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Scottish-Cherokee Patriarch

SIR LUDOVIC GRANT, 2nd BARONET OF DALVEY

The Scottish trader, who married a fullblood Cherokee woman, has descendants today numbering between 50,000 and 100,000, a fourth to half of the registered Cherokees today. The Oukah grew up thinking that the MacDonald and Ross Scottish families were his finest heritage, and indeed they are Scottish clans beyond compare. But, in doing the research of his g-g-grandmother a few years ago, the Elizabeth Pack Fields who married Dayunita, he came to a great appreciation of the descendants of Ludovic Grant.

Some books say that there was a Ludovic Grant of Scotland, a baronet, who was captured in the Jacobite Rebellions (trying to restore the descendants of James VII of Scotland to the British throne). His lands were confiscated and his title revoked. The Oukah's recent research (remember you read it here first!) reveals that our Cherokee ancestor was not descended, from a Scottish baronet, but he WAS HIMSELF that Baronet of Scotland (2nd Baronet of Dalvey). It seems that he and his Scottish troops were captured at the famous battle at Preston, and banished to the "American Plantations".

According to the "Directory of Scots Banished to the American Plantations, 1650-1775", by David Dobson, Genealogical Publishing Co, Baltimore, 1983, it says of Ludovic Grant: Jacobite captured at Preston. Sent from Liverpool to South Carolina on the SUSANNAH, 7 May, 1716.

Some years later we find Ludovic Grant in the Cherokee Nation, where he established a trading post and married a full-blood Cherokee. They had one daughter, Mary. Mary had three daughters by the trader, William Emory, named Mary Emory, Elizabeth Emory, and of all things, SUSANNAH Emory, evidently named for the ship that brought Sir Ludovic Grant to America.

Mary married Ezekiel Buffington and produced many notable Cherokee men, including Principal Chief Thomas Mitchell Buffington, 1899-1903.

Elizabeth married John Rogers "White Trader" and her descendants include Tiana Rogers (wife of Sam Houston), Will Rogers, and William Charles Rogers, Principal Chief 1903-1917.

Susannah Emory married three times. One husband was John Stuart, the British Superintendent of the Southern Territory. Another was Joseph Martin, the only person in history who was the Brigadier General of both Virginia and South Carolina. Another husband was to Richard Fields, a noted trader, from whom many of us today are descended, including the present King and Emperor..

Ludovic Grant, being of good family and well educated, became the agent and correspondent of the Governors of South Carolina. His letters, informing the governors of the happenings and situations within the Cherokee Nation, are published in the Chronicles of that state. He was one of the few traders who were honest and respected, and he deplored the bad others in his letters to South Carolina.

When a strange Scottish baronet named Sir Alexander Cumming visited the Cherokee Nation in 1729-1730, he was met on his second day inside the nation by a fellow Scotsman who was to be his interpreter. The strange happenings of that visit are duly recorded, along with the strange erratic behavior of Sir Alexander Cumming. It was during that visit that Sir Alexander suggested that King Moytoy of the capital city of refuge, Echota, be given the English title of "Emperor", and it was so done and approved by the Echota council.

Sir Alexander later took seven Cherokee men with him to England where the first treaty between the Cherokees and a foreign nation was made in April, 1730. Sir Alexander's American crimes caught up with him, however, and he spent most of his life thereafter in prison in England.

In all this time, and in all these happenings, Ludovic Grant did not reveal that he himself was (or had been) a Baronet of Scotland, himself. Was he actually behind the visit of Sir Alexander Cumming. Did he suggest the "Emperor" title for the Cherokee ruler? Did he at all suspect that some of his Cherokee descendants would end up with that title, and even own and use it today? The questions may never be answered.

Did Ludovic Grant and Sir Alexander Cumming know each other before Cummings strange visit? Were they related? You see, the present Oukah's research has also uncovered the fact that Sir Ludovic Grant's grandmother was Agnes Cumming.

We have created a 11x17 genealogical chart of Sir Ludovic Grant, from whom the present Oukah is descended in several lines. If any of the other descendants would like a copy of this chart, which lists the MAJOR Cherokee descendants of note, they can put a dollar bill into an envelope addressed to TRISKELION PRESS, PO BOX 190313, DALLAS, TX 75219 and we will send them a copy of it.

Lee MacDonald

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