The historian will do justice to the memories of the fallen. —John Adair Bell

The Bell Route of the Trail of Tears passed through what is now the greater campus of Sewanee—The University of the South. This digital archive is a project developed in Sewanee classrooms to better understand our local history of Cherokee Removal. This collaboration between faculty, students, and the community supports Sewanee’s Indigenous Engagement Initiative.

Origins

...forced her to leave her home ... and join the detachment for removal west. —Lucinda Peggs

These records describe the origins of Bell Detachment members in their homelands in the old Cherokee Nation. The Treaty of New Echota (1835), signed by John A. Bell, set their emigration in motion. Census data from 1835 provides details on some families and some enslaved people. Valuations from 1835-1836 describe what Cherokee homes were like. 1838 Claims were submitted by Cherokees for property lost before emigration.

Red Clay State Historic Park

Vann Tavern, New Echota State Historic Site

Worcester House, New Echota State Historic Site

The historian will do justice to the memories of the fallen. —John Adair Bell

Origins