James Fletcher, Chief to the Choctaw Nation

Choctaw Chief. Chief of the Apuckshunubbi District, one of three independently governing districts of the Choctaw Nation. In 1830, as a subordinate chief in the Choctaw Nation, he was a signer of the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek. This treaty ceded 11 million acres of the Choctaw Nation in Mississippi in exchange for payment and 15 million acres in the eastern section of present day Oklahoma. It was the first removal treaty enacted and acted upon after the Indian Removal Act of 1830. He was enlisted by the United States government to serve as captain and lead the Choctaws from Mississippi to Oklahoma. He made repeated trips for this purpose. Choctaw removal became the model for the Seminole, Creek, Chickasaw, and Cherokee Indian removals that followed and would always be referred to as the Trail of Tears. After his final trip, he and his family settled near Rock Creek at Spencerville, Choctaw Nation, Oklahoma, where he was elected in 1838 to serve a four year term as Apuckshunubbi District Chief. At the age of 83, he followed the custom of his people and went off alone into the Ouachita Mountains near his home to die. His body was buried there in an unmarked grave.

(bio by: [fg.cgi?page=mr&MRid=46501834" target="_blank Nancy Ladd)]

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Sep 5 2016, 15:30:25 UTC