Volume 13 , Issue 52

Native Americans - Trail of Tears Assoc., Georgia Chapter

The following information comes to the OkieLegacy via Bill Barker concerning his research and information from the October 2011, Georgia Chapter, Chattooga County Signage Project, Trail of Tears Association. Cherokee Stie Examination Knox Property, Alpine community - Research has indicated that this property located adjacent to the Alpine Church and currently owned by Mr. David Hamrick and currently being investigated as a possible home site for Sequoyah when he was completing his syllabary 1818-1821 was inhabited by white men much earlier than supposed.

The initial thinking was that the property passed into the hands of Mr. Hugh Lawson Montgomery upon the removal of the Cherokees in 1838 (he was awarded 3000 acres by the State of Georgia fr his work in facilitating the removal). He then transferred the property to Samuel Knox Jr. who operated the property as a plantation and passing it to Hugh Montgomery Knox who built the beautiful antebellum mansion that stands on the property today.

Further research indicates that in 1778, shortly after the Revolution Henry Knox (Don't know his connection to the other Knox's, but assume there must be some) as Secretary of War on behalf of the newly formed United States of America negotiated the Shoulderbone Treaty with the Cherokees and Creeks in Georgia. This treaty gave white men the right to establish trading posts in the Cherokee Nation. Hugh Montgomery did some surveying in connection with the treaty and his son-in-Law Samuel Knox in partnership with others started conducting white men through the Cherokee Nation seeking Cherokee wives, when the wives were selected they were educated at a school founded by the Olney Presbyterian Church at Hurricane Shoals GA that was founded by Samuel Knox and others.

Samuel Knox in connection with his work established a Fort the location of which is unknown at this time. Several pieces of information indicate there is a strong possibility that the Fort in question was located on the Alpine Property, early writings refer to the property as the Knox Compound indicating it had fortified status.   |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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