MYER] GORDON TOWN SITE 553 
POPULATION OF GORDON TOWN 
There is no means of determining with precision the exact number 
of people who lived in Gordon town. 
Judging by the many accounts given by early travelers among the 
Indians of the southern United States, it is conservative to count 
three warriors, or a total of 10 men, women, and children, to a wig- 
wam, in towns with habitations similar in size to those on the Gordon 
site. The Gordon wigwams have only one fireplace, and appear to 
have been occupied by only one blood family. According to the 
customs of other southern Indians, a typical family in one of these 
wigwams probably consisted of the father and mother and their 
unmarried children, and also one or two sons-in-law with their wives. 
These sons-in-law lived with the wife’s parents for a year or so. 
There was also in many cases an aged and infirm parent, and some- 
times adopted children; and in some rare instances a slave or a 
captive warrior, adopted in place of some deceased member of the 
family. 
As stated heretofore, there are evidences that there were about 
125 wigwams in Gordon town. Considering the facts just brought 
out, it is quite probable that these 125 wigwams contained about 375 
warriors, or a total of about 1,250 men, women, and children. 
Groups oF CLAN DWELLINGS 
A study of the map of Gordon town in Plate 95 shows the house 
circles to be gathered more or less into groups. This may be more 
apparent than real, as what appeared to be some extremely faint 
traces of circles were found in the space shown as vacant on the map. 
These traces were not sufficiently distinct to justify recording them 
without confirming their existence by the spade. Should this group- 
ing prove true, it possibly means that each of the groups was inhabited 
by members of a clan, as among the Creeks, where “ The towns were 
composed of irregular clusters of four to eight houses, each cluster 
being occupied by the representatives of a clan.” 
DESERTED BY ITS INHABITANTS 
As previously stated, the ancient inhabitants for some unknown 
reason deserted this town site. 
They evidently were in no immediate danger of attack by an 
enemy because they had time to take with them their domestic 
pottery and other utensils. Probably hoping to return, they left all 
the buildings standing except the ceremonial house or temple and 
28 Reference is made to the articles Family, Marriage, Women, Slavery, and the references therewith, 
in ‘‘ Handbook of American Indians,” Bull. 30, Bur. Amer. Ethn. 
® Article ‘‘Creeks,”” Handbook of American Indians, Bull. 30, Bur. Amer. Ethn., pt. 1, p. 364. 
