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From: "Gene R. Griffith" <>
Subject: Re: [NativeAmericanDelmarva] NativeAmericanDelmarva] Bunch, Miles/Mills/ Adams, Johnson
Date: Mon, 9 Oct 2000 21:04:05 -0500
References: <39DC6600.863DBFF0@erols.com> <000f01c02ea6$4b309da0$aeae58d8@computer> <39DC8B99.FF05CCD4@erols.com>


Only in the past two years were we finally given permission to regain our
true race
of Monacan Indian the state of VA. made it possible for all native people to
submit
the change of race forms who had been so disposed of. I am now listed as a
True Indian
as is my mother her mother and her mother before her.

Littlewolf
----- Original Message -----
From: Fulton <>
To: <>
Sent: Thursday, October 05, 2000 9:09 AM
Subject: [NativeAmericanDelmarva] NativeAmericanDelmarva] Bunch,
Miles/Mills/ Adams, Johnson


>
>
> 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
>
>
>
>
>
> Victoria wrote:
>
> > Dear List,
> >
> > Evidently I have missed a post or two and this post really has my
interest
> > up. Would someone explain it to me.
> >
> > Thank You
> > Victoria
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Fulton <>
> > To: <>
> > Sent: Thursday, October 05, 2000 9:29 AM
> > Subject: [NativeAmericanDelmarva] Bunch, Miles/Mills/ Adams
> >
> > > Dear List,
> > >
> > > Does anyone have info on the Bunch family that was on Dr. Pleckers hit
> > > list?
> > >
> > > Bebe in VA
> >
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