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CHRISTOPHER GIST
In 1750 Christopher Gist established his home on the north side of the Yadkin about one mile
west of the present town of Wilkesboro. Gist, the first white man to settle in what is now Wilkes
county, maintained a friendly contact with the Cherokee Indians. He was one of the most
distinguished Indian scouts and surveyors of his day. Gist was twice credited with saving the
life of Colonel George Washington and showed Daniel Boone the way to Kentucky.
Gist had three sons, one of whom was Nathaniel. Nathaniel married an Indian girl named
Wurteh, a sister of the great Indian Chiefs, Old Tassel and Doublehead. They were the
parents of Sequoyah, the famous genius who invented the Cherokee alphabet.
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