- Collection:
- Southeastern Native American Documents, 1730-1842
- Title:
- Letter, 1832 Mar. 3, Camp Lumpkin to Governor Wilson Lumpkin, Milledgeville, Georgia / John Coffee
- Creator:
- Coffee, John, 1782-1836
- Date of Original:
- 1832-03-03
- Subject:
- Cherokee Indians--Land tenure
Cherokee Indians--Relocation
Real property - Location:
- United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018
- Medium:
- official reports
military records
requisitions - Type:
- Text
- Format:
- text/html
image/jpeg - Description:
- This is a letter dated March 3, 1832 from John Coffee at Camp Lumpkin to Governor Wilson Lumpkin (Governor of Georgia, 1831-1835) informing the governor that his duties as renting agent of former Cherokee lands ended the day before. Coffee estimates that the rents for all four sections of land amount to about four thousand dollars. He complains that the recent act of the legislature allowing whites to take over the lands of Cherokees who are being removed has led to much corruption and swindling on the part of whites. Coffee says that he has therefore promised all Cherokees who enroll after the first of the month that they will be allowed to rent their lands to the people who will give them the best prices. Coffee goes on to describe the financial situation in the camp and asks the governor to send back by Colonel Williamson, the bearer of this letter, the sum of two thousand five hundred dollars for the payment of the troops stationed there. Coffee closes the letter by vowing to make his quarterly report in person in early April.
Digital image and encoded transcription of an original manuscript, scanned, transcribed and encoded by the Digital Library of Georgia in 2001, as part of GALILEO, funded in part by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. - Local Identifier:
- tcc708
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_tcc708
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_tcc708#item
- IIIF manifest:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_zlna_tcc708/presentation/manifest.json
- Language:
- eng
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Cite as: [title of item], Telamon Cuyler, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Libraries, presented in the Digital Library of Georgia
- Extent:
- 3 pages/leaves
- Original Collection:
- Manuscript held by the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Libraries, Telamon Cuyler, box 01, folder 46, document 13.
- Holding Institution:
- Hargrett Library
- Rights:
-
Page: [1]
Camp Lumpkin
March 3rd. 1832
Dear Sir;
Yesterday my labours [labors] as renting Agent Closed at Dawsons, near this place. The amount of rents for the 3rd & 4th Sections, of recently emigrated and abandoned improvements, and some who had failed to give their rents for Lands rented at Cussetta & Decatur or [unclear text: rented ], amount to Something over two thousand dollars, The renting for the 1st & 2nd Sections of like improvements I have not yet had an oppertunity [opportunity] to Calculate, but believe it will equal the above amount. The Act of the last legislature giving to Citizens of this State the occupancy for the remainder of the present year the improvements owned by natives who they might influence to emigrate, has in my opinion, as yet done little or no good, but has been the cause of much swindling & Fraud in the state. That it may have the beneficial effects the Legislature designed, I have given to each of the Enrolling agents, a written certificate, to shew [show] to the Indians stating that all who enroll after the first of this month Shall have the privilege of renting their farms to the persons who will give them the [added text: best ] prices. This I doubted not will give the law the influence the Legislature expected and will be Complying strictly with [deleted text: the ] [added text: its ] spirit. Under the impression that we Could Economise [Economize] by purchasing Pork and Curing it ourselves instead of buying Bacon, we have purchased about Eleven Thousand pounds, all of which is now drying handsomely & considered perfectly secure. at our head Quarters we have been able to obtain a sufficiency of corn at $2 per Barrel, and fodder at 75 cts [cents] per Hundred Weight. At this place and at Camp Glascock we have been compelled to give $2.50 cts [cents] per Barrel for corn & one dollar per Hundred for Fodder, and I fear [added text: we ] [deleted text: will ] Shall not be able to obtain a Sufficiency [added text: even ] at these prices. The Thousand dollars of the public Land I had with me it exhausted, and I am in debt, this and the desire the men express to receive their [added text: pay ] at the end of the
Page: [2]
quarter makes it necessary for me to Send Colonel Williamson to Milledgeville for funds, I hope you will grant him the necessary facilities in obtaining them. The pay of the men and three Sergeants will be about two Thousand [added text: five hundred ] dollars, & I expect our thousand will be sufficient to cover the balance of our supplies; you will be pleased to issue your warrant in my favour [favor] for Three thousand five hundred dollars, Col [Colonel] Williamson is authorised [authorized] to sign Receipts for that amount. Col Williamsons going to Milledgeville Saves me the trouble of much detail, & will enable you to obtain all the information you may desire, about the public Service, and to him I refer you for particulars.
If the public Service will permit, I Shall have the Honor of making my quarterly report in person, early in
April, at which time I hope to obtain leave to pay a short visit to my family --
I have the Honor to be most respectfully your Obedient Servt. [Servant]
[Signed] Jno [John] Coffee .
To His Exelency [Excellency] Wilson Lumpkin Milledgeville
Page: [3]
To His Exelency [Excellency] Wilson Lumpkin Milledgeville Ga. [Georgia]
By Coln. [Colonel] Williamson.
Ansd. [Answered]
March 14th 1832
Letter
John Coffee
dated
3rd. March 1832