This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/Cei.2ACEB/4277.1 Message Board Post: Terrie- The person signing those 1896/1902 Dawes statement as "John Ross" was NOT our beloved Chief John Ross who had died thirty YEARS before the Dawes Commission. Chief John Ross was elected Principal Chief in 1828 and served all through the Trail of Tears, until his DEATH 1 Aug 1866. THAT "John Ross" was no relation to our Chief and had simply "adopted" the name for political purposes while living with the Eastern Cherokees, and then came west to profit on the name during the Dawes enrollments. He was peddling his signature on the 1896 and 1898/1902 Dawes applications "testimonies" to any lawyer or individual who would pay his fee, - signing any statement that "might" get the applicant accepted; "I have known [---INSERT NAME HERE---] for [--- INSERT YEARS HERE---] and of my own personal knowledge, know that he is Cherokee". There was not one person on the Dawes Commission who didn't know that he was a fake- and not a very good one at that!! There were 17 other liars, - called "Standing Witnesses" because they stood outside of the Dawes Commission hearing rooms, waiting for someone to pay them to testify. Several of them were later indicted for perjury. There is no record of any Patsy (or Martha) Hicks as a member of the only Hicks family who were Cherokee tribal members at that time in history- Nathaniel's family. sorry-- Jerri (Rogers) Chasteen (a Hicks descendant) Cherokee Nation Claremore, OK