Sam Story facts for kids

Sam Story, also known as Timpoochee Kinnard, was an important leader of the Yuchi (Euchee) Native American people in the early 1800s. His tribe lived in what is now Walton County, Florida, near the Choctawhatchee River. Sam Story's father was Timothy Kinnard, a white man from Scotland, and his mother was a Yuchi woman. Chief Story was well-known and respected by everyone in the Florida Panhandle, including the many white settlers who moved to the area after Florida became part of the United States in 1821.

Early Life and Leadership

Chief Sam Story was a respected leader of the Yuchi people. He guided his community through a time of big changes. His tribe lived on their traditional lands in Florida. They had a strong connection to the land and its resources.

Meeting New Settlers

In 1820, two families, led by Neil McLennan and Daniel Campbell, moved from North Carolina to Walton County, Florida. Chief Sam Story welcomed them. He invited them to settle on land next to his tribe's territory near Bruce Creek. The McLennans and Campbells were the first white settlers in this part of Walton County. More of their relatives and friends soon joined them. They were drawn by the rich soil and the wild beauty of the area.

Challenges and Moving On

As more settlers arrived, new problems began. By 1832, many people were harming the wildlife and starting forest fires. This made life difficult for both the Yuchi people and the McLennan families.

A Difficult Decision

Because of these problems, Chief Story and the McLennans decided to move. Chief Story sent his sons to look for new lands to the east for the Yuchi tribe. Many of the McLennan families traveled west by boat. They became important early settlers in a place that later became McLennan County, Texas.

The Tribe's Journey

Chief Sam Story passed away just before his tribe moved. He was buried near Bruce Creek and the Choctawhatchee River. After three weeks of mourning, about 500 Yuchi people began their journey. They left from a place called Story's Landing, near the chief's burial site. This spot is now southeast of Red Bay in Walton County. The tribe traveled east, both by land and by water. Some Yuchi people may have eventually joined the Seminole tribe in South Florida. However, it is known that the United States Army forced some Yuchi people and other small tribes from West Florida to move west of the Mississippi River. This was part of a larger event called Indian removal.

Chief Story's Family

Chief Sam Story had six children. His three sons were Jim Crow, Swift Hunter, and Sleeping Fire. His three daughters were Leaping Water, Quiet Water, and Round Water. Jim Crow and possibly other members of the tribe had many descendants. Some of these descendants, known as Dominickers, still live in Walton, Holmes, and Washington counties today.

Sources

• John Love McKinnon, History of Walton County. Atlanta: Byrd Printing, 1911. Electronic version created 2002 by the State University System of Florida, pp. 62–66, 94–97. [1]
• E. W. Carswell, Holmesteading: The History of Holmes County, Florida, published by the author at Chipley, Florida, 1986 (available in print only)
• Clayton Gillis Metcalf, Scots and Their Kin, Volume I: Gilli(e)s, Padgett, Arrant, McQuagge, McLennan, published by the author at Enterprise, Alabama, 1984 (available in print only)