[3] Although Bushyhead opposed the federal policy forcing Indian Removal to west of the Mississippi River, he led a party of about 1,000 people on what is known as the Trail of Tears.

His eldest son, Dennis Bushyhead, held several offices in the Cherokee Nation, including as Principal Chief.

[3] He began converting other Cherokee to Christianity, established a church at Amohee in Tennessee (then his home town),[3] and became a close associate of noted Baptist missionary, Reverend Evan Jones.

"[2] In 1832, Reverend Jones recommended to the Baptist Board of Foreign Missions that Bushyhead be appointed as an assistant missionary.

[6] He married Eliza (née Wilkerson; transcribed as Wilkinson by some of her descendants), with whom he had nine children:[2] Jane (m. Drew), Dennis, Daniel, Charlotte (m. Mayes), Edward "Ned", Caroline "Carrie", Eliza Missouri (m. Alberty), Jesse Jr., and Nancy Sarah (m.

[7]: 43 [8]: 456–457 [9]: 43  Jane, his oldest daughter, married Richard Drew, who served in the Cherokee Senate from 1841 to 1843.

[5] Ned was a newspaperman, miner, and lawman, who served as sheriff and police chief of San Diego, California.

[11]: 295–299  Carrie taught in the Cherokee school system for almost forty years, training numerous tribal leaders.

[12]: 406–409 [13]: 229 [14] Eliza Missouri, who was born on the Trail of Tears to Indian Territory,[12]: 404  married Bluford Alberty with whom she ran a noted hotel in Talequah.

As the deadline approached when General Winfield Scott and the U.S. Army would escort the people to a new homeland in the Indian Territory, Rev.

During the journey, the group experienced 38 deaths and 6 births, including that of one of his daughters, Eliza Missouri Bushyhead,[15][16] the rest arrived safely at their destination on February 23, 1839.