Follow Us
Like Us
Historical records matching John Looney, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation West
view all
Immediate Family
-
wife -
daughter
-
daughter
-
-
daughter
-
daughter
-
son -
daughter
-
mother
-
father
-
stepdaughter
About John Looney, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation West
John Looney (c1782 to 1846) was a Cherokee chief. As a young man he served in the army under Andrew Jackson. He later became chief of the Western Cherokee, in which capacity he negotiated with the US government and dealt with conflicts with the rival Eastern Cherokee.
Brief Biography
John Looney was the last person elected Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation West by the whole tribe, and that was his second election to that office. He was first elected to succeed John Jolly after the latter died 28 December 1838 and was deposed 22 April 1839 after the tribe elected John Brown to effect a union with the Latecomers from the Cherokee Nation East after the Cherokee removal of 1838-1839.
He was elected to the office again in July when Brown and his officers were deposed for having failed to accomplish that task, only to leave office again the next month when the reunited Cherokee Nation elected John Ross, with Joseph Vann as his assistant principal chief.
A dissident group of former members of the Cherokee Nation West elected John Rogers as their principal chief in October, but their efforts to maintain a separate organization fell apart the following year.
Looney was married to Betsy, daughter of Will Weber, the mixed-blood headman of Willstown during the Chickamauga wars. He was also the father-in-law of Stand Watie.
More at https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Looney_(Cherokee_chief)_
Military Service
The earliest record of John Looney shows that he served from 6 Oct 1813 until 6 Jan 1814 during the Creek War (War of 1812) as a Corporal in Capt. George Fields Company of Col. Gideon Morgan's Regiment of Cherokee Warriors under General Andrew Jackson
Family
From https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9440794
Chief John Looney (Cherokee) was the son of "Mother of Looney" who was [said to have been without supporting evidence] the daughter of E-no-li Black Fox, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation
He married before 1816, (1) Susan (Unkn) who was b. abt 1790; they had 2 children: Eleanor b. abt 1816 who married Chief Stand Watie, and Rachel b. abt 1818 d. 1867 who married John Nave.
He married before 1824, Betsy Webber, daughter of Willliam Webber and Sarah (Unkn); they had the following children: Eliza Abigal b. abt 1824, d. abt 1867 who married Daniel Rattling Gourd; and Nancy Looney b. abt 1828 who married Christopher C. Sage b. 1845.
—————
Family notes
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/LOONEY/2008-05/121051...
CHIEF JOHN LOONEY
John Looney (Black Fox Daughter Chippewa , Grand Priber , Susan Moytoy
Carpenter , Moytoy III Savannah Tom , Moytoy II (Trader Tom) , Moytoy I
(Trader) , Thomas Pasmere , Robert , Thomas ) was born in 1776 in
Overhills, Tenase, Great Tellico. He died on 15 May 1846 in Washington,
District Of Columbia.
John Looney married Betsy Webber daughter of (Adopted) Capt. Will Webber
and Anitsiskwa Sarah Cherokee in 1797 in Overhills, Settico. Betsy was
born in 1780 in Overhills, Settico. She died after 1840 in Indian Nation.
John and Betsy had the following children:
Rachel Looney was born in 1798 in Tennessee. She died in 1867 in Indian
Nation, Oklahoma.
Rachel married John Knave. John was born in 1814 in Indian Nation. He
died in 1847 in Indian Nation.
Eliza Abigal Looney was born in 1800 in Tennessee. She died in 1867 in
Indian Nation, Oklahoma.
Eliza married Daniel Rattlinggourd. Daniel was born in 1818 in Indian
Nation. He died in 1864 in Indian Nation, Oklahoma.
Betsy Looney was born estimated 1801 in Tennessee. She died in 1871 in
Huntington, Lorain, Ohio.
Betsy married Christopher R. Sage. Christopher was born in 1801 in
Tennessee. He died in 1868 in Huntington, Lorain, Ohio.
Eleanor Looney was born in 1804 in Tennessee. She died in 1833 in Georgia.
Eleanor married Elias (Stand) Watie son of David (Oowatie) Watie and
Susannah Reese. Elias was born on 12 Dec 1806 in Rome, Georgia. He died
on 9 Sep 1871 in Honey Creek, Delaware County, Oklahoma. [Notes]
Nancy Looney was born in 1806 in Tennessee. She died in 1847 in Pulaski
County, Arkansas.
Nancy married Vincent Guess. Vincent was born in 1802 in Bath, North
Carolina. He died in 1849 in Pulaski County, Arkansas. [Notes]
Moves west John and Betsy Looney left Creekpath about 1823 and moved west into Arkansas along with other Cherokee. Looney had placed his reservation at Creekpath in the care of his two sisters, Peggy Mink and Susannah, who were forced off of the property by whites. An appeal for the loss of the Reservation was filed on behalf of Looney's children, but the court ruled that Looney had forfeit the property back to the U.S. Government when he abandoned it and moved west. Looney's Reservation was never surveyed. Around 1828 Looney and the other Cherokee who lived in Arkansas were forced to move farther west into what later became Indian Territory (N.E. Oklahoma). This group of Cherokee were recognized as the "Western Cherokee" and sometimes referred to as the "Old Settlers" or the "Old Settlers-Treaty Party". John Looney, who had been elected as Third Chief, became Principal Chief of the Western Cherokee after the death of John Jolly on December 28, 1838. It was about this time that the Eastern Cherokee were arriving from the west due to their forced removal from North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama. The Eastern Cherokee had brought with them their own Constitution and Principal Chief, John Ross, which they did not intend to give up. The Western Cherokee, anticipating trouble with the new arrivals, held a new election on April 22, 1839 and elected John Brown, Principal Chief, and John Looney and John Rogers as Second and Third Chiefs...
view all 11
John Looney, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation West's Timeline
| 1782 |
1782
|
Overhills, Tellico Plains, Monroe County, Tennessee, United States
|
|
| 1816 |
1816
|
Tennessee, United States
|
|
| 1818 |
1818
|
Tennessee, United States
|
|
| 1824 |
1824
|
Tennessee, United States
|
|
| 1828 |
1828
|
Tennessee, United States
|
|
| 1846 |
May 16, 1846
Age 64
|
Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia, United States
|
|
| ???? | |||
| ???? |
Tennessee, United States
|