John Ridge's Wedding: A Fateful Day

I found several people called John Ridge, including one who got married in 1824. Is this the John Ridge you are referring to?

John Ridge, born Skah-tle-loh-skee (or Yellow Bird), was from a prominent family of the Cherokee Nation. He travelled to Cornwall, Connecticut, to study at the Foreign Mission School, where he met his future wife, Sarah Bird Northup. They married in 1824 and returned to New Echota in 1825. Ridge was chosen for the Cherokee National Council and became a leader in the tribe. He was assassinated in 1839 by opponents of his political actions.

John Ridge's wedding to Sarah Bird Northup

John Ridge, born Skah-tle-loh-skee (Yellow Bird), was from a prominent family of the Cherokee Nation, located in present-day Georgia. In 1819, his father, Major Ridge, sent him to the Foreign Mission School in Cornwall, Connecticut, to pursue a classical middle-class education. While at school, Ridge fell in love with Sarah Bird Northrup, the daughter of the school's steward. After two years, he convinced her parents to allow them to marry, and they tied the knot in January 1824.

The wedding of John Ridge and Sarah Bird Northup sparked controversy in the Cornwall community due to the interracial nature of their union. Ridge, a Cherokee man, and Northup, a white woman, faced backlash and hostility from their community. This reaction had a profound impact on Ridge, diminishing his admiration for European Americans and altering his hopes for future relations between the Cherokee and white communities.

The couple's marriage broke from traditional norms, as historically, marriages between Europeans and Cherokee typically involved European men, often fur traders, and high-status Cherokee women. These strategic alliances were believed to benefit both parties and were facilitated by the Cherokee's matrilineal kinship culture, which granted children the status of their mother's clan. However, the situation for Ridge and Northup was different due to their racial backgrounds.

In response to the marriage, the National Council of the Cherokee Nation passed a law in 1825, ensuring that children born from similar interracial unions would have full Cherokee citizenship, as if they were of Cherokee descent on their mother's side. This decision was influenced by the high status of Ridge and his cousin, Elias Boudinot, who was also engaged to a European-American woman at the time. The law aimed to protect their future families and secure the rights of their children within the Cherokee Nation.

Following their wedding, Ridge and Northup returned to Georgia in 1825, where Ridge became actively involved in the political affairs of the Cherokee Nation. He was chosen for the Cherokee National Council and emerged as a leader, advocating for the protection of Cherokee rights in the face of increasing pressure for removal from European-American settlers. Ridge's marriage to Northup marked a turning point in his perspective on relations between the Cherokee and European Americans, shaping his political stance and contributions to the Cherokee Nation.

John Ridge's parents' marriage

John Ridge's parents, Major Ridge and Sehoya, also known as Susannah Catherine Wickett, were married in 1792. The couple belonged to the Cherokee Nation, then located in present-day Georgia. Sehoya was a mixed-blood Cherokee of the Wild Potato clan, while Major Ridge was nearly full-blood Cherokee.

Major Ridge was a Cherokee leader, a member of the tribal council, and a lawmaker. He fought in the Cherokee–American wars and later led the Cherokee in alliances with General Andrew Jackson and the United States in the Creek and Seminole wars of the early 19th century. He was also a wealthy planter and slave owner in Georgia. Sehoya, on the other hand, was the daughter of Kate Parris and Ar-tah-ku-ni-sti-sky ("Wickett").

The couple had several children, including John Ridge, who was born around 1802. In 1819, Major Ridge sent his son to Cornwall, Connecticut, to be educated in European-American classical studies at the Foreign Mission School. John Ridge later followed in his father's footsteps and became a leader in the Cherokee Nation.

In 1835, Major Ridge and his son John became signatories to the Treaty of New Echota, which ceded Cherokee lands east of the Mississippi in exchange for lands in Indian Territory. This decision was opposed by the majority of the tribe, including Chief John Ross. Unfortunately, in 1839, after the removal to Indian Territory, opponents assassinated Major Ridge, John Ridge, and other Treaty Party members for their role in the land cession.

John Ridge's father, Major Ridge's, assassination

John Ridge, born Skah-tle-loh-skee (Yellow Bird), was a member of a prominent family of the Cherokee Nation. In 1824, he married Sarah Bird Northup, a white woman, which was unusual for the time. Ridge was among the first Cherokee men to marry a European-American woman. After their return to New Echota in 1825, Ridge was chosen for the Cherokee National Council and became a leader in the tribe. He was highly respected by all the tribes across the Southern United States for his abilities and faithfulness to Indian welfare.

In the 1830s, Ridge was part of the Treaty Party with his father, Major Ridge, and cousins Elias Boudinot and Stand Watie. They believed that Indian Removal was inevitable and supported making a treaty with the United States government to protect Cherokee rights. The Ridges and Boudinot were signatories to the Treaty of New Echota of 1835, which ceded Cherokee lands east of the Mississippi in exchange for lands in Indian Territory. The land cession was opposed by the majority of the tribe, including the Principal Chief John Ross. Despite this opposition, the treaty was ratified by the US Senate.

After the treaty signing, Ridge, his father, and most of his family moved to what is now Indian Territory in 1837, two years before the forced removal of most of the Cherokee. However, their efforts to preserve the Cherokee Nation were not well-received by all. In 1839, opponents of the treaty assassinated Major Ridge, John Ridge, and other members of the Treaty Party, including Boudinot. A group of 25 pro-Ross partisans of the "Late Comers" killed the Ridges and Boudinot in revenge for signing the treaty that ceded Cherokee lands. They were executed in accordance with the Cherokee Blood Law. Major Ridge was killed while riding along a road, with a group of men hiding in the bushes and firing several gunshots at him. This act of violence eliminated them as political rivals in the new territory.

John Ridge's role in the Treaty Party

John Ridge was a prominent member of the Treaty Party, a group that advocated negotiating the removal of the Cherokee Nation under a treaty to protect Cherokee rights. He believed that Indian Removal was inevitable and that the only way to preserve the Cherokee Nation was to negotiate a treaty with the United States government.

John Ridge was born around 1802 in the village of Oothacaloga, in present-day Georgia. He was the son of Cherokee chief Major Ridge and his wife, Sehoya. John Ridge was often sick as a child but went on to study at the Foreign Mission School in Cornwall, Connecticut, in 1819. There, he met and fell in love with Sarah Bird Northrup, whom he married in 1824.

After returning to Georgia in 1825, Ridge was chosen for the Cherokee National Council and became a leader in the tribe. He participated in tribal delegations to Washington, D.C., to consult with United States officials and protest against Georgia's illegal annexation of Cherokee land.

In the 1830s, Ridge, along with his father, Major Ridge, and cousins Elias Boudinot and Stand Watie, became leaders of the Treaty Party. They supported making a treaty with the United States government to cede Cherokee lands east of the Mississippi River in exchange for lands in Indian Territory and protection of Cherokee rights. The Treaty of New Echota of 1835 was signed by the Ridges and Boudinot, despite opposition from the majority of the tribe and Principal Chief John Ross. The treaty was ratified by the US Senate and led to the forced removal of the Cherokee in 1838, known as the Trail of Tears.

John Ridge moved to Indian Territory with his family in 1837, a year before the forced removal of most of the Cherokee. On June 22, 1839, he was assassinated by opponents of the Treaty Party, including members of the Ross faction, who blamed him for the loss of communal lands and the deaths of the Trail of Tears.

John Ridge's life and the Trail of Tears

John Ridge, born Skah-tle-loh-skee (or Yellow Bird in English), was a prominent member of the Cherokee Nation in Georgia. He was born around 1802 in the village of Oothacaloga, near present-day Calhoun, Georgia. As a child, he was often sickly, but he went on to study at the Foreign Mission School in Cornwall, Connecticut, in 1819. There, he met Sarah Bird Northup, whom he married in 1824. The couple returned to New Echota in 1825, and Ridge was chosen for the Cherokee National Council, becoming a leader in the tribe.

Ridge was from a prominent Cherokee family. His father, Major Ridge, was a Cherokee chief, and his mother, Sehoya, was a member of the Wild Potato Clan, as the Cherokee were a matrilineal tribe. Ridge's cousin, Elias Boudinot, also studied with him at the Foreign Mission School.

In the 1830s, Ridge, his father, and cousins became part of the Treaty Party, believing that Indian Removal was inevitable. They supported negotiating a treaty with the United States government to protect Cherokee rights. Ridge participated in tribal delegations to Washington, D.C., to consult with US officials and protest against the illegal annexation of Cherokee land. Despite their efforts, President Andrew Jackson continued to support the removal of all Southeast tribes west of the Mississippi River.

Ridge and his father signed the Treaty of New Echota in 1835, which ceded all Cherokee land east of the Mississippi River in exchange for new land in what is now Oklahoma. The treaty was opposed by the majority of the tribe, including Principal Chief John Ross, but it was ratified by the US Senate. The treaty led to the forced removal of the Cherokee from their ancestral homeland in 1838, known as the Trail of Tears, during which thousands of Cherokee people died.

In 1839, after the removal to Indian Territory, opponents of the treaty assassinated Ridge, his father, and other Treaty Party members. On June 22, 1839, a group of 25 pro-Ross partisans killed Ridge, pulling him from his home and stabbing him to death in front of his family.

In a separate event, a wedding venue called The Ridge in Marshall, North Carolina, hosted the wedding of John and Andy Warren on September 1st. The wedding took place at the Chateau at The Ridge, which offers expansive views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Frequently asked questions