- Collection:
- Southeastern Native American Documents, 1730-1842
- Title:
- [Letter] 1824 Oct. 2 [to] Alexander McCoy and Nathan Hicks / Charles R. Hicks
- Creator:
- Hicks, Charles R.
- Publisher:
- Manuscript held by the Special Collections Library, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, MS2033 Penelope Johnson Allen, box 1, folder 102, document pa0224.
- Date of Original:
- 1824-10-02
- Subject:
- Cherokee Indians--Land tenure
Betterments - Location:
- United States, Southern States, 33.346678, -84.119434
- Medium:
- letters (correspondence)
- Type:
- Text
- Format:
- text/html
image/jpeg - Description:
- This document, dated October 2, 1824, contains instructions from Cherokee leader Charles R. Hicks to Alexander McCoy and Nathan Hicks, hired to document Cherokee claims for improvements on ceded land. Compensation for improvements is claimed in accordance with the Treaty of Washington, signed between Cherokee leaders and the United States on February 27, 1819.
Digital image and encoded transcription of an original manuscript, scanned, transcribed and encoded by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Libraries in 2001, as part of GALILEO, funded in part by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. - Local Identifier:
- pa0224
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_pa0224
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_pa0224#item
- IIIF manifest:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_pa0224/presentation/manifest.json
- Language:
- eng
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Cite as: [title of item], MS2033 Penelope Johnson Allen, Special Collections Library, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, presented in the Digital Library of Georgia
- Extent:
- 4 pages/leaves
- Holding Institution:
- University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Special Collections
- Rights:
-
Page: [1]
Fortville
October 2nd 1824
Copy
Instructions for Alexander McCoy & NathanHicks as commissioners for taking the numbers of the Cherokee families who have claimed on the United States for compensation for their Improvements which they have left on the ceded lands, coming under the provisions of the Treaty of the
27th February 1819, lying in North Carolina Tennessee Georgia & Alabama, 1st upon which you are to act with care and enquire whether they had removed from the ceded lands before or after the cession was made to the United States, as some of the Cherokee families may have moved before the land was ceded, who might be [unclear text: Impressed ] with a belief they were equally entitled to compensations for their Improvements, with those families who had removed Since the cession of the lands to the Government --
2nd
The best manner in which you can adopt for Collecting the numbers & names of the Heads of Each families that moved from the ceded lands, will be to go to the head man who moved with them, & to notify him the object of your visit
Page: [2]
and let as many claiments [claimants] gather there as are convenient, and proceed to make enquiries of their names and the Town or vilage [village] they belonged to, the numbers of Cabbins [Cabins] they had left, the number by paces of the length [added text: and width ] of their fields, the number of fruit trees, if any on their improvements when they left and to enter Each of the above Items in Separate Columns, by numerical numbers before their names, & what losses they Sustained from the Whites in their Stocks & corn & make such remarks opposite to Each name as may have sustained the loss & to Enquire from others Such losses as they may represent --,
3rd
You will be particular to Enquire of Each Head of families, whether they had taken certificates of Restoration for Land, And if taken the Reason they had in leaving their reservations, as several of which were returned to me, & forwarded them to Colo [Colonel] Meigs which had been taken for them by their relatives not being present themselves, & you will observe also to enter all the Heads of families who have been drove off Frog Town by the Whites but not as
Page: [3]
Claiments [Claimants] for their Improvements, but only with the object of ascertaining the losses they may have Sustained by this removal, as the Cherokee Nation Still claims her right to the lands on that side of the Blue Ridge, had the boundary line had been run according to the meaning & Spirit of the Treaty of the
27th February 1819.
4th
You will first begin at Ellijay Town to take the names of the Heads of families who reside perhaps above this old Town who have removed from the ceded land, from North Carolina, from there on by Cabbin Village to Potatoe mine Creek and about Skeenee or Devil Town, from there to Currohee Dicks &c [et cetera] your services will commence on the day you start at Two dollars pr [per] day and your expences [expenses] allowed and advance you fifteen Dollars for This object & should it fall short, you will keep an account of the Sum expended over the Allowance &c &c [et cetera] --
[Signed] Chas. [Charles] R. Hicks
Page: [4]
Copy of a letter of Instructions given to Messrs. A. [Alexander] McCoy & Nathan Hicks for takeing [taking] the number of the claiments [claimants] for Improvements lef [left] on the ceded lands under the provisions of the Treaty of the
27th of Febry [February] 1819 --