Before people moved there , Clay County was home to the Cherokee Indians . They were a tribe of Native Americans that lived in Southeastern United States ( mainly in Georgia , the Carolinas and Eastern Tennessee ) They were one of the `` Five Civilized Tribes '' because they adopted European-American culture and technology . Before settlement , Clay County was home to the Cherokee Indians , who was a tribe of Native Americans that made their home in Southeastern United States ( principally Georgia , the Carolinas and Eastern Tennessee ) They were one of the `` Five Civilized Tribes '' because of their assimilation of European-American cultural and technological practices .