The Cherokees formed no settlements on
the Tennessee River until about 1770. There
were four Cherokee villages in Colbert County
during the last quarter of the eighteenth cen-
tury. Beginning on the river, the first was
Doublehead's Village, founded about 1790,
and situated a short distance above the
place where George Colbert subsequently
established his ferry. A large spring, still
known as Doublehead's Spring marks the site
of this village.==============George and Levi Colbert, for whom the
county was named, both lived in Colbert
Countv on the Natchez Trace, which crossed
the Tennessee River at Colbert's Ferry. How-
ever. George Colbert did not live continuously
at the ferry, but spent the greater part of his
time at his other home, on Wolf Creek, four
miles west of Booneville, Miss. Levi Colbert's
home was on the Natchez Trace, at the cross-
ing on Big Bear Creek. These two Colbert
brothers were not real Chickasaw chiefs. On
account of their knowledge of English and
their superior intelligence they were appoint-
ed by the Chickasaw King to act as princi-
pal chiefs in all matters connected with the
United States Government. George Colbert
died in 1839, in the Chickasaw Nation west;
Levi died at Buzzard Roost in the spring of
183 4, while on his way to Washington city
on some official business. Another brother,
James Colbert, lived 30 or 40 miles further
down the Tennessee.
