We apologize to
everyone for double emailing the newsletter. Somehow the link we provided to our
subscribers was lost, but you made it to the right place.
ENJOY!
Merry Christmas! May the winter solstice fill your
heart with a warmth that cannot be extinguished. May you too feel the
peace on earth, and good will towards all people as you spend these days
with your family and celebrate it's togetherness in a way that no other
holiday can do.
Merry Christmas to each of you from Redbone Heritage Foundation.
Website Updates:
RHF Activities:
Redbone Chronicles
2006
Presentations and Featuring New Articles.
New website features & member activities
New Team Work
Website created for RHF Board Members!
NEW Live Chat available
Events Calendar
DNA Surname Project
New Articles at The
Chronicles
Printed
Publication The Journal, a collection of articles, genealogy and
historical events related to Redbones due out in 2007.
Become an RHF
Member and help maintain our website, sponsor online information, read
latest articles and updates. The website is intended to be an ad free
site, dedicated to provide information, promote education and encourage further research of
those People Known as Redbones.
You can help maintain the web site by becoming an RHF Member today.
Join RHF or renew
your RHF membership dues below.
Dues are 15.00 per
calendar year.
We have
provided Online due's renewal or Join as a new Member below through
Paypal. We also provide mail in subscription application
(below).
Pay your dues online with Paypal.
Or you can visit the
site for mail in application and instructions,
Bumper
Stickers
All
who donation, renew or join RHF, will receive a bumper
sticker free...These are great!
Send us a pic of you and your bumper sticker, we will
publish those to the site.
Bumper
Sticker designed and Donated by VP, Ray Bridges.
Thank
you Ray!
2005-2006 Certificates of Appreciation
Presented at the Conference in Natchitoches 2006
Dr.
Keagan LeJune presented with RHF certificate of appreciation by VP Don Marler.
2005
Certificates of Participation &
Appreciation awarded to;
Sandra Loridans
Henri Loridans
Mr & Mrs Aubrey Townsend
Melungeon Heritage Association
Don Marler
Gary Gabehart
Stacy R Webb
Scott Winthrow
AD Powell
Wayne Winkler
Dr Tommy Johnson
Sonya R Davis
Larry Keels
Evelyn Orr
Frank Sweet
Mary Sweet
Dr N Brent Kennedy
Pat Waak
Gen Erbon Wise
Rev. OC Marler
Tonya Holmes Shook
Tammy Johnson
Carroll Goyne
Lee Ashworth
Brent Thornhill
Terry Jackson
Carolyn Bales
Brenda Bass
William R Farris
Catherine R Davidson
2006
Certificates of
Participation & Appreciation awarded to;
Linda Bass Clark
Brenda Bass
Alvie Walts
Robert Starks
Sandra Loridans
Dr Kaersten Colvin-Woodruff
Sybil Marler
Carolyn Dyess Bales
Barbara Swire
Sammy Tippitt
Cyndie Goins Hoelscher
SJ Arthur
Leroy Aaron (Lee) Ashworth
Stacy R Webb
Gary Gabehart “Mishiho”
Don Marler
Sonya P Davis
Dr Keagan Lejeune
Ethel Smith Coody
Rudolph Johnson
Terry Jackson
Ray “Houston” Bridges
Gloria Stringer
Melungeon Heritage Association
If you are on the
list above but was not in attendance at the conference to receive yours, you
can contact,
Lots of great articles and
genealogy contained in the 2006 conference booklet. Submitted articles,
stories, family lore, Redbone remedies, summary of presentations, presenter
& board member bio's and much more. Limited supply.
Excerpts:
Joseph Goings
Jr. “Little
Joe” was born about 1867 the youngest son of Joseph Goings and Sovilla
Lanier and the grandson of Gibson Goings “Old Gip” and a full-blooded
Choctaw Indian woman.
The picture here of Joseph Goings, Jr., is a one and only known picture
before he was captured. He has a homemade wooden crutch under his right
arm, perhaps injured in the shoot out.
Features 2006 presenter & RHF
board member bio's.
Limited supply
small postage & handling
charge
Stories and Family Lore as told by Terry Jackson and Linda
Clark
Linda Bass
Clark
Last of a Breed,
In the mid-1950's, my family and I did not realize the social upheavals that
were gradually changing around us. One of our time honored traditions was in
the first steps of a slow death dance. It would be the death of a breed of
people and a cultural way of life that had been brought to our rugged part
of Louisiana known as No Man's Land with our ancestors from the Carolinas.
by Terry Jackson
Evan Ashworth, Evan died well
before my time. I grew up hearing some stories about him. But the one that I
remember best is this one. First let me say, I believe this is nothing but
the truth about him!
Grand Paw Josh Perkins,
Josh was born Oct 6 th 1852. He was a son of Isaac and Francis "Fanny"
Goins Perkins.
Redbone
Jobs, Here is a list of
things we did to get spending money
Redbone
Remedies, The following
is a list of some of the old home remedies I remember
And Much More contained in the
2006 RHF Conference booklet. You will not want to miss out on a copy for yourself! Click Link
Below.
Western Women
Their Land, Their Lives
Edited by Lillian
Schlissel
Vicki L. Ruiz and Janice Monk
University of New Mexico Press Albuquerque
In the Green River country of Wyoming, near Fort Bridger, during the 1880s,
traveler William Barrows encountered clusters of mixed families, and towns
composed almost entirely of mixed bloods.
Here, in
the northern Rockies, as William Swagerty notes, was one of the last
strongholds of mixed families seeking to prevail against the narrowing
racial standards of the West. Barrows was impressed at the "color blindness"
of these men and women, and hoped aloud that "we are building a nation, not
only in a new world, and under a new system of government, but with a new
people.... We are no longer English; that expresses but one of our
polygenous ingredients. We are Americans."
In some,
the old Jeffersonian dream remained alive. But Barrows was mistaken, for
these Far Western mixed communities were overwhelmed by white settlement in
the late nineteenth century. Despite their failure, however, we must
recognize that mixed-blood communities had a long and complex history in
North America. In the Southwest, the site of considerable mixture among
white, red, and black peoples, there exist dozens of "third race"
communities with long histories as distinct groups: Melungeons in Tennessee,
Ramps and Issues in Virginia, Lumbees and Smilings in North Carolina, Brass
Ankles, Croatans, and Yellowhammers in South Carolina, Freejacks, Sabines
and Redbones in Louisiana, Creoles and Cajuns in Alabama, to name but a few.
In the Old Northwest, Chicago, Peoria, and Detroit, Prairie du Chien,
Greenbay, and Mackinaw all enjoyed fascinating early histories as racially
and culturally mixed communities.
In Canada,
a large community of English- and French-speaking half-breeds or Metis grew
up along the Red River of the North. When Manitoba entered the Canadian
Federation in 1869, its population of 12,000 included 10,000 Metis. "Had the
Americans not come," Howard Lamar suggests, "possibly a line of Metis or
halfbreeds would have existed from Oklahoma to Saskatchewan," a fascinating
historical "what-if." For historians, the western Canadian metis's success
at achieving a separate and distinct identity, and the existence of "third
races" throughout the American South, suggests a new way to formulate
questions about mixed marriage in the fur trade.
One should
properly view the successful or unsuccessful struggles of Far Western mixed
families in the broad context of the problems of ethnic reformulation and
the maintenance of self-sustaining communities. The conditions required for
ethnic identity and political success are far too complex a problem to
analyze here. Let us simply observe that the mixed marriages of mountain men
and Indian women and the fate of their mixed blood children -- the "mestizos
of North America" --present an historical problem of the first order.
NOTES
1. The Kansas City Star, 18 January 1925, Sunday magazine section, 8,
18; clipping in Clyde H. and Mae Reed Porter Collection, Henry E. Huntington
Library, Box 1, "James Bridger."
2. Sylvia Van Kirk, "Many Tender Ties": Women in Fur-Trade Society in
Western Canada, 1670-1870 (Winnipeg: Watson & Dwyer, 1980); Jennifer
Brown, Strangersin Blood: Fur Trade Company Families in Indian Country
posted by Stacy R Webb
Do You have an
article or research project of interest to other Redbone descendants?
Consider
submitting your research article of interest to the Journal!
Contact RHF
Donations 2006:
Thank you,
RHF appreciates your generous donations of money, time and resources.
Don Marler
Ray Bridges
Frank & Mary Sweet
Gary Gabehart "Mishiho"
Hershal Frazier
Special acknowledgments for
donations made to the publication of our conference booklet:
John Sandifer
Linda Bass Clark
Don Marler
Alvie Walts
Terry Jackson
Gary Gabehart
Steven Pony Hill
Stacy R Webb
Special acknowledgement to
Don Marler, Carolyn Bales and Stacy Webb for sponsoring the RHF website
2004-2006.
Fundraising Efforts
Special Gratitude for
donations already received to fund our exhibit, co-hosted with the Melungeon
Heritage Association in 2007 at the National Genealogical Society Conference
Family and History Fair.
Raymond Bridges
Gary Gabehart "Mishiho"
Carolyn Bales
Donate Any Amount
to help further research efforts of Those People Known as Redbone.
Leave us a note when submitting your donation if you have a preferred
project you would like to see your donation sponsor.
RHF Online Book Store Scheduled For
2007
We are building an online
book store where we will be selling books of interest.
Redbones of Louisiana,
Don Marler
Many more titles, to be
announced in 2007 The Voice.
Carolyn Bales has graciously donated books
to sell at our new Online Bookstore, helping to raising funds for the Va.
conference.
I'm a Redbone
was written
and preformed by Mr Hershal Fraizer who has generously donated proceeds to RHF!
Thank You Hershal,
Copy, with
instrumentals available for
sale 7.00 shipping & handling. All proceeds have been generously donated by Mr. Hershal
Frazier, A Redbone.
Preview should play automatically, but if you would like to pause or play again, click the
appropriate button on the player below.
VP Activities
2007 Conference
Plans-Notes from The VP, Ray "Houston" Bridges
Ray Bridges
visited his Redbone homeland, Bearhead Creek, this fall. He reports a
renascence underway to rehabilitate the Redbone name and some of the
stigmas which are attached to the term and usage.
We have received
a warm and gracious invitation from the DeQuincy Redbone Community to host
our 2007 conference. We are considering a base location in Lake
Charles with many activities in DeQuincy. If you would like to chat
with Ray about the arrangements and planning, please feel free to contact him.
Gabe's Blog
New Blog spot for
hosted by Gary "Mishiho" Gabehart. Don't miss the informative and
interesting posts from Gabe and others as they investigate and discuss All
Things Redbone!
Become a
contributing Member Blogger and share your views on everything Redbone.
Mark Your Calendar
Melungeon
Heritage Association & RHF have come together to co-sponsorship of a booth at the
National
Genealogical Society Conference and
History Fair.
We have
reserved the last booth and hope you can make arrangements to attend.
There is something scheduled for all genealogist.
RHF Board Members New Book Highlights
“Redbone”Heritage
Sammy Tippit has just
released his new book, Praying for Your Family. The book encourages
people to pray for their families and teaches principles of praying for
families. Although the book is not specifically about the people called
“Redbones,” it draws inspiration from Tippit’s “Redbone” heritage.
The author is a direct
descendent of the Bass/Nash family line. In Praying for Your Family,
he tells of John and Delaney Taylor Bass’s work with Rev. Joseph Willis in
forming some of first Protestant churches west of the Mississippi River. He
explains how he learned through a strange set of circumstances his “Redbone”
heritage and about his great grandparents and their pioneering Christian
work in central Louisiana.
Tippit dedicated the
book to the “grandmother that he never knew.” The San Antonio author and
international conference speaker said, “I never met my grandmother, Eliza
Bass Tippit. She died five years before I was born. My grandfather died two
years before I was born. I grew up in the city and they lived in the pine
forests of central/southwest Louisiana. But, when I was forced to research
my heritage, I discovered things that I never imagined. My grandmother was
this godly praying woman. I’m sure that my international ministry is a
direct answer to her prayers. As I learned of her life, it became a
tremendous source of inspiration to me. I pray that it will inspire others
as well.”
Best selling novelist,
Jerry B. Jenkins, said, “The church is
blessed with many deep warriors of prayer, but none I would trust more than
Sammy Tippit on a subject like this."
Anyone interested in
reading this fascinating story or purchasing a copy of the book can go to
the website:
or you can order
books by calling
The Trading Post,
RHF Discussion Board
Discussion & query board The Trading Post now offers new
features.
Brent Kennedy Is Home!
Read the newest updates on Brent's homecoming at the Melungeon Heritage
Association Site! Best Wishes to Brent and his family for continued
healing.
James Andrew Gabehart
James Andrew “Jim”
Gabehart, 92, of Hondo, Texas, died Aug. 27, 2006. Services were Aug. 30,
2006 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Quihi, Texas with Rev. Stephen Schur
officiating. Burial was at Hondo Cemetery, Oakwood Section.
Mr. Gabehart was born
March 2, 1914 at Chickasha, Okla., to Joseph and Jessie Mae Gabehart. The
family lived in Chickasha until 1926 when they moved to Texas due to his
mother’s health problems.
His Great Great
Grandfather was Jeremiah Goins who married Saraphina Drake. His Great
Grandfather was Ransom Goins and his Great Uncle was Ruben Goins, of the
97 Ranch Shootout who was pardoned by Grover Cleveland. His Grandmother
was Nancy Alzenia Goins Thomas.
He is preceded in death
by his parents, Joseph and Jessie May Gabehart; his first wife, Flo
Gabehart; a son, Bobby Gabehart; brothers, Wesley Gabehart and Ira
Gabehart; sisters, Susie Stocks, Erthel Franklin and Dolly Pence.
He is survived by his
wife, Elizabeth Deorsam Meyer Gabehart; sons, Charles and wife Minta Sue
of Huntington, Texas, George and wife Mary Jane of Livingston, Texas; a
daughter- in-law, JoAnn Gabehart; step-sons, Stanley Meyer and wife Dolly
of Quihi and Jerry Meyer and wife Betty Katherine of Quihi; a brother, Joe
Gabehart; a sister, Nedra Short; and numerous grandchildren,
stepgrandchildren, great-grandchildren, step-great-grandchildren, nephews
and nieces.
He was the Uncle of Gary
"Mishiho"
Gabehart.
Legal History of the Color Line, by Frank Sweet
During a debate on the Color line in South Carolina a Mr. Johnstone proposed
that the legal definition of "Black" would be one drop of any African
ancestry. During which, a George Dionysius Tillman gave this speech.
If the Law is made as it now stands respectable families in Aiken,
Barnwell, Colleton, and Orangeberg will be denied the right to intermarry
among people with whom they are now associated and identified. At least one
hundred families would be affected to my
knowledge. They have sent good soldiers to the Confederate Army, and are now
landowners and taxpayers. Those men served creditably, and it would be
unjust and disgraceful to embarrass them in this way. It is a scientific
fact that there is not one full-blooded Caucasian on the floor of this
convention. Every member has in him certain mixture of colored blood. The
pure blooded white has needed and received a certain infusion of darker
blood to give him readiness and purpose. It would be a cruel injustice and
the source of endless litigations, of scandal, horror, feud and bloodshed to
undertake to annul or forbid marriage for a remote, perhaps obsolete trace
of Negro blood. The doors would be open to scandal, malice and freed to
statements on the witness stand that the father or grandfather or
grandmother had said that A or B had Negro blood in their veins. Any man who
is half a man would be ready to blow up half the world with
dynamite to prevent or avenge attacks upon the honor of his mother in the
legitimacy or purity of the blood of his father.
Another generation would pass in time and finally White Americans
with mixed ancestry in both Native American and Black would forget
their heritage.
RHF joined Wayne Winkler,
VP of The Melungeon Heritage Association in Atlanta. RHF was was represented
by Stacy R Webb
and well received at the Atlanta Georgia Conference in November. Kevin
Hayes, a Cumbo descendant sponsored the event and the Melungeon Heritage
Association hosted the event. RHF developed and distributed the
following informational pamphlet;
Trying to
Understand
In 1705 the Virginia Legislature
passed into law that “the offspring of an Indian and a White is a
Mulatto.” This law went on to state that if the half-Indian ‘mulatto’ was
to marry a white person then that ‘mulatto’ and his or her offspring were
to be legally regarded as ‘white’ (this is undoubtedly where the notion
that a person should be of at least ¼ blood to be considered an Indian
arose). The Virginians were using the word ‘mulatto’ in its historical
usage, from the root word ‘mule’, meaning any crossbreed. With the
independent formation of the lower southern states, each state adopted
racial classifications roughly equivalent to that of Virginia.Questions raised by the phenomenon of multiculturalism in
America highlight the fact that American culture has arisen out of an
unusually rich and interactive ethnic mix. American society was
inescapably multicultural from its very beginnings and that this
representation of cultural differences fundamentally defined American
culture. Eighteenth century and colonial American values, previously
overlooked in the debate, arguing that a culture shaped by responses to
ethnic and racial difference is not merely a modern circumstance, but one
at the base of American history. Censes enumeration classifications for
people other than white further complicate the intricacy of researching
early American mixed ethnic ancestors.
In 1790, the first population
census enumerators were asked to classify free residents as white or
"other." Slaves were counted separately. By 1860, the census requested
that residents be classified as white, black, or mulatto.
1790 - 1810 free white, other free,
slaves
1820 - 1840 free white, free colored,
slaves
1850 - 1860 white, black, mulatto, slaves
1870 - 1880 white, black, mulatto, Chinese,
Indian
1900 white, black , Indian, Chinese,
Japanese
1910 - 1920 no specifics, except mulatto
was removed from choices
There are numerous cited
publications and online resources for further research of your family
history.
If you would like to have a copy of the pamphlet,
Trying To Understand for yourself, you may
request a copy below. Please include your address and how many pamphlets you
would like to have. We think these could be placed in local libraries
and genealogy labs to further assist others in their search.
The Journal
RHF is proud to announce a
printed publication. The first issue of The Journal is due out
in 2007. The Journal will feature, member submitted genealogical
information, stories and pictures, research articles, extracted records and
much more.
Here is a preview of articles
scheduled to appear in the first issue of
Order your copy now!
Serial Articles by Gary Gabehart, "Mishiho".
Articles by a Chickasaw Indian will be featured in the Journal, due out in
2007. Mishiho will feature several articles on our Redbone Families and
the Native American Influence on our shared Redbone heritage.
They Were
Other
The Natchez
Trace, earliest known accounts thru development and decline. The author
spent countless hours traveling and researching the Old Natchez Trace
seeking the original sites of ferries, stands, trading posts, taverns
and resting spots that once dotted it's roadside. Studying the lives of
the mixedblood men, women and their families, who owned and operated
along that important route of early American development. Woven into
the article are historical accounts and references to the turbulent history
of the southeast. Contains some historical accounts and genealogical
information of identified Redbone Families.
The information
has been gathered from numerous libraries and research facilities, public documents, diaries, church records and courier
journals, court
order books, deeds, wills, personal property, land tax books, pension
petitions, census enumerations, marriage bonds and more.
by Stacy Webb featured in our printed publication
The Journal due out in 2007.
Do You have an
article or research project of interest to other Redbone descendants? Please
consider submission to The Journal.
Research Links Library
DeQuincy man on
search for his family's lost history (12/4)
DEQUINCY —
With much of his family history lost, Terry Jackson is doing what he
can to fill in the lost information and to help others piece together
the histories of their families. Jackson has photographed and stored
thousands of pictures of headstones at local cemeteries, cataloguing
the information from each one to learn more about his ancestors and
the forefathers of Southwest Louisiana.
"In my
family, we did not talk a lot about the past or ask a lot of questions
about ancestors, so a lot of information has been lost over the
years," he said. "About eight years ago, I began doing research on our
family and became interested in genealogy. My wife Erlene and I wanted
to do something to help other people preserve their histories since we
have lost much of ours. We bought a digital camera, started with our
family cemetery and started taking pictures of each headstone and
recording the information from them." Since then, the couple has
visited dozens of cemeteries, almost all of them in Beauregard Parish,
and taken more than 16,000 photos. Some of the cemeteries are small
and are hard to find. Many look like they have been forgotten about.
"At some of them, we had to cut weeds just to see the headstones,"
Jackson said. The couple records the nicknames, hobbies and interests
of the deceased from the headstones. "Some will show that the person
liked hunting or fishing or golf," Jacksons said. "If there is a
military marker on the head stone, we record that also." Terry has had
more luck tracking down his father's side of the family than his
mother's — he doesn't know much beyond her parents. "My father's
ancestors came to this area from the Carolinas around 1812 and 1813. I
did some digging and found out my mother's ancestors are from the same
area in the Carolinas." He used a Web site for the South Carolina
Historical Society to track down names of his ancestors and documents
that go with those names. One fruit of his efforts was the finding of
a copy of a royal land grant given by King George III in 1773 to one
of his ancestors from eight generations back. "That's one of my best
finds so far," he said. Jackson shares the information he discovers
with family members throughout the country. "Now we are finding out
more information about our ancestors and are amazed at how they lived
and ended up here," Jackson said. "We know people from around the
country that want to tell their kids about ancestors but have never
been here. I can send them a disk and they can show the graves to the
kids and teach them about those people." The Jacksons take care to
respect the privacy of families and try to help spruce up unattended
graves while compiling the photos. "We do not go into private
cemeteries or anywhere with no trespassing signs. If we see flowers
knocked or blown over near graves, we will help fix them back," Terry
said. "No matter where we have been, I have come across the grave of
someone I knew, or a relative of someone I knew. When I find something
about the ancestors of friends, I will go back and tell them, and most
of the time they will tell me they had not known that." The Jacksons
hope to visit as many cemeteries as they can. "I just hope we can help
people researching their families or looking for people," he said. "I
run across people who ask me if I know where people they knew are
buried at. If I don't, I can go home and look it up."
Finding Roots,
Throughout her life many friends and family
remarked at her dark skin, curly hair and unusual features. Tammie
McKay Glass,
who inherited heirlooms and other family treasures from her grandmother,
never imagined the gift of genealogy she had inherited. Tammie
had, since her Grandmother's death just glanced through the collection of
type written pages, birth and death certificates and genealogical charts her Grandmother Isa Mae
Collins Breeding McKay collected over her lifetime. What and where
her grandmother was from never seemed to matter much. When Tammie's
daughter Stacey Davenport fell gravely ill several times as a child, Tammie's sister had
suggested that some Melungeon descendants suffer from inherited diseases.
Stacey was diagnosed with a genetic defect, a missing compliment
gene, compromised her health.
People called...Melungeons and inherited diseases? Certainly this
was a strange family history, indeed.
By chance while visiting with a friend, Stacy
Webb mentioned she was out of town recently attending a
"genealogy type conference". Tammie said her
Grandmother willed to her, among other things, some type written pages,
genealogical charts and pictures. After sharing her inherited treasures with
Stacy, they immediately recognized Tammie's, Melungeon heritage.
Stacy shared more of the details of her recent trip, explaining she had
actually attended the 2006 Melungeon Heritage Union in Johnson
City/Kingsport, Tennessee and that she had visited Newman's Ridge, the
home place of Tammie's ancestors. Stacy explained her Redbone heritage and the interest
she has in researching
further the ties that might bind our families together. Tammie and Stacy,
delighted with the family connections arranged for a trip to Newman's Ridge.
Ancestors &
relatives
Front L to R, Adelaide Collins & Carrie Collins.
Back Row, Carrie's sisters Docia and Laura Collins.
Adelaide and the ladies
pictured are all cousins and were likely tutored by early missionaries who
boarded with their her father Batey Collins.
Pictured Right, The First
Vardy school and meetinghouse is speculated to have been built shortly
after the Civil War. It remained in use until 1902.
Tammie's Grandmother
Pictured Left,
Isa Mae Collins Breeding McKay, 1947 daughter of Fluie Lina Horton & Howard
Collins.
Pictured
Right,
Vardy girls photographed in front of their Asheville, NC boarding school.
Front row, Helen Stewart, Mabel Stewart, Golda Collins, and Isa Mae
Collins. Middle: Mossey Horton and Alyce Horton; Back row unknown except
for the tallest, Nelle Horton
Tammie's
father
Pictured left, Wayne McKay son of
Howard McKay & Isa Mae Collins.
Tammie's Great
Grandmother
Pictured right, Fluie
Lina Horton Collins and her sons, L to R, Cleland, Oakey, Emanual and Boyd
Collins, 1955.
The Return Home
Tammie McKay Glass, returned to the home place of
her grandmother, Newman's Ridge. She was able to visit the cabin of
her Great Grandparents John & Mahala Collins Mullins, lovingly removed
from it's ridge side perch to a plot facing the Presbyterian Church, both beautifully restored
by the Vardy Historical Society.
Hospitality and kinship
run deep on the ridge, she was immediately, introduced to
several cousins. Jack and Charlotte Mullins graciously extended
an invitation to spend the night at their cabin on Newman's Ridge. Tammie
was delighted and enjoyed an exceptional nights rest, at the site of her Great Grandfather
George Collins cabin. Jack Mullins explains, the original cabin belonging
to their shared great Grandfather George Collins and two other family
cabins from the area, had been sold and removed by a man from North
Carolina, many years before. Jack and Charlotte Mullins built a new cabin
at the same location. Tammie enjoyed a meal in Sneedville, Tennessee,
the "Home of Blue Grass" with Anthony "Tony"
Collins, then spent the remainder of the evening going over related family
lines.
The next afternoon Tammie
walked up the
ridge and visited the original site of John & Mahala's Cabin, Tammie's
5th great grandparents. Mahala is buried at that location, which
remains unmarked. Tammie hopes one day there will be
a place to mark Mahala's burial site. Inquiries of where and when John
Mullins died or is buried, have been left to mystery thus far.
Tammie
visited several
of the cemeteries in the area and Goins Chapel.
Many of her ancestors and related family are
among those buried in the numerous family cemeteries in the area.
Tammie found this homemade stone for a John Goins, who may have been a
relative, perhaps the family of Jincy Goins Collins, Mahala's Collins
Mullin's, Mother.
More Genealogical
Information on Melungeon Families.
Tammie
attended the Vardy Historical
Society monthly meeting, at the restored Vardy Presbyterian
Church. The
Presbyterian Church was the sponsor of the Vardy Community School, most Melungeon children attended.
The school is also the setting for the outdoor play,
Pictured
above Vardy Community school, which is
sadly nearly completely deteriorated.
Claude Collins
who grew up on Newman's Ridge and attended Vardy Community School, gives a tour of the
Vardy Presbyterian Church. Claude begins his tour by explaining the importance the church and school
played in the survival and education of Melungeon children living on
Newmans' Ridge, "They provided our every need. Before public schools had
technical schools, we had one".
Searching
Further
Tammie, feels a
new and heartfelt closeness to her heritage and would like to continue her
Grandmother's search. She would enjoy meeting new cousins to share and
further unravel the mysteries of her Melungeon heritage.
Left, Tammy is
pictured here with Anthony "Tony" Collins, past president of The Vardy
Community Historical Society and unknown Gibson, both are new found cousins
living on Newman's Ridge.
Tammie, her family and a detailed account of her Melungeon heritage is published in the book,
LEST WE FORGET,
The Melungeon Colony of Newman’s Ridge,
Jim Callahan avaiable from
The article is dedicated to
Isa Mae Collins Breeding McKay, Tammie's grandmother, who's genealogical
work inspired a search for her roots and an interest in her Melungeon
heritage,pictured right in 1982, age 72.
There is a new and
exceptional article in The Appalachian Life Magazine titled Mahala's Cabin
by Wayne Winkler. The article features a detailed map of the area and
directions to Newman's Ridge and other locations of interest to Melungeon heritage
and history. We hope you might have a chance to visit Newman's Ridge
yourself and possibly find your roots.
Finding Roots,
Throughout her life many friends and family
remarked at her dark skin, curly hair and unusual features. Tammie
McKay Glass,
who inherited heirlooms and other family treasures from her grandmother,
never imagined the gift of genealogy she had inherited. Tammie
had, since her Grandmother's death just glanced through the collection of
type written pages, birth and death certificates and genealogical charts her Grandmother Isa Mae
Collins Breeding McKay collected over her lifetime. What and where
her grandmother was from never seemed to matter much. When Tammie's
daughter Stacey Davenport fell gravely ill several times as a child, Tammie's sister had
suggested that some Melungeon descendants suffer from inherited diseases.
Stacey was diagnosed with a genetic defect, a missing compliment
gene, compromised her health.
People called...Melungeons and inherited diseases? Certainly this
was a strange family history, indeed. 
Front L to R, Adelaide Collins & Carrie Collins.
Back Row, Carrie's sisters Docia and Laura Collins. 
Tammie's
father
education of Melungeon children living on
Newmans' Ridge, "They provided our every need. Before public schools had
technical schools, we had one". 
Tammie, her family and a detailed account of her Melungeon heritage is published in the book,
