Texas Cherokees facts for kids

The Texas Cherokees were groups of Cherokee people who lived in what is now Texas for a while. They had been forced to leave their original homes. This happened mostly when Spain and later Mexico ruled the land. After the Cherokee War of 1839, these Cherokee groups were again forced to move. They went to Indian Territory, which is now Oklahoma. Later, during the American Civil War, some "Southern" Cherokees came to Texas. This was when Union soldiers took over their lands in 1863. But after the war, most went back home. Today, some descendants are part of the Mount Tabor Indian Community or the Tsalagiyi Nvdagi Tribe. Both are officially recognized by the State of Texas.

History of Texas Cherokees

In 1806, a group of Cherokee people moved south from the Louisiana Territory. They started a village along the Red River. That same year, a group of different tribes, including Cherokees, asked Spanish officials for permission to settle near Nacogdoches. They were allowed to stay. More Cherokees moved into Texas between 1812 and 1819.

Chief Bowl, a former Chickamauga Cherokee leader, brought many Cherokee families to Texas in 1820. They first settled near Dallas. However, other local tribes forced them to move east into what is now Rusk County, Texas. By 1822, about 800 Cherokees lived in Texas.

When Texas became part of Mexico instead of Spain, the Cherokees asked for official land grants. But their request was denied. By 1830, about 800 Cherokees lived in three to seven settlements in Texas. When the Texas Revolution began, the Cherokee communities tried to stay neutral.

The Unapproved Treaty

Sam Houston had married into a Cherokee family and was friends with Chief Bowl. When he became President of the Republic of Texas, he wanted to make an alliance with the Cherokees. Houston and other leaders negotiated a treaty with the Cherokee settlements. This treaty would have given them land in East Texas. This land was north of the San Antonio Road, between the Angelina and Neches rivers. It would have created a reservation in parts of what are now Cherokee, Smith, Gregg, Rusk, and Van Zandt Counties.

However, the Senate of the Republic of Texas did not approve the treaty. The Cherokee settlements were very upset because they felt they had already given up a lot by agreeing to the treaty's limits. Soon after, the Land Office started giving out land titles to people for lands within the proposed Cherokee Nation. Many Anglo settlers quickly moved into their territory, which made the Cherokees even more angry.

The Córdova Rebellion

There were also some Tejanos (Texans of Mexican heritage) who were still loyal to Mexico. Others felt unfairly treated by the new Anglo (American) rulers. By early 1838, the area around Nacogdoches was very tense. Some people in the Cherokee settlements were also still loyal to Mexico.

By the summer of 1838, there were rumors of a rebellion. A group of Tejanos led by Vicente Córdova, a former mayor of Nacogdoches, started attacking Anglo settlers. This event is known as the Córdova Rebellion. Some people from the Cherokee settlements were believed to have joined Córdova. In the summer of 1838, evidence was found that Mexico was actively trying to get East Texas groups to rebel against the Republic of Texas.

The Killough Massacre

Because of the growing unrest, Isaac Killough and his family, who lived in Cherokee lands, fled to Nacogdoches for safety. The Cherokee leaders sent a message to the Killough family. They said the family could return to harvest their crops if they promised to leave afterward. The Killough family returned.

On October 5, 1838, a group of Cherokees who were not part of the agreement attacked the settlement. Most of the Killough group, a total of eighteen people, were killed or kidnapped while working in their fields. Those who survived ran to Lacy's Fort for a while.

It is unclear if Chief Bowl or the larger Cherokee community were involved in this attack. Despite their denials, this event was used by Mirabeau Lamar, who followed Sam Houston as President. Lamar used it as a reason to force the Cherokee people out of Texas or destroy them. In a speech on December 20, 1838, Lamar said that if the Native Americans continued their attacks, Texas should fight back. He said the war should end only when they were completely gone or destroyed.

In response, Chief Bowl told Lamar's peace talk representatives in June 1839: "If I fight, the whites will kill me. If I refuse to fight, my own people will kill me."

Before the year ended, the Texas Cherokees were forcibly removed from their settlements. This happened during the Cherokee War of 1839. Almost 600 Cherokees, mostly women and children, led by Chief Bowl, fought the Texans. There were two battles on July 15 and 16, 1839. The Cherokees were defeated, and Chief Bowl was killed in the battle on July 16. The 83-year-old chief's body was left on the battlefield.

Most of the remaining Texas Cherokees were forced north into Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). Sam Houston was elected President of Texas again. He negotiated peace treaties with them in 1843 and 1844. From the 1840s onward, the original Cherokee Nation tried to get paid for the lands they lost in Texas. William Penn Adair strongly supported these claims for the Texas Cherokees.

Legal Status Today

Several groups of Cherokee descendants have formed organizations. On October 10, 2019, Governor Greg Abbott officially recognized the Tsalagiyi Nvdagi Tribe (Texas Cherokee). This happened on the 200th anniversary of their permanent settlement in what is now Texas (1819-2019). Many individuals living in Texas today are members of the Cherokee Nation. Fewer are members of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Members of the Cherokee Nation in Texas have several organized cultural groups.

Notable Texas Cherokees

• The Bowl (Duwali) (died 1839): He was a Texas Cherokee chief and military leader. He was killed at the Battle of the Neches in July 1839.
• Stand Watie (1806-1871): He was a Brigadier General in the Confederate States of America. He was the Principal Chief of the Southern (Confederate) Cherokee from 1863-1865. His wife stayed with the Mount Tabor Community in Rusk County, Texas, during most of the war. He continued to lead the Southern Cherokee after the war until he died in 1871.
• Jesse Bartley Milam (1884–1949): He was the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation from 1941–1949.
• W. W. Keeler (1908–1987): He was the Texas Cherokees and Associate Bands Executive Committee Chairman from 1945-1972. He was also the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation from 1949-1975.
• William Penn Adair (1830-1880): He was a Colonel in the Confederate States of America. He was second in command under General Stand Watie. He was the Texas Cherokees and Associate Bands Executive Committee Chairman from 1871-1880. He helped found the Texas Cherokees and Associate Bands.
• John Martin Thompson (1829-1907): He was the Texas Cherokees and Associate Bands Executive Committee Chairman from 1880-1907.