Plantation Claim

James Lasley’s complex or Plantation in Turkey’s Town is quite large. His story is told through Cherokee Claims stored in the National Archives. These records mention James Lasley, who operated a ferry in Turkey’s town. He had on the property a large complex of houses and a cotton gin/mill with a cotton house. There were cribs, a blacksmith shop, and a trading post. He also had slave quarters, stables, several acres of fenced river bottoms, and “uplands.” Extra structures included sheds, a barn, a smokehouse, and a hen house. There was a potato house, a corn crib, and a sheep house. Wagon shelters, a hog house, and apple, pear, plum, and peach trees were also there. He has 250 acres of various sizes of fields, from 50 acres to ½ acre lots, all fenced separately. 

There were 5 houses of various sizes, all single stories, made of logs with floors, shutters, doors, and locks. They all had wooden chimneys with rock-backed fireplaces and hearths. The house sizes were 16’x20’ largest to 15’x15’ smallest. There was a block of cabins 36’x13’ with two chimneys, three doors, finished floors, and shutters. The total valuation of this property was listed at $8,223.15 in 1842, with today’s inflation added (2025) this would be valued at $324,885.

Cotton Gin and Mill

Notable is the description of the cotton gin in the claim. It is stated to be;

One cotton gin House 18’ – 18’ 2 st (stories) one story frame the other normal logs board ruff  lower room sealed with board fashion floor  mill with board water wheel 14 ft in diameter and in shot 8 ft cage wheel good trunnel head and band wheel   100 ft race 25 ft down logs and planks 

One cotton House 14’ – 14 1 st split logs board ruff   lined with board fashion floor 

One cotton Prep & sew & swas (saws) all new and in good order¹

The cotton gin complex was located on the stream coming from Owl’s Hollow. Today, the new US 411 4 lanes cover the location. 500 yards from the cove to US 411 North. Today Spring Avenue off of US 411 North, going into Owl’s Hollow runs parallel to the stream. The stream creates the cove through Shinbone Ridge. The proof is provided in a document for the purchase of two improvements. These two improvements were purchased by David Gage for William Lasley (son of James Lasley) and William Brock. Purchased 26 November 1835. It seems William Lasley and William Brock never paid Gage. (This document is very hard to read.) James Lasley purchased the improvements on 19 June 1837. This will become an issue between father and son.

. . . improvement lying in Ratliff’s Valley about four or five hundred yards north of Lasley’s mill consisting of a dwelling house, smoke house, corn crib, horse lot & one field northeast of said building containing ten acres more of less . . .³

The issue is shown in the documents below.

William Lasley went after this improvement. He paid David Gage. Here is the copy of the documents. I wonder who really paid who?

It is unknown as to the outcome of this. The claim by James Lasley is missing at least two pages. Are these improvements on those pages? We will never know unless those pages are found. They are not with these pages in the National Archives.

Store Book, Housing Complex

This is the mill and cotton gin complex on the property. The house was near the Coosa River and the ferry. There are a lot of structures involved with the home place. To help us certify the location for this farm and ferry, we can see that Mr. Lasley also filed a claim for his “store books” on the 22^nd of March 1842.  The store or trading post was near his home, but on the main road.

This claim lists the appraisal amounts for notes owned to Lasley with the store. Has appraisal amounts for the store goods and a new cotton gin. It states improvements made “after 23 May 1836.” On this claim are a house, Kitchen, smokehouse, and 50 acres of cleared river bottom cleared in 1836.  It lists other acres of various sizes, stock, and various farm equipment. The total on this claim is $6,469.00. (In 2025 with inflation calculated the claim is $255,585. Total of both claims is $580,470. This does not include the land value.)

Conclusion

I wanted to post the claim by James Lasley with the witnesses’ notes. This way, you can read them as is. These are in good condition. I know this is cursive dip ink scroll writing. You have to read these closely. He names names. Who are these white men, Josiah Harper, William Lay, Pollard, James Street, John H. Garrett, George Biddy, and Madison Gage? If you read closely, you can find out the exact day that the US troops came to his house. They forcibly marched him and his family to Fort Payne, a stockade. The city of Fort Payne, Alabama, got its name from the stockade. It was the launching point for detachments of the Trail of Tears. The witnesses: Turner, son of Boot. Margaret (Peggy Coats) is James Lasley’s daughter and the wife of Gideon Coats, namesake of Coats’ Bend. More on that in its own post.

I will continue this in the next post on where this is and how we know. I will explain how and what the community is today. This will help explain who the white men are.

1. Copy of 1842 James Lasley Claim, National Archives, Washington DC, Record Group (RG)75 Bureau of Indian Affairs, Entry (E) #224, Volume 25, pages; 96, 97, 99, 100, Copy from Michael Wren’s personal collection. ↩︎
2. Ibid, page 97 ↩︎
3. RG 75 Bureau of Indian Affairs, E #236, images 435-438, Copy from Michael Wren’s personal collection ↩︎
4. Ibid image 437 ↩︎
5. Ibid images 443 ↩︎
6. Ibid image 445 ↩︎
7. Copy of 1842 James Lasley Claim, National Archives, Washington DC, Record Group (RG)75 Bureau of Indian Affairs, Entry (E) #224, Volume 25, pages; 96, 97, 99, 100, Copy from Michael Wren’s personal collection ↩︎

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3: 5-6 CSV