Sorry for not posting until now. It has been a time-consuming month.

Conmincing of stock household and kitchen furniture, farming utensils, he claimant was compelled to abandon when captured with many Cherokee on the 1st June 1838 by the United States troops under the command of Genl Scott and marched to Fort Payne a distance of about 35 miles, the claimant owing to the strict regulations of the millitary was not allowed or permitted to return to his residence to get or dispose of the articles charged set forth in the forgoing claim.

This is from James Lasley of Turkey Town. It is his claim in 1842. The claim is what he was forced to leave behind. You can go back to the “Notable People in Turkey’s Town” post on James Lasley and see more information. What needs to be pointed out is the date: June 1st, 1838, and they were forced marched to Fort Payne.

The best understanding of the “Trail of Tears” in Northeast Alabama is written in a Report for the National Trail of Tears Association. This report is about the camps, forts, and Trail of Tears. Alabama Collection Camps, Forts, Emigrating Depots and Travel Routes Used During the Cherokee Removal of 1838-1839. It was published in 2007. It is an excellent source. Extremely well documented with sources. This group did their homework.  Lamar Marshall, Larry Smith, Michael Wren, Gail King, Project Director.  This is the link to the site, you can download this to study through. https://nationaltota.com/alabama-forts-and-camps/

The round-up took place in June 1838. They were moved from a stockade to the final stockade before the detachments left from the “launching points”. There were stockades in Northeast Alabama. In today’s Cherokee County, there were three “Forts”. Fort Likens was in north Cherokee County, at what is called Barry Springs. (See the above report.) Fort Lovell was three miles east of today’s Cedar Bluff, which is today’s Lawrence Cemetery off of US Hwy 9. This location was documented by Mike Wren in 2022.¹ Fort Turkey Town was on Tarapin Creek about 5 miles east of the Coosa River; the location has not been proven.

Detachments

There are at least 17 detachments. The ones the people of Turkey’s Town were mostly involved with are. The John Benge and Lt Edward Deas Detachments. Fort Payne is one of the launching points. This is today’s Fort Payne, Alabama. It is believed that the stockade was at Rev. John Huss’ cabin. John Huss is also referred to as Spirit the Preacher. He is Cherokee, and at the time of removal, he was married to Nancy, one of the Boot’s (Chulio, the Creek Interpreter) daughters. (See Notable People of Turkey’s Town, Chulio (Boot), the Creek Interpreter post.) From Fort Payne, the detachment led by John Benge went West to Arkansas on foot and wagons.

A portion of; An Accurate Map of the State of Alabama and West Florida [Sheet 2: Cherokee, DeKalb, Jackson] LaTourrette, John 1837. Notice the “Spirit the Preacher” (John Huss), and the spring next to him. This is the site of Fort Payne stockade. The “mission station” is Will’s Town Mission.²

The Benge Detachment 

The Benge and Lowrey Families 

From the above-mentioned report. John Benge was the conductor of Detachment #4 (detachment number in John Ross Papers) and George Lowery was the Assistant Conductor. It is not surprising that these two men were chosen to lead the Benge Detachment during the forced removal of the Cherokee Nation in the fall of 1838. The Benge family and the Lowery family had a long-term relationship dating back many years. Both families had their beginnings from white traders of Scottish descent, who came to trade in the Cherokee Nation during the middle to late 1700s and married Cherokee women.³ 

The Benge Detachment is the only detachment that left from Fort Payne, Alabama. The letter as noted earlier in this chapter written from Wills Valley by John Benge and George Lowrey dated September 29, 1838 to John Ross clearly stated that the commanding officer at Fort Payne would stop disbursing rations if the detachment didn’t move by October 1^st. Fifteen wagons had started that day (29^th) and twenty more would probably start the next day. Lieut. Poole stated in a letter (also noted earlier in this chapter) that the detachment had left its “camp eight miles below Fort Payne (Lebanon) on October 4 and by October 7^th was within fourteen miles of Gunter’s Landing. The Benge Detachment connection with Rattlesnake Springs in Tennessee and the William S. Coody’s eye-witness observations does not have credibility. ⁴

Those who can be identified on the Benge Detachment from Turkey’s Town

The list of heads of households. Ahdahwartuske & Quaty, Takey, Money Crier, Crying Snake (Son of Nancy, Grandson of Chief Pathkiller & Peggy), Turner (Son of Chilio (Boot), the Creek Interpreter), Augerhole, Nancy P. Killer (Daughter of Chief Pathkiller & Peggy), Houston (Son of Nancy, Grandson of Chief Pathkiller & Peggy), Nan, Nelly P. Killer (Daughter of Chief Pathkiller & Peggy), Jane P. Killer (Janey, Daughter of Chief Pathkille & Peggy), Corn Tassel, ⁵

The Lt. Edward Deas Detachment

Three detachments of Cherokee, totaling about 2,800 people, traveled by river to Indian Territory. The first of these groups led by Lieutenant Edward Deas left on June 6, 1838 by steamboat and barge from Ross Landing, present-day Chattanooga, Tennessee. They followed the Tennessee River, Ohio River, Mississippi River and the Arkansas River and arrived near Fort Coffee on June 19, 1838.

The second detachment, led by Lt. Robert H.K. Whiteley, left in mid-June and arrived two months later near Stilwell, Oklahoma.

The final detachment, led by John Drew, left in the late fall and arrived in Indian Territory the following March.

John Bell led one detachment from Cherokee Agency at Charleston, Tennessee, westward across the southern part of Tennessee to Memphis and then to Indian Territory.

His party consisted of about 650-700 Cherokee who supported the removal treaty and opposed John Ross. Bell’s detachment also differed from the Ross-allied parties in that it had a military escort. Lieutenant Edward Deas, who had earlier led a party by river, commanded the Bell’s detachment military escort. The Bell detachment took a more direct route than did the Ross-allied parties, and reached Indian Territory in January 1839.⁶

Those who can be identified on the Deas Detachment from Turkey’s Town

The list of heads of households. Silas Choat, Sanders Choat, Susan Radcliffe, Frances Hampton (Anna’s husband, Nelley’s daughter, Chief Pathkiller, and Peggy’s granddaughter), Liddy Fields, Jon-Man, Buffalo, William Lasley, George Campbell (Quata’s husband, Chief Pathkiller, and Peggy’s daughter), Owl, Se-lo-nee-kee, Beaver Tail (Husband to Qualeoo, Peggy’s niece’s, He is the son of Anoha Chief Pathkiller’s granddaughter, Anoha’s mother is unknown), Dirt Seller, Polly Smith, Siter, Olly Blackbeard, Liddy Blackbeard, Kity Rabbit, Richard Ratliff Sr., Richard Ratliff Jr., Matt Jones ⁷

Some people left for the West on their own.

Conclusion

This provides the names of people to help make the Trail of Tears more personal. These are people and their lives. This is not just a story.

1. Finding Fort Lovel, Researching the Removal: A Case Study, Goingsnake District Heritage Association January 2023 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfVNOw7EREw ↩︎
2. https://alabamamaps.ua.edu/historicalmaps/counties/dekalb/dekalb.html ↩︎
3. Alabama Collection Camps, Forts, Emigrating Depots and Travel Routes Used During the Cherokee Removal of 1838-1839, Lamar Marshall, Larry Smith, Michael Wren, Gail King, Project Director, Page 384, Chapter 10, ↩︎
4. Ibid, page 400 ↩︎
5. Ibid, Page 418-424, Muster Roll of Detachment No. of Emigrating Cherokee under Charge of Capt. John Benge, ↩︎
6. Discovering the Trail of Tears on the Natchez Trace, National Park Service https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/discovering-the-trail-of-tears-on-the-natchez-trace.htm ↩︎
7. Cherokee Registry Trail of Tears-Deas detachment, Cherokeeregistry.com, also https://accessgenealogy.com/native/1838-cherokee-muster-roll-1.htm 1838 Cherokee Muster Roll 1, Accessgenealogy.com, Muster roll of Lt. Deas. Cherokees who arrived West 1 May 1838 ↩︎