People of One Fire

People of One Fire is an alliance of Creek, Choctaw and Seminole scholars, who over the past seven years have been intensely studying the heritage and languages of the Muskogean peoples. Much of their activities have involved re-examination of the archives of the early Spanish, English and French exploration of the Southeastern United States. They also have been comparing Muskogean words with those of several indigenous languages of Mexico and Central America. They have found many examples of words that are identical or almost identical in sound, that mean the same in the two languages. In particular, the Hitchiti-Creek language contains many links to the Itza Maya language. Architect Richard Thornton is editor of the newsletter distributed to the alliance, which is known as “the People of One Fire.” You can also view Richards published books

The following articles written by Richard, most of them exclusively for AccessGenealogy, advance the findings of People of One Fire and Richard’s personal studies. These articles take a look at the Muskogean peoples like none other that can be found online. To study their heritage, and not to have at least read his writings, is to assume that we already know everything about this people.

County Histories

Native American History of Alabama

• Native American History of Autauga County, Alabama
• Native American History of Barbour County, Alabama
• Native American History of Dale County, Alabama
• Native American History of Geneva County, Alabama
• Native American History of Henry County, Alabama
• Native American History of Houston County, Alabama
• Native American History of Lee County, Alabama
• Native American History of Russell County, Alabama

Native American History of Florida

• Native American History of Bay County, Florida
• Native American History of Holmes County, Florida
• Native American History of Jackson County, Florida
• Native American History of Liberty County, Florida
• Native American History of Wakulla County, Florida
• Native American History of Walton County, Florida
• Native American History of Washington County, Florida

Native American History of Georgia

• Native American History of Barrow County, Georgia
• Native American History of Bartow County, Georgia
• Native American History of Bibb County, Georgia
• Native American History of Bleckley County, Georgia
• Native American History of Butts County, Georgia
• Native American History of (old) Campbell County, Georgia
• Native American History of Carroll County, Georgia
• Native American History of Chattahoochee County, Georgia
• Native American History of Cherokee County, Georgia
• Native American History of Clay County, Georgia
• Native American History of Clayton County, Georgia
• Native American History of Cobb County, Georgia
• Native American History of Coweta County, Georgia
• Native American History of Dawson County, Georgia
• Native American History of Decatur County, Georgia
• Native American History of DeKalb County, Georgia
• Native American History of Dodge County, Georgia
• Native American History of Douglas County, Georgia
• Native American History of Early County, Georgia
• Native American History of Fayette County, Georgia
• Native American History of Floyd County, Georgia
• Native American History of Forsyth County, Georgia
• Native American History of Fulton County, Georgia
• Native American History of Gwinnett County, Georgia
• Native American History of Habersham County, Georgia
• Native American History of Hall County, Georgia
• Native American History of Haralson County, Georgia
• Native American History of Henry County, Georgia
• Native American History of Houston County, Georgia
• Native American History of Jasper County, Georgia
• Native American History of Jones County, Georgia
• Native American History of Laurens County, Georgia
• Native American History of Lumpkin County, Georgia
• Native American History of (old) Milton County, Georgia
• Native American History of Monroe County, Georgia
• Native American History of Muscogee County, Georgia
• Native American History of Newton County, Georgia
• Native American History of Oconee County, Georgia
• Native American History of Paulding County, Georgia
• Native American History of Pickens County, Georgia
• Native American History of Polk County, Georgia
• Native American History of Pulaski County, Georgia
• Native American History of Quitman County, Georgia
• Native American History of Randolph County, Georgia
• Native American History of Rockdale County, Georgia
• Native American History of Seminole County, Georgia
• Native American History of Stewart County, Georgia
• Native American History of Telfair County, Georgia
• Native American History of Towns County, Georgia
• Native American History of Troup County, Georgia
• Native American History of Twiggs County, Georgia
• Native American History of Union County, Georgia
• Native American History of White County, Georgia
• Native American History of Wilcox County, Georgia

 Special Series Exclusive to Access Genealogy

• 16th Century French Exploration of North America
  An AccessGenealogy Exclusive: Richard Thornton's study of the Sixteenth Century French Exploration of North America - replete with maps and images - Much of the research in this report was drawn from two books by former Congressman Charles Bennett of Florida, which were interpolated with the author’s personal knowledge of Georgia coast - while fishing, canoeing, sailing and camping in the region between Darien, GA and Jacksonville, FL. The author was born in Waycross, GA, is a Creek Indian and is an expert on Muskogean culture. The first book by Bennett, Three Voyages, translated the memoirs of Captain René Goulaine de Laudonniére. The second book by Bennett, De Laudonniére and Fort Caroline, translated the memoirs and letters by other members of the French colonizing expeditions. These books are supplemented by the English translation of Jacques Le Moyne’s illustrated book, Brevis narratio eorum quae in Florida Americai provincia Gallis acciderunt,” Le Moyne was the official artist of the Fort Caroline Colony, and one of the few who survived its massacre by the Spanish.
• Native Americans of the Shenandoah Valley
  An Exclusive to AccessGenealogy: The following series of articles takes a look at the early Native Americans of the Shenandoah Valley region. Who peopled the area before European contact? How did these Native American’s influence the early events of American history? What archeological evidence remains of these people’s? Part one looks at a couple of unusual clues to the identity of early Shenandoah Valley residents. In part two the history of the Shenandoah Valley after the arrival of Europeans is summarized in order to understand why the Native American history has been largely forgotten. Part three explores the pre-European past of the Shenandoah Valley. Part four looks at many of the early European eyewitness accounts of the Shenandoah Valley and it's peoples. Part five reviews the professional archaeological studies carried out in the Shenandoah Valley in recent years.
• The Trail to Yupaha
  An AccessGenealogy Exclusive: The Trail to Yupaha - Is Yupaha the Mayan connection to the Indians of the United States? This is a highly contentious look by Richard Thornton at the possibility of a trail he found in the Track Rock Gap area of Georgia being the connection to the Mayan of South America... The History Channel premiered it's new show "American Unearthed" investigating this very issue. One of the people they interviewed on the show, now tells you in his own words, how this discovery all came about.

The Muskogean Peoples of French Louisiana

• The Muskogean Peoples of French Louisiana
• Early European Explorers
• Early Colonization of La Louisiane
• Queen Anne’s War (1702-1713)
• Native Uprisings Against the Carolinas (1711-1717)
• Fort Toulouse, the Chitimachas and the Natchez Wars (1717-1733)
• Incessant Warfare (1714-1755)
• French and Indian War (1754-1755)

Early Creek History

• Achese: Birthplace of the Creek Confederacy
• Achese becomes the first capital of the Creek Confederacy
• Achese Moves to Florida
• Where was Hernando de Soto’s Guaxale?
• Creek Ancestors from the Carolinas
• The Cultural Periods of the Creek Indians
• The Tamatli
• Origins of the Muskogee Branch of the Creek Indians

Early Native American Towns and Villages

• Where was Chiaha?

Miscellaneous Native American History

• Sir William Berkeley and the Ethnic Cleansing of the Southeast

Forts across North America

• Mysterious Fort Mountain, Georgia
• Old Stone Fort – Manchester, Tennessee

Native American Mounds

• Why and How did Native Americans Build Mounds
• Nacoochee Mound
  • Nacoochee Mound – Site of the Nation’s First Gold Rush
  • Master Farmers and Mound Builders
  • Cherokees in Nacoochee Valley
  • Georgia Gold Rush
• Mysterious Kenimer Mound, Nacoochee Valley, Georgia
• Shell and Sand Mounds of Tick Island Florida
• Adena Mounds of the Ohio Valley
• Biltmore Mound, Asheville, North Carolina
• Peachtree Mound near Murphy, North Carolina

Encounters with the Potawatomi Tribe

• Four Seasons of the Potawatomi
• Potawatomi in the Early 1800’s

Architecture of Native Americans

• The Teepee
• Sioux Pit House
• Earth Lodge of the Mandan, Arikara and Hidatsa
• Navajo Hogan
• Basket House of the South Atlantic Coast
• Apache Wickiup
• Eastern Woodland Wigwam
• Creek Kitchens
• Creek Warehouses

The Wars on the Carolina and Georgia Frontier 1660-1763

• Why the History of the Era is Confusing
• Early Slave Raid Period 1657-1684
• Middle Slave Raid Period 1684-1706
• Late Slave Raid Period, 1705-1721
• Creeks became Creeks, 1717-1755