Mural by Robert Lindneux (1871–1970). The Trail of Tears, 1942. Woolaroc Museum, Bartlesville, Oklahoma.

The Chattanooga Public Library’s Local History and Genealogy Department is honored to debut Records of Removal: Ration Books from the Trail of Tears, a new exhibition on the 3rd floor at the Downtown Library. The exhibit is free, open to the public and available for viewing from October 4, 2024 through February 28, 2025.

Records of Removal provides public access to original log books detailing the weekly food and supply rations issued to individual Cherokee and Muscogee families between 1836 and 1838. During this time, the indigenous families were held at Ross’s Landing and nearby internment camps to prepare for the difficult and often deadly journey known as the Trail of Tears. Their removal and march to the West was enforced and carried out by the United States military and government agencies. Records from this time are scarce and scattered; some of the best information we have about these events comes from documents kept by federal agents.

“To have a meaningful understanding of our present, you must understand our shared past,” said Jessica Sedgwick, Head Librarian of Local History & Genealogy. “I hope visitors to this exhibit come away with a deeper understanding of what indigenous families experienced during the forced removal, and what lessons can be learned by critically examining the impact of government policies and their lasting legacies.”

In conjunction with the exhibit, the Library is working with the National Trail of Tears Association (TOTA) to fully digitize and transcribe the ration books, so they can be viewed and searched freely online for the first time ever. TOTA is a national nonprofit with a mission to identify, protect, and preserve Trail of Tears National Historic Trail resources and to promote awareness of the Trail’s legacy, including the removal stories of the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek), and Seminole. For many indigenous families out West, these ration books are valuable for genealogical research, offering families a way to track their roots back to ancestral lands.

Sedgwick explained, “These records document the ancestry of people who, because of the forced removal, are generally not local to Chattanooga and would not have the opportunity to see these records in-person. So it was important for us to go beyond the physical exhibit and provide online access to the ration books. We're honored to partner with the National Trail of Tears Association on this effort - their research team has traveled to repositories across the country digitizing records related to removal, and they've now come to Chattanooga to scan the Library's ration books for their database.”

Michael Wren, TOTA Board Member and Chair of the Research Committee, said, “The Trail of Tears Association is thrilled and honored to be partnering with the Chattanooga Public Library to make these valuable records accessible to researchers, academics and especially the Cherokee and Muskogee people.”

While the work of transcribing the records is currently ongoing, digital images of the ration books can now be viewed at the Library's Local History Digital Collections site at collections.chattlibrary.org. Anyone interested in learning more is encouraged to visit Records of Removal during the Downtown Library’s regular operating hours, Monday through Saturday from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. The exhibition offers informational panels so that anyone can take a self-guided tour of the collection.

To learn more about the Library’s Local History & Genealogy Department, as well as other departments and locations, hours, events and more, visit chattlibrary.org.