Tom Starr -- Cherokee Outlaw And Murderer

It's believed that Cherokee outlaw and murderer Tom Starr was born sometime in 1813. While he was involved late in life with running whiskey into Indian Territory, rustling, and possibly selling "protection" to those who didn't want their homes burned to the ground, he started out his criminal career with the distinction of being declared an outlaw by his own tribe. 

Tom Starr's father was Cherokee leader James Starr. His father was one of the signers of the Treaty of New Echota in December 1835. The Treaty of New Echota was what was used to force the Cherokee Nation to cede all their land East of the Mississippi River to the United States government. In exchange, the Cherokee Nation was paid 5 Million Dollars and given land in the Indian Territory in the West, what is present-day Oklahoma. 

Just a little perspective on how much money that was at the time. The sum of $5,000,000 in 1835 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $179,321,022.73 today. Yes, 5 Million Dollars in 1835 is the equivalent of almost 180 Million Dollars today (2025). As for my opinion on this, I don't think that's really that much money when the Cherokee were forcibly removed from their lands in Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama and relocated to Indian Territory out West of the Mississippi River.

Of course, as we know now, that the Treaty of New Echota led to the forced relocation of the Cherokee people and what became known as "The Trail of Tears." While I know that most of my readers know what "The Trail of Tears" was all about, amazingly some don't. 

The Indian Removal Act of 1830 was the result of American settlers wanting the Cherokee land in the Southeast. This led to pressure from the United States federal government to remove the tribe. This allowed the United States federal government to negotiate treaties with tribes to remove them from their land in the Southeast. Primarily, the Cherokee were the main tribe affected. But, we should recognize that the Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole were also affected by what took place.  

The "Trail of Tears" refers to the devastating journey that resulted in thousands of deaths. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 signed by President Andrew Jackson. The Removal Act was supposed to open up more land in the Southeast for American settlement. 

The forced migration involved a long journey across several states -- most of it on foot. And make no mistake about it, it was backbreaking, grueling, hard, and punishing. The name "Trail of Tears" reflects the high death toll and huge suffering endured by the tribes during this forced migration. It was a journey where thousands of Native Americans died because of disease, exposure, starvation, and harsh conditions.

Of course, most Cherokee Indians opposed the treaty at the time. Some say that those who were against the treaty because they were not adequately represented. Some say, in reality, only a small group of Cherokee made the decision to leave and go to Oklahoma. In fact, only a small faction of Cherokee leaders signed the treaty despite opposition from the majority of the Cherokee Nation led by their Principal Chief John Ross.

The Treaty of New Echota had a huge impact on the Cherokee Nation. Many tribal members disagreed with its signing. James Starr, Tom's father, who was for the relocation, was targeted for assassination by Cherokee Indians who opposed the treaty. Followers of the anti-Removal National Party were led by Cherokee leader John Ross who was almost murdered more than once himself. All of these attacks and killings eventually led to a Cherokee Civil War. 

On one side were treaty supporters, including the Starr family, James Starr and his six sons, who opposed the John Ross faction of anti-treaty members of the tribe. In retaliation for the attempts on his father's life, Tom Starr became a "guerrilla leader" of an especially ruthless band during the Cherokee Civil War. 

Soon, he and his band became known as murderers who would kill men and women and children before setting fire to the homes of those they killed. In fact, Tom Starr and his band were accused of murdering a trader by the name of Benjamin Vore and his family at their home. They set fire to their home after all were murdered by Tom Starr and his men. 

In November of 1845, members of the anti-treaty faction killed James Starr and his son Buck during an attack at their home. The attack was carried out by thirty-two anti-treaty members of his tribe. It's said Tom Starr witnessed what took place. He escaped and vowed "Blood revenge" to avenge his father and brother. 

According to one source, "The blood revenge custom was usually carried out by an older male of the victim's clan if it could not be taken by his oldest brother. Blood revenge was the practice to avenge the victim by taking the life of the murderer himself, however, a close relative of the murderer would satisfy the revenge." Years later, Tom Starr would claim that he killed all of the thirty-two anti-treaty members of his tribe who were involved with killing his father and brother. And no, no one knows if what he claimed was true or not. Many would later simply accept it without proof, just because he said he did it.

John Ross was the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation from 1828 to 1866. He served longer in that position than any other person. The John Ross faction of the Cherokee Nation didn't take the threat from Tom Starr lightly and placed a $1,000 bounty on Starr's head. The John Ross faction also declared Tom Starr, his brothers, and his band of followers fugitive outlaws.

The Cherokee Nation, like other tribes, had a history of owning enslaved people of African descent. Tom Starr and his band were known to raid an enemy who owned slaves. He was also known to either take the slaves to Alabama to sell them, or immediately kill them outright.

In case you're curious, later during "The Trail of Tears," African slaves who were owned by members of the Cherokee Nation also accompanied their Cherokee owners on that journey West. Since they were seen as property by the Cherokee Nation, African slaves were forced by their Cherokee owners to march West on "The Trail of Tears." And yes, many of those slaves also died on the way for all of the same reasons that may have also killed their owners -- disease, starvation, exposure, and the harsh conditions of the Westward migration.

The Cherokee Civil War lasted from 1845 to 1846, although some say it started years earlier. After many deaths, the Cherokee conflict ended with a formal truce in 1846. The resulting peace treaty between the two factions included a special clause pardoning citizens of the Cherokee Nation for offenses and crimes including murder and mayhem. That pardon was extended to Tom Starr and his band of men.  

Tom Starr would go on to settle on a piece of land in the southern portion of the Canadian District of the Cherokee Nation, near present-day Briartown, Oklahoma. He and his brothers, and their extended family, used Tom's home as a known place where criminal outlaws resided. From there, it's said he and his brothers stole cattle and horses and supplies, but also ran an extortion ring that used arson to get people to pay for their "protection." 

Tom Starr was known as a killer, a murderer, a heartless "guerrilla leader" who allegedly killed over a hundred men in his lifetime, both Cherokee and Whites and Black slaves who it's said he especially hated. While some say that figure is exaggerated, and Tom Starr was known to brag and inflate the number of people he killed, he also claimed many times that he tracked down and killed every one of the thirty-two armed men who killed his father and brother. 

Of course, who knows how many people he killed, men, women, or children. After all, Tom Starr also served in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. He served in the Confederate Army in the First Cherokee Mounted Volunteers, and as a scout for Confederate General Stand Watie. And yes, he supposedly also served with Quantrill's guerrillas. In fact, it's said that after the war, some of Quantrill's former guerrillas frequently visited their comrade Tom Starr at his home. Since outlaw Cole Younger and some of his brothers were known to have visited his home so often, a part of the Canadian River near Tom Starr's property became known as "Younger's Bend."

Tom Starr had multiple wives and eight sons, including Samuel Starr who married Mrs. Myra Belle Shirley Reed, the widow of an outlaw named James C. Reed. We know her as the outlaw Belle Starr. As for Tom Starr, it's said in his later years he enjoyed talking about the people he killed. Supposedly he enjoyed having an audience listen intently to his tales of being a guerrilla leader and how he killed his own brother-in-law -- then got the $2,000 reward after presenting his brother-in-law's severed head to the Cherokee chief and treasurer as proof of death.

While it sounds as though Cherokee outlaw and killer Tom Starr was proud of having killed as many people as he did, we'll probably never truly know just how homicidal he was or how many Cherokee he killed for one reason or another. 

We do know that he was known to enjoy telling young men stories about the people that he killed, including detailed descriptions of killing people like Benjamin Vore and his family before setting fire to their home. And yes, some say he enjoyed making himself look more of a cold-blooded killer than he really was, while at the same time being so paranoid of retribution from other tribe members that he supposedly kept several guns within reach at his home. 

Tom Starr died on October 7th, 1890, at his home in Briartown and is buried in the Starr family cemetery there. Believe it or not, even though people know his bloody past, some will excuse his actions and say he was a good man who simply sought revenge -- no different than what the Earp Vendetta did years later in Arizona. Then again, some refused to make excuses for his murderous ways. They saw Tom Starr back in the day as the devil incarnate and his death as a benefit to all.

Tom Correa