A Trail of Tears: Fort Butler near Murphy, North Carolina
By Jeannette Holland Austin
Fort Butler, originally named Camp Huntington, was located on a hill
overlooking the Hiawassee River and was used as the headquarters of the
U. S. Army charged with overseeing the affairs of the Cherokee Nation.
During the Trail of Tears, it was this military deployment which forced
the Cherokees further West. From here, the Cherokees were marched to
Fort Cass and then into Indian Territory. After the Treaty of New
Echota, during July of 1836 a force of Tennessee volunteer militia under
the command of John E. Wool were sent from Tennessee. One month later
the camp was abandoned, to be reoccupied about a year later and renamed
Fort Butler. Its strategic location over the Hiawassee River led to the
towns of the tribes which were located in the valleys. By 1838, after
the deadline had passed for their removal and it was obvious that the
Cherokees refused to leave their lands, the army prepared for a forced
removal. Thus, the barracks, offices, shops, kitchens and other
buildings were enlarged. During May of 1838, General Abraham Eustis
took command. He had just left the Seminole War in Florida. The same
month, the Cherokee removal from Georgia began. Reports of abusive
treatment of prisoners caused General Winfield Scott stationed at Fort
Cass to suspend operations until early June. Because the army expected
violent resistance in the most densely populated regions of the
Cherokees, General Scott traveled to Fort Butler to personally direct
the roundup of June 12, 1838. More than 3,000 Cherokee prisoners from
western North Carolina and northern Georgia passed through Fort Butler
that summer en route to Fort Cass, Tennessee where they would endure a
long imprisonment.
The stories of the removal of the Cherokees has been spun many times.
Perhaps there was a happy ending when the Dawes Commission (of 1903)
decided to deed Oklahoma land to those who could prove a lineage to the
Cherokees. Over 32,000 applications were received in Washington, D. C.,
and although it is interesting reading them, only those relatives who
could discover their ancestors on previous Indian Rolls were found
entitled to the land.
Cherokee County Wills and Estates
Cherokee County was formed in 1839 from a part of Macon County. This
county is bordered by the states of Tennessee and Georgia, and is
located in the southern tip of the Great Smokey Mountains. Cherokee
County was named to honor the Cherokee Indians who inhabited this area
before being removed and relocated to Oklahoma in 1838. Every Cherokee
was not removed. The industrious families remained behind and their
descendants reside in the area today. In 1900 the Dawes Commission
opened up the lands in the State of Oklahoma to anyone who could prove
at least 1/32nd blood. Over 32,000 applications flooded Washington, D.
C. from Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina. Unfortunately, few were
able to prove descent as most of them were relying upon memory, however,
those who proved ancestry through the various Indian Rolls received
free land grants.
Cherokee County Wills and other Records Available to Members of North Carolina Pioneers
Miscellaneous Wills
- James, Emeline Parker, LWT (image) (1915)
- Parker, Martin, LWT (image) (1894)
Need to know if your ancestors left a will or estate record? An easy,
quick (and free) way to find out is to click on the links below.
County Records of 8 Genealogy Websites
Alabama
Georgia
Kentucky
North Carolina
Virginia
South Carolina
Tennessee
BUNDLE RATE for 8. Access to all eight websites plus additional data in other States: Bibles, genealogies, civil war records, colonial records, marriages, wills, estates, special collections, books written by renowned Georgia genealogist Jeannette Holland Austin.
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