Sequoyah Papers, Undated

Very little manuscript material remains concerning Sequoyah (George Guess). These items consist of clip­ pings from newspapers, excerpts from periodicals, photostats, and some material written in the syllabary, part of which has been translated into English by Levi Gritts. One photostatic letter signed by John Ross and John Drew attests that Sally Guess is the "only surviving widow of George Guess." It is dated May 1, 1860, Washington, D. C.

Important items: Four handwritten copies of the syllabary, three of them being in the hand of Sequoyah, are included in this collection. Dr. Jack Frederick Kilpatrick identified them, and all three have Sequoyah's signature (in the syllabary) at the right hand bottom corner. One of the three has a penciled note signed by "J. H. P." (John Howard Payne). An 1830 broadside has a note in the Reverend Samuel Worcester's hand signed with his initials, explaining the sounds of certain characters in the syllabary.