Women’s History Month: Elizabeth “Quatie” Ross

Elizabeth "Quatie" Ross
Courtesy: Catherine Foreman Gray

Born: 1791 in the Old Cherokee Nation in modern-day Georgia  

Died: February 1, 1839 in Arkansas

Bio: Elizabeth “Quatie” Ross was the first wife of Cherokee chief John Ross. In local folklore, she is best known for giving her blanket to a sick child while traveling through Arkansas on the Trail of Tears, after which she died of pneumonia. Despite almost no evidence to support it, the legend of Quatie Ross has endured since the 1890s. Today, frequent visitors leave rocks, coins, and other gifts on her gravestone at Mount Holly Cemetery in Little Rock. 

You can learn more about the life of Elizabeth “Quatie” Ross at the Encyclopedia of Arkansas.