Our Arklahoma Heritage: From the Hiawasse River to the hills of Adair County - James Youar Wooskoo Bigby

In the hills surrounding Sweetwater, Tennessee, where the Hiwassee River winds through Cherokee lands, James Bigby was born in 1778, a man destined to navigate the turbulent crossroads of Cherokee tradition and American expansion.

Half Cherokee through his mother, Elizabeth Hicks, and of Scots or Irish descent through his father, Bigby’s life unfolded against the backdrop of a nation under siege.

As the Cherokee faced displacement during the Trail of Tears, Bigby’s journey—from farmer to interpreter, council member to citizen petitioner—offers a poignant lens into a people’s struggle to preserve their identity.

James Bigby’s early years were steeped in the rhythms of Cherokee life in the Amohee District of Tennessee. Born into the Paint Clan through his wife, Catherine Foreman, whom he married in 1800, Bigby was part of a vibrant community that blended Indigenous traditions with adaptive innovations.

Catherine, described by missionary William Holland as a devout Christian and industrious weaver, was a cornerstone of their large family, which eventually included ten children: Mary Ann, Jane, Thomas Wilson, James Jr., Wiley, Elizabeth, Sallie, Andrew Jackson, Susie, and Malinda.

Their household was a hub of activity, producing cloth and cultivating 90 acres of land, as noted in the 1835 Cherokee Census at Candy’s Creek.

Bigby’s mixed heritage shaped his role as a bridge between worlds. Fluent in English and Cherokee, he was a farmer, ferry operator, and advocate for education.

In 1823, alongside his brother-in-law Thomas Foreman and Hair Conrad, he petitioned the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions to establish the Candy’s Creek Mission School, a testament to his commitment to Cherokee progress.

By 1825, he and Catherine were active members of the Candy’s Creek Church, where Catherine’s early embrace of Christianity contrasted with James’s quieter, later adoption of the faith. Missionary Holland noted that Bigby’s spiritual path “grew brighter and brighter,” reflecting his thoughtful character.

Bigby’s entrepreneurial spirit shone through in his efforts to improve Cherokee infrastructure.

In 1813, he sought permission from Indian Agent Return J. Meigs to operate a ferry on Baker’s Creek and build a connecting road, a practical move to foster trade and mobility.

His farm, valued at $1,843 in 1836, included eight horses and produced 450 bushels of corn, underscoring his success as a farmer. Yet, his ambitions were repeatedly thwarted by the encroaching pressures of American settlement.

In 1817, Bigby secured a 640-acre reservation under the Cherokee Treaty, a significant achievement for a man of his standing. However, by 1819, he was forced to abandon it, selling the improvements to Caleb Starr for $500 as Tennessee authorities seized Cherokee lands.

This loss was a precursor to the greater dispossession that loomed. Bigby’s repeated claims for compensation, filed as late as 1848, were rejected by Cherokee Commissioners, a stark reminder of the systemic barriers faced by even prominent Cherokees.

As a member of the Cherokee National Council in 1828, Bigby represented the Amohee District, signing an 1830 address to the American people protesting Cherokee disenfranchisement.

His signature also appeared on a 1830 petition against U.S. Army restrictions on Cherokee gold mining, reflecting his advocacy for tribal sovereignty.

These acts of leadership, though often overshadowed by more prominent figures like John Ross, reveal Bigby’s dedication to his people’s rights.

The 1830s brought the darkest chapter of Bigby’s life: the forced removal of the Cherokee Nation, known as the Trail of Tears. As an interpreter for multiple detachments between 1838 and 1839, including those led by George Hicks and Daniel Colston, Bigby played a critical role in guiding his people westward to Indian Territory (modern-day Oklahoma).

Paid $250 for his services, he witnessed the harrowing journey that claimed thousands of lives. His daughter Malinda later recalled their arrival in the West in 1839, a moment of survival tinged with loss.

Bigby’s petition for U.S. citizenship in 1838, supported by General Winfield Scott, was a pragmatic yet painful choice. It reflected the impossible decisions many Cherokees faced: assimilate or lose everything.

While some of his children, like Andrew Jackson Bigby, remained in North Carolina, James and Catherine settled at Hungry Mountain, 18 miles from Tahlequah, in the Flint District.

There, they rebuilt their lives, their home becoming one of 18 Cherokee schools in 1845, a continuation of Bigby’s educational legacy.

James Bigby died on November 16, 1855, at age 77, and was buried at Hungry Mountain Cemetery, alongside Catherine, who outlived him until 1862.

Bigby’s children carried forward his legacy: Mary Ann and Jane married into the Taylor family,

Thomas Wilson and James Jr. attended mission schools, and Malinda lived into the 20th century, passing down stories of tradition and oral histories of his life and death.