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Subject: Re: [NativeAmericanDelmarva] NativeAmericanDelmarva] Bunch, Miles/Mills/ Adam...
Date: Thu, 5 Oct 2000 15:10:02 EDT
Could I have your permission to post this information to another list?
Thank you.
Cynthia Mahjoub
In a message dated 10/5/00 9:05:52 AM US Eastern Standard Time,
writes:
<< Trying to locate documentation regarding Native Americans is very
difficult.
Dr. Walter Ashby Plecker spent decades trying to deny the existence of
Indians
in Virginia (go figure??). Virginia's former registrar of the Bureau of
Vital
Statistics, Dr. Plecker, believed there were no real native-born Indians in
Virginia and anybody claiming to be Indian had a mix of black blood. He
classified Indians as Blacks and even issued in 1943 a list of surnames
belonging to "mongel" or mixed-blood families suspected of having Negro
ancestry who must not be allowed to pass as Indian or White. Plecker ran the
Bureau from 1912 to 1946. He helped pass the 1924 Racial Integrity Act, a
strict race classification and law. Dr. Plecker changed and/or destroyed
labels on vital records to classify Indians as "colored, mongrel, mulatto",
investigated the pedigrees of racially "suspect" citizens, and provided
information to block or annul interracial marriages with Whites. He not only
did this to Indians, but other races as well.
Any wonder why we have difficulty locating records? This law is still in
place. Please, understand, I'm not trying to be political. But, I think it
is necessary for those who are searching their Native heritage to understand
why records in the Virginia Bureau of Vital Statistics are incorrect or
missing.
The following is a transcribed copy of the certificate that Plecker had
affixed to all "suspect" birth, death, and marriage certificates in Virginia.
_______________________________________________________________
WARNING-- To be attached to the backs of birth or death certificates of those
believed to be incorrectly recorded as to color or race.
Howe in his History of Virginia, 1845, pages 349-350 says of the Mattaponi
and
Pamunkey Indians of King William County: "Their Indian character is nearly
extinct by intermixture with the white and negroes."
Encyclopedia Britannia, Eleventh Edition, Volume 14, page 460 and 464, says
of
Chickahominy Indians. "No pure bloods left, considerable negro and mixture,"
and of Pamunkeys, "All mixed-bloods: some negro mixture."
The Handbook of American Indians (Bulletin 30), Bureau of American Ethnology,
under the heading "Croatan Indians," The theory of descent from the colony
may
be regarded as baseless, but the name itself serves as a convenient label for
a people who combine in themselves the blood of the wasted native tribes, the
early colonists or forest rovers, the runaway slaves or other negroes, and
probably also of stray seamen of the Latin races (Italian, Portuguese, etc)
from coasting vessels in the West Indian or Brazilian trade.
Across the line in South Carolina are found a people, evidently of similar
origin, designated- "Redbones." In portions of western North Carolina and
eastern Tennessee are found the so-called "Melungeons" (probably from French
melange, "mixed") or "Portuguese" apparently an offshoot from Croatan proper,
and in Delaware are found the "Moors." All of these are local designations
for people of mixed race with an Indian nucleus differing in no way from the
present mixed-blood remnants known as Pamunkey, Chickahominy, and Nansemond
Indians in Virginia, excepting in the more complex loss of their identity.
In
general, the physical features and complexion of the persons of this mixed
stock incline more to the Indian than to white or negro.
The same under "mixed-bloods," says; "The Pamunkey, Chickahomniy, Marshpee,
Narraganset, and Gay Head remnants have much negro blood, and conversely
there
is no doubt that many of the broken coast tribe have been completely absorbed
into the negro race."
In 1843, 144 freeholders of King William County in a petition to the
legislature to abolish the two Indian reservations of that county, B.12d7,
State Library, say: "There are two parcels or tracts of land situated within
said County, on which a number of persons are now living, all of whom by the
laws of Virginia, would be deemed and taken to be free mulattoes, in any
Court
of Justice; as it is believed they all have onefourth or more of negro blood;
and as proof of this, they would rely on the generally admitted fact, that
not
one individual can be found among them, of whose grandfathers and
grandmothers, one or more is or was not a negro; which proportion of negro
blood constitutes a free mulatto, see R C Vol. 1st page." These conclusions
are confirmed by responsible citizens now living in that county December
1927.
A. H. Estabrook and Ivan E. McDougle in their book, "Mongrel Virginians,"
1926, describe a group of mixed bloods centering in Amherst County and
extending to the Irish Creek Valley in Rockbridge, and to other surrounding
counties, known locally as "Issue" or "Free Issue." They say, page 15:
"These
freed negroes mated with themselves or the half-breed Indians in the County.
Therefore: In consideration of the above and other similar evidence relating
to all or practically all groups claiming to be "Indians", The Virginia
Bureau
of Vital Statistics accepts the belief that there are no descendants of
Virginia Indians claiming or reputed to be Indians, who are unmixed with
negro
blood, and in accordance with the requirements of the Vital Statistics and
Racial Integrity Laws that births and deaths be correctly recorded as to
race,
classifies as negro or colored, persons, either or both of whose parents are
recorded on the birth or death certificate or marriage license, or who are
themselves recorded are Indian, Mixed Indian, Mixed, Melungeon, Issue, Free
Issue, or other similar non-white terms.
The Bureau of Vital Statistics has consented to accept an interrogation mark
as indication that the writer of the certificate considered the individual as
probably of colored origin, but preferred not stating the fact, to appear in
the local record.
This warning will apply also to any who may be incorrectly recorded as white,
when known to be of Negro, Malay, Mongolian, West Indian, East Indian,
Mexican, Filipino, or any other non-white mixture.
The above statement of information now available, is given for the guidance
of
those to follow us in this work, and is intended to apply to the individual
whose birth is reported on the certificate Vol._____No.____ to which this is
attached.
The following is a transcribed copy of a 1943 official bulletin from Dr.
Plecker to Virginia county officials which includes a list of surnames.
Commonwealth of Virginia
Department of Health
Bureau of Vital Statistics
Richmond
January 1943
Local Registrar, Physicians Health
Officers, Nurses, School Superintendents
and Clerks of the Courts
Dear Co-workers:
Our December 1942 letter to local registrars, also mailed to the clerks, set
forth the determined effort to escape from the negro race of groups of "free
issues;" or descendants of the "free mulattoes" of early days, so listed
prior
to 1865 in the United State census and various types of State records, as
distinguished from slave negroes.
Now that these people are playing up the advantage gained by being permitted
to give "Indian" as the race of the child's parents on birth certificates,
we
see the great mistake made in not stopping earlier the organized propagation
of the racial falsehood. They have been using the advantage thus gained as
an
aid to intermarriage into the white race and to attend white schools, and now
for some time, they have been refusing to register with war draft boards as
negroes from Caroline County were sentenced to prison on January 12 in the
United States Court at Richmond for refusing to obey the draft law unless
permitted to classify themselves as "Indians."
Some of these mongrels, finding that they have been able to sneak in their
birth certificates unchallenged as Indians are now making a rush to registrar
as white. Upon investigation we find that a few local registrars have been
permitting such certificates to pass through their hands unquestioned and
without warning our office of the fraud. Those attempting this fraud should
be warned that they are liable to a penalty of one year in the penitentiary
(Section 5099 of the Code). Several clerks have likewise been actually
granting them license to marry whites, or at least to marry amongst
themselves
as Indian or white. The danger of this error always confronts the clerk who
does not inquire carefully ar to the residence of the woman when he does not
have positive information. The law is explicit that the license be issued by
the clerk of the county or city in which the woman resides.
To aid all of you in determing just which are the mixed families, we have
made
a list of their surnames by counties and cities, as complete as possible at
this time. This list should be preserved by all, even by those counties and
cities not included, as these people are moving around over the State and
changing race at the new place. A family has just been investigated which
was
always recorded as negro around Glade Springs, Washington County, but which
changed to white and married as such in Roanoke County. This is going on
constantly and can be prevented only by care on the part of local registrars,
clerks, doctors, health workers, and school authorities.
Please report all know or suspicious cased to the Bureau of Vital Statistics,
giving names, ages, parents, and as much other information as possible. All
certificates of these people showing "Indian" or "White" are now being
rejected and returned to the physician or midwife, but local registrars
hereafter must not permit them to pass their hands uncorrected or
unchallenged
and without a note of warning to us. One hundred and fifty thousand other
mulattoes in Virginia are watching eagerly the attempt of their pseudo-Indian
brethren, ready to follow in a rush when the fist have made a break in the
dike.
Very truly yours,
(signature)
W. A. Plecker, M.D. State Registrar of Vital Statistics
(attached to the above letter is the list of surnames by county as follows)
Albemarle:
Moon, Powel, Pumphrey
Amherst:
(Migrants to Allegheney and Campbell) Adcock (Adcox), Beverly (this family is
now trying to evade the situation by adopting the name of Burch or Birch,
which was the name of the white mother of the present adult generation),
Branham, Duff, Floyd, Hamilton, Hartless, Hicks, Johns, Lawless, Nukles
(Knuckles), Painter, Ramsey, Redcross, Roberts, Southwards (Suthards,
Southerds, Southers). Sorrells, Terry, Tyree, Willis, Clark, Wood
Bedford:
McVey, Maxey, Branham, Burley (see Amherst)
Rockbridge:
(migrants to Augusta), Cash, Clark, Coleman, Duff, Floyd, Hartless, Hicks,
Mason, Mayse(Mays), Painters, Pults, Ramsey, Southerds (see Amherst),
Sorrell,
Terry, Tyree, Wood, Johns
Charles City:
Collins, Dennis, Bradby, Howell, Langston, Stewart, Wynn, Custalow(Custaloo),
Dungoe, Holmes, Miles, Page, Allmond, Adams, Hawkes, Spurlock, Doggett
King William:
Collins, Dennis, Bradby, Howell, Lanston, Stewart, Wynn, Custalow(Custaloo),
Dungoe, Bolnus, Miles, Page, Allmond, Adams, Hawkes, Spurlock, Doggett
New Kent:
Collins, Bradby, Stewart, Wynn Adkins, Langston
Henrico and Richond City:
(see Charles City, New Kent, and King William)
Caroline:
Byrd, Fortune, Nelson (see Essex)
Essen and King and Queen:
Nelson, Fortune, Byrd, Cooper, Tate, Hammond, Brooks, Boughton, Prince,
Mitchell, Robinson
Elizabeth City and Newport News:
Stewart (descendants of Charles City families)
Halifax:
Epps (Eppes), Stewart (Stuart), Coleman, Johnson, Martin, Talley, Sheppard
(Shepard), Young
Norfolk County and Portsmouth:
Sawyer, Bass, Weaver, Locklear (Locklair), King, Bright, Porter
Westmoreland:
Sorrells, Worlds (Worrell), Atwells, Butridge, Okiff
Greene:
Shifflett, Shiflet
Prince William:
Tyson, Segar (see Fauquier)
Fauquier:
Hoffman (Huffman), Riley, Colvin, Phillips, (see Prince William)
Lancaster:
Dorsey (Dawson)
Washington:
Beverly, Barlow, Thomas, Hughes, Lethcoe, Worley
Roanoke County:
Beverly (see Washington)
Lee and Smyth:
Collins, Gibson (gipson), Moore, Boins, Ramsey, Delph, Bunch, Freeman, Mise,
Bolden (Bolin), Mullins, Hawkins - Chiefly Tennessee "Melungeons"
Scott:
Dingus (see Lee)
Russell:
Keith, Castell, Stillwell, Meade, Proffitt (see Lee and Tazewell)
Tazewell:
Hammed, Duncan, (see Russell)
Wise:
(see Lee, Scott, Smyth, and Russell Counties)
End of document
_______________________________________________________________
Now I understand why relatives were reluctant to discuss family ancestory.
They were afraid of imprisonment and continual misclassification of
heritage. This is genealogical history. Also, please lets keep political
and emotional views to ourselves regarding this topic and stay focused on
genealogy.
Anah Kowamaness, Bebe
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