This collection of materials about Benjamin Moses Mordecai (1800-1870) (also known as Whitecloud or Chief Whitecloud) is shared openly so that his life, words, and legacy can be studied and remembered. It is the result of decades of work, and shared information from a wide range of cousins, researchers and other people whom I've met while on this journey. I am eternally grateful to them all for their generosity. From my distant cousin Patty in Arizona, to Annie in Alabama, to my many Mordecai cousins I've been fortunate to meet and connect with -- so many of us have contributed to this trove of information.
Benjamin was the son of Abram (Abraham) Mordecai, a Jewish trader who is well documented in Alabama history for his role as one of the first Jewish settlers in the Southeast and for his long relationship with the Creek people. While Abram’s life has been heavily researched and written about in historical works, Benjamin’s story has been scattered across letters, artifacts, newspapers, oral history, and a single surviving manuscript.
Benjamin Mordecai was a Native physician, preacher, and healer whose story touches on many strands of American history — Creek removal, mixed African and Native families, Jewish settlers, 19th-century medicine, and the survival of Native traditions. His own writings and the many accounts of him in newspapers show a man who lived with charisma, courage, and complexity.
My purpose in bringing these sources together is not to claim ownership of his story, but to make it accessible to others — descendants, scholars, and anyone who wishes to learn from him. Knowledge belongs to the world, and I believe that sharing his words and history honors him and my entire family that are descended from him,
Please feel free to use this material in your own research, writing, or teaching. If you choose to reference it, a simple acknowledgment of this project helps keep Benjamin’s story visible for others.
— Janet Barker-Evans,
5x great-granddaughter of Benjamin Moses Mordecai
