Marriage and Family
He made a common-law marriage for years with Lavinia Downs, a Creek woman. They had a total of six daughters: Georgia, Muscogee, Cherokee, Carolina, Virginia, and Jeffersonia, and one son, Madison Hawkins. In 1812, thinking he was on his death bed, Hawkins married Lavinia formally in the European-American style to make their children legitimate in US society. Jeffersonia was born after this marriage. As the Creek had a matrilineal system, all the children were born into their mother's clan, and gained their Creek status from her.
Hawkins was close to his nephew William Hawkins of North Carolina, whom he made an executor of his estate along with his wife; he bequeathed him a share of his estate, reputed to be quite large. This bequest became a source of contention among his heirs, especially as he had not altered his will to include his last daughter Jeffersonia Hawkins.
Read more about this topic: Benjamin Hawkins
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