Saturday, February 27, 1926
Richmond Times Dispatch
The Last Stand
The necessity for race integrity
legislation in Virginia as shown by an ethnological survey of the State by
congressional districts
By John Powell [writing circa 1923 in support of the Virginia Racial
Integrity Act of 1924]
Ninth Congressional District
This district consists of the city of Bristol and thirteen counties. The character of the region is wild and
mountainous, peopled by the most characteristic type of the pure South Appalachian
mountaineer. In the hills, illiteracy
and poverty are the rule although incalculable mineral wealth, for the most
part as yet undeveloped is concealed in the earth. In Tazewell we have the great Pocahontas coal
fields but in the other counties, with few exceptions, the resources remained
unexploited. A wonderful future lies
before this section. Here too, are to
be found the rich blue grass lands, but owing to the conformation of the
terrain, farming on a large scale is
impracticable. Hence the institution of slavery was never widely extended in
this district. Consequently its negro
population is at a minimum. Several of
the counties make the proud boast of being 100 per cent white. Here, if anywhere, we should expect to find
freedom from racial amalgamation.
Pregnant With Danger
And yet, despite the apparent security - or rather, because of it - the
situation is pregnant with grave danger.
These counties suffered little during the reconstruction period. Negro domination was unknown” there were not
enough negroes to dominate. Union
sentiment was strong. This accounts for
the strength of the republican party in this region. All these circumstances have deflected the
mind of the population from the racial problem, both in its political and its
biological aspects. Although no district
in the State excells the Ninth in zeal for racial integrity the infrequency of
the danger has resulted in a proportionate relaxation of watchfulness in
guarding the color line. Hence negroid
near-whites from West Virginia and Kentucky and negroid mixed Indians from
Tennessee and North Carolina, seeking an outlet for social ambitions. Thwarted in their native localities have
found in this district easy access to the status of whites and have mixed
almost unhindered with the unsuspecting population.
“Melungeons” from Tennessee. “Redbones” and self-styled “Cherokees” from
North Carolina have easily succeeded in “passing.” A similar situation exists along practically
the whole southern border of the State: but, although the invasions of the
Second, Fourth and Fifth districts have been more numerous, they have met with
correspondingly greater opposition. We
have seen already how rapidly mix-breed descendants of one individual can
multiply and how easily and widely they may be distributed. These phenomena are again met within the Ninth
District, where their potentiality of danger is magnified by a false sense of
security.
In Russell and Tazewell
Case No..1. Russell and Tazewell counties.
(On file in the State records)
A.O. moved to Russell County shortly after the Civil War and settled on
Orchard Ridge. He came from North
Carolina. His wife had had an
illegitimate child before her marriage by a negro. This girl grew up and was married to E. R. a
white man. They had seven children of
whom six married white people The seventh,
Perlita, was not married but bore four or five
illegitimate children. Another daughter, D., married C. G. and bore him
eight children, all of whom married into white families. One of these children, R., marries K. S.
under circumstances which will be related below. Forty-three of the descendants of E. R. and
his mulatto wife are listed in the State records. The total number is far greater. These people are treated was white, attend
white churches and their children go to white schools. Some of them live in Russell County, but many
have crossed into Tazewell, where the majority now reside. Exclusion of these negroid children from the
white schools would incur great, difficulty and even greater danger. Human
life is lightly held in these
counties and the mix breeds would not balk at any extreme in wreaking vengeance
on any who opposed their pretensions, as the following quotation will
show; “If they should learn that I am
the informant, I would have to leave the community or live in fear and dread as
I know my life would be in danger.”
Case No. 2. Tazewell County (On file in the State records)
The clerk of Tazewell refused to issue a license for the marriage of the
above-mentioned R. G. to K. S. The couple went over into Tennessee, where
they obtained a license and were married, returning immediately to Tazewell
County where they now reside. The facts were presented to the grand jury by the
Commonwealth’ Attorney, but the witnesses who were summoned were afraid to give
evidence and no indictment was found.
Lee County Case
Case No. 3. Lee County (On file in the State records).
A birth certificate from this county has the father listed as white, the
mother as questionable. She is a member
of a negroid family which moved into Patrick County from North Carolina whence
she removed to Lee.
Case No. IV. Lee County (on file in
the State records).
This case was also brought to the attention of the Vital Statistics Bureau
through a birth certificate on which both mother and father were recorded as
doubtful: Both were from Tennessee. This
case shows the difficulties in determining the proper racial status of the
above-mentioned “Melungeons” and other mixed groups, claiming Indian
extraction.
Case No V. Lee County (on file in the State records). Lee County (on file
in the State records)
On another birth certificate sent in to Richmond the father, a native
Virginian is recorded as white: the mother born in Tennessee, as doubtful:
another “Melungeon” case.
Case No. VI Scott County (on file in
the State Records)
This case will be presented by quoting from a letter from a local
registrar: “There is here in Scott
County a considerable number of people who go by various names such as
“Melungeons,” “Gawhans,” “Malingoes.”
They are a mixed race, not looked upon as Caucasian, although to my knowledge
several have married whites. They object
to being called negroes, but some of them claim to be part Indian. They have Indian traits, keep dogs and hunt
and love wild meat. I have no way of knowing what race they belong to except by general appearance. Some of them
are fairly white, while others of the same family are dark with kinky
hair. I do not believe that they should
be allowed to pose as white.”
Case No. VII. City of Bristol (on file in the State records)
The State Registrar received the following letter: “Will you kindly send me
right away a copy of the birth certificate of F------ W------- as per enclosed
card. The reason for asking is that he
is attending the public school here, and there is some question as to whether
he is white or colored.” The birth
certificate of this child was examined. Both parents were white; both were
natives of Tennessee Melungeons?
Washington County
Case No VIII Washington County (on file in the State records)
In this county there is an extended group of dubious race being the same
family names whose racial derivation seems well nigh indeterminable. Investigation of the records shows that of
eighteen marriages of people bearing this name nine were performed on white and
nine on colored licenses. Some of the
members of the group claim to be of Indian extraction, but some of their
neighbors insist they are colored. The difficulties of a definitive
investigation seems insuperable.
Meanwhile their dubious blood continues to be disseminated among
whites. One of those families migrated
to Goochland County where they entered their children in a white school. The negroid appearance of these children
aroused protest against their attendance.
The superintendent of the school wrote to the father requesting that he
establish the right of his children to attend the school. The superintendent reported to the State
registrar: “I never received a reply
from the letter. But the children have never come back to school except to get
their books.”
The cases in this district do not show the sordid degradation found in the
other districts. However, the situation is none the less critical. The tide of amalgamation has risen even to
the mountain tops, and the very isolation of the population has only made them
the more helpless against the incursion.
