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Auction: 9USA - Schingoethe Obsolete Currency Collection Part 15
Lot: 868

Indian Territory / Choctaw Nation. $700. February 5, 1857. Handwritten pay order on blue lined paper dated 1857. From John Ross at the Executive Department to his brother Lewis Ross regarding the School fund for medical attendance. EF.John Ross was born in 1790. Born to Scottish parents, Ross was 1/8 Cherokee Indian. He spent his early years in Tennessee, but at 19 years of age, he was sent on a diplomatic mission involving the Western Cherokees. In March of 1814, Ross fought alongside of the Cherokees under the command of General Andrew Jackson in a pitched battle with the Creeks. In 1815 he opened a trading post at Chattanooga, and a missionary school. He was elected to the Cherokee National Council where he served until 1826. Ross was responsible for the drafting of the Cherokee Constitution. In 1838 U. S. soldiers forced the Cherokees off their land, and marched them from Tennessee to Tahlequah, Oklahoma. This was the famous "Trail of Tears" incident, where over 4,000 Cherokees died. Upon reaching Tahlequah, John Ross was named Principal Chief of the Cherokees. It was this title that gave him the authorization to sign this early and important Cherokee Nation financial instrument. Estimate US$ 400-800

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