from https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC4KMGV_the-james-brown-house?g...

The James Brown House

Welcome to the James Brown House, a fascinating bit of little-known history just north of Ooltewah Tennessee!

James Brown was a Cherokee Indian judge who lived in this area prior to the Trail of Tears in 1838. He judged the “Chickamauga district”, which ran from north Georgia up to Ooltewah. Mr. Brown built this home in 1835, and just three years later Chief John Ross (who had married Brown’s daughter) nominated him to lead a group of 1,000 Indians on the infamous Trail of Tears. These Indians—mainly Cherokee—were specifically from the Ooltewah/Cleveland area. They left on September 10, 1838, camped at Ross’s Landing until that October, and arrived in Oklahoma in March 1839. Later on, Brown was elected to the Supreme Court of the Cherokee Nation and became the Cherokee equivalent of the American Vice-President.

Before leaving Tennessee, Mr. Brown sold his home to his good friend Dr. John Yarnell, a physician who worked at the nearby Brainerd Mission. Even though the James Brown house is on the National Register of Historic Places, there is no marker present and sadly the house has fallen into disrepair. It’s private property now, but is still on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail and people are welcome to view the home from the roadside (there is a nice little bit of driveway which you can park on).

Comment from Cherokee Historian Kathryn Forbes, 5 March 2019: "What’s on that website doesn’t gibe with [Emmett] Starr and others. Starr lists no surname for Quatie Ross. David Hampton lists her surname as Brown with unknown parents. Starr lists Jennie Yarnell as Jennie Thompson, granddaughter of Jennie Vann. She is clearly identified by the Moravians as Jennie Thompson, granddaughter of Jenny Vann Brown. I suppose it’s possible she may have lived in the home of James Brown, her step-grandfather at some point.

"The Moravians said Robert Brown was Irish and mentioned his family, including “sons” but no names. James Vann bought Brown’s plantation for the Moravians in 1801. At that time, Robert was married to Sarah Hicks. I don’t think there’s any record that shows Robert Brown as the father of James Brown. James was not the son of Gosaduisga or Sarah Hicks, Brown’s two confirmed wives, so it’s only a theory that he was the son of Robert and a third Cherokee wife."

from https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/72959095/james-brown:

• James was born in Cherokee Nation East, in Chickamauga District, Georgia.
• James' father was half-blood Cherokee, his mother full-blood daughter of Chief Broom. [Curator's Note: This is questionable]
• James Brown was a Captain, then Major in the Creek War of 1814, serving under Col Richard Brown and General Andrew Jackson.
• In 1837 James Brown served as a delegate to Washington DC assisting his brother-in-law John Ross in a last ditch effort to prevent the Cherokee Removal.
• That failed, and in 1838/39 he was leader of detachment #9 on the Trail of Tears, a forced mid-winter march intended by U.S. Government leaders to rid the East of Native Americans. Thousands died before reaching Indian Territory, now Oklahoma.
• Judge James Brown of Tahlequah is #45 on the Sequoia district Drennen Roll of 1851.

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See https://www.theclio.com/web/entry?id=12070 and the references it cites for information about the James Brown historic house in Ooltewah, Tennessee:

The James Brown Cherokee Plantation House was built between 1835 and 1841. This time period encompasses an American tragedy of the Trail of Tears. The owner of this property, James Brown, was a Cherokee Indian who was known by some to be "3/4 to full-blooded Cherokee Indian."1

James Brown was a judge for the district of Chickamauga and later for the Cherokee Supreme Court. After his election to the Cherokee National Counsel, he led Ooltewah Cherokee Indians to Oklahoma in the movement we know as the Trail of Tears in 1938.2

Although James Brown left the Cherokee Plantation house, his daughter Jane and Brainerd Missions School physician, Dr. Yarnell, continued to live there. Near the simple Federal-style brick house that is known as the James Brown house, remains of family members are buried in their graveyard.3

The James Brown Cherokee Plantation is a Certified Site on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail.4 Many Native American Indians lost their lives during this forced removal. Torn from their homes and lives as they knew, they were relocated, in this case, in Oklahoma. Walking without adequate covering for their bodies and feet, journeying without traditional medicines, and lack of general sustenance, Native American Indians traveled the Choctaw Nation's description of the journey, The Trail of Tears.

When viewing this historic site, which must be done for a distance, you may reflect on the Native American journey across these local lands. Please enjoy the links provided by Clio to learn more about this part of American History and the Trail of Tears.

Sources

1. http://www.examiner.com/article/the-james-brown-house

2. http://www.examiner.com/article/the-james-brown-house

3. http://www.nps.gov/trte/planyourvisit/places-to-go-in-tennessee.htm

4. http://www.nps.gov/trte/learn/management/certified-sites-on-the-tra...

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trail_of_Tears http://www.examiner.com/article/the-james-brown-house http://www.nps.gov/trte/planyourvisit/places-to-go-in-tennessee.htm http://www.nps.gov/trte/learn/management/certified-sites-on-the-tra... http://thepeopleofthehuntingground.com http://www.cherokeeplantation.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ooltewah,_Tennessee http://www.cherokee.org/AboutTheNation/History/Places/EarlyCherokee...

Additional Information (need to go to original website to get links)

• This is an excellent article about The James Brown House. January 6, 2011.
• This National Park Service official site is a great place to find "Places to go in Tennessee." There is a Trail of Tears Tennessee Interactive Map.
• This official site of the National Park Service has available a list of Certified Sites on the Trail of Tears. Each has an address.
• The web site of The People of The Hunting Ground, Mixed Peoples of Our First Nations, is a great place to see the certified Sites on the Trail of Tears and other links as well.
• Learn more about Ooltewah (Owl's nest) Tennessee
• Learn more about the Cherokee Nation and their government here. You can learn more about the Trail of Tears and the Chiefs of the Cherokee Indians.

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• Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy: Jun 11 2022, 14:36:42 UTC