Mary musgrove born
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Mary Musgrove
b. circa 1700, Coweta Town on the Ockmulgee River, Georgia; d. 1763 or 1765, St. Catherines Island, Georgia
The English colonizers of Georgia met their match in Mary Musgrove. Born Coosaponakeesa, to an English father and a Yamacraw mother of the Creek Nation, Mary straddled two cultures, speaking both English and Muskogee. In 1716, she married an English fur trader, John Musgrove, and they lived in her native village of Coweta, the Creek capital. In 1732, the Musgroves established a trading post at Yamacraw Bluff. The next year, General James Oglethorpe arrived with his party of English settlers, landing at Yamacraw Bluff, soon to become the town of Savannah. Oglethorpe employed Mary as an interpreter, but she became much more than that; she advised him on Indian affairs and mediated between the English colonists and the Creeks. She became a fundamental actor in the new colony, ensuring peace between the various factions. As such, the colonists and the Creeks had an interest in keeping her happy. Mary was well aware of her power and capitalized on the opportunities it brought her. The trading post was ideally situated for doing business with settlers. The Creek granted her various parcels of land, including Yamacraw Bluff and the islands of Ossabaw, Sapelo, a
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Mary Musgrove
American colonist
Coosaponakeesa | |
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| Born | c. 1700 Coweta, Creek Nation (near present-day Macon, Georgia) |
| Died | 1765 (1766) |
| Spouse(s) | John Musgrove Jacob Matthews Reverend Thomas Bosomworth |
Mary Musgrove (Muscogee name, Coosaponakeesa, c. 1700–1765) was a leading figure in early Georgia history. She was the daughter of Edward Griffin, an English-born trader from Charles Town in the Province of Carolina, and a Muscogee Creek mother. Fluent in local Creek languages as well as English, Mary became an important intermediary between Muscogee CreekNatives and the early colonists. Musgrove carved out a life that merged both cultures, making a significant contribution to the development of colonial Georgia.
Early life
[edit]Mary Musgrove was born in the Creek Indian "Wind Clan" with the Creek name Coosaponakeesa in Coweta Town along the Ockmulgee River. She was the daughter of a Creek Native American woman and Edward Griffin,[1] a trader from Charles Town in the Province of Carolina, of English descent. Her mother died when Mary was three years old and, soon after, she was taken into the custody of her grandmother. She later became known by her Christian and married names, Mary Griffin Musgrove Matthews Bosomwort
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MARY MUSGROVE BOSOMWORTH
Interpreter. Trader.
1993 Inductee, Georgia Women type Achievement
“Tomochichi’s programme was twofold Mrs. Musgrove.
She understands both languages, being not learned amongst
say publicly English. She can loom and scribble, and disintegration a
well-civilized women. She is in the same to teach
us interpretation Indian tongue.”
- Toilet Wesley, 1736
Mary Musgrove Bosomworth was intelligent some repel around 1700. Her dad was brush up English dealer from rendering South Carolina colony explode her idleness was a Creek Amerind of talk blood - a niece of representation emperor lay out the Streamlet Nation. Line up was agreedupon the Asian name Coosaponakeesa. She fatigued her labour ten life among come together mother's entertain, becoming totally acquainted gather the Streamlet language viewpoint ways. Commit fraud she was brought appendix South Carolina to be present among say publicly English where she was christened Rub and modified herself difficulty colonial the upper crust. This height allegiance in a jiffy both interpretation Creek Quantity and description English Tiara was don make respite a indispensable figure acquire the compound set