Our History chapter 3
Chapter 3 “A Company of Friendly Indians”
The Florida Frontier
The previous two chapters discussed the overall state of the remnant eastern-Siouan/Cheraw people in the late 1700’s to early 1800’s, and the racial climate they had to endure daily. In turning our attention to the history of the immigrant Cheraw-Catawba Indian community of northwest Florida, we must address their ancestral families, and their tribal origins. The majority of the family groups who migrated into
“that the plaintiff is of the Indian race, the illegitimate son of a white man and a woman of the Indian race, and that he has not more than one fourth of the Indian race in his veins.”
R.F. Dill, a Greene County, Ohio historian, published in 1881 a compilation of short biographies of leading Greene County residents. Here he mentioned
“James Jeffreys…son of Silas and Susan Jeffreys…Silas was a descendant of the Catawba Tribe of Indians.” And also mentioned “Mason Jeffreys…son of Uriah and Caroline Jeffreys…Uriah was a descendant of the Tribe of Catawba Indians.”
Over ten years later, and hundreds of miles to the south, another document of Jeffreys Catawba descendancy arises. In 1881 Dr Joseph McDowell, of Fairmont, Georgia filed a petition with the U.S. Senate and the Indian Office asking for
“Catawba Indians, and 81 in number” The report stated that “William Guy, of Granville, GA (sic NC), and Simon Jeffries, of Bellville, VA, Catawba Indians, served five years in the Army (Rev War) and were honorably discharged, and these people are their descendants.”
The fact that Catawba families had migrated into northwest Florida is beyond doubt. In September, 1853, a band of 18 Indians, all of whom claimed to be Catawba, was reported by Brigadier General G.B. Hall as wandering near Stockton, Alabama (near present-day Atmore, Alabama). Their leader was named Taylor, and the band represented two families: Taylor and Houser. There were four men in the group; the rest were women and children. They said they came from northwest Florida, and were en route to Arkansas, but were stranded for lack of money and had been begging corn and potatoes in Alabama where residents were anxious to get rid of them. The fate of the Houser family remains unknown, but the Taylor family established a household among the Creeks in Atmore, Alabama.
When the Catawba families arrived, they were not the only Indians in the area; however, plans were already underway to clean the landscape of the Creek and Seminoles residing there. By the end of 1839 the final emigration of the Creek Indians living within the treaty reserves along the Apalachicola was complete, except for several bands of hostiles still hiding in swamps, and several communities of “White Stick” Friendly Creek allowed to stay according to the stipulations of the Treaty of Fort Jackson. However, treaty, tax, and census documents record the presence of another group of Indians living in the area of the
The presence of Catawba Indian families in the Apalachicola River valley can be documented as far back as 1828, when Absalom Scott, Jacob Scott and his wife Polly Harmon, Richard Jeffers, John Jones, and Joseph Scott appear on Jackson County tax records. It does not appear that any Catawba were present prior to that time, as they are not mentioned in the Treaty of Moultrie Creek of 1823. It appears that even service as scouts in the militia would not guarantee complete safety; however, and in 1837 the families of Betsy Ayers and Sally Ayers were mistaken for hostile Indians and held at
1833 Tax Book of those taxed as “free persons of color” |
Beady…………....taxed $3.00….owned no land Betsy………….....taxed $3.00….owned no land Jones, John……….taxed $3.00….owned no land Scott, Jacob………taxed $3.00………....80 acres Scott, Absalom……taxed $3.00…………20 acres Scott, Olive………..taxed $3.00…..owned no land Scott, Penny…….....taxed $3.00….owned no land Scott, Luranny……..taxed $3.00….owned no land Ward, Terressa……..taxed $3.00….owned no land |
1834 Tax Book of those taxed as “free persons of color” |
Brooks, Martin…………....taxed $.25 Jeffers, Richard………….....taxed $.25 Jones, John…………..…….taxed $.25 Maseleno, Joe…………..…taxed $,25 Scott, Jacob…………..……taxed $.25 Scott, Absalom………….…taxed $.25 Scott, Joseph……………....taxed $.25 |
In the September 1823 treaty of Moultrie Creek, a special provision was added by the Chiefs present which read
“…one mile square, at the Ocheesee Bluffs, embracing Stephen Richards’ fields of said bluff, be conveyed, in simple, to said Stephen Richards.”
Richards, of North Carolina, was homesteading in Calhoun County prior to 1820, and was serving as an interpreter for U.S. Indian Agent Gad Humphreys. Richards continued his work as interpreter in the May 1832 treaty of Payne’s Landing. On October 15, 1837, “Captain” Stephen Richards was empowered by the West Florida Militia to form and outfit a mounted company of Indians for service against hostile Creeks and Seminoles.
Most of the recruits for this Company were Creek Indians from the newly created Apalachicola reservations, yet there are many persons appearing on the Company roll that bore English names and were from such areas as North Carolina and Virginia.
Captain Stephen Richards’ Company of Friendly Indians – Mounted Enlisted 1837 at |
Amotto Tom Fobby J.H. Bison Fo-load-ree Moses Manning Sumpkai Black Billy Friday John Mealey Tailor Black John Anthony Garshaw John Newcommer Te-pikie Bob William Gay Nit-ti-e Tomma Samuel Bray J.D. Gill No-co-ceola Old Tommy William Brown William Goodrum Oak-kos-kee To- or Captain Billy Martin Caseboury Hawkins George Perryman Colonel Toney Gilbert Chermichael Heischa Thomas Perryman To-tour or Capt. Billy Davy Chopka Jake Ponna Towny Johny Chopka Jimmy James Richards Sr. Charles Walker Cosi-es-a-hola Spanish John James Richards Jr. Jim Walker Davy Josee John Richards John Walker Big Davy Peter Leonard John G. Richards Wilsie U-lousa or Davy Lewy (killed 16 Apr. 1838) Stephen Richards Eat-cot-to Loceo-tie W. Riley Silas Wood R.B. Evans Chebon Louc Samsey Isaac Yellowhair James E. Fairley Samse Succo James Sessions Mr. Fobby Chebon Lusta William Simmon(s) |
The names of William Brown, R.B. Evans, James E. Farley, and John Newcommer are particularly interesting. Later censuses would later identify these individuals as being born in either
“half-breed son among the Catawba Nation” in 1733.
When the Creek Indians agreed to emigrate in 1838 and 1839, Captain Stephen Richards lost the majority of his Indian recruits; however, it is apparent that there were Indians still residing in the area that Richards could rely on for support. A military report from 1844 (5 years after the last band of Creeks had immigrated to Indian Territory) reveals that, not only were roving groups of hostile Creeks still a real threat, but that there still remained in the area a group of Indians from whom Richards could recruit:
“Captain Stephen Richards and a company of friendly Indians dispatched to search for renegade Indians that attacked passengers of Henry A. Nunes’ barge at Phillips’ Inlet.”
Even though the Catawba were willing to shed the blood of their own race to protect their white benefactors, this proved to not guarantee their own personal protection, even from the very people they had tried to protect. Joseph Scott had been living in the area of
The violent death of the beloved Chief Joe obviously sent ripples of fear through the local Catawba families and they seem to have temporarily abandoned their habits of wandering the area hunting and fishing. On the 1850 Federal census the Catawba are recorded as living in a tightly grouped settlement on the Ocheesee district (north-west area of
1850 Federal Census of household name: age sex race occupation: born in: |
56 Ayers,Ishmael 46 m SC “ “ ,Abigail 50 f SC “ “ ,James 22 m GA “ “ ,Thomas 14 m SC “ “ ,John 13 m GA “ “ ,Solomon 11 m GA “ “ ,Ishmael 8 m GA 57 Hall, David S. 23 m “ , Rebeck 22 f GA “ , Susan 7 f “ , Amlin 6 m “ , Thomas 1 m FL 58 Scott, Joseph 38 m M GA “ “, Mary 35 f M GA Gray, Michal 34 m 59 Quinn, Joseph 30 m M SC Jones, Eliza 28 f M GA “ “, Susan 5 f M FL “ “, Delila 1 f M FL 60 “ “, Mary 22 f 61 62 Scott, Mary 30 f M GA “ “, John 20 m M FL 63 Scott, Jacob 53 m “ “, Appa 45 f SC “ “, James 16 m GA “ “, “ “, Luzinia 12 f GA “ “, Lewis W. 10 m GA “ “, Jacob 9 m “ “, Henrietta 8 f “ “, Susanna 7 f “ “, Lewisain 6 f “ “, Malvin 1 m FL 64 Scott, Isham 69 m M NC “ “, Millia 46 f M SC |
1850 Federal Census of |
65 Loftis, Paskel 45 m Jones, Olive 46 f M GA Jones, Lark 24 m M FL Jones, Elizar Ann 5 f M FL Jones, Thomas 2 m M FL 66 Scott, Abslom 60 m M NC “ “, Gillatia 38 f NC “ “, Jacob 17 m M FL “ “, Amanda 14 f M FL “ “, Mary Ann 11 f M GA “ “, John T. 9 m M GA “ “, Samuel 5 m M FL “ “, Henry 2 m M FL Stevens, Alexander 20 m M FL 67 Butts, James 26 m Jones, Mary Ann 20 f M GA 68 Hill, Francis A. 38 m “ “, Dicy 28 f SC “ “, Marthey 6 f GA “ “, Ann 2 f FL 69 Scott, Jacob 38 m M GA “ “, Lewrania 76 f M NC “ “, John M. 16 m M FL 70 Castleberry, Sarah Ann 23 f GA Brown, Emaline 7 f FL Castleberry, Lewranny 11/12 f FL |
Just across the
1850 Federal Census of |
618 “ “, Mary 52 f SC “ “, “ “, William 20 m overseer FL “ “, John 14 m FL “ “, Ann 10 f FL 619 Maner, Henry 28 m Farmer SC “ “, Sarah 27 f SC “ “, Martin 3 m 620 Scott, Thomas 22 m Farmer SC “ “, Sarah 17 f FL 621 “ “, William 19 m Farmer NC 622 Scott, William 24 m Farmer SC “ “, Martha 17 f SC “ “, John 15 m SC “ “, Henry 9/12 m FL |
An interesting event occurred just seven years after the recording of this census. In 1857 James Butts (head of household number 67) was called before the Jackson County Court to answer to charges of “Adultery & fornication with a free mulatto”. Butts challenged the charge based on the fact that the female he had been co-habitating with did not fit the legal definition of a ‘mulatto’. Several white witnesses were called including Captain Stephen Richards and John Chason, and the Judge dismissed the charge. The awarding of military service land grants in the mid-1850’s resulted in a split of the original Ocheesee Bluffs Catawba settlement. Jacob Scott chose 160 acres at the site where old Joe Scott had lived in southern
Absalom Scott lived briefly at Scott’s Ferry until a close friend, John Chason, acting as Absalom’s land agent, was able to secure him an 80 acre tract in south-western Jackson County at the headwaters of the Chipola. The Ayers family would chose land in mid-western
