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3rd July 1817
Sir
I have just Returned from the Frontiers & have [illegible text] Down to give you the names of the white persons (heads of Familys [Families] ) who I find living on the Indian lands adjasent [adjacent] to this County Let it be Remembered that I did not vissit [visit] the South west Side of the County, I had no expectation before I set out that any person had Settled over the appalatchee, when I got to the Hog mountain I learnt [learned] that the persons named in the Deposition sent to you were all in that Quarter & that they had been all advised to Return before the Depositions were forwarded to you & had Refused. I had a Right to believe that the names of all were sent you, I was also informed that most of them had either moved in or were about to Remove with


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the exception of a John Camp & a few others
I then turned up the North west side of the County & the following are the persons I find on the Indian Lands in that Quarter together with the [unclear text: Relative ] Situations in which they live (viz [videlicet] ) between the Stone Mountain & Chatahoochee River, are Silas McGrady, John Steen, & James SteenSenr. [Senior] & Clanton Steen in the Settlement Called [unclear text: Raferses ] Settlement & on both sides of Chatahoochee are James Steen Junr. [Junior], John Rogers, John [unclear text: Difoor ], a man by the name of Bill, two men by the name of [unclear text: Bagwell ], John Woodall William Woodall Thomas Woodall, & an other [another] Woodall given name not known, & Tabitha Harper a widow Parker Collens, Jonathan Gray, & William Harden above the mouth of Suawnee are William Garner Warren Young John Tidwell, & Austin Dobbs, at & near the mouth of Big Creek are John [unclear text: Mires ]


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Thomas [unclear text: Dasset ], John [unclear text: Dasset ] Obediah Light James Smith & Robert Smith Junr. [Junior], at & near the mouth of the Flowery Branch are Bud Mullins, Robert Smith Senr [Senior], & Thomson McGuire at & near the [unclear text: Ferry ] are John [unclear text: Lessly ], Danl [Daniel] [unclear text: May ], [unclear text: Caleb ] Mosely, Benjn [Benjamin] Murry, John Gathard, John Wilson & Hugh Wilson, on Flat creek are Simon Strickland, Sion Strickland Irvin Strickland, Lazeras Strickland, Lewis Crow, Sion Crow, & Richard [unclear text: Litteral ], and near the Chestetee are Freeman [unclear text: Averbee ] Danl. Short, Noah Langly, John Martin, & Jese Martin & at and above the Shallowford are William Staker, William Baity, a man by the name Mason, an other [another] by the name of Hains an other [another] by the name of Hawkins, & John Wagoner, James Abercrombia Senr [Senior] James Abercrombia Junr [Junior] Benjm [Benjamin] Morris, Henry Morris, John Diffy, Henry Barton, Holly Barton, Widow & George Davis


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I did not see all of them, but the greater part of those that I did, promised to Come in, Some [unclear text: few ] will, Say about one in ten, the ballance [balance] will not
there are a great many [unclear text: Shifts ] which those people make to get settling on those Lands Some Rent [illegible text] of Indians or Mixed Bloods others Settle Down [unclear text: on ] Such place as pleases them & get Some [unclear text: stroling [strolling] ] Vagabond Indian to live or Stay with them, they Call themselves his [unclear text: Croppers ], he is to hunt & they Cultivate the Ground, they find him a Gun & amunition [ammunition] they have the meat & he the Skins, but it often [unclear text: so ] turns out that he has two Haggskins [Hogskins] for one Dearskin [Deerskin], & this accounts for [deleted text: [illegible text] ] the Frontier people loosing [losing] [unclear text: so ] many of their Haggs [Hogs] as they do -- others (if possible) More Lax in their Morrels [Morals] & Still Less Delicate in their taste will


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[unclear text: Kiss ] a Squaw for the privallage [privilege] of their Land & Range, he then becomes a Landlord he has his Croppers, Tenants, & Hirelings &c. &c. [et cetera et cetera] thus a whole Settlement Claim under him, and what seems more abominable then all is that others give their Daughters to the Indian fellows for the privallage [privilege] of Living in their Country themselves, of this Last & and worst Class are John Tidwell & Noah Langly the Former has given four of his Daughters to Indian fellows for Wives & the Latter two thus a [unclear text: Motly [Motley] ] Race are propigating [propagating] fast verry [very] fast on the Chatahoochee & its waters -- I Should like to know how far the Individual Indians have a Right to Rent or Lease Lands, my own impressions are that Indians have not a principle


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tittle [title] to any Lands, that theirs is a mere occupant claim, that they are tenants at the will of the Government, the Treaty Reserves the Lands to them for their Hunting grounds, it prohibits all Citizens of the U. S, or other persons from Settling on them with out [without] permits from the Agent of Indian affairs, those people have no permits they are not Indians altho [although] Some of them try to look & act like them, & it seems that to get [unclear text: foothold ] in the Nation by any of their ways which I have Described has all the effect of taking the Indian Black Drink, it makes them inimical to every person who Does not ware [wear] a Long hunting Shirt & mockisins [moccasins] or a Match Coat & Smell like Tainted Dearskins [Deerskins] & I think I am warranted in saying that


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If the Comrs. [Commissioners] fail of success in the present Treaty it will be [illegible text] in not intirely [entirely] to the Clamours [Clamors] of those fellows [unclear text: Seconded ] by a few of the Mixed Bloods, the spurious product of those Disgracefull [Disgraceful] & unnatural Matches.

I am Sir verry [very] Respectfully your Obt Humbl Servnt [Obedient Humble Servant]
[Signed] H Montgomery PS my [illegible text] to the [unclear text: prices ] allowed me by Governor Mitchel for Such [unclear text: services ] would Stand this



The State of Georgia to H Montgomery Dr To Servises [Services] Rendered [illegible text] Horse
4 Days at $4 pr [per] Day -- -- $16 --
Cash Spent -- -- 2.50

amt $18.50

Which if you will enclose me by Letter you will oblidge [oblige]

[Signed] H Montgomery





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Jefferson J C [Jackson County] Ga
4th July [deleted text: [illegible text] ] 20
Honl [Honorable] William Rabun Executive Department Millidgeville Georgia
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