George Colbert
Encyclopedia
George Colbert was a Native American
leader of the Chickasaw
people in the early 19th century. He commanded 350 Chickasaw troops, whom he had recruited, as a militia captain under Andrew Jackson
during the Creek War
of 1813-1814. Later he joined the US Army under Jackson for the remainder of the War of 1812
. At the time of Indian Removal
, he was a planter who owned significant land, more than 100 slaves, and a ferry in northwestern Alabama
.
settler of Scots
descent and his second wife Minta Hoye, a Chickasaw, George Colbert was born in present-day Alabama about 1764. He rose to prominence in the Chickasaw nation during the Revolutionary War
. He was said to serve with the colonials under Arthur St. Clair
and Anthony Wayne
during the Revolution. He and his brothers, and their descendants, served the Chickasaw Nation as leaders for much of a century. His nephews Winston and Holmes Colbert
helped develop the constitution and government organization of the Chickasaw in Oklahoma.
George Colbert established Colbert's ferry near Cherokee, Alabama
. It was a significant crossing of the Tennessee River
along the Natchez Trace
, an important trade route. Colbert was able to accumulate land and became an influential planter. He owned an estimated 150 enslaved
Africans as labor in his fields. Due to his economic and political power, he and his brothers were among the primary negotiators of treaties between his people and the United States government in the early 19th century. The Chickasaw ended up ceding much of their land to European-American settlers in an attempt to preserve peace with the United States, but the Colberts received several valuable tracts.
In the late 1830s, Colbert and many of his fellow Chickasaw were moved to Oklahoma under the Indian Removal Act
. He married three times, and fathered six sons and two daughters. Colbert family tradition states that he did not want one of his daughters to have to move to Oklahoma
with Indian Removal. He married her to a white man named Hezekiah Tharp so she could stay in present-day Alabama. Although he had resisted removal, by 1839 Colbert moved with his family and 150 slaves to Ft. Towson, Oklahoma, where he established a sizable farm.
According to family stories, he also had received payment worth a small fortune for ferrying President (then General) Andrew Jackson and his men across the Tennessee River.
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
leader of the Chickasaw
Chickasaw
The Chickasaw are Native American people originally from the region that would become the Southeastern United States...
people in the early 19th century. He commanded 350 Chickasaw troops, whom he had recruited, as a militia captain under Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
during the Creek War
Creek War
The Creek War , also known as the Red Stick War and the Creek Civil War, began as a civil war within the Creek nation...
of 1813-1814. Later he joined the US Army under Jackson for the remainder of the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. At the time of Indian Removal
Indian Removal
Indian removal was a nineteenth century policy of the government of the United States to relocate Native American tribes living east of the Mississippi River to lands west of the river...
, he was a planter who owned significant land, more than 100 slaves, and a ferry in northwestern Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
.
Early life and education
The second of six mixed-race sons of James Logan Colbert, a North CarolinianNorth Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
settler of Scots
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
descent and his second wife Minta Hoye, a Chickasaw, George Colbert was born in present-day Alabama about 1764. He rose to prominence in the Chickasaw nation during the Revolutionary War
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. He was said to serve with the colonials under Arthur St. Clair
Arthur St. Clair
Arthur St. Clair was an American soldier and politician. Born in Scotland, he served in the British Army during the French and Indian War before settling in Pennsylvania, where he held local office...
and Anthony Wayne
Anthony Wayne
Anthony Wayne was a United States Army general and statesman. Wayne adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his military exploits and fiery personality quickly earned him a promotion to the rank of brigadier general and the sobriquet of Mad Anthony.-Early...
during the Revolution. He and his brothers, and their descendants, served the Chickasaw Nation as leaders for much of a century. His nephews Winston and Holmes Colbert
Holmes Colbert
Holmes Colbert was a Native American leader of the Chickasaw Nation in what would become Oklahoma. Colbert wrote the Chickasaw Nation's constitution in the 1850s.-Early life and education:...
helped develop the constitution and government organization of the Chickasaw in Oklahoma.
George Colbert established Colbert's ferry near Cherokee, Alabama
Cherokee, Alabama
Cherokee incorporated December 7 1871 is a town in west Colbert County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Florence - Muscle Shoals Metropolitan Statistical Area known as "The Shoals". As of the 2000 census, the population of the town is 1,237....
. It was a significant crossing of the Tennessee River
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
along the Natchez Trace
Natchez Trace
The Natchez Trace, also known as the "Old Natchez Trace", is a historical path that extends roughly from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee, linking the Cumberland, Tennessee and Mississippi rivers...
, an important trade route. Colbert was able to accumulate land and became an influential planter. He owned an estimated 150 enslaved
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
Africans as labor in his fields. Due to his economic and political power, he and his brothers were among the primary negotiators of treaties between his people and the United States government in the early 19th century. The Chickasaw ended up ceding much of their land to European-American settlers in an attempt to preserve peace with the United States, but the Colberts received several valuable tracts.
In the late 1830s, Colbert and many of his fellow Chickasaw were moved to Oklahoma under the Indian Removal Act
Indian Removal Act
The Indian Removal Act was signed into law by President Andrew Jackson on May 28, 1830.The Removal Act was strongly supported in the South, where states were eager to gain access to lands inhabited by the Five Civilized Tribes. In particular, Georgia, the largest state at that time, was involved in...
. He married three times, and fathered six sons and two daughters. Colbert family tradition states that he did not want one of his daughters to have to move to Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
with Indian Removal. He married her to a white man named Hezekiah Tharp so she could stay in present-day Alabama. Although he had resisted removal, by 1839 Colbert moved with his family and 150 slaves to Ft. Towson, Oklahoma, where he established a sizable farm.
According to family stories, he also had received payment worth a small fortune for ferrying President (then General) Andrew Jackson and his men across the Tennessee River.
Legacy
- Colbert County, AlabamaColbert County, AlabamaColbert County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of brothers George and Levi Colbert, Chickasaw Indian chiefs. George Colbert operated a ferry across the Tennessee River in 1790 near present day Cherokee....
was named after him and his brother LeviLevi ColbertLevi Colbert , also known as Itawamba, was a Native American of the Chickasaw. Colbert was called Itte-wamba Mingo, meaning bench chief...
.
- Colbert's Spring was named after Levi Colbert.
- George's Cave, near the above, was named after George Colbert.
Additional reading
- Arrell M. Gibson, The Chickasaws (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1971).
- Don Martini, Who Was Who Among the Southern Indians: A Genealogical Notebook (Falkner, Miss.: N.p., 1997).