Gentlemen,
I am searching for any information about this subject. During this period, one Rev. John Chrietzberg led a group of "69 families" Westward from the Columbia, SC area to South Central Al. (formerly Creek Indian Territory) on Gov't sceeded land.
My interest is in the names of the families involved, the true dates of the movement, and under what government sanction it was carried out.
Any help or ideas on how I can recoup this information would be of help.
Thanks,
Buddy Chrietzberg
bgchriet@gmail.com
I just did a google search on the good Reverand...
here is just one item I found....
The Rev. JOHN CHRIETZBERG born Charleston, So. Carolina, August 18, 1787;
married Elizabeth Segrest in 1809; moved to Macon Co., Ala. about 1843;
licensed to preach in the Methodist Church in 1850; died Elmore Co., Ala.,
Dec.15, 1879.
here is another showing the Charleston 1861 census: genealogytrails.com/scar/charleston/citycensus2_1861.htm
thre are 11 pages of items pulled up under the search ... you'll have to go threw them because some are only partial hits but it should give you a good starting place to see what you can find.
Red Badger,
That is part of the problem. Oral family history says 1820-25 for the treck. I would assume by the 1840's, travel in large groups such as 69 families would not have been necessary. I'm really looking for a Government document of peoples that might have been escorted by troops through semi-hostile territories in Ga./Al. in that era. Family history also says they used the FEDERAL ROAD to get there.
Thanks,
Buddy
This would have been during the time when Andy Jackson was moving the five civilized tribes to Oklahoma. The Trail of Tears incident. Their lands were opened to Anglo-American settlement. The Indians had been defeated during the War of 1812 by the East Tenn Militia at Moccasin Bend in Alabama. There was a rush to take the Indian lands.
Ghost,
You are close. The Indian Removal of the Creeks in that area did not begin until 1834. Evidently, my people were already in there by then.
Buddy
searched net for south central Alabama and came up with Crenshaw County. Look under http//genealogytrails.com/ala/crenshaw/history.html The article under the history section states that the first whiteman settled there about 1820, followed by others. Also talks about a military road, OLD THREE NOTCH TRAIL, maybe go to this site and search for the county your family settled in? I will keep searching who knows, may stumble onto something
http//genealogytrails.com/ala/ lists all the counties in Alabama, they don't do searchs but they have history listed for what they have found. What is the County where your family lives. This may reveal what you are searching for, post county and it will help in search
Did your family live in what is now Butler county?
Pilgrim, All,
They first settled in Autauga, and Macon, and when Elmore Cty. area was opened up some moved there. My immediate family roots were from there. I have, just today, figured out that the movement from SC was probably in 1823. Still don't have any Military/Government records on such a movement but have read that they were heavily regulated by same.
Do know the route to be from Columbia,SC, to Augusta, Ga., Sparta Millidgeville and on to a staging area at Fort Mitchell (Columbus,Ga-Phenix City, Al.) on the Chattahoochee River.
Will check into Crenshaw Cty. but have no knowledge about settlement there.
Thanks,
Buddy
Having searched for Alabama history and also Fort Mitchell. I get conflicting results. Alabamas history links state that March 2, 1819, the congess authorized the people of Alabama Territory to form a state government. But on a search for Fort Mitchell that history link states that it was illegal to enter tyhe Creek Territory. The forts soldiers forced homesteader out of Alabama in 1820, yet another history site states about the building of th Old Federal Road, and that the road was responcible for Alabamas rapid population growth between 1810 -1820. I will let this set a while. This is very confusing as how the history sites contradict each other. Especially Alabamas State history archives
Pilgrim,
Thanks for effort.
I know that by the time of the defeat of the Creeks at Horseshoe Bend, most were half breeds as a result of intermingling with white British traders that had been in the Mobile area for a long time. I'm sure that after the treaty of Fort Jackson there was probably a good bit of tension between occupiers and the Indians over their having to move to Florida or elsewhere and give up their homelands, thus the edict for new white settlers (claim jumpers) to stay out. This could explain why settlement seems to have begun in Autauga first. Simply move South of the territory in question and then North by Northwest to Autauga. When land opens up ithe disputed area, move East into it! I think what the Government didn't want was the "wholesale invasion" accross the Chatahoochee in an area North from Ft. Mitchell to the West Point, Ga area and beyond.
The Federal Road was probably being expanded and improved to provide a safer/more comfortable access to the area. The Rev. John C., a very humble, law abiding and pious individual, probably waited until 1823 for this move.
Any ideas on how I can get at records of who was allowed to pass into the Territory legally?
Are there any reservations in that area, or a tribal community/office. They might be able to get you to the information your looking for. I know in the warm springs area you can get quite a bit of information from them on the tribes in the area.
I'm not trying to offend anyone with this.It's just a suggestion.