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GUY T ZIMMERMAN SRdate: 590120
age: 062
place: MNTGY
residence: MONTGOMERY
volume: 003
cert: 01420
deathvol: 592 _PRIM Y
Name: Zimmerman Sr, Guy T
Death Date: 20 January 1959
Place of Death: Montgomery, Kentucky
Age: 62
Residence: Montgomery, Kentucky
State Volume: 03
Office Volume: 59
Certificate: 014202 _PRIM Y
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1 _UID 98CA2492A56A644FB89884511AEC125168E7
Taught English in high school. She published poetry.
1 _UID 5D0D3BCB284EDB48B316051BDD8B432CC90A
Sherman drowned while trying to save a young swimmer. The swimmer also dro
wned. He was a doctor and worked out of his house in Levie KY.Sherman Su
Birthplace: Kentucky
County: Montgomery
Relatives: Wife Lofa 36, Kentucky
Son Guy 14, Kentucky
Daughter Ila 13, Kentucky
Enumeration District: 0136
Visit: 0146
Color: W
Age: 46
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SHERMAN SEE JRDate
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1 _UID 454552C3CCA21947982603AF10E8405F74DB
2 _SDATE 1 JUL 1836
1836-37 Muster Roll Capt. Henry S. Maxwell TN Vol mounted Militia ordered
into service of us. by Gov. Newton Cannon from 18th Jun 1836 to 18 Jun 1837
by Capt. Maxwell Period 6 months
Armistead WALKER Pvt. enrolled 18 JUN 1836 Overton Co. TNPleasant OGLETREE pvt. "
Alexander O. WALKER Pvt. "
George W. GORE 1st Lt. "
Josiah S. COPELAND Pvt. "2 _PRIM Y
The State vs Drunkness
Plesant OGLETREE
This day came the attorney General as well as the defendant in person and the defendant being charged upon the presentment says he is guilty in manner and form as charged and for his Trial puts himself upon the grace and mercy of the court. It is therefore considered by the court that for such his offence he make his fine by the payment of Five dollars and that he pay the costs of this prosecution. Whereupon Stephen MAYFIELD in open court acknowledged himself the defendants security for the fine and costs aforesaid and agrees that execution may issue against his goods and chattels lands and Tenements jointly with the defendant for the collection of the same. It is therefore considered by the Court that the State of Tennessee recover against the Defendant and Stephen MAYFIELD the fine & costs aforesaid.2 _PRIM Y
Upon motion and it appearing to the satisfaction of the Court that Pleasant OGLETREE a citizen of Overton County and State of Tennessee has died in the County and State aforesaid leaving no will and it further appearing to the satisfaction of the Court that those entitled by law to the preference in the administration of the same have failed or totally refused to take upon themselves the administration of said Estate, it is therefore ordered by the Court that Reason OGLETREE be appointed administrator of all and singular the goods and chattels rights and credits of the said Pleasant OGLETREE decd. and that letters of administration be issued to him, whereupon the said Reason OGLETREE came into Court with Thompson CASH his security who executed and acknowledged bond in the sum of eight hundred dollars and was qualified as such. State of Tennessee () Overton County () To Reason OGLETREE a citizen of Overton County, it appearing to the satisfaction of the County Court now in session that Pleasant OGLETREE has died in the County of Overton & State of Tennessee leaving no will and the Court being satisfied as to your claim to the administration and having given bond and qualified as directed by law and the court having ordered that letters of administration be issued to you, These are therefore to authorize and empower you to take into your possession and controll all the goods and chattels claims and papers of the said intestate and return a true and perfect Inventory thereof to our next County Court, to collect and pay all debts and do and transact all duties in relation to said Estate which lawfully devolve on you as administrator and after having settled up said estate to deliver the residue thereof to those who are by law entitled. Witness William H. TURNER Clerk of said Court at Office the 4th day of October 1847
1 _UID BBF069CBFA7CBE46B1EB131605FEC2F3D615
Died: Before 1860Buried: Probably in Overton County, TN.
it is believed she was born in Pendleton Co., SC (now Pickett County) although she shows on the 1850 census she was born in Va. It is believed she may have shown Va. because that is where her father was from.
It is believed Pleasant Ogletree came out of Wilkes County, Georgia, for he appears there on Land lotteries and several surety marriage licenses from 1797-1806. He served in the War of 1812.
In a land claim by Elvie Christian, No. 40490,, she claims to be a grand daughter of Stephen Mayfield and an Indian Woman named Jack, an Eastern Cherokee. She claims that Rachel was stolen by Stephen from her mother.
Rachel appears to be taking care of her parents on the 1830 census and yet Stephen did not mention her in his will, he gave all his land to Stephen,. before he died.
1850 Overton County TN Census17 795 796 Ogletree Rachel 54 F 600 VA X
18 795 796 Ogletree Serena 32 F Tenn. X
19 795 796 Ogletree Letta 25 F Tenn. X
20 795 796 Ogletree John A. 23 M Farmer Tenn.
21 795 796 Ogletree Dicy 20 F Tenn. X
22 795 796 Ogletree Rosco 17 M Farmer Tenn. X
23 795 796 Ogletree Burrel 15 M Farmer Tenn. X2 _PRIM Y
Ordered by the Court that Robert SAVAGE, John N. WATKINS and J. S. COPELAND be appointed Commissioners to set apart one years provisions to Rachael OGLETREE Widow of Pleasant OGLETREE deceased and that they report to the next Court.
Ordered by the Court that Reason OGLETREE administrator of Pleasant OGLETREE decd. be allowed till the next term of this Court to return an Inventory of the effects of said deceased.Robert H. SAVAGE & John N. WATKINS two of the Commissioners who was appointed at last Court to set apart one years maintenance to Rachael OGLETREE widow of Pleasant OGLETREE deceased this day returned their report allowing said Widow 800 lbs. pork, 1 beef cow, 50 bushels of corn, 15 bushels of wheat, $18. for the purchase of necessaries, 15 hundred bundles of fodder & six dollars worth of leather which was received and ordered to be put of record and filed.
Reason OGLETREE administrator of all and singular the goods and chattels rights and credits of Pleasant OGLETREE deceased this day returned an Inventory and Sale Bill of the property and effects of said deceased which was received and ordered to be put of record and filed.
1 _UID 3EC5B37096B72144A50C774A519970FFA31E
1 _UID B5BFF8752719594881AAAA62CDA89C929C75
1 _UID A36D7AD0E3B2AA4FA56B8ECCA3F5D3EDAAE7
1 _UID 5F451C81A18CA447BF530C0A3C7397EEB5A3
1 _UID 53ED8DE301686240B3C254730C57C385A245
1 _UID 819737DA6A8B3C48A6C5221654324C6E8587
Died: Aug. 11, 1834 in Overton County, TN. He is not listed in the 1830 Overton County Census, but was living with the Pleasant Ogletree family for there was an older male living with them.Buried-. Overton County, TN.
We have no proof that Stephen's father was John (of Amherst Co., Va.) but this has been the conclusion of other researchers also. We know that there was a John Mayfield and his son, Stephen (Loyalist) , captured at the "Siege of Old 96" by the Americans. We do know his mother' s name was Delia from papers in the Virginia State Archives and we know there was a John & Delia Mayfield in Washington County, TN. in 1784, this is believed to be her son before he moved on to KY.
He is believed to have married Bridgett Gilmore who was the daughter of John and Judith Gilmore. Judith deeded Bridgett Mayfield a cow in Amherst County in 1776. Judith was previously married to an O'Bryan, but it is believed Bridgett would have been born after her marriage to John Gilmore. However, the O'Bryan name has not been researched and it is wondered where they got the name of Luke, name of their firstborn son. Both John Mayfield, Sr. & Jr. signed a deed for John Gilmore on 13 Oct, 1768 in Amherst County, VA. It is believed that Stephen and Bridgett moved to South Carolina shortly after their marriage.
1770 - his father, John, may have moved to Union Co., SC sometime after acquiring 300 acres of land there on Brown Creek. If he did, it would appear that Stephen remained in Amherst Co. , or he returned to get married.
A Stephen Mayfield is shown as owning land in Union District SC on Brown Creek 25 July 1778. Cannot determine when he sold it, several researchers have attempted to locate when he sold the land and have not been successful. It would appear that the land was confiscated from him and we probably need to be looking for the name of the Sheriff or some other government employee.
There is a listing of a Stephen Mayfield as a Loyalist during the Rev. War, "Loyalist identified by Col. Thomas Brandon."
The following information is found in Loyalist in the Southern Campaign of the Revolutionary War by Murtie June Clark, 3 volumes: Muster, Captain Jonn Murphey' s Company SC Loyalist Savannah Ga. , Dec. 1, 1779. Lieutenant Stephen Mayfield, commissioned Nov. 13, 1779. Also a William Mayfield in Capt. Dawkins' Co. of SC Royalists, Camden, SC with muster to Apr. 24, 1781 and a later notation that he deserted on Apr. 24, 1781. And under Burials of Refugees in Charleston, SC: On Feb. 20, 1782, Capt. Mayfield burial of his daughter.
There is a John Mayfield and his son, Stephen, captured by the Americans at the Siege of Old 96. John is listed as a powder man from Enoree River. Sometimes Loyalists were released if they promised not to fight again, if this the case of John & Stephen, this is evidently did not keep their promise. or did they escape?
Stephen had brothers Lewis & Isham who fought in Rev. War in Virginia Line; Lewis was killed in the service. This information can be found in Virginia State Archives.
When the Rev. War was over Stephen escaped to Florida to save his neck It appears his wife Bridgett stayed in S. SC., it is now known if she stayed with or near relatives
There is a story of the refugees being loaded on boats in Florida for the trip to Canada. It says there were ca 415 people who refused passage and elected to stay there. It would appear that Stephen was one of these. Loyalist in Southern Campaign, Vol. III, page xii.
There is a Stephen Mayfield listed in the 1782 East Florida Spanish census as living in the area called the 'Bluff. I The Spanish permitted Loyalists to come to Florida, but they were adamant that they pledge allegiance to Spain & become Catholic; if they refused, they were ordered out.
There is an area just south of Jacksonville, FL called the Bluffs, it is on the Black Creek River that flows west from the St. Johns River, and is a bluff along the river, 30’ to 70’ high.
Stephen soon returned to SC (or Eastern TN.) and lived among the Cherokee Indians. The map which shows the area where the Cherokee Indians lived just after the Rev. War is a circular area covering eastern TN., a very small portion of SC and parts of Georgia and Alabama. They had been squeezed down from a much larger area in earlier years which ran farther north. There are numerous references where the Indians (mostly Cherokee) fought side by side with the Tories and British. It would seem most likely that he had some connection with some of these Indians before he went to live with them.
He took an Indian woman for a wife. The Indians would not trade with you unless you made an alliance with them and one of the ways you could make an alliance was to marry an Indian woman. The Indians did not have the stigma of divorce, a man merely put aside his woman and took another one. Their marriage ceremony was a simple dance around a fire and the bride and groom would exchange gifts, usually an item of food, and the wedding was over.
Since by American laws he had not divorced Bridgett, It appears he had two wives at the same time; it was not an uncommon, on practice in those days, according to Indian genealogy researchers. One source believes (Helen Qualls of Livingston TN. Historical Society claims she was told) all his children except one were born to Jack; however, this is thought to mean all the family living in Overton County, and Mary appears to have been born to Bridgett after they arrived in TN. Luke and any other older child did not live in Overton County. It is stated in a claim for Indian lands that Rachel's mother was a Cherokee Indian. There- were two additional females on 1790 census in Chester County, SC which are probably older daughters whose names we don' t know. They would be daughters of Bridgett. Stephen Mayfield took out a burial permit to bury his daughter in Charleston, SC during the Rev. War, shown as a Torrie refugee, her name is not shown.
He appears in Camden District, Chester County, on the 1790 South Carolina census. He shows 3 males, 3 females, which indicates 2 older daughters. There is another Stephen Mayfield listed in Pendleton Co. and is believed to be the same person and may be where his Indian wife lived with son, James.
Bought 75 A on Bushy Creek, Sandy River, July 4, 1790; sold 100 acres to Wm. Clark in same area in Nov. 1797 (no explanation for difference). This is probably where he lived when me moved from S. SC.
He received a land grand #260A in Dec. 1793 in District of 96 on a branch of Rice's Creek of 12 Mile River, probably in Pendleton County and later Anderson County. It was disposed of March 11, 1801 by Elisha Mayfield for Stephen Mayfield. This Elisha Mayfield is believed to be the son of James and Ellender Mayfield (Step hens first cousin) for he lived in S. SC. about this time, moving from TN. and later moving back to TN. This may be the land his Indian wife lived on.
The circumstance under which he went back to Bridgett can only be speculative. In the application for Indian lands by one of Rachel' s descendants its states that Stephen stole her from, her mother. However, it would sound reasonable that Jack died and since it was the practice for the Indian (Cherokee) woman’s brothers to raise her children in case of her death; Stephen just packed up the children and left. He had no (legal) rights to the children under Cherokee tradition. Who did he have to turn to except Bridgett and since her children would all been grown by this time and she would have been alone, she went with Stephen to the far off wilds of TN. to start a new life. The area they went to had not been opened to white settlers yet, but was shortly after this.
It is believed that he left S. SC. about 1800 (Stephen, Jr. shows he was born in TN. on all census records) and moved to TN. The area where he lived in Jackson Co, TN. (later Overton County) was not opened to settlers until around 1800. With Stephen Copeland moving there in the fall of 1799 and Stephen Mayfield shortly after, Mary may have been the first white girl born in the area. (Stephen Copeland' s son Solomon is believed to be the first white child. ) Stephen Mayfield is shown on 'Early Tennessee Tax List" in Jackson County in 1802, Overton County being formed from Jackson Co. in 1806.
Living with Stephen in 1820 Overton County census (pg. 254) is another older man, believed to be his brother James. In 1817 James recorded a deed in Overton Co. for land he sold in Illinois which he had acquired because he was head of a household in Ill. Territory in 1788. (Deed was also recorded in Madison Co. Ill, and later copies in deed book in McDonough County, Ill.) Also living with them were three girls believed to include his daughter Mary and her child.
His will was found in Virginia State Archives with papers filed by Stephen, Jr. for bounty lands. He only mentions Stephen, Jr., Marian (Mary) , his wife Bridgity, and a grandson, William in his will. It is possible he didn't mention John because he was dead, Luke because he was living in Illinois, and the two older daughters because they probably stayed in SC and his other half-breed (bastard) children. He seems to be greatly influenced by his son Stephen, Jr. for he had previously given all his land to him, even though he was living with Rachel. In his will, he asks Stephen, Jr.. to take care of Bridgity; however there is no evidence he did since he moved to MO. before she died. Stephen, Jr. appears to be quite a wheeler-dealer.
P.1
Ms
1 May 10, 1790. Pendleton County, South Carolina.
Pursuant to law, a Quarterly Court was held this day.14 Ordered that John Mayfield (among others) do severally attend the next Court or send their excuses or oath to make good and sufficient excuses for their non attendance as petit jurymen.
25 Stephen Mayfield, Robert Anderson, Thomas Lofton and John Caruthers, personally came into Court, and acknowledged themselves jointly and separately indebted to the Justices of the said County and their successors in the sum of one hundred Pounds sterling. The condition of this obligation is such that if the said Stephen Mayfield shall pay into Court on the second Monday in November next the Fine imposed upon him of Five Pounds sterling and shall [sic) Ten Pounds proclamation money for himself and said Catherine Briant,
sufficiently and carefully provide for his infant bastard child by Catherine Briant and shall till the said child shall attain the age of ten years, so that it shall not in any manner [be] burdensome or chargeable to the County then this obligation to be void, or else to remain in full force.Signed. Stephen Mayfield
Robert Anderson
Tho. Lofton
John CaruthersBiographical Sketch of Stephen Mayfield the Tory of Browns Creek
By Phil Norfleet
Stephen Mayfield was born about 1730 in Virginia Colony and died after 1786. Based on the 1784 Spanish Census of East Florida, Stephen had a wife and one son at that time (see below).
Stephen Mayfield in North Carolina
This Stephen Mayfield is probably the same person who appears (along with a certain Robert Mayfield - probably his brother) on the 1766 tax list for Bute County, North Carolina. If Stephen is indeed a brother of Robert Mayfield (d. 1816 in Chester County SC), then he is probably a son of the Abraham Mayfield who died testate in Granville County, North Carolina in 1778.
The following chronological listing summarizes those instances where Stephen Mayfield's name appears in the official records of NC:
Granville County NC:
19 October 1761: Philemon Hawkins has a survey made and certified for 606 acres of land on Fishing Creek in Granville County NC " ... joining Mayfield's corner ... "; Stephen Mayfield is named as a chain carrier for the survey. [See NC Patent Book 11, page 383.]
Bute County NC:
1766: Stephen Mayfield's name appears on the tax list (along with a certain Robert Mayfield - probably his brother) for Bute County, North Carolina.
1771: Stephen Mayfield's name appears on the tax list (along with a certain Robert Mayfield - probably his brother) for Bute County, North Carolina.
Stephen Mayfield in South Carolina
Subsequent to the year 1771, Stephen apparently removed to the Browns Creek region of Ninety-Six District, South Carolina -- probably at the same time as his brother Robert Mayfield. Stephen is mentioned on the 1774 land plat of a certain David Georgeas having land adjacent to George's along Browns Creek. John Mayfield the Tory (probably a nephew of Stephen) also lived nearby.
During the Revolution, Stephen supported the Loyalist Cause and ultimately left the state, probably some time in late 1779. Unlike his kinsman, John Mayfield the Tory, he apparently refused to take the oath of allegiance to the Whig government of South Carolina and chose to depart the state. As a result, he was proscribed by the State of South Carolina and his name appears on the Proclamation Listissued by South Carolina in December 1779.
Lieutenant in the South Carolina Royalist Regiment
The next mention of Stephen in any official records is from the muster roll of the South Carolina Royalist Regiment, then stationed in Savannah, Georgia, The regimental muster roll for 1 December 1779 contains the name of Stephen Mayfield as a Lieutenant serving in the company of Captain John Murphy. Steven's date of commission is given as 13 November 1779. At this time the regiment was commanded by Joseph Robinson, the same man who, as a Loyalist militia captain, was active during the events leading up to the arrest of Colonel Thomas Fletchall in December 1775. Robinson escaped capture and fled to Florida where he ultimately raised a regiment in support of the Loyalist Cause.
Stephen Mayfield in East Florida
Towards the end of the Revolution, Stephen seems to have taken up residency in the British Colony of East Florida. For a period of time he ran a tavern in the northern part of the Colony and was a consort of the infamous Tories Daniel McGirtt and Bloody Bill Cunningham! When the Treaty of Paris was signed in April 1783, East Florida was ceded to Spain. A census of the inhabitants of East Florida at the time of the Spanish take-over from Great Britain was conducted in 1784. Stephen Mayfield's name appears in this census (see below). The last mention of this Stephen Mayfield in the official records of Florida (that I have been able to find) was in a letter, dated 07 January 1786, written by the Spanish Governor Zespedes (see below).
Joseph Byrne Lockey, in his well-known book entitled East Florida 1783-1785 (published 1949), at pages 17-19, makes the following statements concerning Stephen Mayfield and his friends McGirtt and Cunningham:
... The story of the banditti is long and circumstantial. Enough of it has been recounted to serve as an illustration of the difficulties which Zéspedes confronted in his dealings with them and with the former governor as well. Neither his nor Tonyn’s plan was given a fair trial. United support for either might have resulted in the achievement of the desired end. That Zéspedes did not at once adopt Tonyn’s plan was due perhaps as much to his lack of a suitable force as to his desire to begin his administration with acts of clemency. Moreover, if he had made use of British arms in Spanish territory he might have subjected himself to the censure of his government. Tonyn, on the other hand, had the force, but doubtful authority to use it. That he acted in disregard of that limitation was probably due as much to his mounting exasperation against the banditti as to his genuine concern for the safety of British lives and property. Whatever the explanation, the chief troublemakers managed to prolong their stay in the province, though by the beginning of 1785 many had gone—some with passports to West Florida and Louisiana, others to British dominions, and still others to the United States, where some of them, declared Zespedes, had “already paid with their lives the just price of their crimes.”
Convinced, early in 1785, that he could at last safely proceed to chastise the ringleaders, Zéspedes had Daniel McGirtt, William Cunningham, and Stephen Mayfield with three others arrested and thrown into the fort at St. Augustine. It was now the turn of the former governor to urge leniency. Writing to Zéspedes soon after the event, Tonyn remarked: “I think it possible if these unhappy men were transplanted into another country, that there is yet a ray of hope, that upon proper reflection of their past wicked courses, a reformation might be effectuated. . . . Motives of humanity and commiseration, passions that will creep into the human mind, have been impressed on me by the very decent Mrs. McGirtt, praying to have her husband transported to a British Government; a similar memorial has been presented me by the friends of Major Cunningham and I have engaged to address Your Excellency upon these matters, and to solicit your compliance in gratifying their wishes contained in the prayer of the petition.” Much trouble would have been saved if Tonyn had adopted this attitude six months before.
In his reply, Zéspedes seems to have been attempting to heap coals of fire on Tonyn’s head. He took advantage of the opportunity to review the whole course of his policy in dealing with the outlaws, reminded Tonyn that the arrests had been made on information provided by Tonyn himself, expressed regret that he could not pay the attention he would like to the recommendation in favor of Cunningham, and particularly McGirtt in consideration of his unhappy and decent wife, and finally declared that the only thing he could do would be to send Tonyn’s recommendation and the petitions to Havana, to which place he was about to remand the prisoners under a decree of exile subject to the superior decision of the Conde de Gálvez.
The prisoners were dispatched to Havana late in April, 1785. By that time Gálvez had departed for Mexico to assume his duties as viceroy. The papers—Tonyn’s recommendations and the petitions, together with the proceedings of the preliminary hearings in St. Augustine—followed him and his decision was promptly rendered. He approved the exile, but ordered that the prisoners be given their liberty with permission to emigrate to any part of America not Spanish and to remove their families and property from East Florida. A few weeks later these troublesome individuals left Havana with passports for Providence, where Mayfield arrived; but McGirtt and Cunningham contrived to change their course and land secretly on the coast of Florida. They were again apprehended, and finally both were transported to Providence—Cunningham late in 1785, and McGirtt early in 1786.
Florida had not yet seen the last of Daniel McGirtt, whatever may be said of the rest of the exiles. Early in 1788 Zéspedes was handed the following note from Lord Dunmore, governor of the Bahama Islands:
“The bearer Mr. MacGirtt goes from Hence to St. Augustine in a sloop named the Mayflower, to settle his private affairs;—he is a British subject, and as such, I beg leave to recommend him to Your Excellency’s protection.”
It would not be rash to assume that McGirtt returned to Florida on some business other than his private affairs. Zéspedes kept him under guard, but out of respect for Lord Dunmore permitted him to have an interview, in the presence of witnesses, with his agent, Francisco Sanchez, and then shipped him back to Nassau on the same vessel that brought him over.
What McGirtt’s secret motive may have been can only be inferred from the course of events. A few weeks after he had gone, Zéspedes had reports that British interlopers from the Bahama Islands had landed on the Florida coast at the mouth of Indian River. Still later, news came that William Augustus Bowles had arrived at the same point with a considerable body of men. He had begun the adventure which was to end in his death some seventeen years later. As he progressed on his way toward Apalache and the lawless character of his enterprise became apparent, a number of his deluded followers deserted him, made their way to St. Augustine, and surrendered to Governor Zéspedes. It has been asserted that McGirtt played an important part in Bowles’s undertaking. The available documents do not confirm that view. He was in St. Augustine, however, soon after the deserters arrived. Whether he was one of them, or not, is uncertain. It appears from a vague reference to him in a letter from Zéspedes to the captain-general, dated February 24, 1789,that he was under arrest and was being sent to Havana. That is the end of the documentary trail. Perhaps he returned soon after this, to his old home in South Carolina, as Sabine says, to die. ...
Spanish Census Records of 1784
At the Treaty of Paris (signed 3 September 1783), Great Britain agreed to return the Provinces of East and West Florida to Spain. Transition from British to Spanish rule occurred during the 1783-85 time frame. In August - September 1784, the incoming Spanish Government conducted a census of all the English residents.
The following records from that 1784 census, pertaining to Stephen (Estevan in Spanish) Mayfield, Daniel McGirtt, James (Jacabo in Spanish) McGirtt and Bill (Guillermo in Spanish) Cunningham, have been taken from The Last Days of British Saint Augustine 1784-1785 -- A Spanish Census of the English Colony of East Florida by Lawrence H. Feldman (published 1998):
Name Census Page Number Place of Birth Family Status Occupation Lawrence H. Feldman's Other Remarks
Cunningham, Guillermo 1 Virginia Single None Mentioned "William Cunningham in a statement of five Americans who are disturbing the piece of the country of 15th July of 1784, Wishes to avail himself of Spanish protection and settle in Louisiana. He is unmarried and has seven slaves and four horses."
MacGirit, Daniel 4 South Carolina Wife, 2 children, 2 nephews Farmer "In 1784 intends to move to Louisiana. His house lot was bought from Captain Butler. As Daniel McGirth, he was named in an address of the Inhabitants of the River St. John of 25th of January 1785 as an arrested leader of robbers and murderers ... In January 1786 he and his entire family was deported to the Bahamas"
Mayfield, Estevan 120 Virginia Wife and 1 son Farmer "As Stephen Mayfield, named as an arrested leader of robbers and murderers in an address of 25th January 1785." [see below]
MacGirit, Jacobo 136-137 South Carolina Wife and 2 children Farmer "He lives on the vacant land of Senor Rolles. He intended in 1784 to leave via West Florida for New Orleans. In 1786, identified as Jayme MacGirt, Lutheran, age 50 ... He was identified ... as James McGirt, a member of the McGirt gang that settled down in Saint Augustine and joined respectable society"
Cargan, Daniel 137 Virginia Single Day Laborer "He lives in the house of Estevan Mayfield. In 1784 intended to move to Louisiana."
Mention of Stephen Mayfield et al. in Official Correspondence
The book entitled "East Florida 1783-1785" by Joseph Byrne Lockey (published 1949) contains transcripts of many original letters and other documents pertaining to the history of East Florida during those transitional years. Stephen Mayfield, Daniel McGirtt and Bill Cunningham are mentioned (unfavorably) in several documents which are transcribed below in chronological order.
25 January 1785 - The Inhabitants of the River St. John's to the New Spanish Governor Vicente Manuel de Zespedes:
To: His Excellency Don Vincent Emanuel De Zespedes, Brigadier General, Governor and Commandant General of the Province of East Florida &c &c &ca
River St. John, January 25, 1785
The Humble Address of the Inhabitants of the River St. John and Part Adjacent
May it Please your Excellency
We the Underwritten, Inhabitants of the River St John and Part adjacent, under the Protection of His Catholic Majesty, in His Province of East Florida Take this Earliest opportunity to Testify to Your Excellency our Most Sincere Thanks and Hearty Acknowledgements for your Excellency’s Providential Care of our Lives and Property, in Having Secured the Persons of Daniel McGirth, William Cunningham, Stephen Mayfield and Others. Who in Defiance of all Law have for these many years past, Disturbed this Province, Plundered many of its Inhabitants and Had our Lives and Property instantly at their mercy, which Rendered our Abode unsafe and Precarious. [Emphasis added]
By having arrested the Leaders of those Robbers and Murderers, we apprehend Ourselves at present perfectly secure under Your Excellency’s Government, and we make Bold to assure Your Excellency, that we will exert ourselves in Every Occasion to Procure the Peace and Tranquility to Remain Undisturbed amongst Us, in this Province Offering to Your Excellency all the assistance that may be required at any time to Pursue and Arrest any Person or
Persons that should dare to Act contrary to Your Excellency’s Orders and Proclamations—And we Promise to Behave in every Respect Becoming the Duty we owe to His Catholic Majesty for His Royal Protection, while He may be pleased to Permit us to Remain in His Dominions.
We shall continually Pray for Your Excellency’s Health and Happiness and Have the Honor to Subscribe ourselves with the Utmost Respect
Sir, Your Excellency's most obedient and most Humble Servants,
John Scot Robert Bolton
Frances Starlin William Bogan
Drury Fort Phillip Goodbread
Phillip Proctor Alex Ramcy
William Mitchel William Godfrey [Rubric]
William Bishop Henry Flicks
Joseph Summerlin John C. Ladson
Thos Hall Charles Hall [His Mark]
John Matlet Sam Williams
Thos Justin Joe Wigengs
Wm Graystock Ja' Chatworth
Joseph Burcham George Brakor
Joseph Fenner Randolph MacDonell
Robbin King A Macdonell [Rubric]
Thomas Rennick John Bowdn [Rubric]
Gaspard Barber William Mangum
Jesse Hesters Wilson Williams
John Gray [Rubric] Timothy Hollingswirth
Wm Evans John Burnett
Angus Clark John Burnett Jun' [Rubric]
Lewis Fatio [Rubric] David Auston
Henry Williams Joseph Ashworth
Solomon King Alison Stuart
Samuel Williams
09 February 1785 - Letter from the new Spanish Governor (Zespedes) of East Florida to the Viceroy of Mexico :
To: Bernado de Galvez [the Viceroy of Mexico]
St. Augustine, Florida, February 9, 1785
My Dear Sir:
The greatest number of rogues, including those openly and secretly such, who infested the outlying areas of this densely wooded and swampy country, particularly the banks of the St. Johns and Nassau rivers and as far as St. Mary’s River, when I took over this government caused me to decide that it would be best to temporize with them. ... If I had attempted to suppress and punish a few excesses with armed force greater harm and scandal would have resulted in this country which, as the result of the civil war between England and America, is overrun with desperate men capable of all kinds of wickedness. Major General Patrick Tonyn said in one of his letters that this province contained sixteen thousand British subjects, but of this number at least twelve thousand were exiled Americans. ...
... I judged that it was for the highest good of the royal service ... to give this large number of desperate and abandoned people time to quit the country ... by the beginning of this year some of the principal known and secret malefactors had left the province. Some had gone with my passport to Pensacola and Louisiana, others to the British dominions, and still others to the United States, where some have already paid with their lives the just price of their crimes. Consequently it seemed to me that the time had arrived when I could safely proceed to the chastisement of these rogues, and I had the following taken into custody on the 20th of last month: Daniel McGirtt, one of the outlaws under the English government and the ostensible chief of the highwayman of this country; William Cunningham , a worse man than the preceding; and Stephen Mayfield -- who always harbored in his inn every thief who presented himself there -- with three of his accomplices. [Emphasis Added] I shall institute proceedings against all of them as soon as I dispatch the ship now here to Havana. When the trial is concluded I shall send the criminals and the papers to Your Excellency, so that being informed of the charges against them Your Excellency may pronounce the corresponding sentence. I consider it to be my duty to say to Your Excellency that even if the evidence is not conclusive, it would be in the interest of the royal service and the public tranquility to banish forever from this province and those of Louisiana and Pensacola these incorrigibles who have several times previously been guilty of capital offenses, especially McGirtt and Cunningham.
May God preserve Your Excellency many happy years as is my need.
Your most obliged humble and obedient servant kisses Your Excellency's hand,
/Signed/ Vicente Manuel de Zespedes
[Governor of East Florida]
07 November 1785 - Letter from the Inspector of Troops in Cuba to the Governor of East Florida:
To: Vicente Manuel de Zespedes [Governor of East Florida]
Havana, November 7, 1785
My Dear Sir:
Daniel McGirtt, William Cunningham , and Stephen Mayfield having been given their liberty by an order of the Conde de Galvez [Viceroy of Mexico] communicated to this captaincy-general with permission to proceed without hindrance to any English colony they might choose, though under no conditions to any of our possessions, this government authorized the said three persons to buy a boat, which they manned with four foreign seamen and one Negro slave belonging to Cunningham. The corresponding passport having been given them, they set sail for providence on September 31 last. [Emphasis Added]
But two of the four seamen later presented themselves in the district of Jaruco, and their depositions having been taken, they testified that they understood their plan was to sail to the coast of East Florida, and, going ashore, remain in hiding among the Indians until McGirtt could manage to penetrate into the town by night and acquaint himself with the state of the province. The deponents had succeeded in getting free by contriving to have themselves thrown out in the harbor of Juruco. To this confession they added that when they got outside of Havana harbor, a guadano drew alongside and left on board their boat two Spaniards, one called Cristobal, the other Agustin. The surnames they did not know; but the last mentioned, an inhabitant of regla, must have been the one who was to pilot the small boat in which McGirtt, Cunningham and Mayfield had sailed. [Emphasis Added]
I am transmitting this information for Your Honor's guidance.
May God preserve Your Honor many years.
Your most attentive servant kisses Your Honor's hand.
/Signed/ Bernardo Troncoso
[Inspector of Troops in Cuba]
07 January 1786 - Letter from Governor Zespedes to Bernardo Troncoso:
In January 1786, Governor Zespedes wrote to Troncoso informing him that Stephen Mayfield had made his way to the island of Providence, in the Bahamas, without returning to Florida. Cunningham and McGirtt did return to Florida but were captured. As of the date of the letter (7 January 1786) Cunningham had been shipped off to Providence and McGirtt was about to be sent there also.http://sc_tories.tripod.com/stephen_mayfield.htm
One source has Stephen being born in Albermarle Co. VA2 _PRIM Y
11 DEC 1812, registered in Overton County. Indenture made 20 Feb 1810 between John B. CROSS, Sheriff of Overton County, of the one part and John NELSON of Overton County of the other part; whereas an Alias Fifa issuing out of the Superior Court of Washington bearing date 30 Sept 1808, said Sheriff was commanded that of the goods and chattels, lands and tenements of Robert SYPRESS, Henry REABOURN and Stephen MAYFIELD within the said county, the Sheriff should cause to be made the sum of $586.85 debt which Nathaniel TAYLOR recovered against SYPRESS, REABOURN and MAYFIELD; whereas SYPRESS, REABOURN and MAYFIELD were convicted on a liable, as appears to us of record, and that he should have the sum of money before the judges at Jonesborough on the first Monday following to render to Nathan TAYLOR his debt and costs expended. A Writ of Fifa was ordered to John B. CROSS, Sheriff, who took into his possession 640 acres of land on Flat Creek beginning on the west bank of a branch.....to the beginning of the property of Robert SYPRESS, taken in order to satisfy the said debt and cost. 4 Feb 18__ did sell the 640 acres to John NELSON, assignee of William ARMSTRONG, for the sum of $13. Signed - John B. CROSS, 20 Feb 1810 Witness - L. W. MANOR?
Rebeca (Catherine Briant) ? JACK
1 _UID 44E87F2B4CE9AA42A812FA31936FC640E476
CHEROKEEJACK OR JOCK (CATHERINE BRIANT)
Born: CA 1767 in South Carolina, Tenn., Georgia AreaParents: unknown - Cherokee Indians
Married: Indian wife of Stephen Mayfield.
Children Married to Born Died
James Nancy Gore(Ogletree) CA 1785 after 1837 Elisha Nelly (?) 10-10-1792 before 1830?
Rachel Pleasant Ogletree 1796 before 1860
Stephen, Jr. 1)Mary Ann (Gipson ?) 1797 1864
2)Mrs. Nancy Griffin WalkerCatherine Nicholas Gunnels 1798 Francis (Frankey) Armsted Walker 1799
Died: unknown - probably about 1800
Buried: place unknown - probably in the area where the Cherokees lived where South Carolina, Tenn. & Georgia come together.
One descendent of Rachel’s shows her name as Rebeca Jack.
Stephen, Jr. shows on the census records that he was born in Tenn. The girls show various places, mostly Virginia, probably because their father was born in Virginia.
Stephen Mayfield apparently was married to Bridgett Gilmore but maintained an Indian wife at the same time. This was not an uncommon practice in those days. In this area where South Carolina, Tenn. & GA come together is where the Cherokee Indians lived about this time and is shown on the 1785 S.C. maps as "Indian Territory' Stephen was a Loyalist and had gone to Florida after the Rev. War in fear of his life, his family is believed to have- stayed in S. C. After about two years there, he came back and lived among the Cherokee Indians. The Indians would not trade with a white man unless he made an alliance with them and one way to make an alliance was to take an Indian wife. Some took Indian wives in order to be able to trade, furs, etc. for provisions. It was probably a day or two journey from where his family lived in Chester County.
It must be remembered that the Indian woman was doing nothing wrong according, to her culture. To her, a marriage was a man and woman sharing each other's life and her arrangement did not have the stigma of the white man's culture.
Stephen Mayfield was hauled into court on May 10, 1790, in Pendleton County, S.C. He and three other men posted bond of one hundred pounds to ensure that the infant bastard child by Catherine Briant would not be burdensome or charitable to the county. Catherine Briant may be the Indian wife of Stephen and this is her English name. Most Indians at that time took English names, especially those who spun linen cloth which the traders picked up on their routes. The bond is for infant child which could be up to 21; the word infant in common law meant anyone under 21.
The child in this Pendleton County document is not named, but is believed to be James, who was probably from 3 to 5 years old. The other children by the Indian wife are believed to be Elisha, born Oct 10, 1792, and Rachel, born in 1796, Catherine b. 1798, and Frances b. 1799 may also be her children. Since he had posted bond once that is probably the reason he was not called into court again. The child is not named in the 1790 document and the bond could probably be provoked on each or all of the children.
There is a question as to which of Stephen's children were the children of the Indian wife. Since the descendants of James have always insisted they were part Indian, it is believed James was the oldest and probably the one mentioned in the Pendleton County document. Elisha’s date of birth is shown in Luke's Bible which indicated he is a half-brother. Rachel’s descendants filed a claim for Indian Lands, claim #40490 of Elvie A. Christian, a granddaughter, in which she indicated that Rachael was a daughter of Stephen and his Indian wife, whose Indian name was jock (Jack). If Catherine is one of Stephen's children she is believed to have taken the name of her mother. A long time researcher in Overton County, Helen Qualls, said the information handed down in Overton County was that all the children that lived in the area were by the Indian wife except one. Mary (Marian) was born to Bridgett after they moved to Overton County and the older children never lived in the area. Stephen did not mention any of his half-breed children in his will.
Stephen left this area of S.C. possibly before 1797 for Stephen, Jr. shows on 1850 and 1860 census that he was born in Tenn. He may have lived in the area of Jefferson/Washington County, Tenn. until late 1799, he would have been 100 to 110 miles (2 to 3 days journey-on a straight line) from where his Indian wife lived and could have still visited her. Even after he moved to Overton County, Tenn. he would have been about 175 miles away.
In the claim by Rachel’s granddaughter, she states "Stephen stole Rachel away from her mother." The person making this statement did not understand the Cherokee culture for the Cherokee woman was raised to believe that she had no rights to the children, and that the children belonged to the father, even though it was her responsibility to train the children. If a Cherokee father died, it was the responsibility of the mothers brothers to take care of them. Even in cases where Cherokee men left their woman, he took the children. If she was not dead, Catherine or jock may have believed that Stephen could do more for her children since he was a white man. It is not known when Stephen took the children, whether he took them one at a time or took them all at once. He may not have taken them until he was settled in Tenn. with Bridget.
Catherine probably lived on the property shown in Stephen's name in Anderson County (previously in Pendleton Co.). One speculates what Bridgett's reaction was to all this, but in those days a woman hardly ever left a man. One can only speculate as to when she knew of the Indian woman or when she first found out about her. She would definitely have known when he brought these half-breeds home to raise. There were a number of other well-known families where the man had the same kind of arrangements.
Cherokee Indian women wove some of the most beautiful cloth known in that time; it was called 'homespun.' The cloth was exported to England and was highly in demand. It was still being shipped during the Civil War and was the reason for the British to run the Southern blockade. In most cases, the cloth was woven by the woman where she lived and was purchased and picked up by the buyer.
The Cherokee Indians were very beautiful people, not like the Southwest Indians which we are prone to think of when we hear the word "Indian."
This information is compiled by J. Hoyle Mayfield and includes a lot of speculation and conclusions. Conversations with Afton Reintjes, a professional genealogist, and one who has lectured on Indian Genealogy as well as having been involved with extensive Indian research, has influenced many of these decisions. Further research is needed to try to prove if Catherine Briant was the Indian wife and other aspects of this write-up.
He second common-law married JACK CATHERINE Briant*, i POS, AN INDIAN,
MARR. Born in 1767 in S.C. FULL-BLOOD CHEROKEE. CATHERINE TOOK STEPHEN TO
COURT 10 MAY 1790, AND HE WAS ORDERED TO PAY 5 POUNDS STERLING FINE, AND
10 POUNDS STERLING PROCLAMATION MONEY. AND SUFFICIENTLY AND CAREFULLY
PROVIDE FOR HIS INFANT BASTERD CHILD. TILL THE CHILD ATTAIN 10 YEARS. HE
LATTER HAD 5 MORE CHILDREN BY HER.This last bit of information is from e-mail by Dale Davidson.1 DEAT
2 DATE WFT Est. 1801-1861
2 SOUR S217
1 _UID 04925C14D258904C9173FE95A4A9DF00CF99
1 _UID DAE33672896D1D4B81158F391288DCF9902E
1 _UID D75029ECA4AA314EAE6B32DE8DB33B01AEA3
1 _UID 0B6F0D1370258F4E9AEC8E43C228D93C625E