When people ask me about my heritage, I proudly share that I descend from Cherokee ancestors on both my maternal and paternal sides. My family's story is intertwined with that of the Lost Cherokee of Arkansas, a resilient community shaped by history. You may wonder who we are, what "Lost Cherokee" means, and how monumental events like the Trail of Tears have influenced our identity. In this post, I will share my family's rich Cherokee roots, tracing back to our origins in from southeast Cherokee lands before our migration to the Arkansas River Valley.
Who Are the Lost Cherokee of Arkansas?
The term "Lost Cherokee" describes communities descended from those who evaded removal during the infamous Trail of Tears or those who assimilated into other cultures while maintaining their Cherokee identity. Unlike federally recognized tribes, the Lost Cherokee developed their identity through survival, blending into local cultures while holding onto traditions that define us. This community mainly consists of descendants who lost their tribal affiliation but still possess a strong sense of identity and pride in our Cherokee heritage.
The Lost Cherokee of Arkansas and Missouri is a non-recognized tribe of Cherokee descendants who moved west before the Trail of Tears:
Origin: The Lost Cherokees were originally from Tennessee and Alabama and were forced to sign a treaty in 1828 that gave up their Arkansas Reservation for Oklahoma. Those who refused to sign the treaty remained in Arkansas and hid their ancestry.
Name: The group chose its name because when the first Cherokee crossed the Mississippi River in the late 1700s, people said, "Those Cherokee are lost".
Location: The group is headquartered in Dover, Arkansas.The term "Lost" now refers to the disconnection from federally recognized tribes, which created a lack of official documentation for many families. The Cherokee Nation, established after the removal in Oklahoma, became the prominent entity recognized by the government. Unfortunately, countless families like mine, who migrated to places like Arkansas, found themselves outside the reach of federal recognition and support.
For many years, my ancestors navigated a complex reality, growing up in a culture that did not readily acknowledge their Cherokee roots but instilled in them a sense of pride in their lineage. These hardships resonate in our stories today. We frequently share accounts of resilience and the responsibility to honor our ancestors who bravely preserved our culture amidst the threats of erasure.
The Trail of Tears and Its Impact on Us
Prior to the Trail of Tears, there were numerous tragic instances in which the Cherokee were compelled to relinquish their lands to white settlers. Among my ancestors are Melba Attakullakulla and Cherokee Chief Black Fox, who lived through those tumultuous times. Melba was born in 1750 in Tennessee, where her people were increasingly pressured by settlers encroaching on Cherokee lands. Black Fox, a divisive chief, played a pivotal role in the cession of tribal lands to settlers, a move that incited anger among many tribe members. Many stories about him can be found on the internet. For a more in-depth exploration of his life, one can visit the National Archives, where records of treaties and land ceded during his tenure are available. These records underscore the difficult decisions and challenges our ancestors encountered. In delving into their stories, I find a legacy of strength and self-interest that resonates through the generations.
Black Fox (c. 1746–1811), also known as Enoli or Inali, was the brother-in-law of Dragging Canoe and a signatory of the Holston Treaty on July 2, 1791. As the chief of Ustanali town, he served as the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation from 1801 until his death in 1811. During his leadership, Black Fox was the primary negotiator for the Cherokee with the United States Federal Government. He is notably remembered for ceding nearly 7,000 square miles of land, now part of Tennessee and Alabama, under the treaty of January 7, 1806, in exchange for a lifetime annuity of $100. Despite being a contentious figure and temporarily deposed, he was later reinstated as Principal Chief through a compromise between two Cherokee regional factions. Black Fox established the tribal law that abolished the Cherokee custom of clan revenge. The Trail of Tears is often seen as one of the darkest chapters in American history. From 1830 to 1850, thousands of Cherokee Indians were forcibly removed from their ancestral lands in the Southeast to reservations in Oklahoma. Those in Arkansas were caught up in the forced relocation to Oklahoma, having to uproot their families and abandon their homes, despite having been settled there since before 1800. For families like mine, this horrifying journey changed everything. Learn more...
The Trail of Tears had a profound impact. It scattered many families, severing connections to their cultural heritage. Some resisted leaving Arkansas, yet the scars of loss and displacement remained. Our narratives stem from Cherokee origins in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama, molded by paths of sorrow, resilience, and a search for belonging, culminating in Arkansas and Oklahoma.
Tracing My Maternal Ancestry
My maternal lineage is rich with remarkable stories that vividly depict my heritage, shaped by a resilient line of women. Starting with Melba Attakullakulla of the Paint Clan and Chief Black Fox, my 6th great-grandparents, I trace their lives through several generations, realizing how intertwined their stories are with the creation of the Lost Cherokee identity.
My 5th great-grandmother, Nancy Ann Nunhyi Ward Black Fox, was born in 1775 in North Carolina and died in Fentress County, Tennessee. She married Isaac Cooper who was rumored to be half Cherokee and half Choctaw. They continued our lineage in Kentucky and Tennessee.
Numerous records document the lives of Nancy and Isaac, starting with their 1795 marriage in Tennessee. At that time, Cherokee territory extended from North Carolina into Tennessee and Alabama. The 1790 U.S. Census lists Isaac Cooper in Montgomery, North Carolina. Subsequently, an 1810 U.S. Census entry for Wayne County, Kentucky appears. Why Kentucky? Documentation reveals Isaac Cooper provided a deposition at James Cooper's residence in the newly established Jackson County, Alabama, concerning the Great Salt Works on the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River in Wayne County, Kentucky. Evidently, Isaac was engaged in the mining business. The 1820 census confirms Nancy and Isaac residing in Wayne County, Kentucky. The Kentucky, U.S., Land Grants, 1782-1924 indicate that Isaac was granted 50 acres of land in 1823 in Wayne County, Kentucky, on Beaver Creek, where he managed a salt mine.
Records for Nancy Cooper
1840 Fentriss County, Tennessee listed as head of household
1850 & 1860 Carroll County, Tennesse living with her daughter's family
1870 Nancy had land enumerated in Fentriss County, Tennessee
1870 Probate records in Maury County, Tennessee
My fourth great-grandmother, Tabitha Jane Cooper, was born in Alabama in 1802. She married Robert Gray in Alabama, where they had their first two children. The subsequent five children were born in Tennessee, and their eighth child was born in Arkansas in 1838. They were recorded in Union, Marion County, Arkansas, in the 1840 U.S. Census. Robert passed away in 1849, and by the 1850 census, Tabitha was in Spring Creek, Yell, Arkansas, where she remained until her death in 1860. The journey of these ancestors traces the westward migration of Cherokee families and reflects their adaptation to new surroundings, which promoted growth and added complexity to our family identity.
My third great-grandmother and first child of Tabitha and Robert was Sarah A. Gray, born in Alabama in 1819, who married Obediah Wood in Marion County, Arkansas. Her origins lay in Alabama, while his were in Tennessee. It remains unclear whether their families knew each other before settling in Arkansas, but their migration from Cherokee lands indicates the profound ties my forebears had in their new homelands, often influenced by the socio-political environments of the era. In the 1840 U.S. Census, they were listed in Union, Marion County, Arkansas, and by 1850, they had settled in Spring Creek, Yell County, Arkansas. By 1860, they had acquired land and continued to expand their property over the next two decades. The land, abundant in timber, enabled the family to establish a sawmill and enter the lumber industry. According to one account, Obediah supplied the lumber for the first houses constructed as Dardanelle started to develop into a town. He also supplied the timber for the pontoon bridge that facilitated the movement of people and goods across the Arkansas River between Dardanelle and Russellville.
Fast forward to my 2nd great-grandparents, James A. Wood and Mary Ann Cannon. James was the first child of Sarah and Obediah born in 1838 In Marion County, Arkansas. He also worked timber. James and Mary Ann appeared in the 1870 census for Delaware, Yell County, Arkansas. Indeed, that is the correct county. Logan County did not exist at that time; many of the towns and communities now in Logan County were part of Yell, Scott, Franklin, and Johnson Counties until 1871. That year, the state carved out portions of these counties to create Saber County, which is today known as Logan County. In 1876, James and Mary Ann acquired land in Delaware, Logan County, Arkansas, where James continued his timber work and together, they raised their family. They both passed away there, James in 1913 and Mary Ann in 1915. They are interred at Graves Cemetery, situated on Highway 22 near Delaware, Logan County, Arkansas. Mary Ann Cannon, too, has Cherokee ancestry, but that's another story for my chronicles. A Cherokee marker is placed at the foot of her grave to honor this heritage for posterity.
My great-grandmother, Martha Catherine Wood aka Kate, was born in February 1875, as per the census records from Delaware, Logan County, Arkansas. She was first wed to Jerome Shoemaker, who was born in 1875 in Yell County, Arkansas, and together they had a daughter, Eva, in 1894. Jerome was not present in the 1900 census, which could suggest that he either passed away or they divorced, but I have no records to confirm either event. The 1900 census of Delaware, Logan County, Arkansas, lists Kate along with Eva and Allen Harvey Brown, indicating that they had been married for two years. Additionally, another daughter, Mamie Brown, born in 1899, is mentioned.
Over the subsequent 12 years, Kate and Allen welcomed five more children. They were endearingly referred to as Uncle Bill, Aunt Ethel, Grandma, Uncle Carroll, and Uncle Charlie by me. They all led long lives and remained in the vicinity of Delaware, Dardanelle, and Russellville. Mamie likely passed away early, as I cannot locate her in any census after 1900, so she was unknown to me. Allen succumbed to the bird flu in 1918 in Russellville, Arkansas during a pandemic that claimed millions of lives globally. I learned that his passing profoundly affected Kate, and she mourned his loss until her own death in 1927 in Carden Bottoms, where she had labored to pick cotton and other crops to support her family.
My grandmother was Artie Gertrude Brown born in 1907 in what was then known as Blaine, Logan County, Arkansas. It might come as a surprise, but yes, the area was referred to as Blaine at that time. The town was renamed New Blaine in 1923 with the construction of a new post office. Her family resided in the vicinity of Russellville and Dardanelle throughout her life. However, her step grandmother and Allen's siblings had moved to LeFlore County, Oklahoma by 1920. Records show that Artie's family traveled to visit, and indeed, Artie wed William Earl Reed, aka Bill, on November 23, 1923, in Bengal, Latimer, Oklahoma. Bill's family was in eastern Oklahoma, employed in the coal mining industry. Over a span of 26 years, they welcomed seven children, all born in Arkansas, three of whom have passed away. Artie passed away at the age of 87 on January 11, 1994, in Russellville, Arkansas.
Finally, I come to my mother, Jessie Catherine Reed, who was born in 1930 in Russellville, Arkansas. She took great pride in her Cherokee heritage, a pride that was evident in the sparkle in her eyes whenever she recounted the stories passed down from her family that affirmed our lineage. Her life was a testament to the joys and hardships of a Cherokee descendant in a world that frequently ignored her ancestral history. Her experiences thus inspire my own search for identity and a deeper connection to our past, tracing an unbroken line through generations marked by both victory and adversity. My mother battled pulmonary fibrosis for six years before passing away on in Russellville, Arkansas on January 30, 2021, at the age of 90.
My mother and I are both strong women; she was assertive in a subtle manner, whereas I am vocal about my views on the pressing issues that affect our world, nation, and state, which impede progress, human rights, and liberty. I credit a great deal of my fortitude, resilience, and empathy to the Cherokee women from both my maternal and paternal heritage.
Regarding physical traits associated with Cherokee heritage, my grandmother, mother, and I all possess the Cherokee appearance, with my grandmother, Artie, having the most pronounced features. The photograph dates back to 1951, with Artie holding me beside my mother. At that time, we resided with my grandparents in Centerville, Arkansas. Undoubtedly, that's me sporting the attitude. Even then, I likely sensed I was destined to be a formidable ambassador of my Cherokee lineage.I am particularly captivated by the story of my maternal ancestry. Tracing my ancestry back to Melba Attakullakulla, there are nine generations, including eight women and one man, covering more than 270 years from 1750 to the present. The history I carry is profoundly rich and moving. I am acutely conscious of how each ancestor, maternal and paternal, has contributed to my identity, yet it is my Cherokee heritage that resonates with me most deeply.
Proud descendant of Melba Attakullakulla and Chief Black Fox of the Cherokee Nation. A part of the lost Cherokee of Arkansas.
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