Christie, Ned

Edward "Ned" or "Nede" CHRISTIE (1785 - 1845) and Sallie PEAK (1785 - 1858)

my 5g-grandparents

Edward "Ned" CHRISTIE lived in Old Cherokee Nation, near the present-day site of Murphy, NC, where the Valley River empties into the Hiwassee. His son William was born about 1800, so Ned must have been born before 1785. The famous outlaw Ned CHRISTIE was his great-nephew, and possibly his namesake, although the famous Ned CHRISTIE was not called Edward. [DAM, p. 185]

https://sites.google.com/site/gapinskiancestry/home/christie-ned/1884%20crop.jpg

The southwest corner of North Carolina, 1884 [source]

From the petition of Madison J. BOWERS for Cherokee Citizenship [MJB], we have the claim, supported by several witnesses, that Madison was the son of Sabra (CHRISTIE) BOWERS, who was the daughter of William "Bill" CHRISTIE, son of Ned CHRISTIE. It is also claimed that this Ned CHRISTIE was a full-blood Cherokee, who lived near the mouth of the Valley River, in the Old Cherokee Nation. Surely this must be the same Edward "Ned" or "Nede" CHRISTIE who was a great-uncle of the outlaw Ned CHRISTIE, and lived near the mouth of the Valley River, as documented in [DAM].

However, in [MJB] the father of William CHRISTIE is consistently called Ned, never Edward. And in [DAM], Edward was the son of "Trader John" CHRISTIE, a Dutchman, implying that Edward was only half Cherokee. Still, I believe that [MJB] and [DAM] are referring to the same person. His birth was about 1785 [DAM, p. xvi], and surely no later, if his son William was born about 1800. He died about 1848 [DAM, p. xvi], possibly having survived the Trail of Tears.

Edward "Ned" CHRISTIE married Sallie PEAK, and they lived in a 17-by-17 foot log cabin, with plank floors. They owned 65 acres of cultivated land, several farm buildings, and a large orchard. [DAM, pp. 23-4] They had a large family, according to the 1835 Cherokee Census (below), including a few slaves. Mihesuah tells us that "At the time of the valuation of 1839, Edward Nede and Sallie were worth $947.25." [DAM, pp. 184-5]

The book Ned Christie: The Creation of an Outlaw and Cherokee Hero by Devon A Mihesuah [DAM] came out in 2018. It appears to be well-researched and well-reviewed. The introduction makes the point that the history of Ned CHRISTIE (nephew of the subject of this page) is clouded by wildly inaccurate newspaper articles and other contemporary accounts, which were often cited as fact by later studies. The author has made a great effort to separate fact from ubiquitous fiction. If I take this recent work as authoritative, I don't mean to take sides in disputes among researchers.

Possible children of Edward and Sallie:

William "Bill" CHRISTIE was born about 1800, and died in 1832 or 1833, in Old Cherokee Nation. [MJB]

Watt CHRISTIE was born in 1812 [DAM, p. 24]. It seems that he was also known as Smith CHRISTIE. He is easily conflated with Wade "Watt" Wakigu CHRISTIE (1817-1902), son of Edward's sister Betsy, and father of the Outlaw Ned CHRISTIE.

The 1835 Cherokee Census (below) has 3 CHRISTIE families together, with heads Ned, Night and Aaron. The latter 2 have less property, and therefore I suspect that they were sons of Ned (Edward) CHRISTIE, who would have been about 50.

Some researchers have Edward's sons Arch CHRISTIE, born about 1831, and James CHRISTIE, born about 1841, although it seems doubtful that these were sons of Sallie PEAK.

Old Cherokee Nation

Every branch of genealogy has its own flavor, and the Cherokee genealogy is no exception. The Cherokee had no written language before about 1814, and most information about Cherokee individuals before that date is indirect, like guessing a birth date based on the age of a person, recorded at some later date. Any dates before 1835 that are mentioned should be regarded as educated guesses, at best.

Cherokee Nation, pre-Columbian , superimposed on modern state boundaries.

The US censuses did not generally keep track of the Cherokee before 1900, but there were special censuses, which, in some cases, contained more information than the US censuses. The Census Roll of 1835 took in the Old Cherokee Nation, or Cherokee Nation East, as it came to be called.

CHRISTIEs in the 1835 Census Roll

Several CHRISTIE families are listed in the 1835 Census of the Old Cherokee Nation, sometimes called Cherokee Nation East. Ned CHRISTIE was head of a large household, one of three listed together, so undoubtedly related in some way.

In 1835, the Ned CHRISTIE family had 3 houses, with 10 people, plus 3 slaves. Sabra would have been about 17, so she was probably one of the 2 females over 16. They had no one who could read English, although 2 could read Cherokee. There was 1 full-blood Cherokee, 1 half-breed, and 8 Quadroons. The term "quadroon" usually refers to someone who is 1/4 Black and 3/4 European. However in this case I suspect it meant 1/4 Indian and 3/4 European. At any rate, only one person in the family was full-blood Cherokee. The Cherokee Nation, after seeing this census record, concluded that Ned CHRISTIE was full-blood Cherokee, so it must be him. They also implied that his wife was not Indian, so she was not present.

Night and Aaron CHRISTIE seem to have less property, and I suspect that they are sons of Ned CHRISTIE. The location of the 3 households is indicated in the comments:

https://sites.google.com/site/gapinskiancestry/home/christie-ned/1835%20clip2.jpg

From the 1835 Census Roll.

Trail of Tears

I think the reason for the detailed census was that the government was determined to force the Cherokee, and all Native Americans, to the reservations in Kansas and Oklahoma. This resulted in the infamous Trail of Tears, including the Cherokee Removal of 1838.

https://sites.google.com/site/gapinskiancestry/home/christie-ned/Trails_of_Tears_en.jpg

Removal of the Five Civilized Tribes, known as the Trail of Tears. [source]

The Trail of Tears is a shameful chapter in American history, lasting from 1831 to about 1850, with the most intense period in 1838-9. Human beings were treated like animals, and the removal was basically a series of cattle drives, forcing the Indians to the west. Many died along the way.

Cherokee Nation West

Many lawsuits were filed by people trying to gain citizenship in the Cherokee Nation. These are extremely valuable to genealogists, because the plaintiffs had to prove their descent from an ancestor with Cherokee blood. This usually involved sworn statements by several witnesses. Unfortunately, some of the witnesses were professionals, known as "standing witnesses," who would say anything for a fee. One of the most prolific standing witnesses in the Cherokee Nation was Watt CHRISTIE, nephew of Ned CHRISTIE.

It was established in the court case Madison J. BOWERS vs The Cherokee Nation in 1897 (see the William CHRISTIE page) that Madison J. BOWERS was the son of Sabra CHRISTIE, who was the daughter of William CHRISTIE, who was the son of Ned CHRISTIE. The evidence consisted of affidavits supplied by several people who knew Sabra, William and/or Ned CHRISTIE personally, and by the 1835 Census Roll, which had Ned, Night and Aaron CRISTY listed consecutively. See the William CHRISTIE page for more about this case.