George Harlin Starr

George Harlin Starr

George Harlin Star was born in east Tennessee in the vicinity

of what is now Etowah and Benton, Tennessee. This was on May

4, 1800. He was the son of Caleb Starr and Nancy Harlin. Thus

he was a great-grand-son of Nancy Ward who was a woman chief

of the Cherokees.

He was first married to Nell Carr and from this union one

child, Jane was born October 30, 1830. His second wife was

Nancy Bell, daughter of John Bell and Charlotte Adair. This

marriage was in Tennessee prior to the removal of the Cherokees

to the west. Nancy Bell was also a sister to John Adair Bell who

was a signer of the Cherokee Emigration Treaty of 1835. Also she

was a sister of Sarah Bell who was the wife of Stand Watie a

Confederate General of the Civil War. Stand Watie was the last

general to lay down his arms after the close of the Civil War. A

note of tragic is the fact that Stand Watie and Sarah Bell have no

living descendants today, their children having died in their

youth.

George Harlin with his family and his father's (Caleb) family

moved westward in 1838 prior to the compulsory removal in

1839. It is thought that most of their journey was by steamshi1>

rather than overland with wagons as was common in the forced

removal. Trouble had already begun in the east so together with

other members of the family already with the Western Cherokees

were reasons for removal. The Western Cherokees or Arkansas

Cherokees had made a settlement as early as 1809. These early

settlements were around Dardanelle, Arkansas. George Harlin

Starr settled in what is now the Oak Grove Community. IIis

sister Ruth Starr Bean had been in this area for several years and

was known as being a member of the Western Cherokee Group.

There was a government among them similar to the Eastern

Cherokees however instead of one Chief there were three. By the

treaty of 1817 this band was made secure by title and government

protection. They were the conservative, hunter element of the

tribe, and it was their purpose to restore the old Indian life in the

western wilderness, from which their brethren in the east were

drifting away.

His son Ezekial Starr was elected Senator from Flint District

in August, 1883: and elected Treasurer of the Cherokee Nation

on December 23, 1891. He made the Strip Payment of over

seven million dollars to the Cherokee nation: and one of the

proud heritages of the family is the fact that no one ever accused

him of appropriating a dollar of this or any other fund placed in

his trust.

George Harlin Starr was born May 4, 1800, died September

28, 1879 and is buried in the Starr Cemetery located on the Joe

Starr farm south of Stilwell.

Information regarding dates of birth and deaths and names of

children are listed as follows:

Nancy Bell Starr b. July 14, 1814, d. September 14, 1864.

Their children were: I. Jane Starr (Mother: Nellie Carr) b.

October 30, 1830, d. January 4, 1854, m. George Howard; 2.

William K. Starr b. March 9, 1835, d. September 9, 1958, not

married; 3. Charlotte Starr b. December 28, 1840, d. September

29, 1845; 4. John Walker Starr b. July 8, 1842, d. June 19, 1862;

5. Mary Francis Starr b. March 24, 1844 d. October 28, 1928, m.

Lucien Burr Bell 6. George Colbert Starr b. March 21, 1847, d.

June 29, 1876; 7. Ezekial Eugene Starr b. August 28, 1849, d.

October 5, 1905, m. Margaret Starr; 8. Joseph Jarrette Starr b.

December 21, 1851, d. August 16, 1872; 9. Caleb Ellis Starr b.

May 26, 1854, d. September 21, 1925, m. Malgerine Elizabeth

Adair and Jennie Butler; 10. Samuel Jesse Starr b. October 23,

1857, d. April 1, 1942, m. Sarah Ruth McClure.

By: Denton M. Starr