THE DURANTS
Benjamin Peter Durant and Sophie McGillivray
Lachlan Durant and Mary "Polly"
Hall
Mary "Polly" Durant and Mustaushobie
Coochman
Sophia Durant and her husbands ? Linder and Dr.
John McCombs
Rachel Durant and her husbands (maybe) Billy
McGirth, Samuel Brashears, David Walker, Dr., and Zadock Brashears
Elizabeth Durant and her husbands Peter McQueen
and Willy McQueen
Andrew Jackson Durant and Sarah Jane
McNeil
Otho Jackson Durant and Martha Anna
Denson
Thomas Jackson Durant and Sallie Romine
Pearson
Anna Naomi Durant and Harold Arendall
Burchfield
BENJAMIN PETER DURANT and SOPHIE McGILLIVRAY
Benjamin Peter Durant
Born: about 1735 in France; Married:
about 1758 in Little Tulsa, Elmore, AL; Died,
Parents:
LifeNotes: Was a Huguenot. A trader out of Charleston, SC.
In the miscellaneous claims Benjamin Durant had a claim for (the orig claim) the amount of 1,000.00 and at the time of this claim a bal due was 400.00 this was paid July 1817 (from Pat Opachick posted to CREEK-SOUTHEAST-L)
Sophie McGillivray
Born: about 1741 in Little Tulsa, Elmore, AL;
Married: about 1758 in Little Tulsa, Elmore,
AL; Died,
Parents: Sehoy II and Lachlan McGillivray
LifeNotes: Of the Wind Clan. Went to school in Charleston, SC under the care of her father's cousin Rev. Farquhar McGillivray. Sophie was sent to a girls' school and was very homesick for her wilderness home, so she returned home to her parents at Little Tallassee. She was taught hunting skills by her Uncle Red Shoes. Sophie was trained to be a leader to her people; she attends tribal councils at Hickory Ground. Women of the clan had a place of high importance in tribal business. Neighboring tribes are the Alibamos, the Cowetas and the Coushatta.
They lived for a time outside of Savannah, GA on one of her father's estates on the Savannah River. They are there during the seige of Savannah. And there Sophie parts with her father when he is sent back to Scotland for his loyalties to the Crown. Later because once again Sophie yearns for the Wilderness, they moved to Creek territory at Durant's Bend.
In 1792 (or 1800), Sophie and a servant rode horses for 4 days to stop a Creek attack on Tensaw in Baldwin Co., AL Two weeks later Sophie gave birth to twins. Sophie and Benjamin remained at Durant's Bend until the Creek War of 1814. Then they fled to safety among the Seminoles and Spanish in Pensacola, FL.
Her great-great-nephew Dr. Marion Elisha Tarvin (grandson of David Tate) describes her. "was beautiful in every respect, she had an air of authority, and had great influence for good."
Their children were:
Millie McQueen's children and grandchildren with roll numbers and census card numbers in the "Final Rolls of Citizens and Freedmen: are listed:
1400 Ross, Muscogee 52 F Fullblood, Census Card #427
1401 Ross, Susie l-2 (All are listed on Census Card 427
1402 Ross, Irwin 22 1-2 (halfblood - all Millie's children are listed as halfblood)
1403 Ross, Johnny 20
1404 Ross, Jenny P 13
1405 Ross, Frank Leslie (days old)
to Some Creek Families & Friends
MARY "POLLY" DURANT and MUSTAUSHOBIE COOCHMAN
Mary "Polly" Durant
LifeNotes:
Born: about 1763 in Little Tallassee, Elmore,
AL
Married:
Died:
Parents: Sophie McGillivray and Benjamin Durant
1st-Mustaushobie Coochman
LifeNotes: also known as Tustenugga Emarthlar, Seco Pitcher and JimBoy
Born:
Married
Parents:
Their children were:
to Some Creek Families & Friends
RACHEL DURANT and her husbands
BILLY
McGIRTH (maybe), SAMUEL BRASHEARS, DAVID WALKER, Sr., and ZADOC BRASHEARS
With information kindly contributed by Evelyn Vasconelles
Rachel Durant
LifeNotes: Enjoy Dr. Woodrow Wallace's story of Rachel, his grgrgrgrandmother
Born: about 1765 in
Durant's Bend, Elmore Co., AL; Married: see the information
with the husbands; Died,
Parents: Sophie McGillivray and Benjamin Durant
maybe 1st-Husband: Billy McGirth (unproven).
Born: about 1783 AL; Married: about 1803 in AL; Died,
Parents: Daniel McGirth
LifeNotes:
Their children were:
Husband: Samuel Brashears
Born, Married: ca 1786; Died:
Parents:
Their children were:
LifeNotes:
Husband: David Walker, Sr.
Born: approximately 1761 in AL or GA;
Married: ; Died,
Parents:
LifeNotes:
Their children were:
3rd-Husband: Zadock Brashears, Sr. who .
Born, Married: on 24 Sept 1824, Marengo Co., AL; Died,
Parents: Jesse Brashears and Elizabeth Prather
LifeNotes: He was Samuel's brother,
Husband: -? Bershins
Born: approx. 1761 Elmore Co., AL; Married, Died,
Parents:
to Some Creek Families & Friends
SOPHIA DURANT and her husbands (?) LINDER and Dr. JOHN McCOMBES
Thanks to Dr. Woodrow Wallace, William Laporte and Mecklyn Stockton
Sophia Durant
LifeNotes:
From Woodrow Wallace:
Deed Record Book "A" Tallapoosa County, AL Page #5:
Yarge, son of Big Warrior, deeded the estates of his father and mother to Sophia McCombs on August 7, 1835.The document reads: "State of Alabama: Know all men by these presents, that in Tallapoosa County, Yargi an Indian of the Creek .. of Creek.. in the State of Alabama and County of Tallapoosa and this day.. and in consideration o the sum of five thousand dollars to me in hand paid the receipt whereof I do hereby acknowledge, grants delivered and sold, afirmed and conveyed , and by these presents for and in consideration of the sum aforesaid, do grant bargain and ..convey unto Sophia McComb of the County and State aforesaid all my rights, title, interest and claims in said County and to all and every part of my Father's, The Big Warrior's estate, both real and personal, and of the said Yarge's, an Indian, as aforesaid for the consideration, for the consideration the sum aforesaid , do grant, bargain and sell, ..and convey unto the said Sophia McComb all my rights, titles, interests and claims in and to all ..every part of my mother's YE? for her..estate both real and personal, to have and to hold unto her, the said Sophia McComb and unto her heirs & assigns forever, the above granted, bargained and sold interests in the above named estates together, with the tenements and aforementioned thereto belonging of in any way ..to the said estates whether in real or paperform and I the ?? Yargi, the above mentioned estates together with all and everything thereunto belonging whether in real or paperform unto her, the said Sophia McComb and unto her heirs and assigns.. and will truly warrant and ..defend by these presents against the claim or claims of all and every person or persons whatever.
In testimony whereof and of all and .. for the premises aforesaid. I, the
said Yargi's that hereunto subscribed my name and afixed my seal this the seventh day of August a. d. 1835.
YarXgi
Signed and sealed and witnessed
before usThos M Coker
William Bardin
Hubert (his mark) ProctorState of Alabama | Personally appeared before me E Garby and Peter Haus, justices of the peace in and for the County of Tallapoosa the said Yargi, the within signed who says that he signed and sealed (faded out)
YarXgi
Vramid Garby JP
Peter Haus JP
Recorded 15 Oct 1835
Samuel T Nawin - clerk (Transcribed to the best of my ability W W Wallace Sr)
Born: about 1797, now Upper Creek Nation; Married 2nd: about 1805
now Upper Creek Nation; Died: after 1860 Tallapoosa Co., AL
Parents: Sophie McGillivray and Benjamin Durant
Dr. John McCombes
LifeNotes: Sold land in Tallapoosa Co., AL to Henry S. Spencer on 14 Dec 1841; Sophia signed the document
Born, Married: about 1805 now Upper Creek Nation; Died,
Parents:
Their children were:
to Some Creek Families & Friends
ELIZABETH DURANT and her husbands PETER McQUEEN and WILLY McQUEEN
Thanks to Sylvia Bailey-Munoz -- Yargee -- and Woodrow Wallace
Elizabeth "Betsy" Durant
Born, Married: about 1780 AL; Died:
before 2/20/1835
Parents: Sophie McGillivray and Benjamin Durant
LifeNotes: After Peter's disappearance, Elizabeth "Betsy" Durant married Willy McQueen.
1st-Peter McQueen
Born, Married: about 1780 in of, AL; Died
on an obscure island in Florida, probably in the Keys
Parents: James McQueen, a British Naval officer who jumped
ship in Pensacola Bay) and Katharine Fraser
LifeNotes: Uncle of Bill Powell-- Osceola, leader of the Seminoles. Peter's siblings were: Bob McQueen, Fulfunny McQueen, Ann McQueen (m. 1st- ? Coppinger; m. 2nd-John Powell; their son was Osceola). Peter was at one time Chief of the Tallassees and was a leader in the Creek War.
Peter McQueen was the leader of the attack at Ft. Mims, which turned into the Massacre. Was part of the Creek party ambushed in what is called The Battle of Burnt Corn and who led the Red Sticks to victory.
Peter McQueen and Jim Boy kidnapped James Cornell's wife Betsy Coulter and sold her to Madame Barone's in Pensacola; they kidnapped Betsy because James Cornells refused to join the Redstick movement.
After the Creek War, and after Jackson's 1818 campaign in Florida, Peter joined other members of the Red Sticks and disppeared into the Seminole country in Florida to seek help from the British and / or Spanish governments. It is thought he died on a little barren island on the Atlantic side of Cape Florida.
From Thomas Woodward: ". . .Peter, the youngest son, married Betsy Durant. They raised one son, James, and three daughters, Milly, Nancy and Tallassee. The Big Warrior's son, Yargee, had the three sisters for wives at the same time, and would have taken more half sisters. After Peter McQueen died, his widow returned from Florida and married Willy McQueen, the nephew of Peter, and raised two daughters, Sophia and Muscogee, and some two or three boys. Old James McQueen had a daughter named Ann, commonly called Nancy. He called her after the Queen of England, whose service he quit when he came into Nation. Of late years it was hard to find a young Tallassee without some of the McQueen blood in his veins.
Their children were:
From Woodrow Wallace:
James McQueen, son of Betsy Durant deceased applied in Macon County Ala., 20 Feb. 1835 to be administrator of Betsy's estate. Orphans Court Records, Macon County AL Book 1, 1834-1838, page 23.
2nd-husband: Willy McQueen
Born, Married: after 1818; Died,
Parents:
LifeNotes:
Their children were:
to Some Creek Families & Friends