washington County. In June the Creek, Choctaw & Chickasaw agreed to trade only with Spain. On 23 Aug the Wataugans called a convention at Jonesboro where they passed resolutions petitioning Congress that the counties of Washington, Sullivan and Greene, released by North Carolina, be declared a state. In Oct North Carolina repealed the act because of bitter opposition in the state. On 14 Dec the Wataugans, unaware that North Carolina had repealed the Act of Cession to Congress, adopted the name of Franklin for their "state" and elected John SEVIER governor. Governor MARTIN of North Carolina wrote SEVIER in Dec offering him an appointment of Brigadier General of the western North Carolina counties. Sevier did not reply, even after Governor MARTIN wrote a second time.

West. Spain closed the Mississippi River to free use from the Americans in places where Spain controlled both banks. They also charged taxes or deposit fees for transshipment at New Orleans. Spain was also encouraging Indians (who were being displaced from the western United States) to enter Upper Louisiana while at the same time trying to prohibit American immigration.

1785

East. Gov. MARTIN of NC issued a manifesto against the "State of Franklin'. On 31 May at Dumplin Creek, Governor SEVIER made "A Treaty of Amity & Friendship" with Ancoo of Chota. He was a representative of Old Tassel. On 18 Nov U.S. commissioners met with Cherokee leaders at Hopewell, SC, on Keowee River. Wm BLOUNT was commissioner for NC; John KING & Thomas GLASSCOCK were commissioners for GA. Old Tassel, 36 chiefs & 918 people attended (all Overhill). The State of Franklin ignored the Treaty of Hopewell. John SEVIER entered into an agreement with Georgia to colonize the Great Bend of the Tennessee River. The GA legislature sold 3,500,000 acres of Cherokee land near Muscle Shoals. The GA assembly passed an act creating Houston County at the Great Bend. SEVIER was one of the commissioners. His brother, Valentine SEVIER with 90 emigrants arrived late in 1785. They issued land warrants which were signed by John Donelson as appraiser. The President proclaimed the settlement of Muscle Shoals would place them outside the protection of the United States & referenced the Treaty of Hopewell which recognized that the Cherokee had a right to expel squatters.

West. Soon after the Treaty of Hopewell, some Cherokee went down the Tennessee, Ohio & Mississippi rivers, and up the St. Francis which was then in the Spanish province of Louisiana. Many Cherokee people moved there. St. Genevieve, Missouri, was flooded and destroyed. The town was rebuilt on a hill north of the original site. The policy to block Americans from migrating to Upper Louisiana continued into Governor Esteban MIRO's administration. In July he wrote Lt. Governor Francisco CRUZAT, stating that no Protestants were to be admitted into Upper Louisiana, only French Catholics, and preferably those with slaves. "Toward the end of the century, some Cherokee groups petitioned the Spanish government for rights to settle permanently on the lands" including the valleys of the St. Francis, White and Arkansas rivers in Spanish Louisiana.

1786

East. Valentine SEVIER & his settlers found it impossible to accomplish anything with Dragging Canoe's constant attacks. Illinois b Colonel John Donelson, the surveyor, was killed on the Kentucky Road. became part of the Northwest Territory. Virginia had given it back to the U.S. in 1784.

1787

East. The Northwest Territory was created, prompting migration to the French-held Ozarks. The Northwest Ordinance forbid slavery in the new territories; hence, many slave owners left the Ohio River Valley and the Kentucky-Tennessee regions and went into Louisiana. Illinois became part of the Northwest Territory. Virginia had given it back to the U.S. in 1784.

1788

East. Chickamaugan power peaked out this year. Dragging Canoe maintained contact with the English at Detroit and the Spanish at Mobile, Pensacola and New Orleans. John WATTS (Young Tassel) was often in the American settlements and kept Dragging Canoe informed. Cherokee who had been allied with the British received permission from the Spanish governor at New Orleans to settle in Spanish territory west of the Mississippi. Duwali was then chief of Running Water Town. North Carolina repealed the act of cession of Franklin. A general assembly met at Greeneville and chose officers to act under Governor John SEVIER.

1790

East. Alexander McGILLIVRAY was considered by George WASHINGTON to be head of the entire Creek Nation. His mother was Muskogee and his father was Scottish. Tory William Augustus BOWLES was born in Maryland. He fled the British military by living among the Seminole & Creek. On 26 May Congress created the Territory of the United States South of the River Ohio. This area included the land between Kentucky & Alabama. William BLOUNT was named governor & Congress gave him jurisdiction over the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw & Chickasaw.

1791

East. Fort Deposit was built below Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Fort Blount was built in Jackson County, Tennessee. It was originally known as Big Lick Garrison or the Block House on the Cumberland. The Treaty of Holston was signed with the Cherokee on 2 Jul. Duwali was one of the signers. It is written that there was a "Savannas" town among the Creek which was occupied by "Shawanese refugees".

1792

East. Zenon TRUDEAU became the Spanish governor of Upper Louisiana. He strongly favored colonizing the land and holding off the English. He also ordered that nonCatholic preachers be expelled but it was not enforced. Moses AUSTIN, William REED & William MURPHY all got grants from TRUDEAU.

1793

East. Cape Girardeau (Missouri) was established by LORIMIER. New Madrid & New Bourbon (MO) were also established.

1794

East. Treaty signed with new American nation. Chief Bowles and Chickamaugans encountered white men on their way back home. A fight ensued. Fearing they would appear to have not honored the agreement, Bowles took his group to Missouri. (Mussel Shoals Massacre) News of the Mussel Shoals incident was widely circulated; but, it seems, few knew the entire story. William SCOTT was owner of the boat that was attacked. (Will be addressed later.) Chickamaugans steadily migrated into Missouri until about 1799. More of their people came west to join them, including John Lucien BROWN (Check this out. The one I know about wasn't born yet.). Major James ORE was ordered to defend the "south of the Ohio" territory against the Creek & Cherokee of the lower towns. (American Militia in the Frontier Wars, 1790-1796, Murtie June Clark, Genealogical Publishing Company, Baltimore, 1990) NICKAJACK AND RUNNING WATER WERE BOTH DESTROYED IN September OF 1794 BY MAJOR JAMES ORE.

1795

East. There was a land rush in Missouri from now until about 1805. Many folks went for free land being offered by Spain. The Constitutional Convention was held 18 & 19 Dec. The Alabama region was made part of the Territory of Mississippi. 01 Apr 1795 "William REED on April 1, 1795, sold 400 acres of land on the North side of the Clinch river to James COMB and John COMB." (Tennessee Cousins, Knox Co, TN Chapter, p. 214) See 1796.

1796

East. Roderick SHELTON & Mary Franklin Glumdalclitch had William Franklin Duckworth SHELTON. Mary Franklin was Cherokee.

1798

East. Daniel BOONE left Kentucky and settled in Missouri. Potosi was already thriving. William REED, from Greene County, Tennessee, & wife, Helen WATSON, got permission from DELUZIERE, commandant of New Bourbon, to start a settlement. His daughter and son-in-law ran the saw mill. Thomas WRIGHT was first pastor of the Methodist Church. Perhaps the first really permanent settlement was at Caledonia. Ananias McCOY, Benjamin CROW & Robert REED came from Tennessee and settled about twelve miles south of Potosi. Others followed and the settlement prospered. These folks were farmers and carried their produce to St Genevieve for shipping. "They enjoyed the fertile soil, plenty of water power and nearness to mines."

1799

East. Isaac SHELTON was born in Buncombe County, North Carolina (abt). Mentioned in Robertson County, Tennessee were Robert BARNETT, James McDANIEL, Francis BYRD, William MILES, James HENDERSON, Patrick MARTIN, Thomas YATES, William FARMER, Samuel HENRY, Eppa LAWSON, Levi MOORE, George BELL, Samuel CROCKET & William LOWERY.