J. B. Mayes was of mixed Scots/Irish and Cherokee ancestry. He was adopted into the Cherokee tribe when he was born. He served in the Confederate Army in Company A, 1st Cherokee Regiment. He became a Captain. He was a personal friend of W.C. Quantrill and fought with him as well. He was appointed a major by General E. K. Smith and served under Stan Watie until the War ended. After the War he became County Clerk of Mayes County, Oklahoma Territory, Judge of the Northern Circuit of the Cherokee Nation, and associate justice of the Cherokee Supreme Court. In 1887, he became a chief of the Cherokee Nation; Principal Chief. He died on December 14, 1891. He was a Major figure so I am placing him here in the Personality Section rather than the Indian section.
