Selocta Chinnabby

Selocta Chinnabby (also Shelocta, Se-loc-ta, Chinnabee, or Apuckshunubee[2][3]) (c. 1765—October 15, 1834 or February 10, 1835[4][5]) was a Muskogee Creek and Natchez chief from present-day Talladega County, Alabama. He allied himself with the Andrew Jackson in fighting the Red Sticks in the Creek War, which was part of the larger War of 1812.[3]

"Shelocta" redirects here. For the place, see Shelocta, Pennsylvania.
Copy of 19th century painting showing Selocta wearing a silver medal.
"Se-Loc-Ta" —Charles Bird King, Hand-colored lithograph on paper (1836)[1]

Family

Chinnabby was possibly born in 1765 near Choccolocco Creek and was the son of a Natchez chief, Moss Micco Chinnabby, and a Creek mother.[5][6] After the Natchez revolt, a portion of the Natchez moved to central Alabama and settled in an abandoned village near the Coosa River on Tallaseehatchee Creek. This new village was known as Natchee or Natchez Town.[5] Chinnabby's father accompanied Alexander McGillivray to New York City to participate in the signing of the 1790 Treaty of New York.[7] Chinnabby had a brother whose name was Salarta.[5]

Adult life

During the Creek War, Chinnabby sided with the United States in fighting the Red Sticks. In 1813, a defensive stockade named Fort Chinnabee was built three miles north of Chinnabby's village, which was on the north shore of Choccolocco Creek near the influx of Wolfskull Creek.[lower-alpha 1][8] Chinnabby fought in a number of battles, including the Battle of Talladega, Battles of Emuckfaw and Enotachopo Creek, and Battle of Horseshoe Bend.[9] Prior to the Battle of Talladega, it was reported that Chinnabby escaped Fort Leslie covered in the skin of a wild hog and was able to warn Jackson at Fort Strother that Fort Leslie was under siege by Red Stick warriors.[10] Prior to the Battle of Emuckfaw Creek, Chinnabby led warriors allied with the United States in an attack on a Hillabee village. Chinnabby's brother was killed in this attack.[11]

Chinnabby was present at the signing of the Treaty of Fort Jackson. He supported yielding Creek lands along the Alabama River in exchange for keeping land west of the Coosa River in Creek possession. Jackson did not agree with this arrangement, as he felt this allowed Great Britain a connection to supply inland Native Americans in their continued conflicts with the United States.[3]However, Chinnabby later pleaded with Jackson that the ones who helped him should keep their land. He died just before the Trail of Tears.[12]

Chinnabby also fought with Jackson in the First Seminole War.[4]

Chinnabby also controlled bands of Cherokee,[13] who called him Apuckshunubee, as well as Chickasaw that had previously been under the rule of his brother, Taski Etoka.

Chinnabby signed the 1826 Treaty of Washington, along with Opothleyahola and Menawa.[14] After signing the treaty, he was given a silver medal by President John Quincy Adams.[6]

Death and burial

One early source recounted that Chinnabby was killed after he was participating in a horse race and rode headfirst into a tree while intoxicated.[15] Other sources indicate Chinnabby was traveling to Mardisville on October 15, 1834 to purchase supplies prior to his death.[4] His death has also been recorded as occurring on February 10, 1835.[5] He was buried with his silver medal near the community of Munford, and his cabin was ceremonially burned. Chinnabby's grave marker is located at 33°29′11″N 85°57′43″W.[16]

Legacy

The Chinnabee community in Talladega County is named for Chinnabby.[17]

The Lake Chinnabee Recreation Area, located inside the Talladega National Forest, is named for Chinnabby. The recreation area includes the Chinnabee Silent Trail, which was constructed by a Boy Scout troop from the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind. A waterfall along the trail is named Chinaabaee.[18]

Notes
  1. Wolfskull Creek joins Choccolocco Creek six miles east of Oxford.

References
  1. Se-loc-ta; Painting in holdings; Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM): [Copy after Charles Bird King, hand-colored lithograph on paper; (1836)]; via WebPage; accessed February 3, 2023.
  2. Eaton, John Henry (1824). The Life of Andrew Jackson. Philadelphia: S.F. Bradford.
  3. McKenney, Thomas Loraine (1872). History of the Indian tribes of North America (1 ed.). 50S Minor street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: D.Rice & CO. p. 221.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  4. Wright, Amos J., Jr. (2003). Historic Indian Towns in Alabama, 1540-1838. University of Alabama Press. p. 35. ISBN 0-8173-1251-X.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. Mullendore, Tommy (March 1982). "Selocta Chinnobee". Talladega County Historical Association Newsletter (113): 11-12.
  6. East, Don (December 2008). A Historical Analysis of the Creek Indian Hillabee Towns. iUniverse, Inc. pp. 56–7. ISBN 978-1-4401-0163-2.
  7. Pickett, Albert James (1878). History of Alabama, and Incidentally of Georgia and Mississippi, from the Earliest Period. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: Willo Publishing Company. p. 404. ISBN 978-1363310845.
  8. Harris, W. Stuart (1977). Dead Towns of Alabama. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Press. p. 38. ISBN 0-8173-1125-4.
  9. Braund, Kathryn E. Holland (2012). Tohopeka: Rethinking the Creek War & the War of 1812. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Press. p. 152. ISBN 978-0-8173-5711-5.
  10. Walls, Peggy Jackson (2021). Lost Towns of Central Alabama. Charleston, South Carolina: The History Press. p. 16. ISBN 978-1-43967-305-8.
  11. Weir, Howard (2016). A Paradise of Blood: The Creek War of 1813–14. Yardley, Pennsylvania: Westholme. p. 359. ISBN 978-1-59416-270-1.
  12. Cozzens, Peter (2023). A Brutal Reckoning. Atlantic Books. ISBN 9781838959050. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  13. Eaton, John Henry (1824). The Life of Andrew Jackson. Best Books on. ISBN 9781623768256. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  14. "Treaty with the Creeks, 1826". Tribal Treaties Database. Oklahoma State University Libraries. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  15. Camp, Rev. Joseph (1882). An Insight into an Insane Asylum. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: The University of Alabama Press.
  16. Google (February 2, 2023). "Selocta Chinnabby marker" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  17. Foscue, Virginia (1989). Place Names in Alabama. Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press. p. 33. ISBN 0-8173-0410-X.
  18. Mohlenbrock, Robert H. (2006). This Land: A Guide to Eastern National Forests. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. p. 9. ISBN 0-520-23984-9.
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