swantun] EARLY HISTORY OF THE CREEK lXDIAXS 439 
from other sources between this date and L857 vary between 20,000 
and 25,000, but it is probable that the Creek population was actually 
shrinking during the period, for a more accurate census taken by 
the Indian Office in 1857 gave only 14,888. Since then they have 
shrunk slowly, even in the official enumerations, and more rapidly 
if we take into consideration the actual amount of Indian blood 
which these figures represent. This latter element probably accounts 
in a measure for the fact that the U. S. Official Census of 1910 gives 
only 6,9 15 Creeks as against 11,911 in the Report of the U. S. Indian 
Office issued the same year. 
The difficulty with the foregoing figures is the fact that during 
most of this period the population was both receiving accessions from 
outside and giving out part of its population in various directions. 
Some of the accessions were received so far back that all of our figures 
include them. The Apalachicola, Yuchi, Natchez, Yamasee, Oconee, 
and Shawnee, however, also some of the Alabama, were taken in after 
certain of the estimates and counts had been made. On the other 
hand, from comparatively early in the eighteenth century, bands of 
Indians began to move into the Florida peninsula, and thither went 
also some tribes like the Yamasee and Oconee, which would otherwise 
have united with the Creeks permanently. After the Creek war still 
greater numbers went to Florida, including several entire towns. 
There are no figures on which an accurate estimate of the Indian 
population of Florida before the Seminole intrusion may be based. 
A document dated 1597 claims more than 1,400 to 1,500 Christian 
Indians in the territory attached to Nombre de Dios, San Pedro, the 
Fresh Water district, and that of San Antonio. 1 In 1602 792 Chris- 
tian Indians were reported from the "vicaria of San Pedro," 500 in 
that of San Juan del Puerto, and about 200 in the Fresh Water district. 
In addition, 100 were under instruction in the province last mentioned 
and 1,100 in the province of Icafi. The same manuscript gives a 
total population of 700 to 800 in the province of Yui, 1,500 in Timucua 
or Utina, and 1,000 in Potano. 1 In 1606 the Bishop of Cuba visited 
the Florida missions and confirmed 2,074 Indians. 1 In 1608 it is 
claimed that 5,000 Indians were converted or being catechised. 1 A 
letter written February 2, 1635, claims 30,000 Christian Indians were 
connected with the 44 missions. 1 As the Apalachee field had but 
just been opened this includes principally Timucua and Guale 
Indians. It is probably much too high. In 1728 the town of Nombre 
De Dios or Chiquito, which seems to have contained most of the 
surviving Timucua, had about 15 men and 20 women; eight years 
later the number of men was 17. 
Lowery, MSS. 
