Gowen Research Foundation

Electronic Newsletter

February 2001

Volume 4 No. 2

ORIGIN OF THE MELUNGEONS

By Tim Hashaw

Editorial Boardmember

1937 Huge Oaks Houston, Texas, 77065

E-mail: wildwestgifts4u@aol.com

Part V:

CARRIED AWAY IN THE NIGHT

On April 10, 1778, the following ad was placed in the

"North Carolina Gazette" by Johnson Driggers, a des-

perate Melungeon father:

"On Saturday night, April the 4th, broke into the house

of the subscriber at the head of Green's Creek, where I

had some small property under the care of Ann Driggers, a

free negro woman, two men in disguise, with marks on

their faces and clubs in their hands, beat and wounded

her terribly and carried away four of her children, three

girls and a boy, the biggest of said girls got off in the

dark and made her escape, one of the girls name is Becca,

and the other is Charita, the boy is named Shadrack..."

The advertisement described a common horror inflicted on

free Melungeons in the 18th and 19th centuries. The lu-

crative American slave market tempted manstealers into

preying on many communities of mixed-race people. Anyone

with the slightest amount of Negro blood might be stolen

in the middle of the night regardless of their free

status.

In 1834, free-born mulatto Drury Tann of the Melungeon

Tann family of North Carolina, applied for his Revolu-

tionary War pension. In his application is an account of

his childhood.

"He [Tann] was stolen from his parents when a small boy

by persons unknown to him, who were carrying him to sell

him into Slavery, and had gotten with him and other sto-

len property as far as the mountains on their way...his

parents made a complaint to a Mr. Tanner Alford who was

then a magistrate in the county of Wake, State of North

Carolina, to get me back from those who had stolen me and

he did pursue the rogues and overtook them at the moun-

tains and took me from them."

An affadavit filed by John Scott, a "free Negro" of Berk-

eley County, South Carolina was found by genealogist Paul

Heinegg. It notified authorities in Orange County, North

Carolina of the following on March 12, 1754:

"Joseph Deevit, Wm. Deevit, and Zachariah Martin, entered

by force the house of his daughter, Amy Hawley, and car-

ried her off by force with her six children, and he

thinks they are taking them north to sell as slaves."

Records show only one child, "a mulatto boy Busby, alias

John Scott" was rescued and returned home from the ordeal.

By 1750, these and other free Melungeons lived in con-

stant fear of abduction and the loss of liberty during

the long night of American slavery. The slightest trace

of African blood in a person who was essentially white,

had become a subpeona into slavery by this time. For this

and other reasons the light-skinned children of the orig-

inal Angolans of the 1600s, began claiming non-African

descent. Some Melungeons argued strongly that they were

of Spanish, Portuguese or East Indian blood. They could

claim Portuguese nationality on the technicality that An-

gola was considered a state of Portugal. Others resorted

to other claims.

William Dowry, a grandson of Mary Dove, was detained as a

slave in Maryland in 1791 when he claimed in court of be-

ing held illegally. Witnesses on his behalf testified

that Dowry's grandmother was a granddaughter of a woman

brought into the country by the "Thomas" family, as a

"Yellow Woman", said to be either a Spanish woman named

"Malaga Moll" or an East Indian. However, records indi-

cate the Dove family descended from John Dove, a mulatto

slave of Dr. Gustavus Brown of Charles County, Maryland.

The Perkins family of Accomack County descended from Es-

ther Perkins who had an illegitimate child in 1730. Jos-

hua Perkins was taxed as a "free Negro", but in 1858 in

Tennessee, his great grandson, Jacob F. Perkins brought a

lawsuit against a man for slandering him as a "Negro".

By then, the Perkins family, after three generations of

intermarriage, was white-skinned and claimed to be of

"Portuguese" descent. Witnesses were called to testify

for both parties in the lawsuit.

John E. Cossen said of the Perkins ancestors:

"Can't say whether...full blooded. The nose is African.

Believe they were Africans...always claimed to be Portu-

guese. All married white women."

Reuben Brooks stated of the first Perkins patriarch:

"He was a very black and reverend negro..."

John Nave, age 88, testified:

"...black man, hair nappy...Some called Jacob [his son] a

Portuguese and some a negro..."

Larkin L. White swore on the stand:

"...as black as any common mulatto. Hair short and curl-

ed and kinky..."

On behalf of the Perkins, several witnesses presented

sometimes conflicting testimonty of the family, but gen-

erally agreed that the Perkins were "Portuguese" who had

lived as equals among whites and who had married whites.

However, the Johnson County court ruled that Jacob F.

Perkins was indeed a "free Negro" as his neighbor had al-

leged.

Thomas Hagans was not trying to escape slavery or sland-

er, but taxes on "free Negroes, Mulatoes, and Mestizos"

in 1809 South Carolina, when he sued in court claiming

Portuguese ancestry. But Hagans was the great-grandson

of Thomas Ivey whose children were identified as "free

Negroes and Mulattoes" in a 1773 county census. His an-

cestor George Ivey had even publicly protested against

the colonial ban on black and white intermarriage after

it was passed by the legislature in the 1720s.

Melungeon ancestors with Portuguese and Spanish surnames

such as Pedro, Cumbo, Rodriggues, Manuel, Fernando, Fran-

cisco, Dial and Cottulo were described as "Negroes" in

the 17th century. Their black skin and their Iberian

names indicate they were Portuguese Angolans who had vol-

untarily converted to Christianity in their native land.

Many have argued that some colonial slaves described gen-

erically as colored, mulatto, and dark-skinned, did not

arrive in Virginia directly from Africa and therefore

could have been of non-African descent. Indeed there was

an Armenian in Virginia as early as 1615, Turks by 1690

and other Mediterrenean ethnics present in the 17th cen-

tury colonies. But we know about these exceptions pre-

cisely because they were distinguished from "Negroes" in

colonial records. No doubt some Mediterrenean non-African

"coloreds" joined African, white and Indian mixed groups

like the Melungeons, and non-African "coloreds" may have

been classed as "Negro". But the largest and most domi-

nant "colored" group described as "Negro" were by far the

Angolan-Africans. Their surnames appear today in mixed

communities such as the Melungeons.

Angolans were found up and down the North American sea-

board in the 1600s. Sebastian Cane was a free "Negro"

who came to Virginia from Dorchester, New England. In

1656, he purchased the freedom of a slave, [believed by

some to be his sister] from Ann Keane of New England.

The freed slave's name was "Angola".

During the 1600s, thousands of Africans from Angola were

turning up in England, France, the West Indies, and in

Central and South America. By the 1640s there was a dis-

cernable Angolan-Dutch population in Manhattan, New Am-

sterdam [New York]. During the developing period of Eng-

lish-American colonies from 1610-1660, central Angola was

bleeding several tens of thousands of Africans to trans-

Atlantic slavers.

THE BEGINNINGS OF THE MELUNGEON COMMUNITY IN AMERICA

There is ample evidence that the community known as Mel-

ungeon, formed much earlier than previously thought.

Records show that many descendants of 17th century Ango-

lan-Americans had intermarried with descendants of fellow

Angolan countrymen before 1700. Melungeon communities ex-

isted in Virginia, Maryland, Carolina and Delaware 100

hundred years before the American Revolution.

THE ANGOLAN FOUNDING FAMILIES OF MELUNGIA

The Angolan who became known as John Gowen of Virginia,

was born about 1615. Before 1775, his descendants had

married into the Angolan and mixed families of Ailstock,

Bass, Chavis, Corn, Cumbo, Dungill, Findley, Hill, Jones,

Locklear, Lucas, Matthews, Mason, Miner, Mills, Patter-

son, Pompey, Stewart, Simmons, Singleton, Tyre, Webb and

Wilson; most of whom can also be traced to the 17th cen-

tury.

Thomas Chivers/Chavis was born in 1630. Before 1775 his

Angolan descendants had married into the families of

Bass, Gowen, Locklear, Singleton, Stewart, Cumbo, Mat-

Thews, and Wilson along with descendants of John Gowen.

In addition the Chivers/Chavis group intermarried with

Bird, Blair, Blythe, Brandon, Bunch, Cannady, Carter,

Cypress, Drew, Earl, Evans, Francis, Gibson, Gillet,

Haithcock, Harris, Hawley, Hull, Kersey, Lowry, Manly,

Manning, Mitchell, McLin, Scott, Silvey, Smith, Snell-

ing, Silver, Sweat, Thaxton, Tyner, Thomerson, Taborn,

Valentine, Watts and Walden; many of whom were 17th cen-

tury Africans in the British-American colonies.

The family of Eleanor Evans, born 1660, shares with the

Gowen and Chavis families the following names: Bird,

Brandon, Chavis, Dunghill, Harris, Kersey, McLinn, Mit-

chell, Snelling, Scott, Stewart, Sweat, Taborn and Wal-

den. In adition the Evans were early related to the

families of Anderson, Boyd, Bee, Blundon, Doyal, Green,

Hudnall, Hunt, Jeffries, Jones, Lantern, Ledbetter, Penn,

Pettiford, Redcross, Richardson, Rowe, Sorrell, Spriddle,

Tate, Thomas, Toney and Young.

The Gibson/Gipson family descended from Elizabeth Chavis,

born in 1672, also shares with 17th century African-Amer-

icans Gowen, Chavis, and Evans, the surnames of Bass,

Bunch, Chavis, Cumbo, and Sweat. They add Driggers,

Deas, Collins and Ridley.

The family of the Portuguese-Angolan named Emmanuel Drig-

gers, [Roddriggus] born in 1620, also has several fami-

lies in common with the Gowen, Chavis, Evans and Gibson

clans: Carter, Collins, Sweat, Gibson and Mitchell. In

addition the Driggers intermarried with Beckett, Beavens,

Bingham, Bruinton, Copes, Fernando, Francisco, George,

Gussal, Harman, Hodgeskin, Jeffrey, Johnson, King, Kelly

Lindsey, Landrum, Liverpool, Moore, Payne, Reed and Sam-

ple.

From Margarett Cornish, born about 1610, comes the Corn-

ish family with ties to Gowen and Sweat in addition to

Shaw and Thorn.

With the Cumbo family dating back to 1644, we have links

to Gibson, Gowen, Jeffries, Matthews, Newsom, Wilson and

Young in addition to Hammond, Maskill, Potter and Skipper.

The Bass family originates in 1638 America and shares

several intermarriages from that period with Gowen, Cha-

vis, Evans, Cornish, Driggers, Cumbos and Gibsons which

are: Anderson, Byrd, Bunch, Cannady, Chavis, Day, Mitch-

ell, Gowen, Pettiford, Richardson, Snelling, Valentine

and Walden. In addition they have the names of Farmer,

Hall, Lovina, Nickens, Perkins, Pone, Price, Roe and Rob-

erts.

If given the space, we could find complex scores of in-

termarriages of Melungeon and other tri-racial surnames

beginning in the 17th century of colonial America. These

common kinships of cousins show the Melungeon society was

becoming cohesive and distinctively apart in colonial Am-

erica at least 100 years before the American Revolution.

The Melungeon community began before 1700.

For example: The Banks family originates in 1665 colonial

America with related families of Adam, Brown, Day, How-

ell, Isaacs, Johnson, Lynch, Martin, Walden, Wilson and

Valentine and other Melungeon surnames.

The Archer family begins in 1647 America with related

families; Archie, Bass, Bunch, Heathcock, Manly, Murray,

Milton, Newsom, Roberts and Weaver.

The Bunch clan traces back to 1675 colonial America with

kinship to: Bass, Chavis, Chavers, Collins, Gibson, Grif-

fin, Hammons, Pritchard and Summerlin.

The Beckett family of 1655 ties to Bibbins, Beavens, Col-

lins, Driggers, Drighouse, Liverpool, Mongon, Morris, Mo-

ses, Nutt, Stevens and Thompson.

The family of Carter begins in 1620 America with the re-

lated families of: Best, Blizzard, Braveboy, Bush, Cane,

Copes, Dove, Driggus, Fernando, Fenner, Godett, George,

Harmon, Howard, Jacobs, Jones, Kelly, Lowery, Moore, Nor-

wood, Nicken, Perkins, Rawlinson, and Spellman.

In addition to the above, other mixed families from Amer-

ica in the 1600s are: Artis, Berry, Cane, Causey, Char-

ity, Collins, Cuttilo, Dial/Dale, Hall, Harris, Hammond,

Hawley, Hilliard, Holman, Howell, Ivey, Jacobs, Jeffires,

Johnson, Jones, Mongom, Payne, Reed, Roberts, Shoecraft,

Sisco, Francisco, Stephens, Stewart, Sweat, Tann, Webb,

Williams, Wilson and Young.

These 17th century mixed families are each related to a

dozen or more later Melungeon surnames with links to al-

most all mixed communities in America. It might be said

convincingly that there are more early 17th century Amer-

ican "blue-bloods" to be found in the shanties of Appala-

chia than in all of Boston.

Groups like Melungeons, Brass Ankles, Redbones, Lumbees,

and many others are all connected by common blood to each

other from the first two centuries of English-American

colonization. Mixed red, white, and black Melungeons can

be found in Virginia and Maryland to within one or two

generations of the first Angolan Ndongo appearance in

Jamestown in 1619. The general Melungeon community is

decisively shown to be more than 350 years old in North

America.

All of these families descended from 17th century Ango-

lans in Virginia, who began building the Melungeon com-

munity long before it appeared in Tennessee in the 19th

century.

THE FIRST WOMEN OF MELUNGIA

The greatest price for Melungeon freedom from chattel

slavery was usually paid by women; white European women

of English, Scottish and Irish ancestry, who married or

cohabitated with newly arrived black West African slaves.

From 1660-1720, most English-American colonies forbade

black and white marriages.

Refused the protection of legal unions, interracial coup-

les were hauled into court on morals-related charges. In

such cases the man sometimes disappeared, leaving the wo-

man holding the interracial child alone. Often the woman

would refuse to name the father. Faced with the prospect

of a single parent child dependant upon the welfare of

the county, the colonial legislators imposed severe pen-

alties upon mother and child hoping to send a message.

Fatherless mulattos were often bound out in slavery for

up to 30 years, and the mother usually had additional

years added to her original term of servitude.

In other cases, the man would finally get his freedom

with the opportunity to move away and purchase new fron-

tier land. However, his wife might still be bound for

several years. The man would take his freeborn children

and abandon his indentured wife. These were the trage-

dies facing the early ancestors of Melungeons.

Before the restrictions against interracial unions in Am-

erica, there were many legitimate black and white marria-

ges sanctioned by the church. Paul Heinegg cites the

1681 case of Elizabeth Shorter who married a "negro man"

named Little Robin in nuptials administered by Nicholas

Geulick, a priest. They had three mulatto daughters in

St. Mary's County. But gradually, colonial society

turned on the mixed unions it had previously allowed.

After 1720 in Northampton County, Virginia, Tamar Smith

had to serve half a year in prison and pay a ten pound

fine to marry Major Hitchens.

On August 16, 1705, a "Mulatto" named John Bunch and a

white woman named Sarah Slayden, appealed to the Council

of Virginia to permit them to be married after such a re-

quest had been denied by the Blisland Parish minister.

The Council countered that the "intent of the Law [was]

to prevent Negroes and White Persons intermarrying".

The matriarch of the Welch family was Mary. In 1728 in

Maryland, she testified that she had born a mulatto

child. Her original term of servitude to Thomas Har-

wood was lengthened by seven years and her two-month

old son Henry was bound to Harwood for 31 years.

Mary Wise, the servant of a man named Wells admitted in

1732 to having a mulatto child in Prince George County.

The court sold her nine-week-old daughter Becky into 31

years servitude for 1,500 pounds of tobacco.

In Delaware, Mary Plowman was charged in 1704 of giving

birth to a child by a "Negro" slave named Frank. The

court gave her 21 lashes and an additional term of servi-

tude to her master. Her mulatto daughter Rose was bound

until the age of twenty-one.

In Kent County, Delaware, 17-year-old Eleanor Price ad-

mitted to "Fornication with a Negro Man named Peter" in

1703. She received twenty-one lashes and an extended

period of 18 months servitude. Her daughter was bound

to the children of her master until the age of 21.

In Accomack County, Virginia in 1721, Ann Shepherd, a

"Christian white woman" was presented for having an ille-

gitimate child. Pressured to name the father, she first

indicated one "Indian Edmund", but later admitted the fa-

ther was a mulatto, Henry Jackson. Ann was sold for a

five year term.

In Virginia in 1716, Elizabeth Bartlett was ordered to

pay 1,200 pounds of tobacco to her mistress Mary Bailey,

for eloping with the mistress' Negro slave James.

Sarah Dawson was a white servant girl who endured twenty-

one lashes in Virginia in 1784 for having three illegiti-

mate children by her master's servant Peter Beckett whom

she later married.

In Lancaster County in 1703, Elizabeth Bell ran away from

her master and was lashed twenty times at the county

whipping post. A year later she was indentured to ano-

ther master during which time she had a child by a black

man. Five years were added to her sentence.

The case of Alice Bryan is also cited by Heinegg. Alice

confessed to bearing a "bastard Molattoe Child" by a "Ne-

gro man Called Jack." Thirty-nine lashes and an extra

two years indenture was the sentence of the court. Her

mulatto son Peter was bound out for 31 years and her

daughter Elizabeth was enslaved for 18 years.

Color-conscious American society tried to overturn stub-

born customs previously practiced by earlier settlers who

had lived in a time when frontier life was hard and the

skin color of a helpful neighbor was irrelevent. The new

laws against people of color were not always respected by

old-time whites. In the words of one old white man, Dan-

iel Stout of Tennessee, who, when called to testify in

court in 1858 as to the race of a grandfather of a free

African-American, said:

"Never heard him called a Negro. People in those days

said nothing about such things."

[To Be Continued]

Biography: Tim Hashaw is an investigate reporter working

from East Texas. He has filed stories for CBS, ABC and

NBC from network affiliates. Tim has reported for radio,

television, and print. Awards for Best Investigative Re-

porting from: The Radio and Television News Directors As-

sociation [RTNDA], Associated Press, United Press Inter-

national, the National Headliners Club and others.

FREE STUFF

You can download free charts and forms, including pedi-

gree charts, research logs, and family group sheets, at

Ancestry.com. Just go to:

http://www.ancestry.com/save/charts/ancchart.htm

GEORGE WASHINGTON GOWING DEFIED THE

KANSAS JAYHAWKERS WITH A HATCHET

George Washington Gowens, son of Charles Gowens and Eliz-

abeth "Betsy" Blair Gowens, was born in June 2, 1802 in

Kentucky or in Claiborne County, Tennessee. His father

was a Revolutionary soldier of Henry County, Virginia.

He was married about 1823 to Nancy Webb who was born Aug-

ust 29, 1805 to Hall Webb and Elizabeth Webb, according

to Harold Frank Gowing, a descendant of Eugene, Oregon.

He and his wife, Mary Ruth Marsh Gowing, Foundation mem-

bers did extensive research into this branch of the fam-

ily.

George Washington Gowens, shortly after marriage, adopted

"Gowing" as his surname, and his descendants continue to

use that spelling today.

It is believed that the young couple accompanied his par-

ents in a move to Gallatin County shortly after they were

married. By 1825, they moved westwardly again, to Wash-

ington County, Indiana. They were enumerated there in

the 1830 census, page 341:

"Going, George white male 20-30

white female 20-30

white male 5-10

white female 0-5

white female 0-5"

About 1838, he removed to Washington County, Arkansas.

He was enumerated there in the 1840 census in Providence

township, page 61:

Gowen, George W. white male 30-40

white female 30-40

white male 15-20

white female 15-20

white female 10-15

white male 5-10

white female 5-10

white male 0-5

white male 0-5

white male 0-5"

Three members of the household were engaged in "agricul-

ture." One of the parents was "illiterate." No slaves

were enumerated.

It is believed that they removed to Cass County, Missouri

about 1841. He and his son, William Pleasant Gowing ap-

peared in the 1848 tax list of the county, page 16. He

paid 71 cents tax on "2 horses, value $80; 5 cows, value

$74 and 1 timepiece, value $15," and his son paid 53

cents tax on "1 horse, value $60, 1 cow, value $8 and

military tax, $25."

He was enumerated there in District 16 September 19, 1850

in the federal census as the head of Household 394-394:

"Going, George W. 48, born in Kentucky, farmer,

$1,000 real estate

Nancy 43, born in Virginia

Pleasant 25, born in Indiana

George W. 18, born in Indiana

Susannah 20, born in Indiana

Patsey 16, born in Indiana

Francis M. 14, born in Indiana

Jerome 12, born in Arkansas

Chauncy 11, born in Arkansas

Nancy 8, born in Missouri

Clarinda 6, born in Missouri

Thomas 4, born in Missouri

Lafayette 2, born in Missouri"

Shortly after 1850 moved across the state line to Brook-

lin, Kansas, now extinct. On October 5, 1855 he moved to

La Cygne, Kansas in extreme eastern Linn County, Kansas

very near the Missouri border. He was frequently involv-

ed in the border disputes that flared in "bleeding Kan-

sas" in the 1850s and 1860s.

Some events illustrating the adversities the family of

George Washington Gowing endured during that period were

recorded in the March 22, 1895 edition of "La Cygne Week-

ly Journal." The account was later published in "Kansas

Historical Collection, 1923-1925" printed by Kansas His-

torical Society. The account reads:

"In collecting memoranda for these articles there has

been found a very high regard for the Gowing family who

came here in 1855. The head of the family was George

Washington Gowing, Sr. who had been born and raised in

Kentucky and not opposed to slavery, though he took no

part in helping to establish it in Kansas. The family

consisted of himself and wife and five sons--George W.

Jr, Pleasant, Lafayette, Drury and Thomas. Lafayette be-

came a soldier in Company L, Sixth Kansas Cavalry and was

killed in action April 5, 1864 in the Battle of Stone's

Farm, Arkansas. Wash, the younger, still lives in La

Cygne, and Thomas recently moved to Missouri.

On coming west, the family lived for a while in Cass

County, Missouri and then decided to come to Kansas, and

as they were traveling in wagons, Wash, the son, came on

in advance to find some old neighbors who had settled

here, among them Skillman Fleming. On October 5, 1855,

Wash crossed at the ford where the fair grounds at La

Cygne are now located and continued west till he found

Brooklin, when he returned to pilot his people. At that

time all that is Lincoln township, and to a line north

and south along the John Calvin farm three miles west in

Scott township, was an Indian reservation held by the

Miamis and Pottawatomies.

The Miamis were wearing clothing, but the Pottawatomies

were still in blankets. Wash says that none of them were

troublesome. The Miamis nearly all lived in houses, but

the Pottawatomies traveled around in bands.

When the Gowings located at Brooklin they were among old

acquaintances, and as the family had originally come from

the slave state of Kentucky they were received as an ac-

cession to the pro-slavery forces. In the condition of

society then, they did not find it convenient to assert

that they had come to make homes and wanted no politics,

so they went along their way and trusted to luck to avoid

trouble.

Young Wash was not regarded with favor by old Skillman,

and was frequently asked to declare himself, but he would

only say that he had come to get a home and wanted no

part in politics. This made it particularly uncongenial

for him, and after he had taken his wife and located a

farm on the ridge north of Brooklin, he would sleep out

in some friendly straw stack or fence corner. Neutrality

then seemed impossible. He was distrusted among his fa-

ther's friends and unknown to the other side, and he felt

uncomfortable, but as all he had was there, he stayed.

One night he ventured to stay within his house, and had a

peaceful night till daybreak, when the sound of horsemen

was heard. He was called and ordered to come out, with

which he complied, expecting trouble. There were 15

mounted men at his door, whom he recognized at once as

free-state men, who had evidently been out all night.

They asked him for feed for themselves and horses. He

replied that he did not want to give it to them as it

would give him the reputation of harboring them and get

him into trouble. He was assured that his principles

were well known to them, and that they would see no

trouble come to him and then dismounted.

Mrs. Gowing got breakfast for them with much misgiving as

to what the result would be when the pro-slavery people

heard of it. But beyond severe criticism they were never

disturbed, as by that time the free-state men were begin-

ning to get control, and they did not forget to protect

Wash.

Once, in 1856, when there were rumors of an invasion by

marauders, they all went over into Missouri to camp until

the trouble should blow over. At West Point, Missouri

they saw a big camp of men living in a half-military

style, but without any authority other than assumed. Old

man Clarke was in command of it. Clarke tried to take a

team from the elder Gowing, and the old man said they

could not have it, that he would not part with it. They

then took possession of horses and man, and the next

morning the 400 ruffians of Clarke started to raid

through Linn County, and took Gowing with them to haul

their plunder.

There was also a young man named Smith, a son of Elisha

Smith of Twin Springs impressed into their service, and

when at Linnville Mr. Gowing took a hatchet and defied

the mob, as related last week, he also released young

Smith from their bondage."

The incident "as related last week" referred to an ac-

count in the March 15, 1895 edition of the "La Cygne

Weekly Journal" which described the atrocities the mob

committed and the courage of George Washington Gowing in

a confrontation with the mob. The account read:

"The crimes which followed are too foul for record. Old

man Gowing witnessed them, and climbing into his wagon he

threw all the plunder out on the ground, and with a hat-

chet to defend himself, denounced the fiends and told

them he would die before he would obey their orders fur-

ther, and drove away unmolested. On his way home he met

Sheek and told him the details of the affair. Mr. Sheek

was a close friend of Pat Devlin, the originator of the

famous 'Jayhawker' patronymic, and had several adventures

with him."

George Washington Gowing was enumerated in the 1860 cen-

sus of Linn County in Scott township, page 12, Household

84-84:

"Gowins, George 59, born in Kentucky, farmer

Nancy 53, born in Virginia

Lafayette 19, born in Missouri, farmer

Nancy, Jr. 16, born in Missouri

Clarinda 14, born in Missouri

Thomas 13, born in Missouri

Moore, Marion 20, born in Illinois, laborer"

During the Civil War, he enlisted in Company K, Sixth

Kansas Militia and appeared on the muster roll of that

organization, along with Drury Gowing and Lafayette Gow-

ing, his sons.

George Washington Gowing wrote his will March 10, 1870:

"State of Kansas

Linn County, Lincoln Township

I, George W. Gowing, considering the uncertainty of this

life and being of sound mind and memory do make this,

my last will and testament in manner and form following,

to wit:

First. I give and bequeath to my grandchildren, heirs of

my son Pleasant Gowing, the sum of One Hundred Dollars.

I give and bequeath to the heirs of my son Jerome Gowing

the sum of One Hundred Dollars to be paid to them within

six months after they becum of [21] age legaly to do Bus-

ness for them selves and to be equaly divided between

them.

I farther give and bequeath to my wife Nancy Gowing all

of the residue of my Estate that may be left after the

payment of the foregoing bequests and the payment of all

of my Debts both real estate and personal property, to

have and to hold for her own use and benefit during her

life and at her death to be equally between all of my

heirs.

I also appoint my Beloved Wife sole executrix of this my

last will and testament hereby revoking all former wills

made by me in witness of which I have hereunto set my

hand and seal this the 10th day of March AD 1870.

G. W. [X] Gowing"

He died shortly after the will was written. Nancy Webb

Gowing, a widow was recorded as the head of Household

365-352 in Lincoln township, page 49:

"Gowing, Nancy 66, born in Virginia

Nancy, Jr. 25, born in Missouri

Clarinda 23, born in Missouri

Thomas 22, born in Missouri, farmer

Gowing, Francis M. 16, born in Missouri, works on

farm, grandson

George C. 14, born in Kansas, works on

farm, grandson

Sarrah J. 10, born in Kansas, attends

school, granddaughter

Clarinda 8, born in Kansas, attends

school, granddaughter

William P. 5, born in Kansas, grandson

Gowing, Jane 12, granddaughter

James 10, grandson"

Nancy Webb Gowin died there in 1873 and was buried beside

her husband in Star Valley Cemetery, east of La Cygne.

Children born to George Washington Gowing and Nancy Webb

Gowing include:

William Pleasant Gowing born in 1825

Sarah Ann Gowing born about 1826

Susannah Gowing born in 1829

George Washington Gowing, Jr. born August 14, 1830

Patsey Gowing born in 1834

Francis M. Gowing born in 1836

Jerome Gowing born about 1837

Chauncy Drury Gowing born about 1838

Lafayette Gowing born about 1841

Nancy Gowing born Nov. 25, 1844

Clarinda Gowing born in 1845

Thomas Benton Gowing born March 23, 1847

Another Voice . . .

A DISSENTING VIEW OF THE MELUNGEONS' ORIGIN

By Jack Harold Goins

Editorial Boardmember

270 Holston View Drive, Rogers, Tennessee, 37857

615/272-7297, jgoins@usit.net

I wish to express a dissenting view to those expressed in

the current series of articles by Tim Hashaw which show

another origin of the Melungeons.

As a member of the old Melungeon Research Team of Gowen

Research Foundation, I along with other team members re-

searched diligently and shared stories and records on the

history of the Melungeons. Evelyn McKinley Orr wrote of

some of these findings in the Foundation Newsletter. All

of the articles by Evelyn were presented as theories, or

perhaps, maybe, etc.

The recent series of articles written by Tim Hashaw for

the Electronic Newsletter were written as factual, or at

least that is the impression I got from reading them, but

like all others, his story has no documentation linking

the Melungeon people to his group.

The Melungeons were real people. In fact, they were part

of the original pioneer settlers, and some of them are

recorded on old Fincastle County, Virginia tax records as

"Living on Indian Land." Researching Melungeon families

is like all other family genealogy; you start at home and

work your way up, not with a theory of an ancient point

in history.

I have been researching my family which includes the Me-

lungeons for over 20 years and have published a book,

"Melungeons and Other Pioneer Families." In my research

I back-track the head Melungeons [using tax, land, church

and military records] from the Clinch River to the New

River areas of Montgomery County, Virginia and Wilkes and

Ashe Counties, North Carolina. They moved to that area

beginning in 1767 from the Flat River in Orange County,

North Carolina. The are of the Flat and Haw Rivers was

in Granville County, North Carolina when the Melungeons

began settling there in the 1740s. They had migrated

from the Pamunkey River area of Louisa County, Virginia.

Wherever the Melungeons settled, they always left a few

behind, some moved into South Carolina, others to West

Virginia, Kentucky and middle Tennessee, but the vast ma-

jority moved to the Clinch River Valley of Blackwater

Creek and Newman Ridge in then [1787-90s] Hawkins County,

Tennessee and Lee County, Virginia.

I don't claim to know their nationality, but unil proven

wrong I will believe their report. It seems that many

folks who are not connected to the Tennessee Melungeons

know exactly who they were. This begs the question: who

did they say they were? On old records our Melungeon an-

cestors claimed to be descendants of Indians. Calloway

Collins told a reporter in 1890 that the Collins and the

Gibsons were living as Indians in Virginia before they

migrated to North Carolina.

A Tennessee bible record of a Minor family of Virginia

dated in 1867, states "Tradition in the Minor family is

that they are descendants of Pocahontas. This same tra-

dition is in the Melungeon Bolling and Bunch families.

And factual research places these people on the land of

Pocahontas. Some of the Melungeon Bunch, Collins, Gib-

son, Goins and Minors filed Cherokee Indian applica-

tions beginning in 1905.

This action suggests that they must have believed that

they were originally Indians, and probably the only

Indians they knew at this time were the Cherokee.

Their neighbors sent in sworn affidavits that they were

known in the community as Indians. These applications

were all rejected by the government, like the vast major-

ity of applications because their descendants, named in

the applications, were not included in the 1835 census

enumerations of the Cherokee Indians. It is my belief

that their actual tribal name was lost in their family

history because many could not read and write.

This age-old question is "What does the term Melungon

mean?" My answer is cimple and to the poinot, nobody

really knows what the term Melungeon means, neither do

they know their nationality. Everything presented to

date is a theory, plain and simple. It does not and

cannot connect the original Tennessee Melungeons to said

theories.

Another question: Is the nationality they claimed to be

also a theory?

There are at least two DNA programs in progress as I

write. See "U.S. News & World Report," July 24, 2000

issue. The story begins on page 78 and includes a group

photo which includes myself. Many of the descendants of

the original Newman Ridge Melungeons have given samples

to the University of Virginia at Wise. Others have dona-

ted blood samples to the Brigham Young University gene

study to connect families. Another gene study was done

in 1990 by Dr. James L. Guthrie using blood taken in 1950

by a Sneedville, Tennessee doctor. These tests point to

Tripoli [Libya] and Cyprus as the closest matches. The

Canary Islands of Spain was next, a complete table and

this test is recorded on page 80 in "The Spanish Pioneers

in U.S. History, The Melungeons" by Eloy Gallegos, 1997.

If Tim Hashaw is correct in the articles he wrote for the

recent GRF Electronic Newsletters, Angola should have

been a match. Also, the older Melungeon Bunch, Collins,

Gibson, Goins and Minor families should show a statistic-

ally significant number of descendants with the sickle-

cell gene. I don't know of any in my research of these

families which includes many death records.

Modern science may eventually answer the age-old question

"Who were the Melungeons," and it may prove they lied

about their nationality, but it may also prove the Melun-

geons were telling the truth about their nationality.

They were not claiming to be full-blooded Indians at this

time in history [late 1860-1905]. Only that they were

originally Indians. One of the most famous Melungeons,

Micajer Bunch can be documented to an indentured servant

from England named John Bunch who was born in 1630. He

later moved to New Kent County, Virginia and owned land

on the Pamunkey River by 1670.

I am convinced that the mystery to the Melungeon nation-

ality is hidden in their wives, the ones we cannot trace

using normal genealogy procedures. It may be possible

using mitrochrondria DNA, which traces the maternal line.

According to some, this is the most advanced and factual

type of DNA to match a distant relative who's nationality

is known.

FAMILY HISTORY RESEARCHERS INVITED TO PLACE

HISTORICAL PHOTOGRAPHS ON GRF WEBSITE

Nicholas Cross, Foundation Webmaster, now invites all

researchers to scan their historical photographs of

persons, places or things and E-mail them in to the

Foundation.

They will be displayed prominently on the Foundation

Website with credit to the photographer and the submit-

ter and be available for all cousins to see and down-

load. In this manner precious old photos, tintypes and

dagueretypes can be distributed all over the world

without the valuable photo or drawing ever leaving the

owner's hands.

Joseph-Nicephore Niepce and Louis-Jacque-Mande Da-

guerre, pioneer French photographers are credited with

developing the modern camera in the 1820s. But it was

Matthew Brady who popularized the camera in the United

States by the hundreds of photographs he made during the

Civil War. In the decades that followed, families all

over the United States seized the Kodak box camera to

record their history, and an industry was founded.

Now the computer and digital imagery make it possible

for the rare old photographs to emerge from their al-

bums and shoeboxes and to be shared with cousins every-

where.

On the Website family historians can now check to see

if the "Gowins" resemble the "Gowens" and the "Goins"

resemble the "Goings" and if the "Goynes" resemble the

"Guynes," etc.

Scanned images should be E-mailed to Nicholas Cross at

gowen@llano.net.

==Dear Cousins==

Looking for information on Sarah Goins/Goin/Goings born I

was told in Claiborne County, TN married John Wilburn.

Later moved to Kentucky. I do not have any dates or

other information. I wish I had more.

Sonya Rister Allison

sonyajon@ctcn.net

==Dear Cousins==

The Workshop on Technology for Family History and Genea-

logical Research will be held at Brigham Young University

in Provo, Utah on March 29, 2001. The Workshop provides a

forum for presenting and discussing current and emerging

research work on technology to support family history and

genealogy. Topics covered will include:

Digitized Images of Historical Data, Digital Historical

Data Sources, Information Integration, Human Interfaces

and Delivery systems as well as other, similar topics.

Full details can be found at:

http://www.FamilyHistoryTechnology.byu.edu/workshop

==Dear Cousins==

Looking for information on my Goen and Johnson ancestors.

It appears they stayed in Hawkins County for awhile be-

fore ending up in Indiana.

My GGgrandfather was Elisha G. Johnson, born in 1835 in

Tennessee. His parents were James Johnson and Happy Goen,

who left Tennessee in 1849 and went to Indiana. Happy's

father was probably William Goen, who was living with

James and Happy in the 1850 Jackson County, Indiana Cen-

sus.

My GGgrandmother, Elisha's wife, was Louisa Goen, born in

1845 in Jackson County. Her parents were Crispen S. Goen

and Lucinda. Crispen is probably a son of William Goen

and brother to Happy Goen. Crispen left Tennesse for In-

diana between 1840 and 1843.

Living nearby in Jackson County are also John Waller

Goen, Shadrack Goen and Stephen P. Goen. Hasting Goen

and Thomas Goen are living in neighboring Washington

County, Indiana. Thomas Goen is given guardianship of

two of the sons of Crispen after his death. I believe

these to be brothers to Crispen and Happy.

The 1850 Jackson and Washington County Census indicate

William, Crispen, Stephen, Shadrack, Hasting, Thomas,

Happy, and a Malinda Goen [who was also living with James

and Happy], were all born in North Carolina.

James Johnson was born in Tennessee, according to Census

records. He may have had brothers Solomon and Jessie, who

were also from Tennessee and living in Jackson and neigh-

boring Lawrence County, Indiana.

According to Sims Survey, Books B and C, Hasting Goan had

land on Shelby's Creek, and Crispen Goan had land on

Blackwater Creek. Others listed are Elisha Goin, Haston

Goin and Elijah Goins,

Any help or further information on identifying the ances-

try of these families?

Thanks, Mike

Michael Johnson

breadman@dmv.com

==Dear Cousins==

The Sonoma County Genealogical Society in Santa Rosa, CA,

will feature Helen F. M. Leary at their meeting on March

24, 2001. Details are available at:

http://www.rootsweb.com/~cascgs/leary.htm

==Dear Cousins==

Richard Pinckney Free was born April 17,1846 at Mount

Hope, AL. He died Feb. 26,1896 at Iowa Park, TX. his

second wife was Mary Eudora Goins They had a son, Lewis

Pinckney Free.

Would like to know where Richard Free is buried. Any des-

cendants out there?

Thank You,

Kay in Colorado

ksuckow@rmi.net

==Dear Cousins==

When I was a child my grandmother said she didn't remem-

ber much about the family of my grandfather, Elgin Dean

Hudson. Though she was very fond of his mother Susannah

Goyne Hudson who she called Sue Ann.

Elgin died before I was born but, my grandmother and mo-

ther would tell wonderful stories of how he helped build

the [New] Ouachita River Bridge and how he and my grand-

mother Emma Coates Hudson planted the bushes and flowers

at each end.

When, my mom died in 1996 I grew hungry for more informa-

tion about this family and begain to search. How lucky I

was to find Tim Hudson. He is my cousin and has shown

and shared with me so much about our family. We have a

wonderful friendship.

Perhaps you would like to join us.

Robbie Landry

duroblan@aol.com

==Dear Cousins==

Looking for information about Edna B. Gowen. She may have

lived in Cando, North Dakota in June 1901. May have been

a rancher or cowgirl.

Thanks,

Sally Green

sallygfanninelectric.com

==Dear Cousins==

I am searching for distant cousins who had roots in An-

derson County, KS. Namely descendents of Edna Kramer who

was married to William Hubert Goins. They were married

in 1931 in Garnett, KS. They had four children, Anna Lo-

ree Goins, Richard Earl Goins, Thelma Ruth Goins and Tes-

sye Alice Goins.

It is possible that Richard Earl Goins lived/lives in To-

peka still. I know that Edna and W. Hubert had grand-

children but do not know where they may have moved to.

Thanks,

Melissa

krdz@yellowsub.net

==Dear Cousins==

The following web page address will take you to my gene-

aology web page:

http://westridge.dnsalias.org/lee/index.htm

My son hosts the page on a machine at his home in Kansas

City. Occasionally it will be down for a few days if his

"router" or the server goes down. He works 12-hour

shifts and waits till he has been off a day or two to get

things back up. So if it is not available when someone

tryies to access it, they should try again every two or

three days.

Jerry Lee Goen

13107 Coker Road

Shawnee, OK, 74801-9209

405/273-9156

lgoen@obunix.okbu.edu

A Reminder . . .

When you wish to respond to a message on the Forum [or

originate a message to the Forum] you must send your re-

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This goes to the Foundation Forum [several hundred re-

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When you want to communicate only with the Foundation of-

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handles your type of message. It is private mail.

So, to avoid the delay of having the Foundation office

forwarding your public messages back to the Forum, please

pick the right address. There are only two; only one is

right.

Foundation Memberships for the Year 2000

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Only a small percentage of the Foundation Members have

renewed their membership for 2001. If you have not got-

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in our family history, please do so promptly by printing

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Arlee Gowen, Editor

Gowen Research Foundation

A non-profit heritage society

5708 Gary Avenue

Lubbock, Texas, 79413-4822, 806/795-8758 or 806/795-9694

E-mail: gowen@llano.net

Website:

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~gowenrf

The Foundation Website offers:

Foundation Newsletters--All editions published since 1989

Foundation Electronic Newsletters

"Melungia" Home of the Melungeons-Articles published by

our Melungeon writers

"Dear Cousins" Letters from Foundation Researchers

Foundation Manuscript--10,000+ pages of research on the

following Families:

Gawan, Gawans, Gawen, Gawens, Gawin,

Gawins, Gawn, Gawne, Gawnes, Goain,

Goains, Goan, Goane, Goans, Goen,

Goene, Goens, Goin, Goines, Going,

Goings, Goins, Gorin Gouen, Gouens,

Gowain, Gowan, Gowane, Gowanes, Gowan,

Gowans, Gowen, Gowene, Gowens, Gowin,

Gowine, Gowing, Gowins, Gown, Gowne,

Gownes, Gowyn, Goyen, Goyens, Goyne,

Goynes, Goynne, McGowan, McGowen, McGowin,

O'Gowan, O'Gowen O'Gowin."

=========================================================

Membership Application

Gowen Research Foundation 806/795-8758 or 795-9694

5708 Gary Avenue E-mail: gowen@llano.net

Lubbock, Texas, 79413

Website: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~gowenrf

I enclose payment as indicated below for

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