Re: Faith McLemore
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In reply to:
Faith McLemore
Leslie D. Hood 1/29/04
Hello,
I am also a descendant of this Mclemore line.In some of my research, I found an article written that fleshes out some of the family's historical ties to the indians in the area, as well as indicates who was married to whom.I hope this helps and does not confuse the issue more:
The McLemore Connection
The McLemore Family Connection with Redbird and Tsisquaya
The first McLemore man to marry an American Indian woman was James McLemore the immigrant son of Mungo McLemore. He married Fortune Gilliam, the daughter of John Gilliam and Margaret Hincha.Margaret was the daughter of John Henshaw (fur trader), and Oh-see-You, a full blood Ojibwa. James son John Sr. married Faithy Briggs, a half blood Cherokee.John’s son Charles married Quatsis Greenwood, 31/32 Shawnee-White Metis.Charles was born 1709, and Quatsis 1712 – Quatsis was the daughter of Thomas “Caesar” Greenwood and Katie, and born at Nickajack of the Lower Towns.
Charles and Quatsis only had one child – Robert b. 1731 Bertie County, North Carolina.Charles had a small plantation located on the Roanoke River, with Atlantic Ocean access at his back door.It was that access which eventually would become a valuable property.
Robert made his home at Nickajack, and moved furs to his father’s plantation in Bertie County whenever need arose, where eventually they would be picked up by ships from the East India Trading Company.In 1759 and the flare up of the Indian Wars, Robert married Aniwodi Betsy.We know they had several children, all of them before the one who would become quite well known … Ganelugi … Run-After … who would take the Trail of Tears 1838 as the wife of “John Wagonmaster Benge,” the son of Robert Benge killed by Captain Thomas Hobbes 9 Apr 1794 at Stone Mountain, Virginia.
Robert McLemore is elusive in that, he went by several different names. He was known as Robin (Holston Treaty signer 1791) ... Tsisquoquo ... Gagaloh ... and …The Thigh.It is thought since his father Charles married a mostly Shawnee woman with a name, which signified “wolf,’ she was a Wolf Clan member – nothing could be further from the truth.Quatsis was also known as M'weowa equi'wa (Shawnee = Wolf Woman) … Atawaya ... Quatsis ... Wolf Woman - Quatsis got her name because as a girl and young woman she captured wolf pups and trained them as pack animals.
Robert was associated with Willenwah – Great Eagle, and it is through that connection the historical aspect, which caused significant work effort to track literally a thousand pieces of broadly scattered information. In 1764 after his wife died giving birth to son number five, Redbird removed his children from Taluegue village then located in the southeastern part of Kentucky, and returned with them to the Great Tellico.Redbird wanted his children to fully understand the White man ways in order to enable a better chance for their survival.His oldest son, Aaron (Tsisquaya), was sixteen, but James was only five.Robert suggested he and Redbird take the younger children to some of Robert’s relatives, who he was sure would raise them properly, and allow Redbird the right to visit as often as he wanted.They first went to Bertie County, and Charles sent them on to his nephew John who was then living in Granville County. Once there John and his wife agreed to keep the three youngest children, John, Mary, and James.John believed his brother Burrell would care for Jesse and Mahala because some of his own children were already married.
Here it is time to further explain something only a handful of people know about, which is undoubtedly true.This deals with the Cherokee language.Because the McLemore men had married Indian, or partial Indian women … they were not looked down upon by then society; instead, they were accepted rather well.Many men who married Indian women were immigrants from Scotland, and Ireland where interracial marriages were common, but because of the intermittent infractions of both Indian and Settler that resulted in the murder of both factions, there had to be some method for Indians to know, Indians were living in particular locations.This is the case of the McLemore families, and Redbird’s children.There were a series of “signs” that could be inconspicuously placed where a person knowing what to look for would know … “Indians live here, do not attack.” This factor was unknown, and unheard of until learning of it in the book … Tell Them They Lie.”
After his children were safely in the care of willing families, Redbird and Aaron joined in an alliance with Cornstalk lasting thirteen years until Cornstalk was murdered while held in captivity at what would become, Ft. Randolph-Point Pleasant, Mason, West Virginia.After Cornstalk was murdered, Redbird and Aaron continued their battle against further encroachment using whatever forces they could muster.Redbird successfully engineered the attack at Blue Licks Kentucky with Blackfish in January 1778 when they captured twenty-seven people sent to gather salt under command of Daniel Boone.The captives were taken to a Shawnee village (Chillicothe) on the Ohio River, and then on to Detroit where they were sold to the English.Boone quickly made friends with Blackfish, who adopted him, named him, Sheltowee (Big Turtle), and refused the reward offered by the British.Boone escaped his adoptive father Blackfish, and returned to Boonesboro June 1778.Upon return it was noted he had adopted many Indian mannerisms, and his hair was worn in the custom of the Shawnee.He was tried for treason after two men who were captured with him gave their testimony. They were brothers, William and Steven Hancock. Boone was acquitted.
On September 7, 1778, 400 Indians and a handful of Frenchmen under the command of Redbird and Aaron decided to attack Boonesboro again.This time instead of an all out attack, they entered Boonesboro for negations.After two days of no agreement, it was decided to attack and torch Boonesboro, which was a serious mistake.After nearly two weeks of continuous assault, Redbird and Aaron withdrew in defeat.Their losses were heavy, and they knew only two enemy lay dead.This ended the fighting careers of two men … Chief Redbird age 51 years, and his warrior son Tsisquaya age 29 years.
Redbird and Aaron moved into the area known as the Barrens in Tennessee where they lived quietly for more than ten years until encroachment again threatened.They moved back to what was then Indian Territory in Kentucky 1789, which was destined to become Knox County in 1801, when all Indian Territory in Kentucky disappeared except for that of the Chickasha Nation in the extreme tip of the western part of the state.Near the old village of Taluegue, Redbird and Aaron built a small log cabin.There, they took in Old Chief Will of Akoha, signer of the Treaty at Hopewell 1785.The three lived quietly so not to cause any disturbances.They trapped and traded for furs, which Aaron regularly transported to Madison County Kentucky, a distance of less than one hundred miles.
After Ned Mitchell and John Levinstone killed Redbird and Will 10 Feb 1797, Aaron immediately protested to Governor Blount.Governor Blount in haste wrote to the then Governor Sevier in Tennessee.After a three-month wait and no results from Sevier, the son of Redbird again went to war, this time against only two men, Ned Mitchell, and his friend John Levinstone.After a short trip to Madison County Kentucky, a party of eight men departed there aboard horseback with one purpose in mind – to hunt down and kill Ned Mitchell and John Levinstone.Both men were dead before July 1, 1797.We don’t know much of what Aaron did between that time and until he signed the Treaty of Tellico October 25, 1805 as Tochuwor, and the Treaty of Washington D. C. of 1806 as Redbird.He marked an X on both Treaties; however, Aaron could read and write English as well as people do today.If you will study both Treaties, you will find the signature of John McLemore, who was also known as John Euskulacau.That John McLemore is the son of Burrell McLemore who raised Redbirds’ children, Jesse and Mahala, and a nephew of John McLemore who cared for Redbirds other three children James, Mary and John.John McLemore, James, and Jesse all served in the Revolutionary War, at times together, and they kept in touch regularly.
Despite what people have made of Chief Redbird, he was a warrior, and killed people protecting what he believed were his birthright, the lands upon which his peoples had lived.He is no guiltier of murder than were his encroachment counterparts who were protecting what they perceived as – his and her right as conquerors.Both parties then share fault for there is never a winner in warfare, and everyone suffers.These lessons should be taught everywhere in the world, and the world should remember – it took a mere two hundred and eighty years for the invaders of North America to conquer in total the Native Peoples who had lived here for thousands of years.From 1620-1900 before that task completed, which screams preponderantly loud when reflecting upon such a historical aspect of domination.
What do you think?I believe Andrew Jackson’s picture should be removed from the currency of the United States $20.00 certificate, and replaced with a Tochuwor.
Where oh where are our grandfathers, the Delaware?
Dagulaku
© Copyright 2005 Dagulaku
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