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106-514: The modern community identifies as being of Cherokee descent as well as Choctaw , Chickasaw , and Muscogee descent. They are descended from a few Cherokee who had migrated to Texas prior to the Cherokee War of 1839 under Duwa'li, or The Bowl . Additionally, the main body of the original Cherokee community was made up of Old Settler and Treaty Party (Ridge Party) Cherokee from Indian Territory . Between 1847 and 1853 they were joined by

212-507: A plantation , owned 30 African-American slaves as laborers, and became a wealthy planter. The plantation consisted of nearly three hundred cleared acres; its main cash crops were corn, tobacco, and cotton. He built his house. Major Ridge also developed and owned a profitable ferry that carried wagons and their teams across the Oostanuaula River . As another business, Ridge founded a trading post in partnership with George Lavender,

318-660: A warrior . The Cherokee believed that a man's achievements as a warrior were a sign of his spiritual power and part of his leadership. Until the end of the Cherokee – American wars, the young man was known as Nunnehidihi , meaning "He Who Slays The Enemy In His Path" or "The Pathkiller" (not the same as another chief of the same name). Later Ridge was named Ganundalegi (other spellings include Ca-Nun-Tah-Cla-Kee, Ca-Nun-Ta-Cla-Gee, and Ka-Nun-Tah-Kla-Gee), meaning "The Man Who Walks On The Mountain Top Ridge." White men knew him by

424-586: A Cherokee council in Turkeytown . Ridge had long opposed U.S. government proposals for the Cherokee to sell their lands and remove to the West . But, Georgia efforts to suppress the Cherokee government and the pressure of rapidly expanding European-American settlements caused him to change his mind. Advised by his son John Ridge , Major Ridge came to believe the best way to preserve the Cherokee Nation

530-615: A Creek pro-removal group similar to the Cherokee Ridge Party. The Choctaw were led initially by Jeremiah Jones, followed in 1853 by Archibald Thompson. The Muscogee were led by William and Thomas Berryhill, whose families had been tied to Broken Arrow and Horse Path towns in the former Creek Nation in the Southeast. With the annexation of Texas into the United States of America, Indians were allowed to own lands in

636-456: A Scots trader who returned to Europe and left a Cherokee wife and daughter behind in America. Ridge was the third son born, but the first to survive to adulthood. He had two younger brothers, one of whom became known as David Uwatie (father of Stand Watie ). From his early years, Ridge was taught patience and self-denial, and to endure fatigue. On reaching the proper age, he was initiated as

742-516: A broader idea though, that one needs to have relatively close or lived social relations with other tribal kin that you are claiming. Being able to produce the genealogical documentation to access tribal citizenship is one way of showing that a tribe claims you. They can claim you through official legal means. But you can also have your tribal community claim you through social means that are not official legal means. She states that while DNA can indicate one's biological relatives, actual tribal membership

848-430: A businessman, Malcolm Crim did well for the community, ensuring that many descendants from Kilgore to Troup were not taken advantage of by the abundance of less than scrupulous individuals who flooded into tribal areas. Over a four-week period Kilgore went from a sleepy town of 500, with a sizable Native population, to a city of 10,000, made up of rough migrants and speculators. Change was inevitable even with Malcolm Crim as

954-615: A homeland for those wanting to leave Indian Territory. To solve this problem, Benjamin Franklin Thompson, the European-American husband of Annie Martin, a Cherokee woman, purchased 10,000 acres (40 km) of land for the community near what is now Kilgore, Texas . Her father John Martin served as the First Chief Justice of the Cherokee Nation. With this purchase and a similar purchase to the south of

1060-603: A lawmaker. As a warrior, he fought in the Cherokee–American wars against American frontiersmen. Later, Major Ridge led the Cherokee in alliances with General Andrew Jackson and the United States in the Creek and Seminole wars of the early 19th century. Along with Charles R. Hicks and James Vann , Ridge was part of the "Cherokee triumvirate," a group of rising younger chiefs in the early nineteenth-century Cherokee Nation who supported acculturation and other changes in how

1166-553: A local leader or chief was still utilized as can be seen in organizational activities related to everything from the Dawes Commission and Guion Miller enrollment, to the oil boom, or even social activities such as the communities involvement in local cultural events like the 1939 heritage days parade in Longview, Texas. The General Assembly and Annual Reunion has been held specifically since 1939 with three cancelled during

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1272-526: A meeting of the General Assembly held in Tahlequah, Oklahoma , with nearly 500 Texas Cherokee present, Jake Claude Muskrat was elected the next TCAB executive committee chairman. He was the first TCAB chairman who had not lived at Mount Tabor. Muskrat, a descendant of Chief Richard Fields, was succeeded in 1939 by W.W. Keeler . U.S. President Harry Truman appointed Keeler as Principal Chief of

1378-528: A new homeland. Many of the community's ancestors were buried there, and the people were doing relatively well in East Texas. Whey they assessed the lands offered, they took into account that these 15 million acres were occupied by the Comanche and Kiowa peoples. They would have reacted to Tabor or other Texas Cherokee as intruders. War would have been inevitable. Adair thought this was unacceptable. Before

1484-536: A reinstatement list, restoring their Choctaw citizenship. Some 70 Texas Choctaw from Mount Tabor were recognized as "Choctaw by Blood" and citizens of that nation. But unlike the Cherokee, most Choctaw and Chickasaw of Mount Tabor remained in the east Texas tribal community. During this same period, Caleb Starr Bean, who served as the Mount Tabor community chief, sought to gain enrollment on the Dawes Roll for

1590-475: A tense period. It had been only five years since the Cherokee War and a little over a year since Chicken Trotter had signed a new treaty with Texas at Birds Fort ending hostilities. The Old Settler-Ridge Party delegation was led by John Harnage, James Starr, J.L. Thompson, and John Adair Bell. Also known as John "Jack" Bell, he was a brother of both Devereaux Jarrett Bell and Sam Bell, who had remained in Texas after

1696-579: A tomahawk to kill the old chief on August 9, 1807, at the Hiwassee Garrison in Tennessee). Shortly before the War of 1812, Shawnee chief Tecumseh and his brother, Tenskawatawa (also called "The Prophet"), came south to recruit other tribes to unite and together prevent the sale of their lands to white immigrants. Tecumseh urged his listeners to reject subservience to the United States, reject

1802-496: A wave of violence within the nation. Among Ridge's killers was Bird Doublehead. Ridge had killed his father Chief Doublehead under orders by the Cherokee National Council. Another of his killers was James Foreman, Bird's half-brother. In 1842 Stand Watie, Ridge's nephew, killed Foreman. In 1845 opponents killed his younger brother, Thomas Watie. The cycle of retaliatory violence within the Cherokee resulted in

1908-584: A white man; the post provided staples and luxury European-American goods such as calico and silk fabrics. In 1816, Andrew Jackson tried to persuade the Chickasaw and Cherokee nations to sell their lands in the Southeast and move west of the Mississippi River. He was rebuffed by most of the Cherokee chiefs at a council in Mississippi. They told him that he must meet with Chief Pathkiller at

2014-441: Is a legal category based on complex understandings of family relations, governmental and tribal rules, and reservation histories. Self-identification occurs when a person states that they have Indigenous identity or descent with no confirmation or acceptance from the tribe they claim. There are many reasons people may self-identify as Cherokee or as Cherokee descendants without meeting enrollment criteria and without being part of

2120-685: Is known as Eufaula, Oklahoma . The Choctaw met with considerable resistance from authorities in Indian Territory. Some Yowani Choctaw had left Texas shortly after their village on Attoyac Bayou was attacked and eleven members massacred by white vigilantes from Nacogdoches in 1840. They settled in the southern Chickasaw Nation not far from Ardmore, Oklahoma near Houani Creek. Around 1885 William Clyde Thompson , along with John Thurston Thompson Jr., and Martin Luther Thompson , led Choctaw from Rusk and neighboring Smith County, Texas to

2226-603: The American Civil War . Many Cherokee supported the Confederacy, despite the Southern governments having pushed them out. The Confederacy officials now said they would recognize an independent Indian state if successful in creating an independent nation. Stand Watie served as Principal Chief (1862-1866) of the pro-Confederate Cherokee after Ross and many Union-supporters withdrew to another location. He served as

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2332-698: The Cherokee Nation (CN) in Oklahoma. Enrollment criteria are different for each nation. Kim TallBear ( Dakota ), author of Native American DNA: Tribal Belonging and the False Promise of Genetic Science , says that Indigenous identity is not about any distant ancestor, but rather political citizenship, culture, kinship, and daily, lived experience as part of an Indigenous community. There are very specific tribal enrollment rules from tribe to tribe, it's pretty complicated. Those rules sit within

2438-793: The Foreign Mission School . After the Cherokee–American wars, the Ridges lived in the Cherokee town of Oothcaloga. (The modern city of Calhoun, Georgia , developed near here.) About 1819, they moved near the Cherokee town of Chatuga (modern-day Rome ) at the confluence of the Oostanaula and Etowah rivers, which forms the Coosa River . Ridge acquired 223 acres that fronted on the Oostanaula River, upstream of

2544-677: The West in March 1837. The treaty had been signed in December 1835 and was amended and ratified in March 1836. Georgia illegally put Cherokee lands in a lottery and auctioned them off even before the Cherokee removal date; settlers started arriving and squatting on Cherokee-occupied land. Georgia supported the settlers against the Cherokee. After 1838, the US government forcibly rounded up the remaining Cherokee (along with their slaves) on tribal lands. They were

2650-954: The American Civil War. The entire band allied with the Confederate States, with most Cherokee serving under General Stand Watie, who had lived for short periods at Mount Tabor. His wife, Sarah Caroline Bell-Watie, lived there in 1863 with her sister Nancy Bell and brother-in-law George Harlan Starr. While most of the Cherokee males of Mount Tabor served with the Second Cherokee Mounted Rifles under Watie and former Mount Tabor resident, Colonel William Penn Adair , some chose to serve with other Texas units. John Martin Thompson organized units at Bellview, which comprised Cherokee as well as Choctaw and intermarried whites. The band suffered greatly during

2756-828: The Ardmore area in the Chickasaw Nation . They wanted to register as members in the Choctaw Nation during enrollment on the Dawes Rolls . While all the Texas Choctaw relocating to Indian Territory were initially enrolled on the Final Roll of the Choctaw Nation, they were later stricken. Initially listed as Mississippi Choctaw, their status was later changed to MCR (Mississippi-Choctaw-Rejected). Tribal officials said they no longer belonged, as they and

2862-703: The Census Bureau reporting that 819,105 Americans claimed at least one Cherokee ancestor." By contrast, as of 2012 there were only 330,716 enrolled Cherokee citizens (Cherokee Nation: 288,749; United Keetoowah Band: 14,300; Eastern Band: 14,667 ). There are three federally recognized Cherokee tribes: the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (ECBI) in North Carolina, the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians (UKB) in Oklahoma, and

2968-536: The Cherokee Blood Law by members of the Ross faction. Ridge was killed while riding along a road, a group of five men waited with rifles in bushes under trees firing several gunshots at him, with five bullets piercing his head and body leaving the body slumped in saddle. The Ross faction also tried to kill Ridge's nephew Stand Watie , but he survived. Other Treaty Party members were later killed, starting

3074-570: The Cherokee Nation in 1949. He served in both capacities with the Cherokee Nation and TCAB until 1972, when the Cherokee Nation established a constitution for electoral government. After the death of Thompson, the Texas Cherokees and Associate Bands became more influenced by the majority of Cherokee in Oklahoma. During the 1920 effort to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, a major schism developed between TCAB attorney George Fields and Texas leader Martin Luther Thompson. Fields contended that this

3180-690: The Cherokee Nation–east, still fearing reprisals for the Treaty of New Echota, had a secure home and thus the Mount Tabor Indian Community was founded. The original Mount Tabor village was located just over four miles south of where present-day downtown Kilgore developed in Rusk County, Texas . It appears to have been established on or near the former village of Chief Richard Fields, which had been led by his son Fox Fields at

3286-589: The Cherokee War. John Adair Bell, also known as Jack, had been one of the signatories of the Treaty of New Echota. These two groups met those that had been in Monclova prior to the Treaty of Birds Fort near the Brazos River in what was then, West Texas. At that time, the Cherokee were prohibited from owning land in the old Bowles treaty area of Republic of Texas. Devereaux Bell had been trying to find lands since 1840 but none could have been large enough to secure

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3392-780: The Cherokee alongside the United States General Andrew Jackson at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend during the Creek War against the Red Sticks . This was a civil war within the Creek Nation between the Upper Towns and Lower Towns, who differed in their interaction with European Americans versus holding on to tradition. Ridge had joined the campaign as an unofficial militia lieutenant. (Jackson

3498-505: The Cherokee community: Individuals who claim Cherokee descent do not meet the criteria necessary to claim Native American identity under the provisions of the American Indian Arts and Crafts Act , except for those enrolled in one of the seven state-recognized tribes who identify as Cherokee. The academic Joel W. Martin noted that "an astonishing number of southerners assert they have a grandmother or great-grandmother who

3604-662: The Cherokee left Mount Tabor to return to the Cherokee Nation in Indian Territory. The Choctaw and Muscogee had different reactions after the war. Most of the Berryhill and related families were scattered throughout Texas and western Louisiana, with groups in Limestone and Angelina counties in Texas and Natchitoches Parish in Louisiana. Another sizable group headed north to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, putting down roots near what

3710-452: The Cherokee to cede their remaining lands in the Southeast to the US and to relocate to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River. Opponents strongly protested to the US government and negotiated a new treaty the following year, but were still forced to accept removal. Blamed for the ceding of communal land and the deaths of the Trail of Tears , Ridge was assassinated in 1839 by members of

3816-611: The Cherokee tribe should respond the United States’ passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830 , Ridge had become a wealthy plantation and slave owner. Under increasing pressure for removal from the federal government, Ridge and others of the Treaty Party signed the controversial Treaty of New Echota of 1835. They believed removal was inevitable and tried to protect Cherokee rights in the process. It required

3922-526: The Choctaw and Muscogee, were not eligible. Those who did not remove to Texas until after the Cherokee arrived in Indian Territory in 1839, were eligible. Chief Caleb Bean worked diligently to insure that all known Mount Tabor Cherokee people who were eligible, had a chance to apply for Guion Miller enrollment. He died in 1902 before the roll was closed, but his brother John Ellis Bean became the next community chief and took over his efforts. Chief John Bean kept

4028-627: The Executive Committee of the TCAB until 1988. J.C. Thompson was appointed by the Committee to replace him. Bean remained a member of the Executive Committee, which included Billy Bob Crim, R. Nicholas Hearne, and Saunders Gregg. Thompson first addressed the community's standing as a recognized tribe. The Mount Tabor Community was never like larger bands or nations with a constitutional government or council. The Executive Committee acted as

4134-587: The Mount Tabor Executive Committee. In 1978 the band set up its first bylaws that were distinct from the 1925 Texas Cherokee and Associate Band by-laws. In 1998, the band approved a new constitution as part of their effort to meet federal standards for self-government and to gain federal recognition as a tribe by the Secretary of Interior in their Federal Acknowledgment Project . The band started seeking federal recognition in 1990 but

4240-962: The Mount Tabor Indian Community since the late 19th century migrated in stages to east Texas. The first were a few survivors of the Cherokee War . With the violation of the Treaty of Bowles Village on February 23, 1836, between the Republic of Texas and the Texas Cherokee, the Texian Army ruthlessly pushed the Cherokee and allied Lenape (Delaware) and Shawnee Indians from the treaty lands, scattering them to multiple locations. A band of Cherokee sought refuge in Monclova , Coahuila , Mexico , led by Fox Fields and Chicken Trotter. From there, along with their Mexican liaison, Vicente Córdova,

4346-403: The Ross faction Cherokee assassinated Major Ridge and some of his allies, carrying out what they considered a capital sentence, the Old Settler and Ridge Party party factions sought relief. First, they proposed a division of the Cherokee Nation, with the southern part going to the Old Settlers and Ridge Party, and the north to the Ross supporters, forming two separate Cherokee governments. That idea

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4452-399: The Ross faction who believed they were acting in accordance with the Cherokee Blood Law. Ridge was born about 1772 into the Deer clan of his mother, Oganotota (O-go-nuh-to-tua), a Scots-Cherokee woman, in the Cherokee town of Great Hiwassee , along the Hiwassee River (an area later part of Tennessee ). His father was believed to be full-blood Cherokee. Ridge's maternal grandfather was

4558-454: The TCAB again reflect only a local Texas organization. With the approval of the 1975 Cherokee Nation constitution, the TCAB ceased to exist in Oklahoma without a vote. Since, it has been active only in Texas. Some Oklahoma Cherokee have continued to serve on the Executive Committee, such as Mack Starr and George Bell, but after 1980 all Executive Committee members have been tied to Mount Tabor in Texas only. Judge Foster Bean served as Chairman of

4664-436: The TCAB filed suits in an effort to gain more compensation for treaty violations. The first were filed against the State of Texas from 1871–1875, after which the state changed its constitution, which blocked further attempts. The TCAB sought land through filing liens in Rusk and Smith counties in 1914, and reached the United States Supreme Court on appeal in 1920–21, and the Indian Claims Commission in 1949–1953. The suit of 1963

4770-457: The Texas Cherokee fought an irregular war against the Texians from 1840 until hostilities ceased after the signing of the 1843 Treaty of Bird's Fort . A combined force of Texas Cherokee, Choctaw, Caddo and Mexican militia saw action against the Texas Republic at San Patricio and Corpus Christi, with the final confrontations coming with General Adrián Woll 's invasion of San Antonio de Bexar in September 1842. There, they were involved in

4876-410: The Texas revolution, the Mexican government had offered similar land, in order for the Texas Cherokee to move west and form a barrier to the Comanche, Lipan Apache, and other tribes. That had been rejected by The Bowl and Adair followed suit. Following the war, with a Confederate Cherokee delegation in Washington, William Adair tried to gain approval for Confederate Cherokees to be allowed to return to

4982-456: The Thompson Cemetery at Laird Hill; and the Mount Tabor Indian Cemetery in rural Rusk County. Additionally, the band publishes a quarterly newspaper, The Mount Tabor Phoenix . In 2015, J.C. Thompson registered the Mount Tabor Indian Heritage Center , a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, based in Kilgore, Texas . Thompson was the organization's president in 2018. While Benjamin Franklin Thompson purchased lands that would become Mount Tabor in

5088-434: The Thompson land by Jesse Mayfield, another European American married to a Cherokee woman, the Cherokee effectively occupied a new homeland. Mayfield's wife was Sarah Starr, the great granddaughter of Beloved Woman Nancy Ward . By the summer of 1847 until the mid 1850s, families began the trek to Texas and safety. With the Thompson and Mayfield lands now available and Texas annexation into the United States, those remaining in

5194-433: The Treaty or Ridge Party that signed the Treaty of New Echota , clashed with the new arrivals who came after the Trail of Tears and forced removal by the United States. The followers of Principal Chief John Ross had initially opposed removal, and carried out their capital sentence against persons who had ceded their lands, as they saw it. The Ridge Party had accepted the treaty and removal because they thought to do otherwise

5300-482: The United States, and then suffered the Indian Removal through the 1830s, that culminated in the Trail of Tears . Hailing from different language groups, the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw and Creek refugees came together in Texas, forming a loose-knit—but well defined—Native community. It was initially numerically dominated by Cherokee Indians; however, since 1900 the majority of the band have been of ethnic Choctaw and Chickasaw ancestry. The four tribes that combined as

5406-487: The band is made up of those descendants that continue to reside there. The band's current headquarters is in Kilgore, Texas , with significant populations near New London , Overton , Arp , and Troup, Texas . Descendants of the four American Indian tribes that make up the Mount Tabor Indian Community have a shared experience in the colonization of the American Southeast by Europeans. From the early nineteenth century they suffered constant encroachment by frontier settlers of

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5512-416: The chief headman of the Overhill Towns . In 1807, Doublehead was bribed by white speculators to cede some Cherokee communal land without approval by the Cherokee National Council. The Council determined this to be a capital crime against the nation, and directed Ridge, James Vann , and Alexander Sanders to execute Doublehead. (Vann became too drunk to participate. The other two men used guns, knives, and

5618-412: The community by the TCAB title, but as Mount Tabor. The Executive Committee and General Assembly do not consider the community to be a Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, or Muscogee-Creek tribe or band, but rather a combination of peoples who have are an interrelated band by blood, marriage and history. J.C. Thompson served as Chairman until 1998, when Terry Jean Easterly was selected as the first woman to lead

5724-502: The community lands, Leota and Walter had help from Malcolm Crim to insure the family received the royalties owed. The Oil Museum has a quote from Leota about that time period; "She held onto the land, and in the early 1930s--the East Texas Oil field! Leota, who had cooked and scrubbed and scrounged and lived in a tent during the drilling of the first two dry holes on Daisy Bradford's farm, told J. Malcolm Crim when Daisy Bradford #3 came in, "I'll never wring out another dishrag in my life!" As

5830-401: The community maintained its local leadership. Following the death of John Ellis Bean in 1927, J. Malcolm Crim took over as leader, with Martin Luther Thompson as his second. The Great Depression hit the area hard, but was dramatically relieved by the discovery of oil on October 3, 1930 by Columbus M. "Dad" Joiner, at Daisy Bradford #3 near Kilgore, and soon thereafter at Lou Della Crim #1. This

5936-499: The community, yet maintained the Texas tie to the TCAB. Thus the official name of the community was adopted as the Texas Cherokees an Associate Bands of the Mount Tabor Indian Community. However, while that was the legal name, due to the number of fraudulent groups calling themselves Cherokee tribes, it was determined to only utilize the Mount Tabor Indian Community, the traditional name given the community in 1853 by John Adair Bell, this didn't distinguish any particular tribe but showed how

6042-461: The community. Easterly is also the first leader who has not had Cherokee ancestry. She is Choctaw, Chickasaw and Creek, a descendant of both the Thompson-McCoy and Jones families through Arthur Thompson, brother of William C. Thompson. She served from 1998 to 2000 and was succeeded by Peggy Dean-Atwood, a descendant of Archibald Thompson, who also had no Cherokee ancestry. Atwood served through 2001. After her resignation, J.C. Thompson became Chairman for

6148-408: The community. One story from the Oil Museum in Kilgore, relates to the Choctaw-Chickasaw family from the Screech Owl Bend community, a sub-community of Mount Tabor. The story shows the change that the oil boom brought to the community. Leota Florey a non-Native married to Walter Tucker a Choctaw-Chickasaw and grandson of Hugh McCoy Thompson, had inherited 301 acres in 1904. As oil was being discovered in

6254-427: The confluence. Starting with a log dogtrot house on the property, Ridge expanded the house to a two-story white frame house with extensions on either end. Like European-American planters, Ridge used enslaved African Americans to work the cotton fields on his plantation. Nearby, Ridge's protégé John Ross had established his own home and plantation. Ridge had no formal education and could neither read nor write. But he

6360-466: The criteria for Cherokee tribal citizenship may describe themselves as "being of Cherokee descent" or "being a Cherokee descendant". These terms are also used by non-Native individuals whose ancestry has not been independently verified. According to Gregory D. Smithers , a large number of Americans describe themselves in this way: "In 2000, the federal census reported that 729,533 Americans self-identified as Cherokee. By 2010, that number increased, with

6466-491: The current tribal government into its present order. Prior to 1998, other than two attempts at drafting By Laws, the community did not operate like other tribes as it was not a formal nation or band, but a small community made up of five extended families. Two additional families have been recognized since then. Other changes deal with the group's name. The community has been known since its inception first as Mount Taber and Bellvue communities then as Texas Cherokees. References to

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6572-402: The deaths of all the other Watie family males of that generation. Stand Watie survived the violence of the 1840s, when the Cherokee conflict descended into virtual civil war. In the 1850s, Watie was tried in Arkansas for Foreman's murder, but he was acquitted on grounds of self-defense; he was defended by his brother Elias Cornelius Boudinot . Tribal divisions were exacerbated by the outbreak of

6678-469: The defeat of the Dawson Expedition , as well as the loss at the Battle of Salado Creek . Eighteen Cherokee were killed along with military liaison Córdova. Shortly after this, Sam Houston returned as president of the Republic of Texas, and the Texas Cherokee sought peace. During this same period, the larger Cherokee Nation had carried their internal rivalries after removal to their new lands in Indian Territory. The followers of Major Ridge , who had formed

6784-438: The dominant Ross faction of the Cherokee Nation in order to seek peace for their families. In 1845 United States President James Polk issued an order for these two groups to seek lands suitable to settle on in Texas. Following the establishment of the community some six miles south of present-day Kilgore, Texas , the Cherokee were soon joined by Yowani Choctaw , intermarried Chickasaw, and McIntosh Party Creek Indians. Today

6890-447: The entire community came together for a decision. This form of government as represented in the General Assembly was adopted in to the 1998 constitution and remains as the legislative part of Mount Tabor today. The addition of the Executive Committee relates to the connection with the Texas Cherokees and Associate Bands. This organization based in IT after the Civil War was relied upon as part of he leadership of Mount Tabor as well, although

6996-462: The first mayor of Kilgore. By 1933, Crim was focused on his own business interests. Foster Trammell Bean became the next community Chief. Foster Bean was the grandson of Chief John Ellis Bean. He served as a local attorney, judge, and as mayor of Kilgore for twenty years. He maintained a good relationship with W.W. Keeler, but served only intermittently on the TCAB Executive Committee. With the death of Martin Luther Thompson in 1946, all local leadership

7102-448: The four tribes became one. The name has remained the same since that time. Mount Tabor membership is limited to lineal descendants of seven extended families, represented by specific progenitors whose family remained within or in contact with the Mount Tabor Indian Community from 1850 to the present. The seven primary progenitors are: Cherokee descent Individuals with some degree of documented Cherokee descent who do not meet

7208-449: The group prior to 1990 was Texas Cherokees or Texas Band as a part of the Texas Cherokees and Associate Bands. Part of this had to do with Cherokees being in positions of leadership from the beginning. It is however a misnomer as while the seven recognized families are made up of four well documented Cherokee families (Martin; Bean; Harnage and Fish), the three additional documented families are Choctaw, Chickasaw and Muscogee Creek. Since 1900

7314-408: The last of the Five Civilized Tribes of the Southeast to make the journey that became known as the " Trail of Tears ," during which nearly 4,000 Cherokee died. Accompanied by his wife, daughter, and one of son John's children, Major Ridge traveled by flatboat and steamer to a place in Indian Territory called Honey Creek, near the Arkansas-Missouri Border. The land Ridge had chosen was fifty miles from

7420-429: The latter proposal, they felt slighted, even though many are both Choctaw and Cherokee. The compromise in 1992 was to return to the band's original name, plus retaining the TCAB title. Since then the official name has been the Texas Cherokees and Associate Bands of the Mount Tabor Indian Community. With the explosion of fraudulent groups claiming to be "Cherokee Tribes", the Executive Committee in 1998 no longer referred to

7526-437: The people dealt with the United States. All identified as Cherokee; they were of mixed race , though Ridge was nearly full blood, and had extensive personal and professional experience and understanding of the European-American culture surrounding the Cherokee homeland. Ridge became a wealthy planter , and ferryman in Georgia. Like many Cherokee leaders, including John Ross with whom he would come to greatly disagree with on how

7632-465: The population of the community has become predominately Choctaw/Chickasaw. In 1990 it was discussed the need to officially take one name that reflected the entire community, in particular the "Associate Bands". Initially the Texas Band of Cherokee, Choctaw and Chickasaw was considered. The final decision that was approved by the General Assembly was one that reflected the traditional original name of

7738-560: The post if the three white men who lived there surrendered. But, after the men agreed to surrender, Doublehead changed his mind and ordered that all the inhabitants be killed, including thirteen women and children. This act disgusted The Ridge, who felt it dishonored the tribe. Frontiersmen pursued Ridge's band, catching them at Coyatee (near the mouth of the Little Tennessee River ). They killed several leading Chickamauga Cherokee and wounded others, including Hanging Maw ,

7844-536: The project was tabled in 1992, in part due to a misunderstanding of the criteria established by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (in consultation with tribes). The band revived its current Federal project in 2015. In the early 21st century, the band holds an annual reunion usually in either Kilgore or Troup. It maintains strong connections to three of their traditional cemeteries, the Asbury Cemetery near Overton;

7950-544: The related Jena Choctaw in Louisiana, had not been in Mississippi for multiple generations. But their ancestors had been parties to previous Choctaw treaties with the US while still residing in Mississippi. The Department of the Interior acknowledged the Choctaw ancestry but the Choctaw Advisory Board wanted to admit only those relocating from Mississippi. The Jena Band of Choctaw Indians in Louisiana faced

8056-503: The remaining Mount Tabor people. He was unsuccessful for Rusk and Smith County Cherokees, as the enrollment was based on physical residence in the Cherokee Nation. Enrollment on the Guion Miller Roll, which was a payment roll based upon previous treaties, was open to all Cherokee listed on the 1835 Cherokee census taken at the time of Indian Removal . Those who were or had ancestors among the original Texas Cherokee, as well as

8162-641: The remnants of other southeast tribes, such as the Choctaw, Chickasaw and Muscogee/Creek. These Cherokee from Indian Territory , both the Old Settler and Ridge Party groups, left the Cherokee Nation due to internal political conflicts resulting from their forced removal from the Nation's eastern homeland (that culminated in the Starr War ). The Old Settlers and the Ridge Party sought a separation from

8268-581: The same rejection. It was not until 1995 that the Jena Choctaw were finally federally recognized as a distinct tribe. Martin Luther Thompson and others returned to Rusk County, living there for the remainder of their lives. Those who had stayed with William Clyde Thompson and settled near the town of Marlow, fought the issue all the way to the United States Supreme Court. The court sided with these Choctaw, and they were entered on

8374-508: The second time. He served until August 2018, when he was succeeded by William Ellis "Billy" Bean, the great-grandson of Chief John Ellis Bean. Chairman Bean served only 13 months ending on September 2, 2019. He was succeeded by Cheryl Aleane Giordano, the third woman to hold the position. Ms. Giordano is a descendant of the Thompson-McCoy family and is of Choctaw and Chickasaw descent. She had previously served as Operations Coordinator on

8480-520: The simplified English name, "The Ridge". In 1792, Ridge married Sehoya, also known as Suzannah Catherine Wickett, a mixed-blood Cherokee of the Wild Potato clan . Her name was also spelled Sehoyah; she was the daughter of Kate Parris and Ar-tah-ku-ni-sti-sky ("Wickett"). The couple had several children, including John Ridge . They sent him in 1819 as a young man to Cornwall, Connecticut , to be educated in European-American classical studies at

8586-454: The sole government for day to day activities, the General Assembly, all blood descendants in this loose organization as compared to the larger tribes like the Cherokee or Choctaw Nations. Although some minimal bylaws were developed in the 70s, it was not until the 1998 constitution was passed that the government of the community changed. Secondly, he suggested changes to the name of the organization. The organization no longer used "Mount Tabor" and

8692-453: The spring of 1844, few Cherokees actually began residing there before 1847, with Choctaw, Chickasaw and Muscogee Creek people joining the community between 1847 and 1850. Devereaux Bell while being in Texas after 1840, it doesn't appear he established himself as part of the community until shortly before his brother John Adair Bell arrived in Texas to stay in 1852. All of the families were fully established by 1853. The leadership from 1853 to 1900

8798-457: The state. John Adair Bell soon purchased land just south of the Benjamin F. Thompson purchase. He wrote in a letter to his brother-in-law Stand Watie , "I call my place Mount Taber", listing his address as Mount Taber, Texas. [ sic ] This was the first documented reference to the community. As the community grew, it flourished. That would change as the members became caught up in

8904-606: The territory assigned to the Cherokee. He no longer wished to live among his people. His son John Ridge and Major Ridge's cousin Elias Boudinot followed six months later. In the West, the Ross faction blamed Ridge and the other signers of the Treaty of New Echota for the 4,000 deaths along the trail in the Removal , as well as the loss of communal lands, which was held to be a capital crime. In June 1839, Major Ridge and nephew Elias Boudinot , were executed in accordance with

9010-590: The time of the Cherokee War. Annie Martin-Thompson was the niece of Chief Fields. Between 1847 and 1855, numerous Cherokee families settled in Mount Tabor and Bellview, a settlement they developed. By 1850 families of Choctaw and related Chickasaw, who had been living in southern Rusk County, came to seek refuge with the Cherokee. A group of Muscogee (Creek) of the McIntosh Party also headed south from Indian Territory after being threatened by an anti-removal Creek leader named Tuskeenhaw. The McIntosh Party were

9116-523: The treaty lands in east Texas. It was unsuccessful. Following the death of Stand Watie in 1871, Adair reorganized the Texas Cherokees and Associate Bands (TCAB). He would lead the organization assisted by Clement Neely Vann. At this point, Mount Tabor was deeply involved in the organization. Adair, who needed more money than that supplied by John Martin Thompson, reached out to the Fields family for financial support for continued legal action. From 1871 to 1963,

9222-564: The tribal organization together under what were increasingly hard times: the land was not producing well; and the forests had been largely harvested by lumber companies owned by the Thompsons. The Thompson and Tucker Lumber Company, owned by John Martin Thompson , dominated in the region. Shortly after the Civil War, former Mount Tabor resident William Penn Adair , reorganized the Texas Cherokees and Associate Bands. This organization, which

9328-416: The war. They suffered war-related shortages, and a number of Cherokee, mostly women and children related to members of Watie's command, fled to Rusk County deep in Texas for refuge. The band's limited resources became strained. Following the war and the death of John Ross in 1866, the Cherokee Nation passed a "right of return" for members who wanted to rejoin the Nation. Between 1866 and 1890, more than 80% of

9434-489: The white man's agrarian lifestyle, return to their traditional lifestyles, and take up weapons to defend their lands. Ridge attended as an observer when Tecumseh spoke to the Muscogee (Creek) living nearby. Ridge was said to have confronted Tecumseh after the meeting and warned that he would kill the chief if he tried to spread that message to the Cherokee. Ridge acquired the title "Major" in 1814, during his service leading

9540-508: The winter of 1788–1789; the attack on Buchanan's Station in 1792; the campaign against the settlements of Upper East Tennessee in 1793 (that resulted in the massacre and destruction of Cavett's Station); and the so-called " Battle of Hightower " at Etowah. (Before the 1793 campaigns, he had taken part in a horse-stealing raid against the Holston River settlements, where two European-American pioneers were killed.) At age 21, Nunnehidihi

9646-408: The years of WWII until 2001. The assembly did not meet between 2002 and 2004. A brief meeting was held in 2005 and then restructured in 2015 and held again annually since. With the 1998 constitution, the government became three tiered with a seven member Executive Committee, initially with a Chief Justice, that position held by Saunders Gregg alone. In 2017 the change to a three member tribunal brought

9752-475: Was a Cherokee Nation effort. Fields wanted the Choctaw to be excluded from the Cherokee Nation. He struck the word "Choctaw" out of his papers related to the case. He left the word Jawanie (Yowani), included in the original treaty, but Martin Thompson's believed that not all Mount Tabor Choctaw (including his wife) were Yowani. Fields tried to push out the Mount Tabor descendants, but stopped short due to pressures by Claude Muskrat and John Ellis Bean. In Texas,

9858-489: Was bitterly divided over this decision. Reportedly, Ridge said as he finished, "I have signed my death warrant." The National Party of Chief John Ross and a majority of the Cherokee National Council rejected the treaty, but it was ratified by the US Senate . The next year Ross negotiated changes with the US government, but essentially Cherokee removal was confirmed. Ridge, his family, and many other Cherokee emigrated to

9964-533: Was chosen as a member of the Cherokee Council. He proved a valuable counselor, and at the second session proposed many useful laws. After the Cherokee–American wars, he changed his name to Ganundalegi , which in English was translated as "He Who Walks On The Ridge". With the massacre at Cavett's Station, a personal feud developed between The Ridge and Chief Doublehead . The latter had promised to spare

10070-525: Was concentrated under Judge Bean. In 1972, as the Cherokee Nation was reorganizing and grew more politically distant from the Mount Tabor Community. Keeler had been reappointed Principal Chief by every U.S. President from Truman to Nixon. In anticipation of more changes and with Native American activism focused on local control, he resigned as Chairman of the Texas Cherokees and Associate Bands. Foster Bean assumed all responsibilities, making

10176-512: Was followed by many more in areas occupied by the Tabor people. Lou Della Thompson-Crim was the daughter of John Martin Thompson. This discovery changed her life and many others forever. The 1930 oil boom was a two-edged sword for the Mount Tabor Community. It lifted up many of the band out of poverty, but the newfound wealth destroyed traditional indigenous culture, transforming it overnight. Malcolm Crim looked to help both Cherokees and Choctaws within

10282-666: Was involved with the larger War of 1812 against Great Britain.) Ridge used Major as his first name for the rest of his life. He also served with Jackson in the First Seminole War in 1818, leading Cherokee warriors on behalf of the US government against the Seminole Indians in Florida. His war achievements added to his stature among the Cherokee. After the war, Ridge moved his family to the Cherokee town of Head of Coosa (present-day Rome, Georgia ). He developed

10388-498: Was known as a noted orator and dynamic speaker. Ridge appreciated the value of education and believed that the Cherokee must learn to communicate with European Americans and to understand their ways in order to survive as a nation. He sent his son John to a mission boarding school at Springhill. In addition to participating in small raids and other actions, Nunnehidihi took part in the attack on Gillespie's Station and in Watts' raids in

10494-425: Was led chiefly by the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and did not include the Mount Tabor Indian Community. Following the deaths of William Adair and Clement Vann, John Martin Thompson took over the chairmanship of both the Executive Committee and Mount Tabor. He remained in that position until his death 1907. John Ellis Bean then served both as the local community chief and TCAB executive committee chairman. In 1915, at

10600-507: Was minimal with a community leader that local Natives turned to in times of need or to organize events. This was interrupted by the Civil War, although George Starr was looked to as well as Stand Watie being regarded as Chief. The Choctaw, Chickasaw and Muscogees of the community looked to George Starr and John Martin Thompson during the war years. John Thompson being the main organizer for Confederate units of those that didn't go to Indian Territory with Watie's men. If decisions needed to be made

10706-479: Was only known as the Texas Cherokees and Associate Bands, Texas Cherokees or Texas Band. Since the Executive Committee saw that the TCAB as the dual state organization, which after 1975 only remained viable in Texas. The committee proposed the name" Texas Band of Cherokee, Choctaw and Chickasaw Indians". That, and the proposed "Texas Band of Cherokee Indians" were both rejected by the General Assembly, made up of all adult members. The Choctaw descendants were offended by

10812-400: Was rejected by the federal government. But in 1845, United States President James K. Polk issued an Executive Order granting both Old Settler and Ridge Party factions permission to send a delegation to Texas to find land suitable for them to settle on. The Republic of Texas was still a separate nation and had its own ideas about desirable settlers. The arrival of the immigrant Cherokee led to

10918-458: Was some kind of Cherokee, often a princess", and that such myths serve settler purposes in aligning American frontier romance with southern regionalism and pride. Major Ridge The Ridge , later known as Major Ridge (c. 1771 – 22 June 1839; known in Cherokee as Nunnehidihi , and later Ganundalegi [ ᎦᏅᏓᏞᎩ ] ) was a Cherokee leader, a member of the tribal council, and

11024-413: Was started in Mount Tabor in the 1850s, was established to pursue redress from the violations of the Treaty of Bowles Village in 1836. The State of Texas initially offered some fifteen million acres of Texas Panhandle land, on the condition that the Texas Cherokees and Associate Bands drop any further legal action related to the treaty. Adair refused. The lands now occupied by the Texas Cherokees had become

11130-565: Was to get good terms from the U.S. government and preserve their rights in Indian Territory . On December 29, 1835, Ridge made his mark on the Treaty of New Echota , which ceded the remainder of Cherokee tribal land east of the Mississippi River for land in Indian Territory, to be supplemented by the payment of annuities for a period of time, plus support from the government in terms of supplies, tools and food. The tribe

11236-533: Was to risk the destruction of the greater Cherokee Nation. A third Cherokee faction were the Old Settlers, who had earlier migrated to the west, first to Arkansas and then to Indian Territory, before the signing of the Treaty of New Echota. They had established a functioning government separate from their eastern kinsmen. While the Old Settler and Ridge Party had cooperated, the arrival of the much larger Ross faction threw all of Indian Territory into chaos. After

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