George Haig (Hague)
[ca. 1712, Alloa, Scotland – ca. April 14th 1748, Ohio, or Penn.]
a son of John Haig, shipbuilder of Alloa, Scotland, & wife Elspeth Nuccol.
by Steven W. Due. Last modified Oct. 1st 2006
Annals and Antiquities of Dryburg and other places in the Tweed: pp 107-108;
The Haigs of Bemersyde, by David Erskine, published in 1883. pp 107-108; Some Feudal Coats of Arms by Joseph Foster, pp 102-103 pedigree chart of “Haig of Bemersyde, Co., Berwick”
Andrew Haig [1554-1583], twelfth Baron of Bemersyde, Berwick, who died about 1581-3 married:
1st Janet, daughter of Nisbet of Nisbet on Teviot Water.
2nd Susan, daughter of David Renton of Lamberton.
3rd Elizabeth, daughter of William McDougal of Makerstoun. His issue by Elizabeth McDougal:
1. Robert Haig [1583 - 1602] who married Margaret a daughter of George Kerr of Fadonside. Their issue:
a. James Haig [1602-1619,] his heir Laird of Bemersyde who married Elizabeth McDugal daughter of Thomas McDugal of Stodrig. Issue:
i. Robert Haig [ca. 1618 - aft. 1637,] married Elspeth daughter of John Abercromby of Abbot’s Throsk, & Agnes, sister of Sir Alex Drummond, of Carock, County Sterling. Issue:
1. John Haig [ca. 1637 – aft. 1662,] orchard farm near Alloa, married Isobel daughter of Alexander Ramsey Mar. 1st 1660. Issue:
a. George Haig [Aug. 27th 1662, of Newbigging, near Alloa – after 1688], married Janet Anderson on Mar. 22nd 1684. Issue:
i. John Haig [1688 – matriculated Arms in 1733] married Elspeth Nuccol. Shipbuilder at Alloa. Issue:
I. George Haig [1712 – 1748] married Elizabeth W. Seawright 1738, Sax Gotha, Carolina.
b. William Haig, Solicitor General of James VI.
c. Margaret Haig, who married Thomas Haliburton.
d. John Haig fourteenth Baron of Bemersyde married Elizabeth a daughter of William McDougal of Toddrig. Their issue:
i. Andrew Haig, d. 1630
j. Robert Haig., d. 1630
k. George Haig, d. 1630
l. James Haig
m. David Haig [ca. 1611 of Bemersyde], his heir, fifteenth Baron of Bermersyde. David Haig spent part of his early life in Holland. While he was in foreign places he married Hybernia [ca. 1612, Groningen, Netherlands,] daughter of Senior de Scholes,. She was the widow of Anthony Gunter Proth a son of the Chancellor of Oldenburgh, and she David issued three sons:
1. Anthony Haig, his heir, Quaker
Married an unidentified spouse. Issue:
I. William Haig, of about the same age as his uncle William Haig. He went to Antigua in 1690. Said to have written his father Anthony about the death of Obadiah Haig, his father’s favorite nephew.
2. William Haig [1646 - 1688], who married Mary Lowrie, daughter of Gavin Lowrie Governor of East Jersey in North America. (see below.) William Haig came to Pennsylvania in October of 1681 with William Penn’s Ouaker followers and was commissioned to proceed to the Province, fix upon a site for the town, and lay out the lands in it. This
Town became the city of Philadelphia. William Haig was a surveyor, and one of the original proprietors of East Jersey. Issue:
I. Lawrie Haig, b. New Jersey
II. Obadiah Haig [1674, London – 1701] Married Lilia Skene 1674 – 1742]
III. Rebecca Haig, b. New Jersey, married a Perry.
3. David Haig, perished, no marriage.
n. Frederick Haig who went to the West Indies where he perished. Was he the first Scotch Trader of Carolina who issued children by a woman of Keowee?
William Hague (Haig) [ca. 1646 of Bemersyde, Scotland – July 29th 1688, West Jersey,] came to New Jersey in October of 1682 as one of William Penn’s Quaker followers, a surveyor, and one of the Lords Proprietors who served a Governor of East Jersey. His wife’s name was Mary Lawrie, a daughter of Gawen Lawrie who also served as a Governor of East Jersey before 1687. They were married ca. 1673 in London, and issued had at least 4 children: Obadiah Haig, Lawrie Haig , & Rebecca Haig, Perry, and another unknown child.
Among his children was Obadiah Haig, said to be born September 1st, 1674 in London. He and his father William were colonial merchants in New York Citty. [Reports from researchers in this Haig family said that in 1698 Obadiah Haig, his mother Mary & sister Rebecca went to Bemersyde Manor in Scotland in order to settle some unfinished affairs of his deceased father. During the winter of 1699, Obadiah Haig spent a lot of time with his uncle Anthony Haig a source of many family records and stories. Obadiah and Lilia Skene were married in London. On the voyage home Obadiah Haig, his mother & sister stopped in Barbados to visit with John Skene. But shortly after they arrived Obadiah Haig became ill with distemper, and he perished on June 1st 1701 in Barbados after a four-day siege.] His father William Hague, an original immigrant to Pennsylvania, and Jersey, is said to have perished July 29th 1688 in West Jersey.
An Obadiah Haig is found in Barbados where he perished on June 1st 1701 after a four-day siege of distemper. His new bride Lilia Skene, born April 2nd 1673, Scotland, (a spinster who removed from New Jersey in 1694 with her brother Alexander after he was appointed to serve as Secretary of the Island of Barbados,) his mother Mary, and sister Rebecca were with him. Obadiah Haig was recently married to Lilia Skene in London, and she was pregnant with an unidentified child when he died. This is established by the fact that Lilia Haig named in her 1742 Carolina Will a granddaughter Elizabeth Baker as her only surviving direct descendant.
The subject George Haig is said to have sailed directly to Charleston, Carolina. He was born ca. 1712, a son of John Haig [b. 1688], & wife Elspeth Nuccol a daughter of William Nuccol, & wife Elizabeth Foreman. John Haig was a shipbuilder in Alloa.
John & Elspeth Nuccol, Haig were married on Dec. 31st, 1711. He was a son of George Haig [b. 1662] and wife Janet Anderson, a son of John Haig that married Isobel Ramsey, a son of Robert Haig and Elspeth Abercromby who was a son of James Haig, Laird of Bemersyde, and wife Elizabeth McDugal.
I believe that George Hunter, perhaps a nephew and son of her sister Katherine that married Samuel Hunter in Salem NJ on Oct. 31st 1695, appeared on the 1725 St. George’s Parish, Carolina Anglican census in the household of Lilia Skene, Haig where he was counted as an adult male. The identity of this male in her residence has not yet been established, but it seems likely that George Hunter from Jersey, a man of less than 30 years of age, would be found residing with a relative that lived in Carolina if he was then unmarried. Lilia, widow of Obadiah Haig, seems to be the only relative of the name Haig found there, likely George Hunter’s aunt. But a George Hunter is said to be included in the lists of Scottish immigrants to Carolina after 1602. George Hunter was recorded as a surveyor in Carolina in 1730. The above speculation remains yet to be proved.
The subject George Haig is said to have been a third cousin once removed, of Obadiah Haig. George Haig was a son of John Haig & wife Elspeth Nuccol of Alloa, Scotland who never came to North America. It is not known when his parents perished. His father’s Arms were matriculated (Registered) in 1733, so perhaps he still lived.
Obadiah Haig, Alexander Skene, and his sister Lilia Skene, all Scotch, were previously living near Burlington, New Jersey, and they were all close friends. John Skene, father of Alexander, and Lilia Skene, was appointed Deputy Governor of West Jersey from 1685 until his death in 1690. It is quite interesting that Lilia Skene, Haig never married again after Obadiah perished. She raised their child born after Obadiah died. She also became the guardian of Robert Dew’s orphans in Charles Town when she was age 49, and still going by the name Haig. She made her Will in 1742 at the age of 69. Lilia also may have been the colonial guardian of George Haig, but this is unproved.
Colonial Records of New Jersey give the following:
November 15th 1684: Proclamation informing the people who have to pay quit-rent that William Haig has been appointed Receiver General for the Proprietors.
August 12th 1687: Last Will and Testament of Gawen Lawrie, late Governor of East Jersey, brother Arthur Lawrie, sister Christian’s children, sister Agnes’ children, George & John Watt, John Swinton of Swinton, Henry Stout, Richard Thomas, Thomas Burr of Hartford, children of deceased son James Lawry, of daughter Mary Haig, of daughter Rebecca Foster (sic.) Executors, George & John Watt with Francis Campfield, and Robert Barclay as assistants. Witnesses William Haig, Miles Foster (sic), Charles Soddon.
August 15th 1687: Last Will and Testament of Gawen Lawrie disposes of the real estate to wife Mary and daughters Mary Haig, and Rebecca Foster (sic?) Executors the wife with assistance of William Haig and Miles Foster, who sign as witnesses.
August 10th 1696: Deed. Miles Forester of N. Y. Citty, Merchant, and wife Rebecca, Mary, widow of William Hayge, and Obadiah, eldest son and heir of said William and Marie Hayge, to Randolph Van der Linda of Hakensack, husbandman, for 230 acres, part of a tract inherited from Governor Gawen Lawrie, south on Demarie’s land, west on Tapan Path and Peter Sunmans, north on Grantors, east on the Cesthe Brook, lot #1 on a certain map.
November 5th 1696: Power of Attorney. Obadiah Haig of N. Y., merchant, to Miles Forester, of the same place, as agent to dispose of 500 acres at Cooper’s Neck, Monmouth County, NJ.
December 20th 1698: Deed. Obadiah Haig, late of N. Y. City, son and heir of William Haig, late of Amboy-Perth, Surveyor General of East Jersey, by Miles Forester, his Attorney, to John Bowne of Monmouth County, merchant, for 500 acres at Cooper’s Neck, Monmouth County, northwest by Governor Lawrie; southwest by Isaac Bryan; southeast by Samuel Leonard; northeast by land then unsurveyed, as per Patent to William Haig of August 24th 1688.
December 24th 1698: Administration on the estate of William Haige of Amboy Perth, dec’d intestate, granted to Myles Forester of Amboy Perth.
June 12th 1701: Confirmation to Miles Forester of Perth Amboy and Mary, widow of William Haige, in right of Gawen Lawrie, for 1100 Pounds on the north side of Milston Brook, where Rockie Brook empties into it, along Thomas Foullerton, John Reid, Cranberry Brook, George Rescarrick, and Walter Benthall.
Alexander Skene married Jemima Kenny, a widow, on July 1st, 1798 in Barbados. Their marriage occurred in the midst of a legal controversy about Alexander’s eligibility to serve a second term as Secretary of Barbados since Parliament had passed an act requiring office holders to be British citizens. But a court in New Jersey settled this issue, and declared that all Scots were citizens of England, and eligible to hold office, thus Alexander Skene was able to serve a second term. Jemima Kenny, widow, is implied to be nee Dewe a former wife of John Kenny, a clergyman of Christ Church Parish, Barbados found counted there on the 1680 census.
Obadiah Haig was quite friendly with Lilia’s father John Skene, from the days of 1681 while they were among the Quaker followers of William Penn in London, awaiting the order to go to America. John Skene liked Obadiah Haig and his father William Haig very much. It is said that he treated Obadiah Haig like a son. John Skene had been imprisoned for Quakerism in Scotland, but was released in 1677 on condition that he immigrate. John Skene [1649, New Tyle, Angus, Scotland – ca. Aug. 19th 1690 (Will) Burlington, NJ] and his wife Helen Fullerton [ca. 1650, Keheber, Scotland - ?, Philadelphia, Pa.] who were married on Oct. 23rd 1669 in Keheber, Scotland had the following children:
1. Alexander Skene [ca. 1670, Aberdeen, Scotland- (Will) May 25th 1739, Berkley Co., Carolina] married on Jan. 26th 1698 in Barbados, WI., to
Jemima Dewes, Kenny, widow of John Kenny, clergyman of Christ Church Parish, Barbados, WI.Jan. 26th 1698 in Barbados, WI.
2 Katherine Skene [April 2nd 1671, Aberdeen, Scotland - ?} married Samuel Hunter on Oct. 31st. 1695 in Salem, West Jersey.
3. Lilia Skene [April 2nd 1673, Aberdeen, Scotland – 1742, SC] married Obadiah Haig in London, not long before June 1st, 1701.
4. Christian Skene [May 3rd, 1675, Aberdeen, Scotland - ?]
Obadiah Haig is also said to have perished leaving his wife Lilia a pregnant widow. No Will or Probate has been discovered, but it is clear that he left a child born posthumously, and his wife Lila Skene, Haig a considerable estate as a former New York merchant.
Obadiah Haig’s 3rd cousin, once removed, subject George Haig [b. 1712] was of Scottish descent, and died before 30 Oct. 1749, presumably somewhere along the Ohio River, in Indian lands. One story said George Haig was kidnapped by the Senneca, and killed by Nottewea Indians. He lived next to Thomas Brown, and they traded out of the same trading post store. Capt. George Haig was abducted from the store & Trading Post of Thomas Brown at Fort Congaree, SC, & held for nearly a year. Then he was sold to the Nottewea Indians. But during a forced march, George Haig became so weak that he demanded that the Indians kill him immediately because he could walk no further. This evoked such great respect that the Nottewea Indians killed him quickly as a brave and noble man. Thomas Brown’s half Indian son William Brown was captured on the same occasion as George Haig, but this young man was able to eventually escape his capturers, while George apparently grew too weak. Other stories about his death give differing details.
William Brown himself was probably half-Seneca, or Nottawea through his mother,
because nearly twenty years before, his father Thomas Brown had also been captured
and carried off to the northern Ohio Indian lands, whereby two years later the Carolina
militia, or Rangers, tracked him down and found him living contentedly among the
Indians having two young sons. Thomas Brown and his two half-breed sons, probably
William & Edward Brown. They all returned to the Congaree with the militia rangers.
Being so young, these sons were perhaps also accompanied by their Indian mother, too.
A man named Haig was married early to a Cherokee woman of Keowee about 1683. No persons of the Haig surname variations appear on the 1679, or 1680 records of Barbados. Yet, someone named Haig was trading on the Carolina mainland during these early years, a man who appears to have been a pre-Darian forerunner of the main wave of Scotch immigrants, and apparently was one of the first Scotch traders-explorers in Carolina. This older man could have been Frederick Haig, an uncle of Obadiah Haig that left Scotland for the West Indies where it is said that he perished, and of whom little is known.
This earliest Haig in Carolina had a half-Cherokee daughter named Mary Haig about 1678, and son named Charity Haig about 1669 in the Cherokee Town of Keowee. Therefore their father was necessarily born before 1650 or thereabouts, possibly in Aberdeen, Scotland, or in Barbados.
Thomas Ayres got a Warrant for 500 acres of land in Carolina on 30 June 1704.
[Warrants for Land in SC, 1672-1679, page 188] This was probably the same man who was an early trader to the Catawba, and possibly the Cherokee. 1694 was about the year that his half Cherokee daughter, Sarah Ayres married Gov. Joseph Morton. Sarah also had a half-brother who was a warrior of Keowee. This son was called Wauhatchee. Her father the elder Thomas Ayres became one of the later Trustees of the Georgia Colony, and we know that he returned to England by 1730 with a son Thomas Ayres. The son Thomas met James Oglethorpe in the Royal Palace in 1737 and was given a commission in the Georgia militia.
By 1739, Ensign Thomas Eyre (sic) Ayres replaced Robert Lacy as Indian Agent to the
Cherokees, appointed by James Oglethorpe.
Oglethorpe sent this Ensign Thomas Ayres as Agent to the Cherokees in 1739, and twice
in 1740. He was also sent as Agent to the Creeks.
Before 1683 a Thomas Ayres (the elder) took as his consort Mary Haig, the sister of Charity Haig “Smallpox Conjurer,” a young Cherokee woman of Keowee, and had aforesaid issue.
In 1707, Carolina Assemblymen passed an Act to regulate Indian Trade, and created the Post of Indian Commissioner, Secretary, & Agent. The Commissioners, as a rule, were members of the Assembly, nine in number. They were men experienced in Indian Affairs, although forbidden to enter into Indian Trade themselves. The Public could engage in free trade with the Indians. The Assembly membership as Commissioners included:
Ralph Izard, the first President
Samuel Eveleigh, leading Charleston Merchant
Captain John Musgrove, a prominent Indian Trader. Later became a Colonel in SC.
His son, John Musgrove, Jr.
Married “Coosaponakeesa” AKA: Mary Musgrove, a mixed Creek daughter of Trader,
Edward Griffin, and a Creek woman related to Brims, and Chegelli, two Creek leaders.
Mary Musgrove was of the Wind Clan.
One of the descendants of this Musgrove family was John Due Musgrove.
Two of the Indian Agents appointed were:
Thomas Nairne
In 1714 the Agent attended and gave in the following traders bonds obliging them to take our Licenses, viz:
Richard Gower
Edward Griffin
Cornelius Lemott
Charles Nicols
Henry Evans
Tho. Barton
Roger Hoskins
Antho. Probert
Thomas Welch
James Lucas
Francis Ryall
William Jones
Peter Scarlett
William B. Brett
John Graves
William Bannister
Charles Pierce
John Jones
James Lucas
Jethro Bethridg
Joseph Cundy
Roger Saunders
In 1716, the recent Indian War led to a legislative change in regulation; an Act was passed which set up a Public Monopoly on Indian Trade, & a Public Corporation under control of the House of Commons, had five Commissioners. Among them were:
Colonel George Logan
Ralph Izard
Major John Fenwick, all above had served on the former board of
Commissioners.
Colonel John “Tuscarora” Barnwell, hero of the Tuscarora War of 1711-12,
& Colonel George Chicken, hero of the Yamessee War of 1715.
Also in 1716, Fort Moore was built by the Carolinians as a Fur Trading Post on their side of the Savannah River.
Sanctioned Commission Public Indian Traders in 1718 were:
Col. George Logan at Wando,
Col. John Barnwell at Point Roayal,
Col. George Chicken at Goose Creek,
Capt. Jonathan Drake at James Island, and Court Baw,
Mr. Samuel Deane at Ashley Ferry,
Col. John Fenwick at Stonoe,
Capt. William Scott, at New London,
Capt. John Whitmarsh at Edisto,
Capt. Thomas Dymes at Dorchester.
Public Indian trading became illegal, but persisted until about 1721, and better relations
Had been established with the tribes. But the Charles Town merchants opposed the
monopoly, and in 1719 managed to have an Act passed which set up a mixed system of
public & private trade.
By 1721 private Indian Trade had been completely restored.
In 1723, control of Indian Trading was taken away from the House of Commons, and
given to the Governor & Council, authority vested in a single Commissioner, but in 1724
the Legislature, by the consent of both branches, formulated policy, appointed the
commissioner & agents, and advised the Governor in dealings with the tribes. The first
solitary Commissioner was:
James Moore, speaker of Commons House. He died and was succeeded by:
George Chicken In 1727, Chicken gave way to:
Colonel John Herbert, and in 1733 was appointed:
Tobias Fitch
This single Commissioner was maintained until 1756.
A Mary Ayres married William Carr (same as Kerr) on 24 January 1727 in St. Andrews Parish, Charles Towne, SC.
A mixed blooded Cherokee of the name Mary Haig, a sister of Charity Haig “Smallpox Conjurer” became the consort of the Indian Trader, Thomas Ayres, (the elder) and issued daughters by him.
In 1716, Col. Maurice Moore, and his brother Col. James Moore, with the aid of interpreter, Charity Haig “Smallpox Conjurer” negotiated a Treaty in Old Tugaloo Town when a group of Creek ambassadors arrived. This treaty was negotiated with the Cherokee, Wateree, & Catabawa Indians and it resulted in agreement to build a Fort at the Congaree, intended to help remedy the kind of hostilities encountered in the Yamassee War, and to build trading posts at Savannah Town, and Congarees. Charity Haig was valued as an able interpreter, and must have enjoyed some head status as a healer.
Sarah Ayres, Wood, (1683, Keowee – 1765) a daugher of Mary Haig & Thomas Ayres, was married about 1704 to Joseph Morton. She was the widow of Alexander Wood. At some point her mother Mary Ayres was consort to an unknown warrior of Keowee, and Sarah had a half brother named Wauhatchee who died about 1760 and was a headman of three of the Lower Cherokee towns.
Sarah consorted with Col. James Moore, and had a daughter named Mary Ayres Moore that married John Amory. Gov. James Moore died in 1722. Sarah married in 1723 to Arthur Middleton, Esq. Arthur died in 1737, and in 1739 her stepchildren by Col. James Moore made a “Deed of Gift” to her for a 900 acre plantation in Berkley County, SC.
Sarah had been once consorted with an Indian Trader named Wilkinson, but I do not know his precise identity, or exactly when she was married to this man. He might have been Capt. Christopher Wilkinson, a known Indian Trader.
Note that the above alleged heritage of Sarah, and her many marriages, have so far eluded proof because there is paucity of records, but these relationships are implied by the collateral research regarding the Amory/Emory family whose colonial origins also started in Georgia, and early Charles Town. Sarah was antecedent in one of their lines.
Her daughter, Mary Ayres Moore, was wife of John Amory, the same who died in 1746. It is said that they had a son that was named John Emory. Many out of this line were noted Indian Traders.
Subject:
George Haig, Jr. was a 3rd cousin once removed of Obadiah Haig, deceased husband of Lilia Skene, Haig. At age 13 or 14, it is unlikely that George Haig, Jr. was yet in America unless his parents had perished. The male adult and “Overseer” for Lilia Haig’s plantation lands and slaves in St. George’s Parish, SC, in 1725 may have been her nephew, George Hunter, of West Jersey.
Lila Hague [1-1-2] 1 white men [15-6-7] 15 slaves- men
1 white woman 6 slaves- women
2 white children 7 slaves- children
The two white children in her 1725 household were her wards, the young orphans of Robert Dews, named Bethel Dews, age 8, & William Dews, age 4, in 1725. Lila was the custodian of considerable inherited property belonging to these Wards, the sons of Robert Dews, and she did name them in her Will.
No doubt George Haig Apprenticed, or worked under a Surveyor of Charleston. His Master was probably George Hunter, who was made the Surveyor General of Carolina in 1749. Haig became appointed as a Deputy Surveyor of Carolina. These two surveyors are often found working together.
There is an implication that George Haig could have married one of the daughters of George Hunter ca. 1720. Hunter was a trader with the Indians he encountered.
A mixed Indian daughter of George Hunter might have also married to William Dewes ca. 1735/6 as his first spouse. It has not been possible to prove this speculation, but it is noticed that his guardian Lilias Skene, Haig had a sister Katherine Skene who married Samuel Hunter in New Jersey in 1695. Samuel & George Hunter may have been relatives, possibly a father & son.
In 1730, Surveyor General of the Province, George Hunter plotted the Cherokee Path which connected Cherokee Town of Echota to Charles Town. He scrawled “96” on his map at the point where a fork in the path led southward to Savannah. By counting the paces of his jogging horse, he estimated the point to be 96 miles from the lower town of Keowee. The site, high and dry, was popular as a campground and soon became known as “Ninety- Six.” The Cherokee Path began as a trail for Indian Warriors & hunters. Later it became a route for traders, and then for settlers.
Ludovick Grant was the guide during this trip, and accompanying him was Sir Alexander Coming, the trip beginning in March. George Hunter was present at the Cherokee Town of Nequassie on April 3, 1730 when headman Moytoy of Telliquo was chosen as Emperor over the whole Cherokee Nation. Also present were Eleazar Wiggan, Samuel Brown, William Cooper, Angus MacPherson, Martin Kane, David Dowie, George Chicken (son of the Col.,) Lacklain MacBain, Francis Baver, & Joseph Cooper most of whom were traders. After Alexander Coming arranged for six prominent Cherokee headman to travel to England on the “Fox” man of War, he left these Indian delegates in the care of George Hunter who reached Mr. Kinloch’s place with them on the 19th of April, some 23 miles from Charles Town.
Prior to 1733, both George Hunter & George Haig were involved in the survey of lots in Charles Town, SC. Some of these lots were mentioned in the Petition of Eliza Moore, regarding the suit of Bethel Dewes whereby part of his legacy was said infringed.
Richard Baker of Ashley Ferry, sold Daniel Cartwright (deceased before 1742) a lot of
land (#136) in Charles Town, SC. Cartwright had the land surveyed by Mr. George Haig
& Mr. George Hunter. One half of the lot with a dwelling house was sold to John Moore
& his wife Eliza for 1000 Pounds consideration. In 1743, part of the same half-lot was
claimed by Bethel Dews, an orphan, saying that his grandfather left him Town Lots of
land #134 & #135 which were granted about 70 years ago, and that the dwelling house
occupied by Eliza Moore, widow, stands upon this land where she had lived for the past
nine years (or since 1733, therefore the survey by George Hunter & George Haig was
made at an earlier date.)
In 1733 George Haig, a Scot merchant acquired property on the northern end of Daufuskie Island. This land remained in his family until George Haig III sold it to the Mongin family.
In 1735 the present Augusta was founded six miles up the Savannah River from Fort Moore on the opposite bank. Robert Lacy, who was Oglethorp’s Indian Agent to the Cherokees, built a Fort there with a garrison of 12 men under a Lieutenant, and henceforth trading was carried on at Augusta. Thomas Eyre (sic) Ayers succeeded Lacy as Georgia’s Indian Agent to the Cherokee in 1736.
On 4 May 1736, George Haig entered 150 acres, and a lot #104 in Amelia Township, near Congaree, and Saxe Gotha.
George Haig was involved in a trading partnership with Thomas Brown, and James Adair out of Congaree in 1736.
George Haig, Jr. bought 400 acres of land on the west side of the Congaree from Joseph Pavey in 1737. Pavey was an Indian Trader, who also owned land in Savannah, Ga., receiving a grant there in 1722.
On 12 April 1737, George Haig, Joseph Crell, & James Hopkins took & appraised the inventory of the Goods, Rights, & Credits of William York, deceased. A marriage between George Haig, and a daughter of Trader William York is implied before 1737. This may have been a mixed blooded Indian wife.
On September 12, 1737, Abraham Gyger, received a Plat for 300 acres in Saxe Gotha Township, Santee River, Berkley, SC. Names indexed were Abraham Gyger, John Shillig, James St. John, George Haig, Herman Geiger, John Geiger. The Gygers/Gigers were known to be Indian Traders.
On 13 November 1738, George Haig presented the Council a claim for 310 Pounds due him for laying out the Townships of Amelia, Saxe Gotha, and Orangeburg, SC.
In 1838 George Haig married Elizabeth Seawright [ca. 1707, Ireland – (Will): 27 June 1754] in Saxe Gotha. After George Haig was killed by the Nottewea Indians she married Lt. Peter Mercier of the garrison at Ft. Congaree. It is interesting to note that the Mercier family name was antecedent to the Skenes in Scotland.
In 1741 an Iroquois Raiding Party killed Moytoy, the old “Emperor of the Cheorkees,” and it was on the advice of the English Traders that his successor, Skia Gunsta of Keowee, was chosen in his place. [Ga. Colonial Records, XXIII, pa. 196]
In April 1740 when warfare by the Spaniards against the Gerogia Colony was eminent, Thomas Eyres (sic) Ayres, Georgia Indian Agent to the Cherokees, led a hundred Cherokee Warriors down to Savannah, with the news that several hundred more were to follow.
On August 24, 1745, John Jacob Geiger received a Plat for 100 acres in Saxe Gotha Township, on Congaree River, on Santee River, Berkley, SC. Names indexed were John Jacob Geiger, John Hamilton, George Hunter, George Haig.
George Haig, & John McCord, of Armaugh, Ireland, both Traders among the Catabaw Indians, witnessed a “Note” of Thomas Brown in Charles Town, SC on August 19, 1746.
In 1746 George Haig, Esq., & James Fowler Executed the LW&T of Nicholas Haynes, a victualler of Charles Town.
In 1747 George Haig was an Indian Agent in Carolina.
Sometime before 1747, Deed transactions show that George Haig bought land from Patrick Brown, trader at Augusta. Patrick Brown was a brother of Thomas Brown, at Congaree.
George Haig entered the Indian Trade with Col. George Pawley’s expedition & journey to the Cherokee Nation in December of 1746. Haig took his black slave who had some skill to offer as he was paid wages for his work. In Haig’s account of his expenses, the Finance Committee found that Haig charged 2 months and 24 days more than he served, and over billed for his servant by one month and 10 days. The amounts charged were 70 Pounds for George Haig, & 33 Pounds for his servant. This indicates his servant was more than a mere cook.
[SC Commons Journal of 25 May 1747 - See Ambrose Davis, George Pawley for further information]
George Haig & Edward Brown applied for damages because they were shot at by Cherokee Indians “by mistake,” and Edward Brown & the black slave were wounded. The Finance Committee of the Commons House did not allow the claim “as this Account appears to be of a private concern, they are of the opinion that the same not be provided for by the Public.” [SC Commons Journal 19 May 1747]
Richard (Alis: George R?) Haig & William Brown were both captured near Keowee in February 1748 by a Nottaway band of Iroquois Indians from New York. (See also Edmund Carroll, William Brown, James Butler) The Cherokee made no attempt to rescue them, and Skiagunsta of Keowee could not even be paid a reward to go after them. He was just not interested. [SC Commons Journal of 18 March, & 20 June 1748]
April 14th 1748 Issue of the South Carolina Gazette gave notice of the death of George Haig.
The Cherokees of Tugaloo wanted to pursue them and rescue Haig & Brown, but Skiagunsta and the Keowee warriors warned them not to. [SC Commons Journal of 25 June 1748]
Richard (alis: George R?) Haig was apparently killed. His widow Elizabeth filed for Indian Expenses in May 1749. [SC Commons Journal of 10 May 1748]
In 1748 Herman Gyger (Geiger) of Sax Gotha succeeded George Haig as Indian Agent.
The wife and widow of Richard (alis: George R?) Haig, who was carried off and killed Feb. 1748 by northern Indians. Mrs. Haig continued her husband’s business from Charleston, hosting some of the Cherokee Indians who came down with James Beamer, and Abraham Smith in May of 1749. Most stayed at the house of Mrs. Sarah Emory, others stayed with Mrs. Haig, and Mrs. Mary Smith. Mrs. Haig billed 46 Pounds for the occasion. {House of Commons Journal of 10 & 19 May 1749]
The Inventory of the chattel goods of George Haig was carried out on October 30, 1749. Patrick Brown, Trader of Augusta & Thomas Corker, Charleston Merchant, Executed his Will.
A Deed filed on 9 November 1749: “Land laid off for John Tilly, bound on NW by Captain George Haig (deceased.) A note in the margin of this Platt: “Captain George Haig captured by the Indians.”
Governor James Glenn mentioned “the loss of Capt. Haig” in 1748 when he addressed the killings and outrages of 1751. [SC Commons Journal of 23 Nov. 1751]
“An Account of Mrs. Elizabeth Haig, amounting to the Sum of 18 Pounds, 17 Shillings, & 6 Pence, for dieting 7 Catawba Indians for 7 Days in August 1750”
“An Account of the said Mrs. Elizabeth Haig, amounting to the Sum of 28 Pounds, 10 Shillings, being for the entertainment of 66 Cherokees &c. the 1st day of September 1751.”
Theory: A mixed Indian daughter of George Hunter may have been the first wife of Capt. William Dewes, about 1735/6 when he was a teenager of 14 or 15 years of age. This is implied because William Dewes, born in 1721 was orphaned at the age of one, and taken as ward by his aunt by marriage Madam Lilas Skene, Haig, widow of Obadiah Haig, who married in London. Lilias’ deceased husband Obadiah Haig is also believed to be a 3rd cousin once removed of George Haig. It would be expected that the young man William Dewes would go to work as a chain-carrier, and packman for the Surveyor George Haig, also a magistrate, and later a Deputy Surveyor for South Carolina, and his superior George Hunter, at that time Deputy Surveyor of Carolina. Dewes perhaps accompanying Haig & Hunter on frontier journeys where he could easily have become involved with the mixed blooded offspring of Hunter…Children were probably Mary & Benjamin Due.
However, it is worthy of note that these children may not have been William’s at all. There was an earlier Edward Doe (sic) a seaman that landed at Stonoe on the Ashley River in 1671. This man could have been an uncle or great uncle of William Dewes, and since nothing more is known of him, his fate is uncertain, and any issue he might have produced is also unknown.
After the demise of this first hypothetical spouse, William Dewes married Lois Wilkins daughter of William Wilkins & Sarah Matthews, 1744 in Charles Towne, SC. They had one son in 1745 named Robert Dews who became a noted Cherokee trader. Lois Wilkins died soon after the birth of this child.
William Dewes married ____ Browne, a mixed-blooded daughter of Patrick Browne, an Irish trader at Augusta, who died in 1755 and whose Will was co-executed by son-in-law, William Dewes, merchant & trader of Savannah. Patrick Brown also traded at the “Cow Pens” in Burke County, Georgia, and was an Indigo planter on a plantation about 30 miles down river from Augusta, until he sold this land to John Newberry. Children were James & Seth Due.
After ____ Browne died, William Dewes married Jane Mary Mongin, former consort of Capt. David Mongin of Hilton Head Island, and Daufuski Island in Beaufort, SC.
Children were John and Elizabeth Due.
Captain William Dewes and three of his cousins, also related to this family, were called to testify before the Governor Lord Montague regarding the execution of the 1771 Will of Capt. David Mongin.
Capt. William Dewes died in 1786 on “Dewees Island” where he had been expelled from Charleston for resisting the new American Government. No Will or Probate records have been found. His place of burial has not been identified.
William Dewe’s father Robert Dews also “recently” bought land from Mr. Amory that he mentioned bequeathed in his 1722 Will made in Charles Towne, SC. This might have been the land of Jonathan Amory who was deceased by 1700 in Charles Town, SC, and therefore it might imply that Robert Dews was already in SC by that year, but 1700 was not very “recent” and it could also have been the land of John Amory, (the son of Robert Amory ) who was born ca. 1695 Eng. and died in SC. He was a nephew of the trader John Amory who died in 1746.