Do you know if there is a famous relative in your family? Have you thought much about the heritage of your family name? Possibly not. So it was with Billie Jane McIntosh, the great-great-granddaughter of Creek Indian Chief William McIntosh. Even though McIntosh grew up occasionally visiting Creek relatives, she did not know about her famous ancestors until she was an adult. After growing up in a time when it was less than desirable to be of native decent, McIntosh found comfort in exploring her heritage and sharing it with others.

McIntosh, who currently resides in Arizona, has penned her second novel titled “From Georgia Tragedy to Oklahoma Frontier: A biography of Scots Creek Indian Chief Chilly McIntosh.” Her previous book, “Ah-Ko-Kee: American Sovereign,” was about Jane McIntosh Hawkins, Chilly’s sister.

Many of the early 18th and 19th century Scots settlers of the Southeastern United States intermarried and formed partnerships with the Native Americans of that region.

Chilly McIntosh, son of legendary Chief William McIntosh Jr. was an important Creek leader with roots in both ancient Scotland and the Creek Wind Clan. He formed the perfect amalgam of both cultures. As elected chief of his tribal township he made efforts to straddle the divide between both the traditional and progressive factions, while at the same time performing duties as clerk of the Creek Tribal Council. McIntosh weaves Chilly’s personal story into the general saga of the Creek people. From his youth in the Indian towns of the Southeast to his ultimate relocation to the Oklahoma lands that were to be his final home, the book explores the many facets of his long and varied life.  

The local legend is that Chilly McIntosh escaped from his family’s burning home at McIntosh Reserve on the faithful day in 1835 when his father was murdered. He had been sleeping in an outbuilding because there was no room in the main house. Chilly McIntosh’s life story shows that he was part of both the white and Indian world, here in Georgia and in the Creeks’ new home in Oklahoma. Chilly and his half brother, Daniel Newnan McIntosh, were both Confederate officers during the Civil War. Chilly eventually became a Baptist minister, preaching the gospel to members of several Indian tribes before his death in 1875.

The book recounts the controversial death of his father, Chief William McIntosh, Chilly’s participation in the recording of the laws of the Creek Tribe, his visit with General Lafayette, and the role he assumed while leading his people west.

Billie Jane McIntosh’s research took her to many places — including the McIntosh Reserve in Carroll County and the Indian Springs Hotel in Butts County. She also examined many documents dating to Chilly’s time. One chapter in the book grew from Works Progress Administration interviews.

McIntosh will be making a series of appearances in Carroll County in the coming week, beginning with a book signing today, Sunday, June 28, at Neva Lomason Library in Carrollton at 2:30 p.m. She will also share stories that would have been told to Creek children as a special feature in the Whitesburg Public Library’s summer reading program on Monday, June 29, at 2 p.m.

Also, Ms. McIntosh will be the guest at a potluck dinner at McIntosh Reserve Park in Whitesburg, sponsored by the Friends of McIntosh, the Carroll County Historical Society and other interested groups. The dinner at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, June 29, will be followed by a talk at the McIntosh Amphitheater at 6:30 p.m. The public is welcome.

While in Georgia, Ms. McIntosh will travel to McIntosh family homes along the McIntosh Trail, extending from Whitesburg to Newnan, Indian Springs to Columbus. She also will visit Alabama sites important to the Creeks’ trip to the West. Groups interested in her visit include historical societies and Friends groups in each of the places she plans to visit, as well as groups such as the McIntosh Trail Historic Preservation Society and the Trail of Tears Society.