Who are the known wives of Cherokee Chief Doublehead?

Question

The following have been claimed as his wives:

1. Nannie (Drumgoole) Doublehead — married about 1794 see Emmett Starr.

2. Kateeyeah (Wilson) Doublehead — married abt 1797 (estimated based on approx. ages of children)

3. Creat Priber (dau of Christian Priber) — married 1750 in Stearns Kentucky; initially introduced by Tankersley about 2004 (First found source to date (Decc 2017) is a 1998 Rootsweb Blevins surname message board post), but changed by 2007 to #5 below.

4. Woman (Cherokee) Doublehead — married before 1768

5. Unknown (Delaware-Woman) Delaware — married before 1772  - This wife first appears in Tankersley’s 2005 “unpublished” report to the Kentucky Heritage Commission, along with the statement that “Pawalin” as a Delaware word for “cornblossom falls off” and therefore Cornblossom’s “real” name.

6. Jennie Harrison - married before 1807

Comments

here is link to Miller Roll 1901 for cherokee starting 1848 There is a Nannie Doublehead listed within the records, as well as a Jennie and others

18722- Jennie Doublehead - pg 57 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS42-9HLK-T?i=56&cc=2796818

heres others on left page first column 3/4 way down the page -

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS42-9HLG-B?i=34&cc=2796818

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I know these are newer records than you are looking for but hopefully thru use of these from more current Doubleheads, ancestries can begin to go backward accurately

Answer 1

While the number of Doublehead’s children, records, and testimony of descendants suggests that Doublehead had as many as five wives, there are only two that are named in documents:  1) Nannie Drumgoole and 2) Kateeyah Wilson, both named in depositions filed regarding Doublehead’s estate and Eastern Cherokee applications of descendants. Transcriptions at AMERIND-US-SE-L/200-12/0977343555 and AMERIND-US-SE-L/2000-12/0977343614 EC apps 10725(Bird Doublehead) 447 (John Springston).

3) While there is some suggestion that Christian Priber may have cohabitated with a Cherokee between 1736-1744, there is no solid evidence to identify either his Cherokee female mate, nor any offspring that might have resulted from such a union. There is no proof that Creat Priber ever existed.

4) Unknown Cherokee woman/women – the mother or mothers of Saleechie and her unnamed sister, and sisters Nigodigayu and Gulustiyu. 

5. Unknown Delaware Woman. Introduced about 2007 by Tankersley when the “Creat Priber-as-mother” myth was busted. 

6. Jennie Harrison, appears in James Hicks' Cherokee Lineages tree on Rootsweb. No documentation, no children.

Thank you Kathie Forbes for research on this question.