Individual Notes
Note for: Johnny Anderson Shelton, 25 JUN 1859 - 17 NOV 1927
Index
Burial: Place: Oklahoma, Murray, Davis, Green Hill Cemetary
Individual Note: [Master.FTW]
(Medical):Life span: 68 Years 4 Months 22 Days
Individual Notes
Note for: Sarah Ann Elizabeth Cottrell, 28 APR 1864 - 16 APR 1927
Index
Burial: Place: Oklahoma, Murray, Davis, Green Hill Cemetary
Individual Note: [Master.FTW]
"Every man's life is a fairy tale written by God's finger."
--- Hans Christian Anderson
When Sarah passed away she was living in Atoka, Oklahoma . The Foggy Bottom Creek in this area frequently got out o f its banks during heavy rains causing flooding. When thi s happened the only high ground between Atoka and Davis, Ok lahoma was the railroad tracks. Sarah was to be buried i n the Davis Cemetery and due to the flooding, her coffin wa s carried by the pall bearers down the rail road tracks t o the Davis Cemetery.
(Medical):Life span: 62 Years 11 Months 18 Days
Individual Notes
Note for: Elias Lawrence Cottrell, MAY 1845 - 2 APR 1917
Index
Burial: Place: Oklahoma, Garvin, Elmore City, Katie Cemetery
Individual Note: [Master.FTW]
Lucky was one fourth Indian.
One of the recurring themes we find in doing the Smith fami ly genealogy is that we are descendants of Indian blood her e in the United States. This includes on the Smith side o f our family where James Turner Smith is said to have had a n Indian wife. Myrtie Collins reports in her notes a lad y named Jane who was an Indian wife of James Turner Smith . There are also stories remembered that Jonathan Smith wa s visited in later years by two or three Indian women whil e living in Springer, Oklahoma. There women are said to ha ve either been sisters or his Mother. On Lurah Shelton's s ide of the family there is also memories that the Shelton' s and Cottrell's had Indian blood. Mrs. Louise (Cottrell ) Stuart has heard the following concerning her ancestors t he Shelton's and Cottrell's as being of Indian Origin.
When the Trail of Tears was ordered into effect in Alabam a the Cottrell and Shelton families together left the stat e and moved to Tennessee to avoid the forced march. The Tr ail of Tears was the forced government relocation of the Ch erokee tribe from Alabama to Oklahoma Indian Territory.
Years later when the Cottrell family had settled in Greenvi lle, Texas, E.A..Cottrell and his brother Lucky Cottrell ro de a train from Greenville, Texas to Muskogee, Oklahoma t o register as Cherokee's with the authorities there. Upo n arrival they were told they did not have the written proo f necessary to register and were sent home.
He also applied at Durant, Oklahoma.
The Cherokee Trail of Tears
1838-1839
Federal Indian Removal Policy
Early in the 19th century, the United States felt threatene d by England and
Spain, who held land in the western continent. At the sam e time, American
settlers clamored for more land. Thomas Jefferson propose d the creation of a
buffer zone between U.S. and European holdings, to be inhab ited by eastern
American Indians. This plan would also allow for American e xpansion westward
from the original colonies to the Mississippi River.
President
Andrew Jackson
Between 1816 and 1840, tribes located between the origina l states and the
Mississippi River, including Cherokees, Chickasaws, Choctaw s, Creeks, and
Seminole's, signed more than 40 treaties ceding their land s to the U.S. In his
1829 inaugural address, President Andrew Jackson set a poli cy to relocate
eastern Indians. In 1830 it was endorsed, when Congress pas sed the Indian
Removal Act to force those remaining to move west of the Mi ssissippi. Between
1830 and 1850, about 100,000 American Indians living betwee n Michigan,
Louisiana, and Florida moved west after the U.S. governmen t coerced treaties or
used the U.S. Army against those resisting. Many were treat ed brutally. An
estimated 3,500 Creeks died in Alabama and on their westwar d journey. Some were
transported in chains.
The Cherokees
General Winfield Scott
Historically, Cherokees occupied lands in several southeast ern states. As
European settlers arrived, Cherokees traded and intermarrie d with them. They
began to adopt European customs and gradually turned to a n agricultural economy,
while being pressured to give up traditional homelands. Bet ween 1721 and 1819,
over 90 percent of their lands were ceded to others. By th e 1820's, Sequoyah's
syllabary brought literacy and a formal governing system wi th a written
constitution. In 1830--the same year the Indian Removal Ac t was passed--gold was
found on Cherokee lands. Georgia held lotteries to give Che rokee land and gold
rights to whites. Cherokees were not allowed to conduct tri bal business,
contract, testify in courts against whites, or mine for gol d.
The Cherokees successfully challenged Georgia in the U.S. S upreme Court.
President Jackson, when hearing of the Court's decision, re portedly said,
"[Chief Justice] John Marshall has made his decision; let h im enforce it now if
he can.
The Treaty of New Echota
Major Ridge
Most Cherokees opposed removal. Yet a minority felt that i t was futile to
continue to fight. They believed that they might survive a s a people only if
they signed a treaty with the U.S.
In December 1835, the U.S. sought out this minority to effe ct a treaty at New
Echota, Georgia. Only 300 to 500 Cherokees were there; non e were elected
officials of the Cherokee Nation. Twenty signed the treaty , ceding all Cherokee
territory east of the Mississippi to the U.S., in exchang e for $5 million and
new homelands in Indian Territory.
More than 15,000 Cherokees protested the illegal treaty. Ye t, on May 23, 1836,
the Treaty of New Echota was ratified by the U.S. Senate--b y just one vote.
"Many Days Pass And People Die Very Much"
Most Cherokees, including Chief John Ross, did not believ e that they would be
forced to move. In May 1838, Federal troops and state milit ias began the roundup
of the Cherokees into stockades. In spite of warnings to tr oops to treat the
Cherokees kindly, the roundup proved harrowing.
Families were separated--the elderly and ill forced out a t gunpoint-- people
given only moments to collect cherished possessions. Whit e looters followed,
ransacking homesteads as Cherokees were led away.
Chief John Ross
Three groups left in the summer, traveling from present -da y Chattanooga by rail,
boat, and wagon, primarily on the Water Route. But river le vels were too low for
navigation; one group, traveling overland in Arkansas, suff ered three to five
deaths each day due to illness and drought.
Fifteen thousand captives still awaited removal. Crowding , poor sanitation, and
drought made them miserable. Many died. The Cherokees aske d to postpone removal
until the fall, and to voluntarily remove themselves. The d elay was granted,
provided they remain in internment camps until travel resum ed.
By November, 12 groups of 1,000 each were trudging 800 mile s overland to the
west. The last party, including Chief Ross, went by water . Now, heavy autumn
rains and hundreds of wagons on the muddy route made road s impassable; little
grazing and game could be found to supplement meager ration s.
Two- thirds of the ill- equipped Cherokees were trapped bet ween the ice- bound Ohio
and Mississippi Rivers during January. Although suffering f rom a cold, Quatie
Ross, the Chief's wife, gave her only blanket to a child.
"Long time we travel on way to new land. People fee l bad when they leave
Old Nation. Womens cry and make sad wails, Children c ry and many men
cry...but they say nothing and just put heads down an d keep on go towards
West. Many days pass and people die very much."
Recollections of a survivor
She died of pneumonia at Little Rock. Some drank stagnant w ater and succumbed to
disease. One survivor told how his father got sick and died ; then, his mother;
then, one by one, his five brothers and sisters. "One eac h day. Then all are
gone."
By March 1839, all survivors had arrived in the west. No on e knows how many died
throughout the ordeal, but the trip was especially hard o n infants, children,
and the elderly. Missionary doctor Elizur Butler, who accom panied the Cherokees,
estimated that over 4,000 died--nearly a fifth of the Chero kee population.
Epilogue
In August 1839, John Ross was elected Principal Chief of th e reconstituted
Cherokee Nation. Tahlequah, Oklahoma was its capital. It re mains tribal
headquarters for the Cherokee Nation today. About 1,000 Che rokees in Tennessee and North Carolina escaped the roundup . They gained recognition in 1866, establishing their triba l government in 1868 in Cherokee, North Carolina. Today, th ey are known as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
(Medical):Life span: 71 Years 11 Months[Master.FTW]
Lucky was one fourth Indian.
One of the recurring themes we find in doing the Smith fami ly genealogy is that we are descendants of Indian blood her e in the United States. This includes on the Smith side o f our family where James Turner Smith is said to have had a n Indian wife. Myrtie Collins reports in her notes a lad y named Jane who was an Indian wife of James Turner Smith . There are also stories remembered that Jonathan Smith wa s visited in later years by two or three Indian women whil e living in Springer, Oklahoma. There women are said to ha ve either been sisters or his Mother. On Lurah Shelton's s ide of the family there is also memories that the Shelton' s and Cottrell's had Indian blood. Mrs. Louise (Cottrell ) Stuart has heard the following concerning her ancestors t he Shelton's and Cottrell's as being of Indian Origin.
When the Trail of Tears was ordered into effect in Alabam a the Cottrell and Shelton families together left the stat e and moved to Tennessee to avoid the forced march. The Tr ail of Tears was the forced government relocation of the Ch erokee tribe from Alabama to Oklahoma Indian Territory.
Years later when the Cottrell family had settled in Greenvi lle, Texas, E.A..Cottrell and his brother Lucky Cottrell ro de a train from Greenville, Texas to Muskogee, Oklahoma t o register as Cherokee's with the authorities there. Upo n arrival they were told they did not have the written proo f necessary to register and were sent home.
He also applied at Durant, Oklahoma.
The Cherokee Trail of Tears
1838-1839
Federal Indian Removal Policy
Early in the 19th century, the United States felt threatene d by England and
Spain, who held land in the western continent. At the sam e time, American
settlers clamored for more land. Thomas Jefferson propose d the creation of a
buffer zone between U.S. and European holdings, to be inhab ited by eastern
American Indians. This plan would also allow for American e xpansion westward
from the original colonies to the Mississippi River.
President
Andrew Jackson
Between 1816 and 1840, tribes located between the origina l states and the
Mississippi River, including Cherokees, Chickasaws, Choctaw s, Creeks, and
Seminole's, signed more than 40 treaties ceding their land s to the U.S. In his
1829 inaugural address, President Andrew Jackson set a poli cy to relocate
eastern Indians. In 1830 it was endorsed, when Congress pas sed the Indian
Removal Act to force those remaining to move west of the Mi ssissippi. Between
1830 and 1850, about 100,000 American Indians living betwee n Michigan,
Louisiana, and Florida moved west after the U.S. governmen t coerced treaties or
used the U.S. Army against those resisting. Many were treat ed brutally. An
estimated 3,500 Creeks died in Alabama and on their westwar d journey. Some were
transported in chains.
The Cherokees
General Winfield Scott
Historically, Cherokees occupied lands in several southeast ern states. As
European settlers arrived, Cherokees traded and intermarrie d with them. They
began to adopt European customs and gradually turned to a n agricultural economy,
while being pressured to give up traditional homelands. Bet ween 1721 and 1819,
over 90 percent of their lands were ceded to others. By th e 1820's, Sequoyah's
syllabary brought literacy and a formal governing system wi th a written
constitution. In 1830--the same year the Indian Removal Ac t was passed--gold was
found on Cherokee lands. Georgia held lotteries to give Che rokee land and gold
rights to whites. Cherokees were not allowed to conduct tri bal business,
contract, testify in courts against whites, or mine for gol d.
The Cherokees successfully challenged Georgia in the U.S. S upreme Court.
President Jackson, when hearing of the Court's decision, re portedly said,
"[Chief Justice] John Marshall has made his decision; let h im enforce it now if
he can.
The Treaty of New Echota
Major Ridge
Most Cherokees opposed removal. Yet a minority felt that i t was futile to
continue to fight. They believed that they might survive a s a people only if
they signed a treaty with the U.S.
In December 1835, the U.S. sought out this minority to effe ct a treaty at New
Echota, Georgia. Only 300 to 500 Cherokees were there; non e were elected
officials of the Cherokee Nation. Twenty signed the treaty , ceding all Cherokee
territory east of the Mississippi to the U.S., in exchang e for $5 million and
new homelands in Indian Territory.
More than 15,000 Cherokees protested the illegal treaty. Ye t, on May 23, 1836,
the Treaty of New Echota was ratified by the U.S. Senate--b y just one vote.
"Many Days Pass And People Die Very Much"
Most Cherokees, including Chief John Ross, did not believ e that they would be
forced to move. In May 1838, Federal troops and state milit ias began the roundup
of the Cherokees into stockades. In spite of warnings to tr oops to treat the
Cherokees kindly, the roundup proved harrowing.
Families were separated--the elderly and ill forced out a t gunpoint-- people
given only moments to collect cherished possessions. Whit e looters followed,
ransacking homesteads as Cherokees were led away.
Chief John Ross
Three groups left in the summer, traveling from present -da y Chattanooga by rail,
boat, and wagon, primarily on the Water Route. But river le vels were too low for
navigation; one group, traveling overland in Arkansas, suff ered three to five
deaths each day due to illness and drought.
Fifteen thousand captives still awaited removal. Crowding , poor sanitation, and
drought made them miserable. Many died. The Cherokees aske d to postpone removal
until the fall, and to voluntarily remove themselves. The d elay was granted,
provided they remain in internment camps until travel resum ed.
By November, 12 groups of 1,000 each were trudging 800 mile s overland to the
west. The last party, including Chief Ross, went by water . Now, heavy autumn
rains and hundreds of wagons on the muddy route made road s impassable; little
grazing and game could be found to supplement meager ration s.
Two- thirds of the ill- equipped Cherokees were trapped bet ween the ice- bound Ohio
and Mississippi Rivers during January. Although suffering f rom a cold, Quatie
Ross, the Chief's wife, gave her only blanket to a child.
"Long time we travel on way to new land. People fee l bad when they leave
Old Nation. Womens cry and make sad wails, Children c ry and many men
cry...but they say nothing and just put heads down an d keep on go towards
West. Many days pass and people die very much."
Recollections of a survivor
She died of pneumonia at Little Rock. Some drank stagnant w ater and succumbed to
disease. One survivor told how his father got sick and died ; then, his mother;
then, one by one, his five brothers and sisters. "One eac h day. Then all are
gone."
By March 1839, all survivors had arrived in the west. No on e knows how many died
throughout the ordeal, but the trip was especially hard o n infants, children,
and the elderly. Missionary doctor Elizur Butler, who accom panied the Cherokees,
estimated that over 4,000 died--nearly a fifth of the Chero kee population.
Epilogue
In August 1839, John Ross was elected Principal Chief of th e reconstituted
Cherokee Nation. Tahlequah, Oklahoma was its capital. It re mains tribal
headquarters for the Cherokee Nation today. About 1,000 Che rokees in Tennessee and North Carolina escaped the roundup . They gained recognition in 1866, establishing their triba l government in 1868 in Cherokee, North Carolina. Today, th ey are known as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
(Medical):Life span: 71 Years 11 Months