RED SHOES visit his sister's family
--
the McGILLIVRAYS
Red Shoes, Chief of the Coosadas brings furs for trade with his brother-in-law the Scot, Lachlan McGillivray. Sehoy II and her children are delighted to see their kinsman.
The parents of Red Shoes and Sehoy II were Sehoy I of the Wind Clan and her French husband, Louis Marchand, commandant of Fort Toulouse. Marchand had first been stationed at Fort Condé in Mobile, then he was sent to the new fort where the waters of the Coosa and Tallapoosa Rivers meet to form the Alabama River. Tragically Marchand was killed in a mutiny in about 1722.
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Lachlan McGillivray came to the area in search of his fortune. He set up a very successful trading post and made many friends among the tribes. When he met the lovely Sehoy II, he fell in love, as did she. And so they were married. From them are several branches of descendants who figured prominently in the earliest written histories of the Deep South and of Alabama.
The children of Sehoy II and Lachlan were:
Alexander McGillivray "Hoboi-Hili-Miko", Good Child King, who would be sent off to Charleston, SC to be educated under the care of Rev. Farquhar McGillivray. When the young Alexander returned to his people in the wilderness, he took on many hats in an effort to lead the Creeks through the very difficult time when whites were entering the homelands. See his family history. Alexander, like his father Lachlan McGillivray, was a very successful trader and was in partnership with the firm of Panton & Leslie.
The older of the girls shown in the painting was Sophia McGillivray. Then there was Jeannett McGillivray. Another daughter Elizabeth McGillivray was born later (not shown here).
Sophie McGillivray was sent with her brother to Charleston to school but she did not stay long as she missed her homeland far too much. Sophie did receive an education because when Alexander returned to lead his people, he had been gone so long that he had lost his Muscogee language and Sophie was able to serve as his translator. Sophie married a Huguenot trader Benjamin Durant. See their family history.
Jeannett McGillivray would grow up to marry a dashing Frenchman --LeClerc Milfort, an adventurer who was adopted into the tribe at Coweta. See their family history. LeClerc learned many of tribal stories and published his memoirs when he returned to France 20 years later; he worked with Napoleon for a time as advisor.
Sehoy II had another daughter by a union with either William McPherson, a trader, or a Tuckabatchee chief; this daughter was Sehoy III, shown as one of the smaller girls above, who grew up to become the mother of the greatest of all Creek chiefs William Weatherford --"Red Eagle" who was one of the primary figures in the Creek War of 1813-14. Sehoy III and her husbands John Tate and Charles Weatherford were leaders of their communities; see their family history.
Tales of the great McGillivrays and their famili lines are numerous; many are included on their family history pages (links above). Alabama school children are taught the stories that fill history books.
Notes4U: In Spring, flowers bloom profusely in Alabama. Golden coreopsis nod a cheery welcome. Pink wildroses add a sweet accents. Wild strawberry vines weave among the flowers. A Blue jay makes his presence known. And as always, the Ferns have been here forever.
Illustrations and stories by Carol Middleton 1998, 1999,
2000 ©.
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Your comments are welcome. Please send them to me Carol Middleton