1. One of many mixed-race descendants of Southeast Indians who intermarried with European traders and later colonial settlers, William Weatherford was of mixed Creek, French, and Scots ancestry.
13 Facts About William Weatherford
1. 2.
William Weatherford was raised as a Creek in the matrilineal nation and achieved his power in it, through his mother's prominent Wind Clan.
3.
William Weatherford's mother was Sehoy III, a "daughter of a Tabacha chieftain" and from "the most powerful and privileged of all the Creek clans," the Wind Clan.
4.
William Weatherford's father, Charles Weatherford, was a red-haired Scots trader and friend of the chieftain, and had married Sehoy III after the death of her first husband, Tory Col.
5.
Charles Weatherford had a trading post near the Creek village, built a plantation, raised thoroughbred horses for racing, and contributed to his family as a trader.
6.
William Weatherford learned traditional Creek ways and language from his mother and her clan, as well as English from his father.
7.
William Weatherford generally had good relations with both the Creek nationals and European Americans for years.
8.
William Weatherford joined the Red Sticks along the frontier, where they tried to repulse American settlers from Creek territory.
9.
In late August 1813, with Peter McQueen and other Red Sticks, William Weatherford participated in a retaliatory attack on Fort Mims.
10.
William Weatherford barely escaped capture, jumping from a bluff into the Alabama River while on horseback.
11.
William Weatherford negotiated a new peace through a new treaty with the US; although he had to accept a permanent reduction in Creek territory, he gained retention of most of their territory, including areas where they had homes.
12.
William Weatherford subsequently moved to the southern part of Monroe County, Alabama, where he rebuilt his wealth as a planter.
13.
William Weatherford died after the birth of their son, William Weatherford, Jr.