Lachlan McGillivray facts for kids

Lachlan McGillivray (born around 1718 – died 1799) was a successful fur trader and plantation owner in colonial Georgia. His business interests stretched from Savannah all the way to what is now central Alabama.

Lachlan was the father of Alexander McGillivray. Alexander became one of the most important Native American chiefs among the Creek people. Lachlan was also the great-uncle of William McIntosh and William Weatherford, who were also powerful Creek chiefs.

Early Life in Scotland

Lachlan McGillivray was born in Dunmaglass, Inverness, Scotland. Not much is known for sure about his early life. Some stories say he ran away from a Scottish rebellion in 1745 and arrived in America with no money. However, these stories are probably not true.

He was part of the McGillivray family, which belonged to a large Scottish group called the Clan Chattan. This clan was traditionally led by the MacGillivray family.

Moving to North America

It's more likely that Lachlan moved to America in the late 1730s. He might have gone to Charleston, South Carolina, or Augusta, Georgia. Other family members were already involved in the Indian trade there. He may have worked as an indentured servant for his relative, Farquhar McGillivray. An indentured servant worked for someone for a set time to pay off a debt, often for travel to a new country.

Lachlan's brother, Captain Alexander McGillivray (who died in 1763), often shipped goods between Charleston and the West Indies. He left Lachlan some clothes and a ring in his will.

Life as a Colonist in America

Lachlan McGillivray was one of many Scottish Highlanders who came to Georgia. They were recruited by James Oglethorpe to be settler-soldiers. Their job was to protect Georgia's borders from the Spanish in Florida and the French in Alabama. They also helped protect against Native American groups allied with the Spanish and French.

On January 10, 1736, Lachlan arrived on a ship called the Prince of Wales. He was with 176 other people, including women and children. They came to establish a town called Darien, Georgia, which was first known as New Inverness. The town was named after a Scottish colony that had failed in Panama.

Becoming a Wealthy Trader

By the mid-1740s, McGillivray was a well-known trader among the Upper Creek nation. This area is now central Alabama. He set up a fur trading post and a plantation at Little Tallassee. This was near where Wetumpka, Alabama is today. He became very successful and invested his profits in businesses along the Georgia coast.

Eventually, he settled in Savannah, Georgia, as a very rich man. In a will he wrote in 1767, he planned to give away a 281-acre (1.14 km2) plantation on Hutchinson Island, Georgia. He also owned a 1,000-acre (4.0 km2) plantation called Vale Royal near Savannah. He had over £2,500 in cash and many slaves and other valuable items.

McGillivray was very skilled at trading with Native Americans. Historian Adair praised his ability to convince the Creek to stay neutral during the French and Indian Wars (1760-1761).

Family Life and Creek Connections

Lachlan McGillivray did not marry in the traditional Scottish way. Instead, he had a partner, a high-status Creek woman named Sehoy Marchand. Their partnership was recognized by the Creek people.

Sehoy Marchand's mother was also named Sehoy. She was an important woman of the Koasati (Coushatta) people, from the Wind Clan. Her family was very powerful in the Upper Creek nation. The Creek people had a matrilineal system, meaning family lines and property were passed down through the mother. Sehoy's family included several important chiefs.

This partnership was a smart move for both Lachlan and Sehoy's family. Lachlan gained strong connections with a powerful Creek family. Sehoy and her family benefited from having a European-American trader as a partner. This also helped protect their children within the tribe.

Lachlan and Sehoy had three children: Alexander, Sophia, and Jean (also spelled Jeanne) McGillivray. The children mostly lived with their mother in the Creek tribe. They learned the Creek language and customs. However, Lachlan sent Alexander to a European-American school in Charleston and Augusta.

Many Native American chiefs supported such partnerships. European traders, who had money, also sought these alliances to strengthen their relationships with tribes. In the Creek culture, a husband could end a partnership by leaving his wife's house. A wife could end it by leaving his belongings outside her door. The house always belonged to the wife in the Creek system. The Creek people believed that children belonged completely to their mother's clan, even if their father was European.

After the late 1750s, Sehoy had other partners and children. Lachlan then moved to Savannah. He did not mention Sehoy in his 1767 will. However, he did acknowledge and provide for their son, Alexander McGillivray. Alexander later became a well-known Creek chief and plantation owner, just like his father.

Lachlan did not mention his daughters in his will. But his daughters' stories show they had a relationship with him. They visited him in Savannah. Sophia even named her oldest son, Lachlan McGillivray Durant, after him. Lachlan often referred to Alexander as his "natural son," which meant he was born outside of a formal marriage.

Alexander's Upbringing

Lachlan McGillivray was part of the patrilineal Clan Chattan, where family lines pass through the father. But Sehoy, as a Creek woman, was part of a matrilineal system. She considered her children members of her Wind Clan. Alexander was raised by his maternal uncle, Red Shoes. In Creek culture, maternal uncles were more important than fathers in raising boys. They taught boys about men's roles and societies.

Lachlan took a strong interest in Alexander's education. He paid a lot of money for Alexander to go to schools in Charleston and Augusta. He also arranged for Alexander to learn about business. In his will, Lachlan left Alexander a large sum of £1,000. He left his most valuable properties, his plantations near Savannah, to the children of his Scottish siblings and cousins who were born within formal marriages.

Loyalist During the American Revolution

Lachlan McGillivray visited Scotland many times before the American Revolution. However, he saw himself as a citizen of North America, where he made his fortune. He was active in Savannah's government. His knowledge of Creek leaders and their languages was very helpful for treaty negotiations.

In earlier Scottish rebellions, his Clan Chattan had supported the Scottish royal family. In Savannah, McGillivray had signed petitions against some British policies, like taxes. But he also had many business ties with British merchants. So, when the American Revolution began, he was a Loyalist. This meant he supported the British Crown.

As the war continued, Lachlan and other Loyalists in Savannah made enemies among the American Patriot groups. American soldiers arrested McGillivray and some of his cousins, thinking they were spies. They were freed when the British captured Savannah. After the British left at the end of the war, Lachlan briefly fled west of Savannah.

Loss of Property and Return to Scotland

After the 1783 Treaty of Paris, the new US government took and sold the property of many Loyalists. McGillivray lost his lands, slaves, and much of his other property. He and some of his Loyalist relatives sold what they could. They then left for Scotland with any money they had. They returned to the McGillivray family estates in Dunmaglass, Scotland.

Later Life and Legacy

In Scotland, McGillivray became an advisor and guardian for the young, orphaned head of the Clan Chattan. He continued to write letters to his son Alexander and other friends and relatives in the United States.

After his son Alexander died in 1793, Lachlan paid for Alexander's orphaned children, Alleck and Mary, to come to Scotland. Their mother had also died. Lachlan arranged for their education. Even though he didn't return to the US, Lachlan helped settle his son's complicated estate. It was hard for lawyers to figure out which lands belonged to Alexander personally and which belonged to the Creek tribe. Some of Alexander's cattle and slaves had to be sold to pay his many debts.

Lachlan McGillivray died in Scotland in 1799, at about 80 years old. We don't know where he was buried or what his final will said. Alleck and Mary McGillivray were still living with him in Scotland at that time. Alleck died as a young adult soon after his grandfather. Mary McGillivray's later life is not known.

Children and Grandchildren

Lachlan McGillivray and Sehoy Marchand had the following children:

• Alexander McGillivray: He became a leader of the Creeks. He tried to stop European settlers from taking over Creek land in Alabama and Georgia.
• Jean McGillivray: She married a French officer named Le Clerc Milfort. He later served in Napoleon's army and wrote famous stories about his life.
• Sophia McGillivray: She married Benjamin Durant and had a large family. She may have died at the Fort Mims massacre. Her nephew, Red Eagle, was involved in this event.
• John Jack "White Cloud' Ward, III: He was an adopted son. He later married Nahoga ("Nancy") Mahala Moniac. John Ward was Red Eagle's War General and an Indian Interpreter. He was buried at Fort Mitchell in 1813.

After Lachlan, Sehoy Marchand married again. She had another daughter named Sehoy (Sehoy III). Sehoy III married a man named Weatherford. One of their sons was William Weatherford, who was better known by his Creek name, Red Eagle.

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