Bushyhead, Jesse, 1804-1844

Born in Cherokee Nation, East. Conductor w/Roman Nose, of Cherokee Detachment in the Removal, 1839-1839. Ordained as protestant minister.

s/o Bushyhead & Nannie Foreman

h/o Elizabeth "Eliza" Wilkerson

f/o Jennie (Drew), Principal Chief Dennis Wolf, Daniel Colston, Charlotte (Mayes), Edward Wilkerson, Caroline "Carrie" Elizabeth (Quarles), Eliza Missouri (Vann, Alberty), Jesse & Nancy Sarah (McNair).

p. viii. During a most crucial era, Jesse Bushyhead provided leadership to the Cherokee Nation. Born as the nineteenth century opened, Bushyhead played a multifaceted role. Early on he gained recognition as a Cherokee interpreter and translator, using his linguistic skills in legal disputes and delicate negotiations with United States authorities. He also utilized his knowledge to aid missionaries in Bible translation and interpreted for public worship. His conversion to Christianity is noteworthy because he became one of the first Cherokees to receive ordination to the ministry. Moreover, he was the pastor of at least two autonomous Cherokee Baptist congregations and aided in the establishment of several mission stations. But not only was he a spiritual shepherd, Bushyhead was a detachment leader during the forced removal on what has become known as the Trail of Tears. In this capacity, he was responsible for the safe conduct of over 900 emigrants from Tennessee to Indian Territory in eastern Oklahoma. After the journey, Bushyhead was a principal participant in the formation of the new Cherokee government, providing stability in the turbulent and often internecine struggle between factions. And although without legal training, Bushyhead served the new government as a chief justice of the Cherokee Supreme Court. Yet, during these challenges, Bushyhead also assisted missionary Evan Jones in establishing a vibrant Baptist presence among Cherokees.

Jesse Bushyhead (1804–1844) was a Cherokee religious and political leader, and a Baptist minister. He was born near the present-day town of Cleveland, Tennessee. His Cherokee name was Unaduti. As a young man, he was ordained a Baptist minister.

A member of the John Ross faction of the Cherokee, he was dispatched by Ross in 1837 on a mission to the Seminole. Although Bushyhead opposed the federal policy forcing Indian Removal to west of the Mississippi River, he accepted the inevitable and led a party of about 1,000 people on the Trail of Tears. On his arrival in 1839 near present-day Westville, Oklahoma, he established the Baptist Mission. This marked the end of the Cherokee Trail of Tears. He became chief justice of the Cherokee nation in 1840 and remained in that office until his death.