1842 Claims

These claims offer some of the best eyewitness testimony of the Trail of Tears. Some claimants describe leaving their homes, property they were forced to abandon, their arrest and detainment by troops, and illness during emigration. Claims list their new place of residence in the Cherokee Nation west. There are 49 known claims from Bell Detachment members, all of which are transcribed here. All of these claims are from the Trail of Tears Association 1842 Claims Database. Special thanks to Mike Wren for sharing these records.