Ezekiel Columbus Buffington (abt. 1740 - 1818)

Born about 1740 in Chester County, Pennsylvania

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Emory) Buffington — married 1764 in Cherokee, Washington, Tennessee

Descendants

Died 1818 at about age 78 in Hall, Georgia, USA

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Biography

Ezekiel Buffington was born circa 1740 in Chester County, PA, to Quaker parents, Thomas and Mary (Harlan) Buffington, These two families are closely intertwined for many years. The family moved south about 1754, settling in South Carolina. As did many white men who traded with the Cherokee, Ezekiel had both white and Cherokee wives and families.

Sometime before 1760 Ezekiel Buffington married; there is no record of this white wife’s name. Early in 1760 a daughter Mary was born. There may have been other children in the next five years who died in infancy. About 1766 a son, Oburn, or Oborn, named after another ancestor, Henry Oborn, was born. Perhaps the wife died at the birth of this son.

About 1760 he joined his uncle, Ezekiel Harlan and began trading with the Cherokee Indians. During his time with the Cherokee he fathered children with two Cherokee sisters, Mary (Emory) Buffington (abt.1747-abt.1796) ^[1] and her sister Elizabeth (Emory) Rogers (abt.1750-1781). He fathered at least seven children with these sisters; with Mary, Elizabeth, Susannah, Annie, Ellie, Mary, and Thomas, with Elizabeth, another daughter Mary. ^{[2] [3]}

Ezekiel moved to Jackson County, GA after 1800, and died there in 1818. ^[4] The following entry is provided by Nell Crowe.
"Ezekiel Buffington is buried in Hall County, Gillsville, Georgia, in the Old Buffington Cemetery, on the left hand side; we are facing east. When I was a girl, there was river stone over his grave. but it has weathered down to nothing now. We were instructed that no new burials could be made on the left side for that was reserved for Ezekiel, his Black workers and his Indian family. I think his son, Oborn, must be buried there also. Ellis, Oborn's son, has a large marker on the right of the cemetery, along with other descendants. For some reason, the cemetery is not listed in Hall County or in official government GPS. I try to go there every year. It's a lovely setting for an interesting forbear."

Sources

1. ↑ Genealogy of Old and New Cherokee Indian Families by George Morrison Bell. 1972 lc#78-189676 copy at Muskogee , OK pub.lib. Publication: (Barlesville, OK: , 1972).
2. ↑ Starr, Emmet. History of the Cherokee Indians. The Warden Co., Oklahoma City, OK, 1921. p. 305
3. ↑ Buffington, Ralph; Rhame, Clara. The Buffington Family in America. Houston, 1965. p. 203
4. ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/61978520/ezekiel-buffington

See Also:

• United States War of 1812 Index to Service Records, 1812-1815, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q29V-TJ27 : 11 March 2016), Ezekiel Buffington, 1812-1815; citing NARA microfilm publication M602 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); roll 29; FHL microfilm 882,547.
• "United States Census, 1790," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHKF-11L : accessed 5 August 2017), Ezekiel Buffenton, Pendleton, South Carolina, United States; citing p. 15, NARA microfilm publication M637, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 11; FHL microfilm 568,151.
• United States Census, 1800," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHRC-6KM : accessed 5 August 2017), Ezekiel Buffinton, Pendleton District, South Carolina, United States; citing p. 138, NARA microfilm publication M32, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 50; FHL microfilm 181,425.
• Geni profile: geni
• Family web site with maps: maps