SWatie@aol.com wrote:If it's Eastern Cherokee of about 1907 or 1908 or so, it' s probably Guion Miller, which was a cash payment to CWY resulting from a successful court case against the US pressed by one of Elias Boudinot's sons (I'm thinking it was Frank Boudinot) in which they sued for moneys they said were never paid after CWY removals. Moneys weren't paid because a) US records, Ross records and Conductors records did NOT agree. Ross's were significantly higher numbers. The US, due to his actions and reports from the Treaty Party, felt that Ross had bumped up the numbers. That's one reason why the myth that 4,000 CWY died along the Trail of Tears got started, due to Ross's numbers....and because a missionary wrote that "there may be as many as 4,000 deaths before this is finished"....it was never a fact. Historians today, who have gone over records and reports and counted believe there were significantly fewer. One man believes there were about 1,000 deaths. However, I don't think he took into account the many deaths at the death camps--which were called Forts by the US but were really cattle stockades. Most of the deaths occurred in the death camps---people refusing to eat (in protest), no sanitation which caused much sickness leading to deaths, hottest and dryest summer followed by the worst winter , etc.......other historians think there were about 2,000 deaths, including the death camps. Then, there is Russell Thornton who throws in the loss of population due to the deaths of these people and the children they could have produced, etc.....and calculates a much larger figure....8,000 to 16,000 or so. There was a TREMENDOUS reduction in the birth rate of the CWY, after the TOT, not to mention the death due to warfare between the Ross and Ridge parties through 1846...and the people who moved away to save themselves from the crossfire.All due, probably, to the yet undiscovered malady of post traumatic stress. If you come across info on the murder of Andrew Ross, signer of the Treaty of NEw Echota, I'd like to hear it, if it's not too much trouble. Thanks, Donna --------------------------------- Start your day with Yahoo! - make it your home page