Packhorseman Welch

Biography

“James Welch and the Eastern Cherokee.” By Lawrence Petrisky (January 26, 2004) < link >

Cherokee Ancestor

James Welch is the white ancestor of some of the early Cherokee Welch families. His line also accounts for many of the Welch Cherokee in the Eastern Tribe, through his son John Welch (b.c.1753) and perhaps through his son Thomas Welch, both mixed-blood.

An unrelated Thomas Welch, an earlier trader, had no Cherokee offspring so far as we can tell.Later families (Nicholas Welch of VA, NC and George Welch of GA) who married into the tribe also account for Welch Cherokee.

James Welch (b.c.1720 Ireland) was a pack-horseman for Indian trader James Beamer in the early 1750s.He lived at Estatoe Village (in what is now Oconee County) in upper South Carolina. (speaking of his son, John: The mother of John Welch was an unnamed Cherokee woman, probably a half breed.)

James Welch supplied horses to Fort Loudon in 1756 and served in the militia. He was arrested by James Francis of Ninety Six in 1759 and was a soldier during the Cherokee War (1760-1761). He was alive in 1797, living among the Cherokee (unless this was James Welch Jr.).

References

• Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Jun 20 2022, 3:19:25 UTC
• Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Jun 21 2022, 4:16:55 UTC
• https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/14233570/person/28...