United States, 39.76, -98.51837-02-18Letter dated February 18, 1837 from (Lewis Ross ?) to his brother (John Ross, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation ?) relating recent events in the Cherokee Nation. He informs his brother of an election that took place in New Echota concerning the distribution of annuity payments from the United States to the Cherokees. A large group of people crossed on ferry to take part in the election and chose George Lowrey, Cherokee leader, to receive the funds. (Lewis Ross ?) suspects that the true amount due the Nation is more than was reported and asks his brother to check on this. During the time of the election General John E. Wool gave a speech translated by Jesse Bushyhead, a Cherokee interpreter, explaining the terms of the recent treaty (Treaty of New Echota, 1835), advising the people to prepare to remove, and offering to supply certain provisions. (Ross ?) also reports that men who were accused of attacking an officer were whipped, and Bridge Maker and Tom Foreman were arrested for speaking out against the treaty. He says that emigrants have been passing through and there is much sickness.Digital image and encoded transcription of an original manuscript, scanned, transcribed and encoded by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Libraries in 2000, as part of GALILEO, funded in part by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.text/htmlimage/jpegch034engManuscript held by the The Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville, TN, State Library Cherokee Collection, box 1, folder 24, document ch034.Mode of access: World Wide Web.System requirements: AT&T DjVu browser plug-in needed to view images of documents.http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/Cherokee Indians--Social conditionsCherokee Indians--Politics and governmentCherokee Indians--Legal status, laws, etc.[Letter], 1837 Feb. 18, Cherokee Agency [to John Ross ?] / [Lewis Ross ?]Text