Major Ridge, and son, John Ridge, were active Cherokee leaders who in 1835 signed the New Echota treaty, a land treaty which some Cherokees later blamed for the Trail of Tears. In 1839 both Major and John Ridge were murdered by members of the John Ross party, an event witnessed by John Ridge's 12-year-old son John Rollin Ridge. John Rollin Ridge wrote "The Life and Adventures of Joaquin Murieta, the Celebrated California Bandit," which is considered to be the first Native American novel and first novel written in California, in 1854. Ridge also wrote for several anti-abolitionist papers during the Civil War and published a number of poems.
From the description of Ridge family papers, circa 1824-1968. (Southern Methodist University). WorldCat record id: 750590846
