"George Galphin's Intimate Empire: A Cross-Cultural Family in the Native South” by Bryan Rindfleisch

The views and opinions expressed in this presentation do not necessarily reflect those of the Alabama Department of Archives and History.
Bryan Rindfleicsh presents "George Galphin's Intimate Empire: A Cross-Cultural Family in the Native South.”
A native of Ireland, George Galphin arrived in South Carolina in 1737 and quickly emerged as one of the most proficient deerskin traders in the South. This was due in large part to his marriage to Metawney, a Creek Indian woman who incorporated Galphin into her family and clan, allowing him to establish one of the most profitable merchant companies in North America. As part of his trade operations, Galphin cemented connections with Indigenous and European peoples across the South, while simultaneously securing links to merchants and traders in the British Empire and beyond. During this presentation, historian Bryan Rindfleisch will discuss how Galphin’s family and business connections provide critical insights into the intensely personal dimensions and cross-cultural contours of the eighteenth-century South. He will demonstrate how empire-building and colonialism were, by their very nature, intimate and familial affairs.
Rindfleisch specializes in Early (Colonial) American, Native American, and Atlantic World history. He is the author of George Galphin’s Intimate Empire: Intercultural Family, Trade, and Colonialism in Early America and Brothers of Coweta: Kinship, Empire, & Revolution in the Eighteenth-Century Muscogee World. Rindfleisch has also published numerous articles in various historical journals and publications.
Food for Thought 2022 is made possible with support in memory of Mike Jenkins IV.