I have read some books that say Turkeytown was actually a string of ssttlements that covered a twenty mile stretch. Maps show the main location as being the Turkeytown off of Hwy 411 in between Gaston High School and the Appalachian highway. However, other maps also show the main location as being around the present location of the Cherokee county library. One author says the reason being is that both locations were used as "command centers" with one being on each end of the settlement. Either way there is no real evidence of the Indian settlement in either location other than one or two signs put out by the highway dept in the Etowah county location. It has always been my understanding that Pathkiller ran the ferry that eventually turned into Garrett's ferry. I may be wrong but it would explain why he is buried at Garrett Cemetery which is right beside the river. I havent seen anything on a map or in a book giving the Murrycross location, but I don't know everything. As far as Ballplay, Marvin Kelly showed me on a map where the indian playing field used to be. He lives not far away from it. It is about a mile or two away from the Beans and Greens restaurant. It is grown up with trees and such now and there is no real evidence of it now. The new ferry in question is the Hokes Bluff ferry. This ferry was one of the last ferries in operation in the state up till about 15 years or so ago. To my understanding, this ferry was never run by Indians. This ferry is not the same as the ferry in Murrycross. It is several miles away from it. Finally, the museum in Centre is not a Cherokee Indian museum. It is a museum of Cherokee County. They have some Indian artifacts in it, but not a whole lot. Hope this helps. John Awbrey

You might check back issues of the Gadsden Times online. I think there has just been a new ferry commissioned, but I do not know which of the old ferry's it replaces. Harry Nelms

Scroll down almost to bottom of page (link below) for more information on Turkey Town. Arlene http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:3M-gRMoYEbQJ:www.darkfiber.com/tomb/cemet eries/echota/pathkiller/+%22Cherokee+History%22+%22Turkey+Town%22&hl=en&ie=UTF -8

This has been a great list and new to my research but all have been so helpful. Would you believe my husband and I went looking for turkey town and Ball Play TODAY We went through Ball Play on Tom Cat Rd. I think; We would love to know wher Pathkiller`s Ferry was located; we would go back. My husband says he thinks there was an article about the shut down of the ferry not too many yrs. ago probably in the B`ham paper. Thanks again. These letters are so interesting. Sue in Al.

In a message dated 5/3/05 4:36:37 PM Eastern Daylight Time, blessedmomof8@bellsouth.net writes: << It's a crying shame that there aren't more historical markers around to commemorate the fact that the place was the first headquarters for the Cherokee Nation. >> Very likely, the reason why there is no marker for Turkey Town, the Indian village, is that, while there is an area today that is generally referred to as Turkey Town, the precise location of the Indian town is very uncertain. As a young fellow, I am age 69, I listened to My Granddad Adams and his cronies discuss that very point, more than once. Those were guys who were born in the area during the 1800s. Their debate was always much the same -- was the Indian village over near the ridge line (north of hwy 411), or south of 411 near the river. They were "sure" it was one or the other, but even then, there was no physical evidence of the former village evident to the naked eye. My grandfather said there had not been in his lifetime. My own search of those areas, for artifacts, alas, produced none. Not surprising given that the village had long since, over a 130 years, been gone by the time I was searching. Ah, if you do a bit of research, you will find that eveyone does not agree with my grandpop and his cronies. You can find historical references that place Turkey Town, the Indian village, on the "south" side of the Coosa River. I have seen one old map, dated in the 1830s, that so shows the village. And, I have seen on citation that say it was located in the river bend "opposite" Centre. So, to the folks who were lost while searching for Turkey Town, and found themselves at Goodyear, you may have been closer to Turkey Town than you knew. As for "Ball Play", well, that is an Indian story I never heard. If one looks at any decent map, it is easy to locate Ball Play Creek. It enters the Coosa River on the south side, and runs for miles back, I think, into Calhoun County. In years past, if you asked for directions to Ball Play, folks would likely vector you to the area known as Ball Play Swamp. You would be hard pressed to find any denuded areas anywhere near that Swamp, or anywhere along that creek. It was a great place, for a teenage boy to explore, if you did not mind a few snakes. If you are trying to locate where your ancestors lived, you have to be very careful with a lot of the old "area" names. The places stay put, but the names tend to migrate. Another such example of that in Etowah Co. is the name "Smoke Neck." Ask most anyone living today, they will give you sure directions to an area in Etowah Co. But, if you had asked some of the old folks, they would have told you that Smoke Neck was across the river on St Clair Co. It is regrettable that a lot of the old names are vanishing. too bad there isn't a good way to hold on to them. People need roots, and they are largely vested in the "old" place names. Many, in East Gadsden alone, are going, going, gone? Paden Farm, College Heights, Cox Town, Garden City, to name a few. Harry Nelms

Jill, It does surprise me that no one has done anything regarding the rich history of Turkey Town. I know there are some very active Historical Societies up that way, especially in the Gadsden area. We do pass the Turkey Town Church on Hwy 411 which someone else mentioned, and just past that church is a sign pointing to the left going toward Centre that says "Turkey Town." That's where we turned and drove for two hours or more. There is something called Cherokee Museum as you go through downtown Centre on 411 and we have stopped there twice, but there was note on the door that the owner would be right back. Looking in the windows it appears to be an antique store rather than a museum. Evelyn ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jill Rains" <blessedmomof8@bellsouth.net> To: <ALETOWAH-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, May 03, 2005 3:35 PM Subject: Re: [ALETOWAH] Town of Ball Play > Turkey Town is still a "place" just outside of Gadsden, however, if you > ask me, it is very much under utilized as far as any type of historical > attraction or attention. Highway 411 which runs from GA into AL and > through Turkey Town was the route that many of the Cherokee had taken > back and forth before their removal. I have read a few accounts on the > travels of John Ross (who was born in Turkey Town), and the many trips > he took along that route. It's a crying shame that there aren't more > historical markers around to commemorate the fact that the place was the > first headquarters for the Cherokee Nation. There is a historical > marker for John Wisdom, who was considered "the Paul Revere of the > South," but nothing for the fact that Pathkiller had a ferry there (it's > near Murray Cross, actually) or that the whole area was filled with very > many prominent Cherokee of the early 1800s. > > The reason I know a lot about the Cherokee in the area is because my > very own Fields line (which runs from Chief Richard Fields) were > actually living at Little River (in Cherokee County) during the 1835 > Cherokee Census and many of the other Cherokee lines were found in the > area that ran along that route from GA to AL along Highway 411. From my > own research it seems as though many of the Cherokee that were in the > area, if they didn't remove in 1838-1840, either passed themselves off > as white or mulatto, or made themselves very scarce and went into the > hard to travel areas. I know that many of the Gunters, who eventually > went from Georgia into Alabama in what is now known as Guntersville, hid > in the hills and caves rather than remove. My specific Fields and > Daniel lines went to Oklahoma and were known as "First Settlers." My > 3rd Great Grandfather, George Washington Fields, fought for the Cherokee > Mounted Rifles on the Confederate side during the Civil War. That group > was formed in Oklahoma and consisted mostly of those who had removed > from North GA and Northeast AL. > > The hard part about knowing whether or not your ancestors were Cherokee > is that in order to actually "prove" anything, you have to have had a > relative on the approved Dawes rolls (as far as Cherokees are concerned, > I'm not that well versed in other tribes), and many just didn't want to > be on those rolls, so you can't be "recognized" unless they were on > them. I do know that many of the surnames from my Cherokee research > were in the Turkey Town and Marshall/DeKalb/Cherokee/Etowah /Blount > County areas of Alabama, but if they were not on the rolls, you can > basically just say you had Cherokee relatives, but you can't be > recognized formally. > > Blessings, > > Jill Watters Rains > > Delilah wrote: >> I believe Turkey Town is still there - here is the link to the Etowah County >> Gen Web site, you can go to the Gadsden Times, get a password and put the >> name in their search thing and it will bring up articles on Turker Town. >> delilah >> http://www.rootsweb.com/~aletowah/ > > > ==== ALETOWAH Mailing List ==== > Look up Surname origins > http://www.familychronicle.com/surname.htm >

Turkey Town is still a "place" just outside of Gadsden, however, if you ask me, it is very much under utilized as far as any type of historical attraction or attention. Highway 411 which runs from GA into AL and through Turkey Town was the route that many of the Cherokee had taken back and forth before their removal. I have read a few accounts on the travels of John Ross (who was born in Turkey Town), and the many trips he took along that route. It's a crying shame that there aren't more historical markers around to commemorate the fact that the place was the first headquarters for the Cherokee Nation. There is a historical marker for John Wisdom, who was considered "the Paul Revere of the South," but nothing for the fact that Pathkiller had a ferry there (it's near Murray Cross, actually) or that the whole area was filled with very many prominent Cherokee of the early 1800s. The reason I know a lot about the Cherokee in the area is because my very own Fields line (which runs from Chief Richard Fields) were actually living at Little River (in Cherokee County) during the 1835 Cherokee Census and many of the other Cherokee lines were found in the area that ran along that route from GA to AL along Highway 411. From my own research it seems as though many of the Cherokee that were in the area, if they didn't remove in 1838-1840, either passed themselves off as white or mulatto, or made themselves very scarce and went into the hard to travel areas. I know that many of the Gunters, who eventually went from Georgia into Alabama in what is now known as Guntersville, hid in the hills and caves rather than remove. My specific Fields and Daniel lines went to Oklahoma and were known as "First Settlers." My 3rd Great Grandfather, George Washington Fields, fought for the Cherokee Mounted Rifles on the Confederate side during the Civil War. That group was formed in Oklahoma and consisted mostly of those who had removed from North GA and Northeast AL. The hard part about knowing whether or not your ancestors were Cherokee is that in order to actually "prove" anything, you have to have had a relative on the approved Dawes rolls (as far as Cherokees are concerned, I'm not that well versed in other tribes), and many just didn't want to be on those rolls, so you can't be "recognized" unless they were on them. I do know that many of the surnames from my Cherokee research were in the Turkey Town and Marshall/DeKalb/Cherokee/Etowah /Blount County areas of Alabama, but if they were not on the rolls, you can basically just say you had Cherokee relatives, but you can't be recognized formally. Blessings, Jill Watters Rains Delilah wrote: > I believe Turkey Town is still there - here is the link to the Etowah County > Gen Web site, you can go to the Gadsden Times, get a password and put the > name in their search thing and it will bring up articles on Turker Town. > delilah > http://www.rootsweb.com/~aletowah/

I believe Turkey Town is still there - here is the link to the Etowah County Gen Web site, you can go to the Gadsden Times, get a password and put the name in their search thing and it will bring up articles on Turker Town. delilah http://www.rootsweb.com/~aletowah/ ----- Original Message ----- From: "Evelyn" <esleslie@bellsouth.net> To: <ALETOWAH-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, May 03, 2005 11:54 AM Subject: [ALETOWAH] Town of Ball Play > Jill (or anyone who might know), > Do you know if there is any area or part of the old Turkey Town site that even has a marker of some kind? My husband and I had passed the sign on Hwy 411 just out of Gadsden going into Centre several times on our way to Georgia. One day we drove up there just for the purpose of seeing if there was still anything at Turkey Town. We drove and we drove, and then we drove some more and drove some more, and all we had seen was woods more or less with a scattered house or mobile home from time to time, and the road was becoming somewhere between paved and dirt with lots and lots of potholes. Realizing we were in big trouble, we stopped at a mobile home where a young man was playing ball with his kids and he pointed us back on the shortest route into Gadsden (which came out by Goodyear Tire.) So, we still don't know if there are any remnants of the Cherokee in Turkey Town in either Etowah or Cherokee Cos. other than the names. > > That was extremely interesting about the ballfields staying bare for years, by the way. > Thanks! > Evelyn Leslie > Remlap, AL > > > ==== ALETOWAH Mailing List ==== > You may search for Etowah County land patents at > http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/PatentSearch/ > >

Jill (or anyone who might know), Do you know if there is any area or part of the old Turkey Town site that even has a marker of some kind? My husband and I had passed the sign on Hwy 411 just out of Gadsden going into Centre several times on our way to Georgia. One day we drove up there just for the purpose of seeing if there was still anything at Turkey Town. We drove and we drove, and then we drove some more and drove some more, and all we had seen was woods more or less with a scattered house or mobile home from time to time, and the road was becoming somewhere between paved and dirt with lots and lots of potholes. Realizing we were in big trouble, we stopped at a mobile home where a young man was playing ball with his kids and he pointed us back on the shortest route into Gadsden (which came out by Goodyear Tire.) So, we still don't know if there are any remnants of the Cherokee in Turkey Town in either Etowah or Cherokee Cos. other than the names. That was extremely interesting about the ballfields staying bare for years, by the way. Thanks! Evelyn Leslie Remlap, AL

Do you have access to "The Heritage of Etowah County, Alabama", thre is a family history (small) on the Ivor Lee (Ivy) and Emma Louise Elder HOLCOMBE. http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/ifetch2?/u1/data/al+index+273045207220+F this link has a story of the ELDER and Shinbone Valley. delilah evans ----- Original Message ----- From: <SewzArt@aol.com> To: <ALETOWAH-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, May 02, 2005 6:09 PM Subject: [ALETOWAH] Re:Ball Play town origin of name?Halcomb family? > Just hoping someone can tell me the probable origin of the name of a > community in 1880 called "Ball Play" Etoway. Alabama > this sounds like a Cherokee term for the sport played in the Cherokee > Reservation area of N. C. any input? > I am interested in the Halcomb or Holcome family of the area. > Sue > > > ==== ALETOWAH Mailing List ==== > You may search for Etowah County land patents at > http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/PatentSearch/ > >

Does anyone know if this Native American game was anything like the current game of Lacrosse? It is my understanding that this game was played by Native American tribes in the northeast part of what is now the United States. Jim Nix ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jill Rains" <blessedmomof8@bellsouth.net> To: <ALETOWAH-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, May 02, 2005 6:49 PM Subject: Re: [ALETOWAH] Re:Ball Play town origin of name?Halcomb family? > Dear Sue, > > Yes, Ball Play is from the Cherokee term you spoke of. As a matter of > fact, this area is where the Cherokee came from quite far away to play > this game. My father-in-law's family was from this area and he said that > the area where they used to play this game never had any grass that grew > there for the longest time. It's only been in the last 10 years or so > that there has been any kind of weeds/grass to grow there. This area was > originally a part of Cherokee County, AL, and only became Etowah after > 1868. Turkey Town, where the Cherokee Nation headquarters were first > established, is not far from this area. You would have to take > Pathkiller's ferry across the Coosa in order to get there. I was told > that the ferry was actually used quite a bit in the early days of the > county...and even while my father-in-law lived there as a boy. > > I don't have any Halcomb or Holcome's in my database for that area. > Sorry. > > Blessings, > > Jill Watters Rains

Hyst hoping someone might have a census index for Etowah co. and could ck for any halcomb I have access to the 1880 and Eliza and dau. Kate are at Ball Play Sue in Al.

Dear Sue, Yes, Ball Play is from the Cherokee term you spoke of. As a matter of fact, this area is where the Cherokee came from quite far away to play this game. My father-in-law's family was from this area and he said that the area where they used to play this game never had any grass that grew there for the longest time. It's only been in the last 10 years or so that there has been any kind of weeds/grass to grow there. This area was originally a part of Cherokee County, AL, and only became Etowah after 1868. Turkey Town, where the Cherokee Nation headquarters were first established, is not far from this area. You would have to take Pathkiller's ferry across the Coosa in order to get there. I was told that the ferry was actually used quite a bit in the early days of the county...and even while my father-in-law lived there as a boy. I don't have any Halcomb or Holcome's in my database for that area. Sorry. Blessings, Jill Watters Rains SewzArt@aol.com wrote: > Just hoping someone can tell me the probable origin of the name of a > community in 1880 called "Ball Play" Etoway. Alabama > this sounds like a Cherokee term for the sport played in the Cherokee > Reservation area of N. C. any input? > I am interested in the Halcomb or Holcome family of the area. > Sue

Just hoping someone can tell me the probable origin of the name of a community in 1880 called "Ball Play" Etoway. Alabama this sounds like a Cherokee term for the sport played in the Cherokee Reservation area of N. C. any input? I am interested in the Halcomb or Holcome family of the area. Sue

I am very interested in hearing about where to obtain any history books on this area of Alabama. Some of my surnames relating to this County are: NELSON,COCHRAN,MOONEY,HAMMACK,HAMILTON,GARRETT, LYONS & MORE _http://www.gencircles.com/users/joyceh2004/42_ (http://www.gencircles.com/users/joyceh2004/42) SOME SURNAMES listed at link above in more detail. *\|/*´¯`·.,¸*¸,.·´¯*\|/*~*Joyce*~*\|/*´¯`·.,¸*¸,.·´¯*\|/* _sdgirljoyce@aol.com_ (mailto:sdgirljoyce@aol.com) -- "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." - Dr Suess; Oh, The Places You'll Go!

Linda, Where did you get the Etowah County Heritage book at? Dot

Could those be the HAYNIE's that came to Lee County - had a drug store in Opelika for a long time. delilah ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gloria Johnson" <gloria@cybrtyme.com> To: <ALETOWAH-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, April 25, 2005 9:38 PM Subject: [ALETOWAH] Haynie Family > Carol, > Wish I could help you. I checked and the Haynie's you mentioned were not listed in the cementery book for Etowah Co.. I also checked "The Forrest Cemtery Book" as well as another book. Good luck. > Gloria > > > ==== ALETOWAH Mailing List ==== > Look up Surname origins > http://www.familychronicle.com/surname.htm > >

Carol, Wish I could help you. I checked and the Haynie's you mentioned were not listed in the cementery book for Etowah Co.. I also checked "The Forrest Cemtery Book" as well as another book. Good luck. Gloria

Linda, The Etowah County Heritage book has an article on William S. Tillison. It states in the article that "Billy" was the son of Spencer and Margaret Owen Tillison. He was born in TN and was in AL by 1834. His wife was Martha A.E. McGehee, daughter of William and Julia McGehee. William & Martha married in Montgomery. In Etowah Co., they lived in the area which is known today as Tillison Bend. The article then list the names of their children. It also states they are buried in Tillison Cemetery. I looked in the Etowah Co. cemetery book and it lists William S. Tillison birth 9-7-1817 and death 12-4-1891; Martha A Tillison birth 6-14-1840 and death 12-17-1925; Spencer Tillison birth 10-15-1791 and death 1-11-1852; Margaret Owens Tillison birth 3-24-1796 and death 6-13-1860. The article in the Heritage book closes with the statement that Martha was related to Meriwether Lewis, and her ancestors in the Taliaferro family were musicians who entertained royalty in England. The name McGehee was assumed by her colonist ancestor when the king of England outlawed the name McGregor, which was later restored to the clan. Hope this helps. Gloria

Linda, I found this in the Alabama Death Records - 1908 - 1959. Hope this helps. It should give the information needed to locate her Death Certificate. Jim Nix Birmingham, AL Name: Martha A. Tillison Death Date: Dec 1925 Death County: Etowah Volume: 54 Roll: 2 Page #: 26957 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Linda Leatherwood" <lwood45@comcast.net> To: <ALETOWAH-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, April 25, 2005 6:37 AM Subject: [ALETOWAH] Tillison/Magee/McGehee >I am trying to verify the family of Wm S Tillison and Martha A Tillison. > They were in Etowah County from 1870-1920. In 1870 Margaret Magee is > living with them. I am trying to prove/disprove that Martha Tillison was > a > McGehee/Magee. If she were a McGehee, this would prove to be my family. > After the 1920 census, I can no longer locate Martha Tillison and assume > she > has passed away. I felt I may be able to locate her death certificate in > hopes that it would list her parents' names. In the 1920 time frame, > would > I write the county or the state? I appreciate any assistance and > direction. > > > > > ==== ALETOWAH Mailing List ==== > The Gadsden Times newspaper is at > http://www.gadsdentimes.com/ >