Information on Chief Red Bird Sizemore of Red Bird, Kentucky
Chief Red Bird Sizemore was a Cherokee chief who lived near what is now known as Red Bird, Kentucky. The state of Kentucky recognized Chief Red Bird with a State Historic Marker. The marker is located in front of a rock shelter on the Red Bird Creek a short distance from the path that lead to Chief Red Bird's cabin.
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Chief Red Bird's Life
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Chief Red Bird was a Cherokee chief who had lived in harmony with white settlers. He was originally from eastern Tennessee or western North Carolina and settled in the area now known as Clay County, Kentucky. He was a skilled hunter and migrated to this area because of the ample supply of game in this very remote region. He lived with a Cherokee friend who was crippled in a cabin near the banks of what is now known as the Red Bird Creek.
Chief Red Bird's Death
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Many white people continued to have a great distrust of Native Americans during the lifetime of Chief Red Bird. Although most of the Cherokee Nation lived peaceably among their neighbors, some people had a deep distrust of any Indian. Hunters from North Carolina discovered Chief Red Bird's camp. These hunters killed both Chief Red Bird and his friend for the furs they had.
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Chief Red Bird's Burial
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After Chief Red Bird was murdered, his killers threw his body into a whole of water in the nearby creek that is still referred to as "Willies Hole." A neighbor and friend of Chief Red Bird, John Gilbert, came along and found him. He and some others who were with him took Chief Red Bird's body and gave him a proper burial.
Chief Red Bird's Descendants
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Chief Red Bird's descendants can be traced to the surnames of Brock and Sizemore in both the Dawes Roll of the Western Band of Cherokee Indians who settled in Oklahoma and the Baker Roll of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians who remained in North Carolina after the relocation of the tribe. Like many families of that area, Chief Red Bird's children intermarried with Anglo settlers for many generations. That's why many people in this area of Kentucky claim Chief Red Bird as an ancestor.
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