Plecker's 1943 State Health Letter About "Vermin": List of names

 Re: 1943 State Health Letter About "Vermin" by Perry Spencer

Showing Plecker's 1943 letter,name list
Posted by: Perry Spencer	Date: September 02, 2000 at 14:34:25
In Reply to: Re: 1943 State Health Letter About "Vermin" by Perry Spencer	of 27982

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Because the URLs for three websites containing Plecker's 1943 directive no longer work, I'm taking the liberty of posting the letter and list of names, in case the following URL also disappears:
http://vsla.edu/mailarch/va_hist/1997/oct97/msg00066.html

Commonwealth of Virginia
Department of Health
Bureau of Vital Statistics
Richmond

January 1943

Local Registrars, 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 States census and various types of State records, as distinguished from slave negroes.

Now that these people are playing up the advantages 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 this racial falsehood. They have been using the advantage thus gained as an aid to intermarriage into the white race and to attend white schoools, and now for some time, they have been refusing to register with war draft boards as negroes, as required by the boards which are faithfully performing their duties. Three of these 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 Inidans are now making a rush to register 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 licenses 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 as 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 determining 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 in 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 known or suspicious cases 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 first have made a break in the dike.

Very truly yours,

(signature)
W. A. Plecker, M.D. State Registrar of Vital Statistics

Page 2 - SURNAMES, BY COUNTIES AND CITIES [illegible] VIRGINIA FAMILIES STRIVING TO PASS AS "INDIAN" AND/OR WHITE

Albemarle:
Moon, Powell, Kidd, Pumphrey

Amherst: (Migrants to Allegheney and Campbell)
Adcock (Adcox), Beverly (this famiy 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, Cash, Wood

Bedford:
McVey, Maxey, Branham, Burley (See Amherst County)

Rockbridge: (Migrants to Augusta)
Cash, Clark, Coleman, Duff, Floyd, Hartless, Hicks, Mason, Mayse (Mays), Painters,
Pults, Ramsey, Southerds (Southers, Southards, Suthards), 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

New Kent:
Collins, Bradby, Stewart, Wynn, Adkins, Langston

Henrico and Richmond City:
See Charles City, New Kent, and King William

Caroline:
Byrd, Fortune, Nelson. (See Essex)

Essex and King and Queen:
Nelson, Fortune, Byrd, Cooper, Tate, Hammond, Brooks, Boughton, Prince, Mitchell, Robinson

Elizabeth City & Newport News:
Stewart (descendants of Charles City families).

Halifax:
Epps (Eppes), Stewart (Stuart), Coleman, Johnson, Martin, Talley, Sheppard (Shepard),
Young.

Norfolk County & Portsmouth:
Sawyer, Bass, Weaver, Locklear (Locklair), King, Bright, Porter

Westmoreland:
Sorrells, Worlds (or 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, Goins, Ramsey, Delph, Bunch, Freeman, Mise, Barlow,
Bolden (Bolin), Mullins, Hawkins

Scott:
Dingus (See Lee County)

Russell:
Keith, Castell, Stillwell, Meade, Proffitt. (See Lee and Tazewell)

Tazewell:
Hammed, Duncan. (See Russell)

Wise:
See Lee, Scott, Smyth, and Russell Counties.

O Them Melungeon's: A Multi-Ethnic Population ; Commentary by Joann Pezzullo, Scott Preston Collins

Melungeons, A Multi-Ethnic Population
Estes, Goins, Hennigg, Crain.

Scott Preston CollinsSaponi Descendants Association and Free Native American Indians

http://www.jogg.info/72/files/Estes.pdf

http://www.jogg.info/72/files/Estes.pdf

www.jogg.info

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    Scott Preston Collins I haven't read through this PDF report yet.
    
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    Scott Preston Collins
    
     Seems though from a quick scan of it that relies heavily on DeMarce and Y-DNA testing which has been cherry picked to no end. 
    
    
    You can not determine a families race or ethnicity based on one line Y-DNA testings. They also got the first appearance of the word Melungeon wrong. I'll be reviewing it further.
    
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    Scott Preston Collins ‎Joanne Pezzullo
    
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    Joanne Pezzullo
     Going to take some time to go over this but to start out with. Estes, Goins, Ferguson and Crain writes; 
    
    
    "The oldest progenitor of the Bunch family grouping is attributed to a John Bunch who was born about 1630 and arrived in Lancaster Co., Va. about 1650. He owned land on the Pamunkey River by 1670 and had 2 sons, John and Paul Bunch. He is the progenitor of the Bunch family in both Claiborne and Hawkins/Hancock Counties in Tennesse"
    
    
     You'll note this report is peppered with sources but NOT genealogy of the BUNCH family. HEINEGG doesn't even go that far --- he says John Bunch MAY BE the father ..
    
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     STRETCHING THE TRUTH? Valentine and Vardy were brothers? I wonder if Estes, Goins, Ferguson and Crain all believe this -- "Valentine Collins Group - E1b1a8a Valentine (29) and Vardy (Vardeman) Collins were believed to be brothers, both sons of Samuel Collins born in Louisa County, Virginia where in 1745 Samuel was summoned to court for concealing tithables. 
    In 1771, Samuel is found on the tax list in Botetourt County, Virginia along with a John Vardeman. He is later found along with the other Melungeon families in Botetourt, Fincastle and Montgomery Counties in Virginia and finally, Wilkes County in North Carolina."
    
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    Joanne Pezzullo Wow.... seriously?
    

    2 hours ago · 
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    Joanne Pezzullo Page 48; "Valentine Collins Group Ethnicity This haplogroup, E1b1a8a is of sub-Saharan African origin. 
    The concealed tithables incident in 1745 in Louisa County involving Samuel Collins, *believe to be the father of Valentine*, suggests that the Collins, or their wives, were people of color. The haplogroup E1b1a8a designation supports the historical records suggesting that Collins males were "of color."
    
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    Joanne Pezzullo Page 48 Next Paragraph; "Vardy Collins Group - R1a1
    Vardy (21) has long been believed to be the brother of Valentine Collins. He could have been a half brother, but** based on the DNA evidence, these two lines do not share a common paternal
    ancestor.**
    
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    Joanne Pezzullo Wow...
    
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    Joanne Pezzullo They can't even get the genealogies straight. The Gideon, Jordan and George of Sandy Bluffs ARE NOT same as Louisa County. I've told Jack Goins this numerous times and sent him the documentation.
    
    "The Gibson family is first found in 1627 in Charles City County where Gibby Gibson leaves a will wherein Hannah Dennum is an heir. In 1728 Gilbert Gibson was granted land in Hanover 53 County, Va., a part that later would become Louisa County where he died in 1748 leaving sons Gideon, Jordan and George. All three sons would be found in South Carolina near the Sandy Bluffs, a well known Indian
    trader area where numerous Indian families lived. 
    
    
    A Gideon Gibson was there as early as 1730, Jordan and George as late as 1773. In 1720, Gideon Gibson and Paul Bunch, reported to have been free men in Virginia are now found in South Carolina identified as men of color, married to white wives. Both Jordan and George would return to North Carolina and migrate with the other Melungeon families through Grayson County, Virginia and Wilkes County, NC, George eventually settling in Todd County, Kentucky where he applied for a Revolutionary War pension application."
    
  •   Page 54; Lifted straight off MY WEBSITE; "He is living in Lee County, Virginia in 1820 and Mulberry Gap, Claiborne Co., Tennessee in 1830 listed as a free person of color.
    
    
     He is found in early court records of Hawkins Co., Tenn. in 1828 in the lawsuit Charles Gibson vs. Bryson Gibson. He was in Floyd County, Ky. in 1850 and in Morgan County, Kentucky by 1860 where he died. Bryson is likely the brother of Henry Gibson who died in Morgan County 1857, also a son of Thomas Gibson, possibly the same Thomas that is found with Henry Gibson in the Stony Creek Church records
    
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    Joanne Pezzullo http://www.historical-melungeons.com/carmel.html
    

    
    

    Carmel Indians

    historical-melungeons.com
    

    If Vardy Collins and Buck Gibson were the 'head and source' of the Melungeons th...
     See More
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    Joanne Pezzullo I seriously cannot believe these four people put their names on this report.
    
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    Joanne Pezzullo Just last year Jack Goins posted on the Melungeon Rootsweb list to me; "your ***imaginary Melungeons on the Pee Dee River? ***"http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/melungeon/2011-08/1313623855
    

    RootsWeb: Melungeon-L Re: [MELUNGEON] Portuguese Indians

    archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com
    
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    Joanne Pezzullo
    
    
    On page 59 Estes, GOINS, Ferguson, and Crain write;
    
    
     "This match is particularly important because it shows that the designation Melungeon, the term used to identify this group of South Carolina people, seems to predate the Melungeon community in Hawkins County, being used in reference to Solomon Bolton who is living in the Spartanburg District of South Carolina prior to 1800." Sounds like backpeddling to me

Eugenics and Appalachia

Discrimination and Ignorance lead to outsiders view of the people of the Eastern Mountains.

Until late in the 19th century, the poor were cared for in their own communities by relatives, churches, and private charities.  By the turn of the 20th century, large-scale public welfare programs and institutions were replacing local charity.  Isolated within these often-bleak institutions, the poor and the handicapped were easily derided as a burden to society.  The eugenicists blamed poverty on bad genes and were quick to calculate the costs of maintaining the "socially inadequate" in public institutions.

Many of the eugenicist's ideas about poverty came from cacogenics: the deterioration of a genetic stock over time.  The sociologist Richard Dugdale based his classic study, The Jukes (1877), on a clan of 700 criminals, prostitutes, and paupers descended from "Margaret, the Mother of Criminals."  Dugdale believed that bad environment caused their degeneracy and could be reversed over time.

Callie Black (pseudonym) of the Win Tribe, from Arthur Estabrook's scrapbook of field photographs from Amherst County, Virginia Date: 1924

After reading The Jukes, Oscar McCulloch, a Congregationalist minister and charity reformer, discovered a similar group of "hereditary paupers" in Indianapolis.  His Tribe of Ishmael was named after an extended family of illiterate farmers from Pennsylvania and Kentucky who migrated across Indiana during the mid-1800s.  After the Civil War, they settled in Indianapolis, where they worked as ash- and junkmen, picking over the municipal trash site.

A.H. Estabrook, of the Eugenics Record Office, resurveyed the Jukes (1915) and the Ishmaelites (1923), and found continued evidence of hereditary feebleminedness and other dysgenic traits.  The Jukes and Ishmaelites joined the Kallikaks and Nams as examples of eugenical family studies that were widely taught to social workers and college students                                                         during the 1920s and 1930s.

 

Few scholars today support the notion that poverty and vagrancy are associated with defective heredity.  We now recognize that the reasons for failure to succeed in society are many and complex.  Where the eugenicists saw the inheritance of bad genes, we now see a vicious cycle of poverty and lack of opportunity...

King James, Puritans and Witches

 Although Bible revision was not on the agenda, the Puritan president of Corpus Christi College, John Reynolds, "moved his Majesty, that there might be a new translation of the Bible, because those which were allowed in the reigns of Henry the eighth, and Edward the sixth, were corrupt and not answerable to the truth of the Original.

                                                           John Reynolds

                                                    

                              died of consumption on 21 May 1607

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    James I (1566 - 1625) believed in Witchcraft, the Divine Right of Kings, Commissioned the King James Bible. James's visit to Denmark, a country familiar with witch hunts, may have encouraged an interest in the study of witchcraft,[41] which he considered a branch of theology.[42] After his return to Scotland, he attended the North Berwick witch trials, the first major persecution of witches in Scotland under the Witchcraft Act 1563. Several people, most notably Agnes Sampson, were convicted of using witchcraft to send storms against James's ship..

    
    
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      They wanted to spread the word of God to remote parts of the world and felt they should go to America where they might convert the Indians and thus bring their religion into this New World..
    
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      ‎"Also we do...DECLARE..........as if they had been abiding and born, within this our Realm of England, or any other of our said Dominions."[1][2] (King James Charter to Jamestown and the Virginia Colony............ " When I first arrived I found this province miserably harrassed with a most Horrible witchcraft or Possession of Devills which had broke in upon severall Townes, some score of poor people were taken with preternaturall torments some scalded with brimstone some had pins stuck in their flesh others hurried into the fire and water and some dragged out of their houses and carried over the tops of trees and hills for many Miles together; it hath been represented to mee much like that of Sweden about thirty years agoe, and there were many committed to prision upon suspicion of Whichcraft before my arrival."... Gov. William Phips (1692-1693) Massachusetts....
    
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      ‎"Bible revision was not on the agenda", King James told the Divine's. But The Puritan's were insistent, and the work was spread out to numerous institutions of the day in consideration of the Puritan's complaints.
    
    
    

    

    
    
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     The Puritan's brought their twisted sense of right and wrong to our new and untainted land..and from the Witch Trials in Scotland and England, with approval of King James I, who personally supervised the torture of "witches" The Land and Wealth grab that became known as the Salem Witch Trials were officially sanctioned by the Divine Right Kings, King James himself. 
    
    The book he had written, DAEMONOLOGIE, was a directive on how to deal with supernatural occurrences.....Nineteen accused witches were hanged on Gallows Hill in 1692:...One accused witch (or wizard, as male witches were often called) was pressed to death on September 19 ....Other accused witches died in prison: and the Last Women to be hung in Boston Mass. from the Hanging Oak, where Quaker's were hung by the bPuritan's was......Mary Barrett Dyer (c. 1611[1] — June 1, 1660) was an English Puritan turned Quaker who was hanged in Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony (now in present-day Massachusetts), for repeatedly defying a Puritan law banning Quakers from the colony.[2] She is one of the four executed Quakers known as the Boston martyrs
    
    So we have the Divine Ordinance to torture and burn Witches from King James himself.He was a great man in many ways..learned, a scholar, King by Divine right, and a Deamonologist by self proclamation. He wrote two charters to found the New World, and suffered Puritan's to direct his actions. But when we discuss King James, let's remember all his "accomplishments", not just the Bible, and acknowledge that the unholy Puritans have left an indelible scar on our country