author
Henry Timberlake
d. 1765
Best known for a vivid 1765 memoir, this colonial officer left one of the clearest first-hand English accounts of Cherokee life in the mid-1700s. His writing combines travel narrative, diplomacy, and close observation from a dangerous and unusual journey.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born in Virginia, Henry Timberlake was a colonial officer, journalist, and cartographer who served during the French and Indian War. He is remembered most for his role in the 1761–1762 expedition to the Overhill Cherokee, where he helped carry peace messages after a period of violent conflict.
That experience became the heart of The Memoirs of Lieut. Henry Timberlake, published in 1765. In it, he described Cherokee towns, customs, politics, and daily life in unusual detail for an English-language writer of his time. The book has lasted because it offers both an adventure story and an important historical record.
Timberlake later traveled to London with Cherokee leaders, including Ostenaco, and their visit drew wide attention. He died in England on September 30, 1765, around the time his memoir appeared, leaving behind a work that still matters to readers interested in early American history and cross-cultural encounters.