Well, we can follow the boys around some because they signed a number of petitions, which allows us to track them. And since the routes of travel were so limited, we can also determine the most likely routes they took as they continued on. So we know that Joe signed a petition as one of the Elk River Intruders. Zecharrah never signed any of the petitions, and the boys signed different ones as they came of age. There is a very good chance that Zecharrah and Bushpo traveled ahead at times. Hence we see involvement at the Choctaw Trading House with Bushpo warning of the impending Creek attack while at least some of the boys were in Amite County, Mississippi Territory (we will cover this in upcoming posts) as we see one or two them on a petition. Suffice it to say that there is a definite traceable paper trail.
Joe signed the Elk river Petition as "Jos. Keen" (there is a consistent variance over time where some even within the same direct family, and sometimes even the same person will spell it 'Keen' and/or at other times 'Keene') and I believe about 13 signatures up from the bottom of the right hand column on the petition. Now, we also know that they left from there almost immediately, and are not on the later tax rolls in that area; but show up further South and, some north and east. The Choctaw had a relationship with the Chickasaw, and I'm sure that Bushpo knew there were places to live, where the U.S. government didn't burn your home and crops, take your land, and slaughter your livestock. A great many settlers were mixed or had mixed blood children. The Choctaw (and many other tribes') claims of inheritance, tribal membership, moiety, etc were based upon a matriarchal line of decent. If an American back woodsmen or explorer took a native bride they inherited certain rights and privileges, as did their children.
We can see many Keen families in the Carolinas, and the N. Carolina Keens from the general Pee Dee area have several ancestors registered in the Dawes hearings as Cherokee. So, the "Whites" vs "Natives" dynamic was not quite as simple and the Elk River folks had their biggest problem with the U.S. government. At the same time, Spain and Britain were trying to work against the United States in proxy through some of the tribes; and these were not black-and-white or clear-as-day issues. In fact, a great many things are withheld regarding America's 'real' history. It is a far more fascinating thing than people realize these days, with a cultural war being shamefully waged against our own roots. Especially when these self-same roots should be a source of pride. The Elk River Intruders petition can also be found in The Territorial Papers of the United States, vol 6, Mississippi Territory.
Now, there is a chance that Bushpo and Zecharrah headed to the Tombigbee area, but we can document that the boys, at least the older ones headed from Elk River to Natchez then to Amite county. But there is a good chance that Bushpo and zecharrah went upstream on the Peal River and then on to Muckalush, which may have stimulated the requisite fears of Tecumseh's mission and led to them going on to Tombigbee to warn of the impending attack. There is also a possibility that they had traveled to Pensacola at one point which may have increased the anxiety over an impending attack because the British had armed the Red Sticks and were offering $50 per American scalp. Everything south of Natchez was under the control of Britain (and their proxy Spain). Also, some of these regions held fairly large numbers of folks who had fled the East Coast during and immediately after the Revolution, because they were British Loyalists. However, most of the people coming into Natchez after 1798 when the Mississippi Territory opened up were Americans, with no shortage of militia veterans, and many if not most of them came from the Pee Dee Valley and had endured the harsh and abject cruelty of Tarleton, and his slimy cohorts. The migration routes and material on the women poling the boats while the men and natives fought can be noted here:
Check out the "Rolling Hog-Head" on this page, left side bottom image pulled by a mule. Also has an excellent map.
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