I have at least 3 sets of 3-great grandparents who were in Florida during the Territorial period, but in 2 of the 3 lines I can identify only my 2-great grandparents by name.

The 3rd set of 3-great grandparents were in SC for the War of 1812, and 3 great grandpa Andrew Haven served in the SC militia in that war. I'm not sure where he was during the First Creek War... but it may have been Creek Country in what is now SW Georgia. He settled in Thomas County and served in the Florida Mounted Militia in the Second Seminole War. He died while on militia duty in 1838 (how he died is not recorded) and his estate was probated in Leon County in 1847.

Both of his sons, William George Haven & John Shepard Haven, served in both the Georgia and Florida militias in the 2nd Seminole War... possibly garrisoning San Marcos de Apalachee (St. Marks) at least part of their time on militia duty; and both definitely served in Campbell's Independent Company of Seige Artillery at San Marcos de Apalachee/Fort Ward (St. Marks) during the Civil War. I'm by no means certain, but I think that John Shepard Haven's wife (my 2-great grandmother), Martha Ann Welch, was part Creek.

My 2-great grandfather Allen Spears (Speirs?) was born in Florida about 1821 and married Sarah Ridley in Wilkinson County, Georgia, in 1836... after which they moved to Thomas County, Georgia, and pretty much stayed put. I am almost certain that Sarah Ridley was Creek, and that she was somehow related to the Creek Confederacy's principal chief 1802-1825, Hopoie Micco. As to Allen Spears himself, I am less certain, but I believe that he had at least Indian ancestry, if not specifically Creek... but I have a strong suspicion that one or both of his parents were Creek or part Creek and that whoever his father was, he was in Florida in 1821 as part of the Loyal Creek component of Jackson's forces.

Those folks are on dad's "side" of the family. On mom's "side", my 2-great grandfather John Hair(e) was born in Florida in 1825. His parents were born in Georgia, but his wife Eliza E. Butler's mother was born in Florida. As best as I can determine to date, this John Hair may have been a grandson of Nocose Yaholla... aka Chief John Yellow Hair, of the Apalachicola Creeks/Seminoles. The Apalachicola Creeks were granted reservations in Florida for their participation in Jackson's forces in the First Creek War; however, in short order those reservations were revoked and they were "removed" with the rest of the Creeks and most of the Seminoles... and in the process the government reclassified them as Seminoles.

Although the Apalachicolas were removed, they didn't necessarily stay removed. In the first place, they were given the option of moving to Arkansas Territory (later called Indian Territory and now called Oklahoma), or leaving the country. They chose to leave the country by moving to Mexico in 1834, in the part then called Texas.

Needless to say Texas became a very hot place in more ways that one by 1836, with the Texas Revolution, the Alamo, etc. The Creeks and Seminoles never were very adept at following government orders anyway, but the Apalachicolas, like most Creeks & Seminoles, came in 3 shades: Black, Red, and White.

One of the big impetuses of the Creek & Seminole Wars was the efforts to renslave or enslave the Black Seminoles, and this drive also complicated removal. It seems that no matter what the government wanted, at least some of the Creeks & Seminoles went wherever they pleased even during the removal. Many of the Black Seminoles seem to have accumulated further into Mexico after Texas headed its way towards being a US "slave state". There, for awhile, they became the backbone of the Mexican border patrol... and later many of them came back to the US as Black Seminole Scouts for the US Army... where they collectively earned more Congressional Medals of Honor than any small group you could imagine.

The more obviously Red Seminoles including Apalachicolas would seem stuck in Indian Territory, but some may have come back to Florida. As his "English" name implies, John Yellow Hair apparently wasn't all that obviously Red and he didn't get stuck. He is known to have come back to Florida and apparently served with the Florida Militia against the Seminole recalcitrants during the Second Seminole War.

What I can't do, though, at this point, is document Yellow Hair as an ancestor. There was no incentive, and in fact a strong disincentive, to letting it be known that one was a Seminole Indian in Florida. So where can I look fo documentation? I have looked at the Territorial Papers some (I need to look again, I was mostly looking at Charles Haire's office-seeking behavior there) and I have looked at the Territorial correspondence on Indian Affairs on microfilm... including the 1833 (?) Apalachicola Creek Census.

So... what other troves are there to be delved into...?

Any referal to secondary or primary source materials that may useful will be appreciated.

Richard White
Tallahassee, FL