Col. Thomas Waters & His Second Family

In the 1980's I saw a query on Thomas Waters, who was the military commander at Fort Augusta, Georgia in 1781. I answered it and called the gentleman who had sent the query in. He was a Medical Doctor in Alabama. He stated that he was inquiring for a friend. He said his friend was a descendant of Col. Thomas Waters. That Thomas had married a Cherokee Indian girl and she had borne two children. He said the children were told their father had gone to England after the Revolutionary War to file and try to recoup his war losses and had died there.  I told him that Col. Thomas Waters had a family and had sent them from their plantation near Fort Augusta, Georgia to Newberry County, South Carolina in 1780. He laughed loudly and said " I knew that guy had a white family somewhere." He also said that some of the descendants of the Indian girl had written a book about their Cherokee Indian ancestress. He said he didn't know where I could find the book.

It was at this time that the Georgia Legislature ( Patriot ) passed a law ordering all Tories and their families out of the state of Georgia under penalty of death if they were caught. Thomas Waters purchased 300 acres of land next door to his brother, Col. Philemon Waters in Newberry County, South Carolina and sent his first family there for safety. Deed Book Z-5, Charleston Deeds, Page 215, dated 7 January 1780.

I requested his friend's name, address and phone number so I could get in touch with him. He said his friend was old and had gotten out of genealogy, but he would give him my name, address and phone number. I never heard from either of them. He refused to give me the gentleman's name.

Col. Thomas Waters had fled to St. Augustine, East Florida, which was then under English rule but shortly thereafter became Spanish Territory. Besides the 1000 Indians he took there for their safety he also took his Indian mistress and their two children. In the 1783 Spanish Census Thomas is listed as having a "wife" and two children. She was not his wife--she was his mistress under English law. She may have been his wife under Cherokee law.

The peace with England was finally signed in 1783. Thomas Waters sent a Power of Attorney to a James Jackson in London, England to act as his attorney in filing his Revolutionary War claims. Every claim sworn to by Thomas Waters was sworn in Saint Augustine, East Florida.  I have photo copies of the original claims and papers from the Public Records Office in London, England and all of them were sworn to in St. Augustine, East Florida, NOT in England.
Reference numbers are A013/10/87 -121L   37/444-470 and 38/ 107 -142. This is only a part of the files available if anyone wishes to order them and pay for them. The last claim signed by Thomas Waters was dated 31 January 1784 in St. Augustine, East Florida. The claim was for John Douglas.

Thomas Waters supported the two children, but they were raised by one of the men who had served under him in the military in Georgia.

Thomas Waters returned to South Carolina. His brother, Col. Phil Waters, a Patriot, was surveyor in that section of South Carolina and he surveyed another 875 acres for Thomas. Most of it was on Rocky Creek on the old Edgefield and Orangeburg District line ( now Lexington County. ). The last appearance of Thomas Waters was at a estate sale of a Mr. Rogers on 30 July 1798. On 23 September 1799 Mary gives her daughter Dodsworth slaves. Thomas Waters is not in the 1800 census and never appears again. There is a deed in Mr. Hudson's book made by Thomas Waters in London in 1810, there fore we will list his death date for the present time as after 1810.

I have found the book that was written by the descendants of the Indian girl. I'm sure the children were told she was the " wife " of Thomas Waters. None of us then or now want the stigma of being illegitimate. I am now telling the story to clear up some of the mystery of two families claiming Thomas Waters as their ancestor. Both stories are true with the exception that the Cherokee girl was a " wife"--she was his mistress.  His lineage is also incorrect. He was the son of Philemon Waters II and his wife Sarah Bordroyne.

The descendants of both families claim him and both are still very proud of him. We both have a right to claim our heritage and today we meet in peace to remember and share our knowledge of his life.