Today in Chickamauga History - March 25
1839, March 25: The detachment of Peter HILDEBRAND arrives at Ft. Gibson.
The following are figures compiled by Emmet McDonald STARR. STARR was the author of the book “Old Cherokee Families Notes of Emmet STARR.” A biography of Emmet STARR is offered as to consider him a reliable source of information:
“Emmet McDonald Starr was born in the Cherokee Nation on 1870. Both his parents were mixed-blood Cherokees and his grandparents were Old Settler Cherokees. He grew up where his father was successively deputy sheriff, deputy clerk, and judge. He later said his father's home was open to his friends and at an early age he listened to the conversations of the most brilliant minds among his people. He graduated from the Cherokee National Male Seminary in 1888, and from Barnes Medical College, St. Louis, Missouri, in 1893. He practiced the profession of medicine for five years but then began to write full time. He began his work on the genealogy of Cherokee families in 1891 and it was completed by 1902. He was selected by the Dawes Commission to assist completion of the Final Rolls. On August 5, 1901, Dr. Starr was elected to the Cherokee National Council from Cooweescoowee District. Following the death of his father in 1906, Emmet Starr took over the responsibility of his younger siblings. His own ambitions were set aside during this time. From 1913 until 1916, he served as librarian for the Northeastern State College Library at Tahlequah, Oklahoma. About 1916 he moved to San Antonio, Texas, where he worked at a book store. His specialty was securing rare and out of print books for clients. Shortly afterwards he moved to St. Louis, Missouri, and worked for a book store there. His hobbies included genealogy, the history of printing, the history of violin making, rare editions of books, and the history of Bible printing. In politics he was a Democrat. He was a Master Mason and was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Dr. Starr was the author of several books. Here is a list of Starr's Old Cherokee Families: Grant, Downing, Ghigau, Foreman, Sequoyah, Oolootsa, Bowles, Sanders, Ridge-Watie, Ward, Cordery, Daniel, Chisholm-Wilson, Carter, Adair, Ross, Gosaduisga, Conrad, Riley, Duncan, Halfbreed, Reese, Smith, Hildebrand, England, Thompson, Seabolt, Wilkerson, Blair, Ratliff, Timson, Springston, Woodall, Butler, Rogers, Raper, and Hendricks.”
The figures of Emmet STARR, as a comparison for three different accounts. Captain John PAGE was the disbursing officer at the Cherokee Nation East. STEPHENSON was the receiving officer at Ft. Gibson.
PAGE listed 11,813 departures
STEPHENSON listed 11,494 departures
JOHN ROSS listed 13,149 transported in all.
Duane KING was co-founder of the Journal of Cherokee Studies along with Raymond EVANS.
According to Duane KING, there were approximately 350 deaths during the removal, about 200 of these deaths were in the camps centered around Rattlesnake Springs, the remaining 150 en route. The official figures for changes in numbers from the round up to the last arrivals in Indian Territory were 424 deaths, 71 births, 182 disappearances, and 191 accessions (meaning people picked up in route.