Joe Stine,
second from left, a direct descendent of British officer Lt. Henry Timberlake,
visits the Cherokee Heritage Center July 9 to watch a portrayal of Timberlake
in “Under the Cherokee Moon.” Before the play, Stine meets with Tommy Wildcat,
left, who plays Chief Ostenaco; Bryan Crittenden, who plays Lt. Timberlake; and
Charlotte Kingfisher-Scott, who portrays Sageni. PHOTO BY WILL CHAVEZ



By WILL CHAVEZ
Senior Reporter

PARK HILL, Okla. – For Joe Stine, of Norman, attending the July 9 production of “Under the Cherokee Moon” likely meant more to him and his family than other audience members. 

He came to see the portrayal of his great-great-great-great grandfather Lt. Henry Timberlake, a British officer who lived among the Cherokee people in the mid-18th century. 

Stine’s mother Florence Timberlake was a direct descendant of Lt. Timberlake, who visited the Cherokee Nation for three months in 1761-62 and compiled a journal of his experiences with the tribe. His memoirs are now a book titled “The Memoirs of Lt. Henry Timberlake: The Story of a Soldier, Adventurer and Emissary to the Cherokees, 1756-1765,” which inspired the museum exhibition “Emissaries of Peace the Cherokee and British Delegations of 1762.” 

Stine, 82, said he researched Timberlake and read the book based on his ancestor’s memoirs that were edited by Duane King, director of Tulsa’s Gilcrease Museum.

“I’ve done a lot of research myself, but he did it better than I did. That book is great,” Stine said. 
He said he didn’t know of his important ancestor until his grandfather John Timberlake told stories about his great-great grandfather being a British officer and a Virginian. 

“He brought the treaty (Articles of Peace) to the tribe to be ratified. He (John) didn’t know his name. He just knew he was a British officer,” Stine said. 

He said using his grandfather’s story, he gathered information about his ancestory until he found a copy of Lt. Timberlake’s journal in the Western History Collection at the University of Oklahoma when he was in college. From there he used OU’s collection of resources to continue his research. 

Stine, a Cherokee Nation citizen, said the book about his grandfather’s memoirs mentions the son-in-law of Chief Ostenaco. The son-in-law mentioned was likely Lt. Timberlake, who married Ostenaco’s daughter Sageni. 

Henry and Sageni were the parents of Richard Timberlake, who continued the Timberlake lineage after his father died in England on Sept. 30, 1765, after attempting to help a Cherokee delegation get an audience with King George III to discuss white settlers on Cherokee land. 

The government sent the Cherokee delegation home in March 1765, and after their departure, Timberlake was arrested for allegedly failing to pay for the lodging he and the Cherokee delegation used. It’s thought he wrote his memoirs while incarcerated. His memoirs are considered the best account of 18th-century Cherokee life.

Stine said he is “impressed” with his ancestor, but admitted for a time he didn’t care or think much about his Cherokee heritage. He said, as a child, his grandfather John maintained his interest in his Cherokee heritage.

“I remember him telling me, ‘someday you’ll be proud of your Cherokee blood,’” he said. 
“Under the Cherokee Moon” Director Laurette Willis found the Stines and invited them to see the play.

“Both Joe and Nancy, as well as their daughter and granddaughter, said how grateful they were to see their family’s history brought to life,” Willis said. “Seeing them come alive in this manner meant a lot.”

The Stines met Bryan Crittenden, who plays Lt. Timberlake; Tommy Wildcat, who portrays Ostenaco; and Charlotte Kingfisher-Scott, who plays Sageni. 

“I really enjoyed it. It was wonderful. From my own standpoint, the joining of Lt. Timberlake and Sageni impressed me the most,” Stine said. “It felt like I was in a time machine.” 

will-chavez@cherokee.org • (918) 207-3961