Reflections on Daniel’s life among the Creeks during the 1780’s and 1790’s

The story of Daniel Eades was passed down through my Mother’s family from Daniel, to his Daughter Penelope, to her Daughter Mary, to her Daughter Carrie, who was my Grandmother.  Somehow stories passed from Mother to Daughter seem to retain more of the texture and personal feeling than when passed through the males of the family.  Or maybe that’s just my personal impression, or how it seemed in my family.  

In any case, I heard the stories many times from my Mother and my Grandmother.  When Daniel was a child he fell from a tree and suffered a gash on his leg. When it healed it left a unique scar which he had for life. After he was captured during an Indian raid he was adopted by the Medicine Man of the tribe, who had a son, about the same age as Daniel who had died.  Daniel grew up with a “brother” who was the son of the tribe’s Chief. When they were grown, the son of the Chief told Daniel that he knew where his family was and asked if he wanted to return.  Daniel decided that he did. On his return he found his Mother sitting on the porch. She did not recognize him, but then he showed her the scar on his leg, and she knew this “Indian” was her son.

Of course we know now that Daniel grew up and lived in Hillabee (Hilabi) Town.  The Scottish trader who became a prominent leader in the Creek Nation, Robert Grierson lived a few miles north of Hilabi.

Grierson started out by trading tools, guns, gunpowder, cooking pots, blankets, etc. for deer skins which were exported to Europe. The Griersons (or Graysons) had a large farm or ranch with cattle and one of the largest cotton farms in the area which would become Alabama.  Grierson introduced wage labor to the Indian population by employing Creek women to pick and spin cotton.  Robert and his Creek wife Sinnugee had 6 children; Sandy, Sarah, Walter, David, Liza & William.  Surely Daniel and his adopted brother were their friends as children.  

I think growing up watching Grierson’s cotton farming operation, and how profitable it was later influenced Daniel to move from Georgia to Louisiana and start building a similar operation, but I’m getting ahead of myself. 

We do know that Daniel was present at the Tribal Council at Hilabi in the summer of 1788, when he would have been about 18 years old. 

The following is from “Black, White, and Indian” by Claudio Saunt, who is a Professor of History at University of Georgia.  His book is an excellent reference if you are researching the Creek Nation.

The annual Busk is a yearly Muscogee ceremony marking the first harvest of corn.  The 1788 Busk brought together a remarkable assortment of people in the town square of old Hillabee (Hilabi). Their names testify to their diversity: 

Auwillaugee

Thomas Scott

Robert Grierson

Mad Bear

Big Chatter

Reles Eneha

Hilabi Captain

Hilabi Harjo

Hilabi Tustunagee

Paya Locko

Grence

Saucy Jack (Daniel Eades)

David Hay

Stephen Hawkins (married Sarah, the Daughter of Robert Grierson)

Eneha Thlucco Harjo

Thomas

Opioche Tustungee

James

Venus

Rachel Spillard

Sinnugee (Wife of Robert Grierson)

Fannautotau

Opio Docta 

John Eades filed an Affidavit in November 1793 saying that Daniel was a captive at Hilabi.  So I can be sure Daniel did not return to Georgia until 1794 or later. Daniel was back in Georgia before his father signed his will in December 1800, leaving the land on which he (John Eades) lived to his son Daniel.

So Daniel was somewhere between 24 and 30 years old when he returned. 

I have three questions I hope to answer. 

Who was the Medicine Man who adopted and raised Daniel and who are his descendents? I would like to know about the family he grew up in.

Who was the Son of the Chief who was like a brother to Daniel and what became of him? Was he in the Red Stick War? Did he move to Oklahoma?

The third and most important question is, did Daniel marry and have children before returning to Georgia?  Do we have unknown cousins in the Creek Nation? 

If you are descended from any of the people mentioned or have any information to contribute, please contact me at TomScott@gmail.com

This section is not complete, but this is the extent of the facts I have about Daniel, or Saucy Jack, during this period.  I will come back and add more about what was happening in the Creek Nation during the years Daniel was there.