Galphin, George, -1780

George Galphin (ca. 1709-1780), a native of Ireland, emigrated to South Carolina in 1737. He established an Indian trading post at Silver Bluff on the South Carolina side of the Savannah River, a few miles below Augusta, Ga. By the 1740s he had obtained a trading license from the President of Georgia and began trading with the Creek and Cherokee Indians in both South Carolina and Georgia. Through the next several years Galphin became involved in Indian affairs and assumed some importance as an unofficial representative of the colonial governors by providing them with information about the Indian nations. In 1765 George Galphin and Lachlan McGillivray successfully petitioned for land, recently ceded by the Indians, to establish a settlement of Irish emigrants. By 1768 the first families settled this new town on Queensborough but by the Revolution this settlement had disappeared. As the Creeks and Cherokees began to give up more and more territory, Galphin became increasingly involved in Indian affairs. In June 1775 he was named Commissioner of the South Carolina Patriot Council of Safety and one month later the continental Congress appointed him Indian Commissioner for the Southern District. Most of Galphin's efforts during the Revolution were aimed at keeping the Creeks neutral and avoiding a frontier war. His success in sustaining anti-British feelings on the frontier went largely unappreciated. In 1780 Galphin was declared guilty of high treason by the restored Georgia colonial government. Lachlan McGillivray, while in Scotland and out of touch with recent events, filed a protest and certified Galphin's loyalty to England. Four months later, in December 1780, Galphin died.

From the description of George Galphin account books, 1767-1772. (Georgia Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 77536229

George Galphin, Indian trader and Revolutionary patriot, established a trading house in 1739 at Silver Bluff, S.C. on the Savannah River near Augusta, Ga.

Galphin, a Scotsman, engaged in the Indian trade at this location, primarily with the Creek Indians, until his death in 1780. At the outbreak of the Revolution, Galphin sympathized with the colonists and was appointed commissioner of Indian affairs for the Southern District in 1775. In the early years of the war, Galphin successfully used his influence and goods to encourage the Creeks to remain anti-British during the conflict.

From the description of George Galphin letters, 1778-1780. (Newberry Library). WorldCat record id: 37729659