My 3rd great grandmother was an orphan on the trail of tears.
Here is what I know about her:
Nancy Jane Smith was said to be one of the children orphanned on “The Trail of Tears” in Sullivan County, Tennessee. She was found by the Vaughn Family who kept her along with the Waller family, through her late teens. While there is no proof of which tribe, it is likely that she was Cherokee, the largest tribe in Tennessee and the entire Southeast.
Nancy Jane was born in 1832, in Sullivan County. She was first married to Joseph Powell, and had one son, John. She later married John Collins Kelsay in 1861, and moved to Switzerland County, Indiana. When her husband died in 1880, she headed to Kansas and raised her sons on a farm, alone.
Nancy Jane Kelsay was the mother of Clarence C., Edward, Jesse, and Harvey Kelsay. She died in 1912 in Huron, Kansas.
How can I find out more about her family?
Nancy Jane (Powell) Kelsay was my Great Great Grandmother. Her son, James Monroe Powell (not John) was my Great Grandfather. Much of what you have written matches information I have and some of it is new to me. I would be very interested in any additional information you might have.