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Indian Factories Cash Book

 Collection
Identifier: MS-3467

  • Staff Only

This book, titled Cash Book for Monies belonging to the Cherokee Indian Factories, contains a listing of debits and credits to Cherokee Indian factories in Tellico, Tennessee and Coleraine, Georgia from March 10, 1797 to April 26, 1798. Entries include "[t]o pay a draft by David Henley ... $500, [t]o freight of peltries shipped on board the brig Welcome Return and Schooner Valley from Coleraine Indian factory to Philadelphia ... $200, and [t]o premium and cost of policy on insuring goods from Coleraine Factory ... $129.30." The book also notes the purchase of cloth and fees for the transportation of goods from Richmond, Virginia and Savanna, Georgia.

Dates

  • 1797 March 10-1798 April 26

Conditions Governing Access

Collections are stored offsite and must be requested in advance. See www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.

Conditions Governing Use

The UT Libraries claims only physical ownership of most material in the collections. Persons wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants on www.special.lib.utk.edu for detailed information. Collections must be requested through a registered Special Collections research account.

Extent

0.1 Linear Feet

Abstract

This book, titled Cash Book for Monies belonging to the Cherokee Indian Factories, contains a listing of debits and credits to Cherokee Indian factories in Tellico, Tennessee and Coleraine, Georgia from March 10, 1797 to April 26, 1798.

Biographical/Historical Note

The Tellico Factory in Tennessee was a part of the Tellico Blockhouse, a United States fortification used officially from 1794 through 1807. At Tellico, federal and territorial officials implemented the Factory Act of 1795, a Washington administration plan to assimilate the Native American population by maintaining federal factories, or trading posts, where Natives would receive fair exchange for their furs in addition to learning modern methods of agriculture and industry. The Cherokee relied heavily on fur and hide as a means of currency and trade, and once fur-bearing animals became scarce in the area, the Tellico Factory offered spinning wheels, cotton seed, looms, and training to the Cherokee. In return, the Cherokee provided food, furs, and other valuable items to the soldiers and traders at the Blockhouse.

The Coleraine Factory in Georgia was part of a much smaller trading post than Tellico. The only notable mention of a Coleraine Trading Post or Factory is in Southeast Georgia, which was inhabited by the Creek and bordered Spanish Florida. Coleraine near Saint Mary’s was the site of the U.S-Creek Treaty of Colerain, signed June 29, 1796.

Arrangement

This collection consists of a single folder.

Acquisition Note

The University of Tennessee Libraries, Knoxville, Special Collections purchased this collection on December 14, 2010.

Repository Details

Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository

Contact:
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Knoxville TN 37996 USA
865-974-4480