The Creeks in Georgia
Benjamin Hawkins came into this area (now Crawford County) in 1803 and developed a compound on the Flint River. The compound included a shop and plantation, which became known as the Creek Agency Reserve. The site was located near Macon and doubtless served as one of the forts along the frontier during the Creek War of 1812 to 1813. Although Hawkins was well-liked by the local Creeks, he believed that he could persuade the natives to embrace a European-American way of life. He settled disputes and resolved many issues concerning white settlements in Creek territory. When he died at the Reserve in 1816. he was replaced by David B. Mitchell.
Native Americans were frequently having a war with other tribes. Some of the smaller tribes (or losers) were swallowed up and lost in identity. They were frequently on the move. Records were not kept of births, deaths, etc. Although Indians did not generally marry white women, they sometimes captured them as slaves. There are a few published journals on the Gutenburg.org website written by slaves. The story told of life among the Indians during the 18th century was that after the capture the tribes were always on the move or having a war with other tribes. White families had no chance of retrieving their women. Benjamin Hawkins, a Creek agent in Georgia during its colonization, kept his own journals. Thus, the materials to be examined are those kept by Indian Agents (if one can find such items) who wrote in English and sometimes clarified the English version of an Indian name.
The Indian Agents were in Charleston, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia where all of the records survive. I strongly recommend reading the deeds and affidavits (colonial writing) to gain a historical knowledge of the times and discover more information. Interestingly, there are affidavits (given by co-pirates) in Charleston concerning the capture of the pirate, Captain William Kidd! Samuel Eveleigh of Charleston widely traded with the new Georgia Colony, and there is information to be gathered about his adventures. The wealth of information found in early deeds and minutes of the court provides a bounty of undisclosed information.
