The Willstown Mission Cemetery is located near the corner of Godfrey Avenue and 38th Street NE, Fort Payne.
On the northeastern edge of the city of Fort
Payne, Alabama, can be found a historic
Native American and pioneer cemetery
marking the site of the Wills Town Mission.
In 1823 the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions chose this site for its fifth mission/school for the Cherokees. The Boston-based organization had established its initial mission at Brainerd near present Chattanooga, in 1819. Among the influential Cherokees who persuaded the officials at Brainerd to establish a mission/school here were John Ross and his brother Andrew, and George Lowery.
A ten acre plot of land was purchased by the board for the mission/school which was located on the main road from Ross’ Landing to Willstown. Separate log structures 18 by 20 feet were constructed for use as classrooms by the boys and girls. Other buildings included a two story log house for the missionaries, six cabins for the students who boarded, a smokehouse, two corn cribs, a spring house, and a gristmill. Water came from a cave a few hundred yards away, and a clever wooden trough provided fresh water for the students and their teachers. The missionaries’ house was located two houses down this street. A large stone larder still survives. The property was the reported site of the Council Tree where Cherokees from around the area gathered to hold council meetings. The old tree died in the 1950’s and Landmarks planted a replacement in 1983. The tree and marker are near the street at 3707 Godfrey Avenue.
Missionary/teachers here included Rev. and Mrs. William Chamberlain, Rev. and Mrs. Ard Hoyt, and Rev. Daniel Butrick. Mr. and Mrs. Sylvester Ellis were employed as farmers. Classes began on May 12, 1823 for students who lived within walking distance of the school, and boarding students were admitted a little later. The school was free of charge except for students who boarded there.
The cemetery may predate the mission/school. A local legend claims that many Cherokee, including John Watts, the Chickamauga warrior, are buried here, but this has not been substantiated. The cemetery was also used as a flower garden by the missionaries, and it was here that Ard Hoyt was buried in February of 1828 after suffering from an unknown illness. His funeral drew a large number of Cherokees, friends and admirers. Born in Danbury, Connecticut in 1790, the Cherokees called him “father” Hoyt. Some members of his family, including sons Darius and Milo, continued to work as teachers and missionaries for the Cherokees.
One of the greatest Native American
scholars of all time lived in Wills Town
during the years prior to the establishment of
the mission. It was here between 1818 and
1821 that Sequoyah developed the Cherokee
alphabet, bringing a written language and
literacy to thousands of members of his tribe.
Born in around 1770 at the Cherokee village
of Taskigi in Tennessee, Sequoyah was an
interested observer of how the whites used a
written language to communicate and
advance their culture through books and
literature. He became convinced that a
similar written alphabet could be developed
for the Cherokee.
Sequoyah moved to Wills Town in 1818 and
perfected his 86-character Cherokee
Alphabet over the next three years. He
demonstrated it in 1821 and the impressed
leaders of the nation eventually approved his
efforts. The Cherokee became the only
Native American tribe to develop and use a
written language of their own.
Sequoyah left Wills Town in 1823, the same
year as the establishment of the Christian
mission. He relocated to Arkansas and
eventually to present-day Oklahoma where
his log cabin home still stands. Although he
died while on a trip to Mexico in 1843,
Sequoyah's alphabet remains in use today. More information on Sequoyah may be found on the Fort Payne website. It should be noted that this page incorrectly states that Sequoyah accompanied the Cherokees on the Trail of Tears.
The Wills Town Mission was operated from
1823-1828 by Rev. Ard Hoyt, its resident
missionary and superintendent. He is buried
in the historic cemetery alongside many of
the Cherokee people he served. Later
settlers also used the historic cemetery.
The mission remained active until 1838
when the most of the Cherokee were forced to
relocate to new lands in what is now
Oklahoma.
The fields of the Cherokee were used by
early white settlers of the area and the little
mission cemetery remained in use as a
burial ground through much of the 19th
century.
The cemetery is all that remains of the
historic Cherokee town and mission today. Natural stones and the stumps of cedar
trees mark the Cherokee grave sites, while
headstones designate the sites of white
burials. There are over 50 obvious graves at the cemetery, but the archaeologists suspect there are many more and only 9 are marked. Military Paymaster records at the National Archives have been found showing disbursements made to individuals for shrouds and coffins for 41 Cherokee Indians who died in camp at Fort Payne between June and September 1838.
Marked graves:
Campbell, Sarah SEC of HB Campbell Born Oct 1847 Died 2 Aug 1869
Hoyt, Ard born abt 1770 and died February 18, 1828
Larmore, Elizabeth W. born 10 May 1842 and died 30 December 1847
Larmore, Hugh P.C. born 20 Oct 1844 and diec 26 February 1866
Larmore, John Vance born 17 Nov 1840 and died 21 Jun 1841
Larmore, Laura I. born 16 May 1859 and died 21 Feb 1874
Larmore, Margaret M. born 1 May 1819 and died 4 June 1898
Larmore Vance C. born 13 Mar 1809 and died 28 Jan 1886
