Winslett

 

Samuel Winslett and brother John in 1766 were charged with killing a fat buck in 1765 Charged 10# and shipped to America from E. Sussex (Lewes town) Ship Ann Apr 1766. Samuel went to Georgia and got land in the Georgia Land Lottery. He married Mary Carson (a quaker) daughter of John Carson and Esther Stubbs. Ten known children: John 1775, William, 1777, Thomas 1779, David 1781, Mary 1783, Joel,1785, Samuel 1787, Richard 1790, Esther 1791, Jonathan 1793.

John Winslett the oldest son, was born ca 1775 near or in Wrightsboro, now a dead town in McDuffie Co., Georgia. His grandfather, John Carson, died in 1790 and John Winslett is listed as a debtor to the estate, which was not administered until 1802.

John Winslett married a lady whose maiden name was likely either Martin or Gibson. To this marriage were born at least four known children: Samuel, Gibson Martin, John Carson, Joel. Gibson Martin was born 1792 (from 1850 census, VanZandt Co., Georgia although the County of that name was not organized until 1812 when it was partitioned from Baldwin Co. Joel Winslett was born 12/19/1802 in Georgia. No record has been found on the birth place of son Samuel..

John Winslett was listed as a pole without property in Green Co., Ga. 1797. However, by 1799 he was deeded 187 ½ acres on Town Creek of the Oconee River by his grandfather's will, 1799. Record of a John Winsrett is found in the 1800 census of Pickens County, S. C. and that may have been this same man since one of his known friends and associates had a history of returning to S. C. for purposes of visiting friends and relatives or other reasons which suited him.

John Winslett sold land in Hancock Co., Ga. in 1802, 1805 and 1810. He is also listed as "Captain" John Winslett in Hancock Co., 1806. While in this county, he was involved in two court cases in 1810. Whether from the distasteful nature of the cases or other reasons, he seems to have left the county about this time. His friend and associate on numerous adventures in Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, and other places was a man named Thomas S. Woodward who as an elderly man living in Louisiana in 1859 wrote his reminiscences which ultimately were published in Montgomery, Alabama newspaper at that time. Woodward says that in 1814 he, John Winslett and others (all with part Indian blood) joined in travelling about and "went where it pleased them." Some of John Winslett's family were likely already in Alabama by this time or at least near the Chattahoochee River. Reference of one Martin Winset being granted a passport in Warren Co., Ga., 1809 suggests the reference was to Gibson Martin Winslett who did indeed migrate early to Henry Co., Alabama, where he married Susannah Coleman and began his family of eight girls and one son.

John Winslett was a part of a sortie of the Georgia military augmented by numerous friendly Indians in the Seminole country, 1818, in which a Mrs. Stuart was rescued from the hostile indians. This is reported in Woodward's account of the affair. From this account and others mentioned throughout Woodward's reports, it seems both men were friendly with many different indians and possibly different tribes, in Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and elsewhere. It must have been during the period 1814 to 1817 or 1818 that John Winslett, Sr., having lost a wife who died in Henry Co., Ala., took up with and/or began living among Indians along the Chattahoochee River. By 1826 or 27 he lived on the Uchee Creek in what is now Russell Co., Alabama with his new Indian family. This was reported by Green Beauchamp in his early reminiscences of Barbour Co., Alabama. His new wife was Hattie Ward.

John Winelett, an Indian boy, was baptized John Wesley at the Ashbury Mission, 1826, near Fort Mitchell, Russell Co., Alabama. It is presumed that the name was John Winslett, not Winelett. It is further presumed the child may have been sired by John Winslett, Sr., the mother being Hattie Ward. It is unknown whether the name he took after baptism was John Wesley or John Wesley Winslett.

After the murder of Gen. McIntosh somewhere near the Chattahoochee by his own indian people, many of the Indians of that eastern part of Alabama elected to move to Indian Territory. They arrived at Three Forks, Oklahoma in Feb. 1828, John Winslett and his Indian family among them. At that time John seems to have had only two daughters, Befeeny and Ellen. A son David was born in the territory later. John Winslett seems to have disappeared from Oklahoma about 1830. It was probably a case of him leaving the family to return to Alabama and Georgia.

John Winslett was again in Florida in 1830 where he was often used as Indian interpreter. He also appeared in Washington, D.C. 1832 in connection with Indian Agency affairs. Still a later reference has been found of his asking for the receiving pay for use of wagon in transporting Indians to Indian Territory (Arkansas) 1833 (paid 1834). He may have transferred his home to Arkansas by this time, just as his old friend Thomas Woodward had done.

In Dec. 1833, John Winslett, self styled "citizen of the Creek Nation west of the Mississippi" presented a demand for return of some negroes held by the Seminoles. This is taken to mean he was living in either Arkansas, Oklahoma or possibly Texas. No further record has been found of them man.

So here is John Winslett, Sr. with a history in Richmond, Hancock, Jasper, Greene, Jones, Liberty, Carroll counties in Georgia, Pike, Russell and Henry Counties in Alabama, much travel into the Seminole Indian area of Florida, possible ventures into South Carolina, at least one trip to Washington, D. C., a sojourn in Oklahoma and possibly passing his last years in Arkansas. I believe it may ultimately be proven he ventured into Texas on an escapade or two with his old friend Gen. Thomas S. Woodward.

John Carson Winslett (Junior?), son of the above mentioned man, seems to have been in Richmond Co., Georgia in 1820 (the listing there was John H. Winslett) and did not leave until sometime in 1823 for he was reported to be there. That same year he seems to have moved to Henry County, Georgia where he bought 202 ½ acres, Lot 130, for $500. When he left Henry County is not known but is presumed to be somewhere around 1825 or 1826, for in the latter year he is reported by some early chronicler of Barbour County, Alabama, to have built the first house in Eufaula, Alabama. That fact does not match too well the story told by John Wesley Winslett, a son who moved at an early age to the west, ending up as one of the founders of Stevensville, Montana. The son, John Wesley stated to friends out west that his father moved to Alabama with his family in 1829.

One thought keep coming back concerning this John Wesley Winslett and the great chance he may be the boy referred to earlier as having been baptized at Asbury Mission, the Methodist outpost in Russell Co., Ala. in 1826. John Carson Winslett's son John Wesley Winslett was reportedly born in Jasper Co., Ga. 1821 to Susan Stewart Winslett. The boy, if the same, would have been about five years old in 1826, and may have been orphaned, for it is said that his mother bore only one child. Hence, it is believed that John Carson Winslett, Jr. re-married by 1824 and had a daughter Sarah in 1825. A second daughter was born in 1828. It must have been this family of a son and two daughters which moved to the newly built home in Eufaula with John and wife. John Carson Winslett seems to have spent most of his remaining life in and around Barbour Co., Alabama. He had one more daughter, Minerva, born 1845 and probably another son, Thadeus C. Winslett born ca. 1840. Altho his second wife is reported to be Nancy West Nelloms, it seems to me he might have had another wife, number 2, who gave birth to the 2nd and 3rd children, before marrying Nancy as a 3rd wife. Thadeus C. was killed Sept 21, 1863, at Chickamauga, his mother Nancy claiming his personal possessions Oct 24, 1863.

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©2002 by Joan Case
Last updated on Sunday, November 10, 2002

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