[Receipt for payment to] Long Beard, 1809 Dec. 18, Highwassee [i.e., Hiwassee, Tennessee] Garrison: a machine-readable transcription
Availability:
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Date:
December 18, 1809
Extent:
2p
Summary:
This is a receipt for payment of one hundred dollars to a Cherokee man named Long Beard, by the United States agent to the Cherokees, Return J. Meigs. The sum was paid as compensation for the murder of Long Beard's son Blackbird by a white man in Cherokee territory in exchange for Long Beard's promise that he and his family would not seek retribution. The marks of several Cherokee chiefs, including The Ridge, also appear on the document, dated December 18, 1809.
Repository:
Special Collections Library, The University of Tennessee Knoxville
Received this day of Return J. Meigs one hundred dollars, the said Meigs being the Agent from the U. States to my nation & being authorised [authorized] by the Executive of the U. States to make presents to the families of Cherokees who may have had there [their] friends [added: or any one of them] killed by white men & who may have evaded the punishment justly due for their crimes. I therefore as a testimony of my wish to live in peace & friendship with the white people do receive the sum aforsaid [aforesaid] [unclear] as an expression of the regret of the Executive for the death of my son named Blackbird who was killed by a white man on Cherokee ground in June last near Southwest Point & I do hereby declare that myself or any of my family shall not seek revenge by retalitating on any citizen or Citizens of the U. States , being satisfied that every legal step has been taken by the said Agent to bring the offender to punishment, having taken advice of the Chiefs of my nation on this business I now act by their advice & it may [added: therefore] be considered as an act of the Cherokee nation . (Duplicates signed)
Long Beard his X mark.
Highwassee Garrison18th December 1809 Cherokee Chiefs
John Boggs marks X John Walker " X The Ridge " X John Jolly " X Saml [Samuel] Riley Interpreter
