George Washington Scraper

George Washington Scraper was a Cherokee man

Judge George Washington "GW" Scraper
Born 13 Dec 1818 in Cherokee Nation (East)map

ANCESTORS
Son of Tee-su-gah-ske Cherokee and Tiana (Smith) Scraper
Brother of Turtle Scraper [half], Wilson Scraper [half], Alexander Scraper [half], Sally (Scraper) Cummings, Archibald Scraper, Otter Scraper, Ned Scraper [half], Nick Scraper [half], Lewis Scraper [half], Charlie Scraper, Dave Scraper [half] and George Scraper [half]
Husband of Louisa (McIntosh) Scraper — married [date unknown] in Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory, Georgia, United Statesmap

DESCENDANTS
Father of Willis M Scraper, William M Scraper, Henry Harrison Scraper, Flora Jane Scraper, Lydia Ann (Scraper) Clark, Joseph M. Scraper, Joseph Martin Scraper, Martin M Scraper, John Scraper, Delilah S Scraper, Elizabeth Ellen (Scraper) Rowe and Susannah F (Scraper) Flanders

Died 5 Oct 1899 at age 80 in Rowe's Prairie, Cherokee Nation, Indian Territorymap

Biography

• Sheriff of Goingsnake District, 1841 & 1843
• Senator in 1849
• Delegate to Washington representing the Cherokee People, 1864 & 1870
• Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Cherokee Nation in 1876 (1875. John Thompson Adair, suspended April 10, 1876, Charles Wickliffe, appointed Chief Justice, then George Washington Scraper appointed Chief Justice, John Landrum, appointed Chief Justice November 10, 1876 and John Thompson Adair was reinstated as Chief Justice by Council on November 18, 1876 and he was again suspended on October 11, 1877. This was part of the wholesale suspending at the instance of W. L. G. Miller.-Supreme Court Of The Cherokee Nation @ https://accessgenealogy.com/oklahoma/supreme-court-of-the-cherokee-...)
• Judge of Saline district in 1881
• Judge in Vinita, Okla. for many years…
• elected councilor of the Cherokee Nation for Goingsnake District,1855, 1857, & 1859-60

Military-

• Captain Company K, Aug. 1861.
• Captain Company G , Dec. 1861. On about Dec. 8th 1861, George was a member of a peace delegation from Drew,s regiment. That night they switched to the Union side, at Opothleyahola's camp, along with 600 other Cherokee.

Cherokee name was Too-wa-d-gus-nah-ge (Blackhawk). Also called Oonaguchey or Oo-ne-goo-sti-gi. George was a wagoner on the 'Trail of tears'. He was in charge of 2 teams and was paid $5.00 per day, per team, or a total of $1440 for 144 days on the trail. (Richard Taylor detachment) George was the Sheriff of GoingSnake District, 1841 & 1843, he posted bond as Sheriff in Oct 1843 with Thomas Foreman and Wahache as security. He was a Senator in 1849. He was a Delegate to Washington representing the Cherokee People, 1864 & 1870. He lived in GoingSnake District and moved from there to Coo-wee-scoo-wee District. In 1876 George was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Cherokee Nation. He was a Judge of Saline district in 1881. George was a Judge in Vinita, Okla. for many years. Scraper Street in Vinita is named after George. He was elected councilor of the Cherokee Nation for GoingSnake District, 1855, 1857, & 1859-60.

Cherokee Advocate February 15, 1886 Vinita, Indian Territory Hon. George W Scraper who has been very feeble this winter, has been very low for several days past; talking into consideration his advanced age, not much hope is entertained of his recovery.

Name: George W. Scraper Regiment State/Origin: Confederate Troops Regiment Name: 1 Cherokee Mounted Rifles. Regiment Name Expanded: 1st Regiment, Cherokee Mounted Rifles, CSA Company: G Rank In: Captain Rank Out: Captain Film Number: M818 roll 21

Name: George W. Scraper Side: Union Regiment Name: 2 Indian Home Guards, Kans. Inf. Regiment Name Expanded: 2nd Regiment, Indian Home Guards, Kansas Infantry Company: D Rank In: First Sergeant Rank Out: 1 Serg't. Film Number: M1290 roll 31

Claim filed by George W. Scraper: Note that this Civil War claim shows some of the battles he was involved in. Also the claim indicates that he suffered severe losses at his home, which was in Scraper Hollow during the war. 1 mule saddle & bridle by Rebs in 1863 $125.00 1 sorrel horse lost on Fourteen Mile Creek Battle 85.00 1 sorrel horse taken at Bird Creek Dec 1861 75.00 1 bay pony stolen by Feds at Ft. Gibson in 1863 50.00 1 iron grey horse by Feds at Ft. Gibson in 1863 125.00 1 clay bank horse took by Rebs from home 85.00 1 bay mare took by Rebs from home 125.00 1 iron grey horse took by Rebs from home 100.00 1 bay horse saddle & bridle - 85.00 lost by son Wm. in the Bird Battle Dec 1861 1 bay pony took by Rebs in 1862 60.00 Feb. 19, 1862 for 251 1/4 bushel corn 251.25 at 1.00 per bushel rebs 1862 " 78 bundles of fodder @ 2 ct. 1.56 Total $1167.81 Witnesses: Thos Sanders & Jas Foster Original in the 'Cherokee Papers' at the Oklahoma Historical Society, Oklahoma City, Okla.

He married Feb 1834 in Cherokee Nation east, (Wills Valley, Alabama, Albany Missionary Station, by William Chamberlain), Louisa McIntosh, b. 21 Mar 1817 in Cherokee Nation East (Alabama), (daughter of Martin McIntosh and Jennie ___________) d. 14 Jan 1895 in Vinita, I.T., buried in Fairview Cemetery, Vinita, OK.

Louisa’s Cherokee name was Nu-goo-di-yi or Nee-goo-di-yi. Louisa & George strongly adhered to the ancient Cherokee tradition of never turning away anyone in need. No matter how difficult times were or how little food or money was on hand, homeless children could always find shelter at the Scraper house. Despite having many children of their own to feed and care for, Louisa and her husband were known to have taken in and raised as their own upwards of 12 orphan children. Vinita Indian Chieftain, Thursday Jan 17th 1895-- Two lives that for sixty years have been all in all to each other were separated Monday to meet no more until the dawn of eternity. Mrs. George Scraper, wife of Judge George Scraper, died the night of the 14th at the home of her daughter, Mrs. G. W. Clark, in this city. Deceased was eighty-one years of age; the immediate cause of her death was Bright's disease. The funeral took place Tuesday afternoon. Mrs. Clark wishes to acknowledge the graditude of herself and family towards the few friends and neighbors who visited them in their recent days of sadness, tendering words of sympathy and consolation, and performing acts of kindness and love.

dob: 12/31/1818 Old Cherokee Nation In Georgia , dod: 10/06/1899 @ daughter Mrs."Eliza"beth Scraper Rowe's" house near Pryor Creek in Mayes Co. OK, "Rowe's Prairie"

Sources

1. Deesugawskee family history
2. Parents and marriage - Starr, Emmet. History of the Cherokee Indians. Oklahoma Yesterday Publications edition, Tulsa, OK. 1979. pp. 452-453. Digitized edition at Starr, 1851
3. Drennen Roll of “Emigrant Cherokee,” 1851. Series 7RA-01. Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Record Group 75. The National Archives at Fort Worth, Fort Worth, Texas. p. 172 family 177, includes wife Louisa and children William, Henry, Joseph, Flora, Lydia, and Martin. Brother Archilla and sister Sallie on same page.
4. Old Cherokee Nation Georgia/Tennessee/Trail of Tears/Oklahoma *family records *family knowledge *The History of Oklahoma Biographies Vol. 2 pg 28 by Luther Hill

Source: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Scraper-7
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George Washington Scraper, (Dee-su-gaw-skee2, /Oo-ka-wor-dar/1 ) b. 13 Dec 1818 in Cherokee Nation East, near the Chattanooga River, d. 5 Oct 1899 in Rowe's Prairie, I.T., 20 miles east of Pryor Creek, at the home of his daughter, Eliza Rowe., military in Captain Company K, Aug. 1861. Captain Company G ,Dec. 1861.

    Cherokee name is Too-wa-d-gus-nah-ge (Blackhawk).  Also called Oonaguchey or Oo-ne-goo-sti-gi.

         George was a wagoner on the 'Trail of tears'.   He was in charge of 2 teams and was paid $5.00 per day, per team, or a total of $1440 for 144 days on the trail. (Richard Taylor detachment)

         George was the Sheriff of Goingsnake District, 1841 & 1843. He was a Senator in 1849.

    He was a Delegate to Washington representing the Cherokee People, 1864 &1870.  He lived in Goingsnake District and moved from there to Coo-wee-scoo-wee District.

    In 1876 George was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Cherokee Nation.

    He was a Judge of Saline district in 1881.    George was a Judge in Vinita, Okla. for many years.  Scraper Street in Vinita is named after George.   He was elected councilor of the Cherokee Nation for Goingsnake District,1855, 1857, & 1859-60.

        Besides having 11 children of their own, Mr. & Mrs. Scraper took in and cared for 12 orphan children.

    He married Feb 1834 in Cherokee Nation East,( Wills Valley, Alabama, Albany Missionary Station,  by William Chamberlain), Louisa McIntosh, b. 21 Mar 1817 in Cherokee Nation East (Alabama), d. 14 Jan 1895 in Vinita, I.T., buried in Fairview Cemetery, Vinita, OK.

    Louisa’s Cherokee name was Nu-goo-di-yi or Nee-goo-di-yi.  Louisa died at the home of her daughter, Lydia (Mrs. G. W. Clark).

                     Children:

                 i.    Willis4 Scraper, b. 5 Mar 1835 in near Scraper Mountain, Cherokee Nation East, d. SEP 1838 in -on Trail of Tears-, buried on the East bank of the Mississippi river, on the Trail of Tears.

                     Cherokee name was Too-ward-gus-na-gi.

                 ii.   William M. Scraper, b. 25 Dec 1838  on the " Trail of Tears ", d. 13 Sep 1864, military 4 Oct 1861 in Enrolled , Ft. Gibson, Capt. George W. Scraper's Co., 1st Regt., Cherokee Mounted Riflemen.

                     Cherokee name was Oo-na-olar-lar.

         50.    iii.  Henry Harrison Scraper b. 5 May 1841.

         51.    iv.  Flora Jane Scraper b. 2 Dec 1843.

         52.    v.   Lydia Ann Scraper b. 23 Apr 1846.

         53.    vi.  Joseph M. Scraper b. 6 Oct 1848.

                 vii. Martin M. Scraper, b. 26 Feb 1851 in Scraper Hollow, Goingsnake District, Cherokee Nation, d. 2 Apr 1872.

                 viii. John Scraper, b. 28 Mar 1853 in Scraper Hollow, Goingsnake District, Cherokee Nation, d. 15 Feb 1872.

         54.    ix.  Delilah S. Scraper b. 28 Sep 1855.

         55.    x.   Elizabeth "Eliza" Ellen Scraper b. 4 Aug 1859.

         56.    xi.  Susannah F. Scraper b. 6 Sep 1861.

Source: Scraper, J. (2009). The Scraper - Sixkiller Book: Genealogy and History of the Scraper and Sixkiller Families of the Cherokee People. Aardvark Global Publishing. Extract from Our Scraper Family Compiled by Joe Scraper Jr. @ https://scraperfamily.angelfire.com/texts/Scraper.htm

An epitaph for George Washington Srarper

In many ways the "man from Scraper Mountain," George Washington Scraper, embodies the quality of pioneer that first settled in Indian Territory. Arriving in Vinita in 1881, and assigned as a judge for the Cherokee Nation, he was so well respected the citizens named a street in his honor. But for Scraper, as well as many fellow pioneers, the road to Vinita had been both perilous and gratifying. George Scraper was born December12, 1818 on Scraper Mountain, located in what today is Cherokee County, Alabama. His mother was Tiana Smith and his father was simply called "The Scraper," no surname. George enjoyed a typical childhood even though the winds of change were swirling around the Cherokee Nation as the white man became more determined to take their land at any cost. In 1834, he married a former schoolmate, Louisa McIntosh, and the union that produced six children would last for the next sixty years. However, the whirlwind that had been developing throughout their young lives, struck four years later. Federal troops, enforcing the Indian Removal Act, routed Cherokee families from their homes. With only the clothes on their back they were herded into stockades during the summer of 1838, the first step toward their removal west. Demonstrating the kind of initiative that may have foretold later successes, George managed to acquire an assignment as a wagoner for the Richard Taylor detachment that left on the Trail of Tears the following November. Placed in charge of two teams, he was paid $10 per day for the 144 days it took to reach Indian Territory.

Arriving the following March, the Scrapers received government supplies at "Breadtown," the Cherokee name for the Baptist Mission recently established by the Reverends Evans and Bushyhead. Moving southwest of the mission, along with other Scraper families, George settled in an area that became known as "Scraper Hollow," in today's Adair County. In the ensuing years, the Scraper family prospered and George's leadership within the Cherokee Nation became more prominent. From 1841 to 1844 he served as sheriff for the Goingsnake District and in 1849 he was elected senator, then councilor of the district and served until 1860. But another whirlwind, similar to the one that had dislodged the family from Alabama, was about to descend and create even more devastating havoc... the Civil War. After finally casting their lot with the Confederacy, the leaders among the Cherokees were charged with raising a volunteer army. George Scraper responded with over 100 recruits and was designated as their captain, but the jubilation of joining the southern cause was soon squelched. Lack of leadership and equipment, as well as betrayal by Confederate officers caused many Cherokees, including George, to revolt and join the Union cause. He served as a Union soldier from December 1861 until the end of the war. Mustered out in May of 1865, George returned to Scraper Hollow and total devastation. The family home and outbuildings were destroyed and all of the livestock was gone. Seeking to start anew, the following February George moved his family to Lynches Prairie, near present day Strang. Now 47 years old, Scraper was again called upon to assist his country. Since the Cherokee Nation had aligned itself with the Confederacy, the United States government was determined to mete out punishment. So, following the war George, who had become a Union soldier, was selected as a delegate, hopefully to compromise that attitude. He served in that capacity for five years and in 1871, he returned and was appointed as a judge for the Cherokee Nation. Later, in 1876 he was selected as Chief Justice of its Supreme Court. In 1883, he rented the farm on Lynches Prairie to another family and moved to Vinita where he served as judge for many years. This "Son of The Scraper," born on Scraper Mountain had overcome incredibly adverse situations and still emerged as a leader within the Cherokee Nation. He was ousted from his home in Alabama with only the clothes on his back, traveled the Trail of Tears, established a new life in Indian Territory, fought in the Civil War, returned home to total desolation, then rebuilt his personal life as well as occupying several positions of service to his country. Perhaps a line in the obituary published by the Vinita Indian Chieftain summed up his life and contributions most succinctly, "The Cherokee Nation nor any other country ever had a man more highly regarded by those who knew him."...an epitaph we all would be proud to acquire.

(Curator note: the original cited source for this epitaph was https://www.grandlakenews.com/article/20131219/news/312199876?templ..., which appears to be no longer available so cannot be confirmed).
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JUDGE SCRAPER’S DEATH.
A Man of Sterling Integrity Gone to His Reward
Judge George Scraper, Mrs. G. W. Clark’s father, died Thursday on Rowe’s prairie, 20 miles east of Pryor Creek, at the home of another daughter, Mrs. Cal Rowe. Mr. Scraper was 85 years old. For a number of years he had been in frail health. Lately his condition has declined and he, better than his family, knew the end was at hand. The Cherokee nation nor any other country ever had a man more highly regarded by those who knew him than George Scraper. While he had occupied several positions of trust and honor, he was not of the office-holding class, and more’s the pity. Deceased was a union soldier but his natural interests were all for peace.

Source: The Daily Chieftain. (Vinita, Indian Territory), Saturday, October 7, 1899,
Citation: Marrs, D. M. The Daily Chieftain. (Vinita, Indian Terr.), Vol. 2, No. 6, Ed. 1 Saturday, October 7, 1899, newspaper, October 7, 1899; Vinita, Indian Territory. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc774358/: accessed March 10, 2023), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.

(Curator note, this was a Saturday issue October 7, 1899 that says GW died on Thursday, thereby confirming his death date as October 5, 1899.)