Before Tennessee became a state in 1796 and
when the early settlers began their arrival into the Middle Tennessee area they
constructed forts to live within to protect themselves from the Indians who were
not willing to relinquish their hunting ground to the white man. It is
said that at one time the Shawnee hunted this area until the Chickasaw's from
West TN and the Cherokee from the East allied against them and caused their
departure.
Besides the many stories of life in early Middle Tennessee
that have been handed down from generation to generation and published in
numerous books, we know the Indians were here by the discovery of many artifacts
that were left behind. According to Mr. Ben Holder in his rendition of
"Indians in Macon County" found in the book "History of
Macon County, Tennessee" written by Mr. Harold G. Blankenship, during
the construction of the LaFayette Municipal Airport there were artifacts
discovered that dated back as far as the Paleo period (8000 to 5000 BC).
Also discovered in the Macon County area were "stone box" graves which
were constructed from long slabs of rock. Some of these graves actually
contained bones. But probably the most notorious is the discovery of the
Blind Wolf Pipe by Sherman Willis in February of 1940.
We know the Indians were here in Macon County, what we don't
know is to what degree and who are the descendants of these early Macon
Countians. The purpose of this page is to collect the family traditions of
our Native American Ancestry and place them in one place to share and hopefully
learn more of our own heritage.
If you have information you would like to share with others you can contact us. Official documentation is not required but please share as much information as you can. You are invited to view information already submitted by others who are gracious enough to share their stories with us.
Thank you for visiting and sharing with us.
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