Redbird Cherokee (1750 - abt. 1797)

Born 1750 in Cherokee Nation (East)

Died about 10 Feb 1797 at about age 47 in Kentucky, United States

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Biography

Very little is known of the life of the Cherokee man called “Redbird” and claimed on the Internet to be also known as “Aaron Brock”.

This Redbird was probably born about 1750 in the Cherokee Nation to unknown parents. He lived in a Cherokee town called Chilhowie and was killed in Kentucky about February 10, 1797. ^[1]

Redbird first appears in the historical record in 1788 when he, a Cherokee man named Slim Tom, and a group of other Cherokee men killed the family of white man named John Kirk at his home near present-day Knoxville, Tennessee. ^[2] These killings led to the murders by John Kirk, Jr. and a troop of Americans of several Cherokee chiefs who had not been involved in the attack but who were at Chilhowie. Kirk wrote in a letter to Cherokee chief John Watts:

“… since I have taken ample satisfaction, and can now make peace, except with Slim Tom…. I will listen to their advice [to keep the peace], if no more blood is shed by the Cherokees….but if they do not, your people may feel something more, to keep up the remembrance of JOHN KIRK, jun., Captain of the Bloody Rangers.” ^[3]

White settlers continued to encroach on Cherokee lands, ignoring treaty provisions which required the U.S. government to remove intruders and both Cherokees and whites continued their attacks. In April,1794 a Cherokee raiding party under a man known as The Bench attacked the homes and killed or captured the families of Peter and Henry Livingstone of Washington County, Virginia. The Bench was killed in the ensuing pursuit, but several other Cherokee escaped unharmed. ^[4]

It is unclear whether Redbird was involved in this attack, but apparently the Livingstones believed that he was since in February,1797 Redbird and another Cherokee man (whose name is uncertain) were murdered in Kentucky by two white men named Livingstone and Mitchell. Governor Sevier of Tennessee wrote:

“I am just informed by an express from the Governor of the state of Kentucky, that a Most Cruel daring and unprovoked murder was perpetrated by Edward Mitchel and John Levingston, Citizens of this State And inhabitants of Hawkins county, on two indians of the Cherokee Nation (one of the name of red Bird) who was hunting in the state of Kentucky, On the waters of Kentucky river.”

^[5]

The Cherokee chiefs wrote angry letters to Governor Sevier of Tennessee and Sevier assured the chiefs that the men would be apprehended and taken to court although they never were charged. Louis-Philippe (later King of France) who was then travelling in America wrote in his journal:

"We must be fair: the whites’ systematic spoilation of the Indians has not even slowed. All the Indians’ neighbors are greedy for their Tennessee territories. The last treaty has aroused serious discontent among the whites, who would like a war with the Indians so a new treaty can strip them of the coveted lands. Four months ago the whites assassinated two Indians (one a chief called Red Bird), hoping the provocation would lead to reprisals and trigger a war. The Indians demanded the surrender of the murderers. This was refused on the pretext that they should not be yielded over to Indian torture, and that according to the treaty they must be judged by American law. The whites promised to conduct an investigation and have the murders punished, but it would seem that nothing of the sort was done. I heard one of the assassins identified, so it would not be hard to find them. In the meantime, as nothing was done, the Cherokees assassinated four whites, and as nothing was said, all has been calm since." ^[6]

A historical marker (#908) was erected in 1966 in Clay County Kentucky, which says “Chief Red Bird Was a legendary Cherokee Indian for whom this fork of the Kentucky River is named. He and another Indian, Jack, whose name was given a creek to the south, were friendly with early settlers and permitted to hunt in area. Allegedly they were killed in battle protecting their furs and the bodies thrown into river here. The ledges bear markings attributed to Red Bird.” ^[7]

The actual location of Redbird’s murder is unknown and there is no known connection between the nearby petroglyphs and any Cherokee. The area that became Kentucky was traditionally the hunting grounds of the Cherokee and the Cherokee owned a portion of Kentucky until 1801.

Research Notes

Information previously found on this profile can now be found on a free-space page at Aaron Brock page.

“Redbird” is a common Cherokee name. There were at least three Cherokee men named “Redbird” who are documented in the period between 1790-1815:

• one from Chilhowie who was murdered in 1797 (this profile),
• one who provided information to the Americans,^[8] and
• one (or two) men who signed treaties in 1805 and 1806. ^[9]

Nothing is known of any parents, spouses, or children of any of these men. No English names are connected to any of them in any document.

A previous version of this profile claimed without source that Red Bird was son of Great Eagle. He has been detached. There is no evidence that he was married to (or had children by) either Susannah Caroline Sizemore or Rhoda Sizemore. They have been detached as spouses.

There is no evidence of any children of Redbird; therefore, he has been detached as father of: Red Bird II Brock Mahala Susannah Brock Callahan Jesse James Brock Mary Brock Osborn James Calvin Brock

There is no evidence that any of the Cherokee men named Redbird were connected to the family of Jesse Brock who moved to Kentucky in 1798. The connection of "Aaron Brock" to Jesse Brock and the Cherokee name of "Redbird" appears to be a 20th / early 21st century invention:

• Two unsourced family histories from 1958 and 1969 suggested the father of Jesse Brock was named Aaron Brock. ^[10]
• In 1941, a great-grandson named Elijah Brock (this one?) made two conflicting statements, one that his great-grandfather was the first white settler on Wallins' Creek in Kentucky, and one that his great-grandfather was three-quarters Indian. This statement seems to be the source of the claims that Jesse Brock had an Indian father. Most of what we know about Jesse comes from his Revolutionary War pension application, which makes no mention of his parents. ^[11] Brock family descendents are participating in a DNA study and have done extensive research on this family, No Native American connection has been found. ^[12]
• In an undated 21st online article, Kenneth B Tankersley linked Chief Redbird with Aaron and Jesse Brock. The sources Tankersley lists reference either Cherokees by the name of Redbird OR information about Jesse Brock. No where does he cite reliable documentation that links the two, nor does he cite any source that equates Redbird with Aaron Brock. ^[13]

In an undated blog post, William H. Shackleford, Executive Tribal Manager of the "Ridgetop Shawnee," (not a recognized tribe) examined and debunked the myth connecting Chief Redbird with the Brocks.^[14]

Sources

1. ↑ Tennessee State Library and Archives, Correspondence of Gov. John Sevier, 17 March 1797 to Sheriff of Hawkins County.
2. ↑ Brown, John P., Old Frontiers, Southern Publishers, Inc. Kingsport, TN. 1938. p. 272
3. ↑ Letter from John Kirk, Jr. to John Watts, reprinted in the Maryland Gazette, January 29, 1789 p.2. letter
4. ↑ Brown, “Old Frontiers,” pp. 400-402.
5. ↑ Tennessee State Library and Archives, Correspondence of Gov. John Sevier, 17 March 1797 to Sheriff of Hawkins County.
6. ↑ Louis Philippe, Diary of My Travels in America. Translated by Stephen Becker, Delacorte Press New York, 1977.
7. ↑ Kentucky Historical Society database Marker
8. ↑ American State Papers, Indian Affairs. Vol. 1, p. 282 information
9. ↑ 1806 treaty
10. ↑ Mrs. J. C. Hurst, "The Strong Family of Kentucky," (Lexington, KY, 1958), and Francis Yeager Dunham, "The Howards of Southeastern Kentucky," (University of West Florida, published by Kathleen White, Panama City, FL (1979, reprinted 1985).
11. ↑ U.S., Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900, database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 June 2017), Jesse Brock, Kentucky, citing p. 124, NARA microfilm publication M804, roll 347.
12. ↑ Facebook groups, Jesse Brock 1751-1843 & Siblings & his Kinfolk and Brock DNA
13. ↑ Kenneth B Tankersley, Chief Red Bird (Part 2).
14. ↑ William H. Shackleford, "The Myth of Chief Redbird A.K.A Aaron Brock," (undated blogpost), https://ridgetopshawnee.blogspot.com/p/how-do-we-break-cycle-of-native.html. Examines the origins of and debunks the myth that equates Aaron Brock with a Cherokee chief named Redbird.

See also:

• Jeannie M. Roberts, Aaron Brock / Red Bird (Father of Jesse Brock) vs the Genealogical Proof Standard, 13 Jun 2017.