The Scottish name "Gowen" is probably derived from the Gaelic word of the same spelling which is interpreted "metalsmith

The Scottish name "Gowen" is probably derived from the Gaelic word of the same spelling which is interpreted "met-alsmith." Very likely the early bearers of the Gowen name in Scotland and Ireland were followers of that trade. The word was also used to describe other metal workers-- goldsmiths, silversmiths, coppersmiths, tinsmiths and even blacksmiths. It is synonymous with "Smith" in English, "Schmidt" in German and "Kovaks" in Polish.

The name was interchangeably spelled Gowen, Gowan, Gow-in, Gowing, Gowine, Goan, Goen, Goin, Goyn, Goyne, Goy-en, Gouwen and other even more remote renderings—some-times among members of the same family. Clerks frequently added an "s" to the end of the name to give it even more vari-ations.

The names"Gowin" and "Gouwen" are said to be of German and Dutch origin. The word "gow," from the Gaelic "gobha" signified a smith. The smith was a craftsman of importance in all of the clans, so the name has no particular connection with any one of the Scottish clans. The Gows are usually included in Clan Chattan though there are many of the name in Perth-shire, and 11 of the name appeared in the "Commissariot Record of Dunblane" in the seventeenth and eighteenth cen-turies, according to George F. Black who wrote "Surnames of Scotland."

Since a "V" was used interchangeable with a "W" in old Eng-lish spelling, the name "Gowen" was often rendered "Goven." The name "Govan" was of territorial origin from the old lands of Govan in Lanarkshire, logical location for the beginning of the Gowen family, according to Black. Some credence can be given to this theory because "Gowen" was a very common name at Wigtown, a hamlet in the southern-most extremity of the country, some 30 miles south of Govan. Even closer was Ayr, birthplace of the poet Robert Burns who is claimed as a kinsman by many in the Gowen family.

The word "Gowan" has a separate meaning in the language of the Scots--being also used to refer to a meadow daisy, accord- ing to Rev. Peter I. Gowan, Jr, a Presbyterian minister who was born March 13, 1843 and died December 2, 1912 in Wes-son, Mississippi.

When the Mayflower sailed in 1620 with the Pilgrim fathers aboard there was a little three-year-old boy somewhere in Scotland destined to follow their course 15 years later. This toddler was Thomas Gowen, born in1617 and destined, as far as present research reveals, to be the first bearer of the Gowen name on American soil. On the 7th, 8^th month, 1635 18-year- old Thomas Gowen was listed as a "passenger for Virginia out of London" by "New England Historical & Genealogical Register."

"These underwritten names are to be transported to Virginia in the 'Globe' of London, Jeremy Blackman, Master, have been examined by the Minister of Grave-send, of their conformitie and have taken the oaths of allegeance and supremacie."

The term "transported" was usually reserved for convicts who were to be banished to the colonies by the crown because of criminality or heresy. Thomas Gowen is mentioned as "bound for Virginia" in "Our Early Emigrant Ancestors" by John Camden Hotten. The term "bound" was usually reserved for indentured servants.

Capt. Jeremy Blackman apparently had a career of sailing the trans-Atlantic route. On 26th, 3rd month, 1639 Jeremy Black-man, "mariner" and Thomas Stegg, "merchant" made a trade with the Virginia Council to import horses and export "neate cattle," according to "Acts of the Privy Council."

During this period of English history, a neat scheme was de- vised to give a reprieve from the gallows to any person whose crimes were less than murder, treason, rape, witchcraft, high-way robbery, arson or burglary, in order that they might be shipped to the colonies to "toyle in heavy and painefull workes." Parliament in 1718 passed an act to create a sen-tence of seven years of work in the American colonies, which became the standard punishment for crimes other than the most trivial or most heinous. Even the sentence for murder, provided there were extenuating circumstances, could be com-muted to a term of 14 years or life in the colonies. The infa-mous Newgate prison in London and others contributed more than 500 felons each year for slave labor for the American plantations.

Enormous profits were made by the tobacco merchants, who had a monopoly on the trade in human cargoes. The recruit-ment of labor to the American tobacco plantations and to do-mestic service of all kinds, from school- mastering to scullery work, was achieved in very large measure through the empty-ing of English jails, workhouses, brothels and houses of cor-rection.

Through Bristol, more than 10,000 indentured servants came between 1654 and 1686. Bristol merchants would take con-victs or indentured servants indiscriminately and with little scruple as to how they were obtained. The trade was pro-fitable and the merchants could well afford to ship their charges free because of the high prices obtainable for human labor at the port of delivery.

So a trading pattern was set for over a century–an outward cargo of laborers to be exchanged for a return consignment of tobacco. The crown viewed the practice as ideal. It emptied the jails, eliminated political prisoners, depleted the brothels, solved unemployment, removed dangerous prisoners of war, silenced heretics, paid debts, produced taxes, and threw "the fear of God" into the rest of the populace--all at no expense.

Thomas Gowen may have been the first member of the family to be "transported," but he would not be the last. Fifteen years later William Alexander Gowen, a Scottish prisoner of war taken in the Battle of Dunbar, arrived on the ship "Unity" at Strawberry Bank Colony, later Portland, Maine. History tells us little about these individual immigrants and our genealogies even less. Not all of our ancestors came to America seeking religious freedom.

Gowen researchers looking for noble ancestors should also prepare themselves to discover in their lineage the undesir-ables of 17^th century English society. Very likely Thomas Gowen first set foot on American soil at Jamestown, Virginia, a settlement destined to be burned and destroyed by maraud-ing Indians a few years later. Since no record has been found of his descendants, he may have lost his life there.

The original settlement of Jamestown was made in May 1607 on the northeast bank of the James River. A few years later another settlement was made across the peninsula from James-town, and it was called "the settlement on Charles River." Later the river became the York River. The settlement was re-named Yorktown, and York County came into being in 1634.

The area was the scene of the final battle of the Revolutionary War with the troops of Generals Washington, Wayne and La-fayette forcing the surrender of the soldiers of Charles Lord Cornwallis.

Mihil Gowen, a slave of Christopher Stafford of York County, Virginia, was given his freedom September 16, 1657 in two declarations made by Anne Barnhouse, sister of Stafford. The declarations, recorded in "York County, Virginia Wills, Deeds and Orders, 1657-1659," made after the death of Staf-ford and after Mihil Gowen had served an additional four years with Robert Stafford, read:

"I, Anne Barnhouse of Martin Hundred, widow, have given Mihil Gowen, Negro, at this time servant to Robert Stafford, a male child born 25 August 1655 of the body of my Negro, Prossa, being baptized by Mr. Edward Johnson 25 September 1655 and named William, and I bind myself never to trouble Mihil Gowen or his son, William or demand any service of them. 16 September 1657."

"Mihil Gowen, Negro, of late serving my brother Xtopher Stafford, dcsd, by his last will & testament, had his freedom given him after the expiration of 4 years service to my uncle, Robert Stafford. I, Anne Barnhouse do absolve, quit and discharge the said Mihil Gowen from my service 25 October 1657.

It is estimated that Mihil Gowen was born about 1630, place and parents unknown. Some researchers regard Mihil Gowen as a Portuguese Angolan, others a Melungeon; and others re-gard him as a mulatto. Apparently he came into the posses-sion or employ of Capt. Christopher Stafford about 1645, per-haps on a voyage. Capt. Richard Barnhouse was married to Anne Stafford, sister to Christopher Stafford.

Mihil Gowen may have served as a cabinboy on their ships. Capt. Stafford died about 1652, and Mihil Gowen was re-quired to serve his uncle Robert Stafford an additional four years.

If the sailing records of Captains Stafford and Barnhouse could be located, some additional information about Mihil Gowen might be learned. Probate records of Captains Staf-ford and Barnhouse, if found in York County, might also re-veal something.

The research of Tim Hashaw, Foundation Editorial Board-member of Houston, Texas reveals that Capt. Richard Barn-house was born in England about 1595. He appears to be the “Richard Barnehouse of Bristol, sailor, aged 22, who deposed July 28, 1617 that he has lived at Bristol for two years, and before that was a captive in Algiers,” according to “Genea-logical Notes from the High Court of Admiralty Examina-tions” by J. R. Hutchinson, page 179. It is suggested that he was the Richard Barnhouse who gave bond to William Pester of Salem in 1638. Pester perhaps provided the ransom for his freedom in Algiers.

“Richard Barnhouse, Jr. appears as a resident of Gloucester County, Virginia in 1653, according to “Early Virginia Im-migrants” by George Cabel Greer. “Capt. Richard Barn-house” and “Richard Barnhouse, Gentleman” were residents of James City County, Virginia in 1656. Anne Stafford Barnhouse identifies herself as a widow August 25, 1655, suggesting that she was married to Richard Barnhouse, Sr.

It is unknown how the slave acquired the Scottish surname "Gowen." If Mihil Gowen were a Portuguese Angolan, as the family tradition of Melungeon ancestry implies, then, in spec-ulation, his original name might have been the Portuguese sur-name Goyon. When anglicized, it emerged as Gowen.

Paul Heinegg, writing in "Free African Americans of North Carolina and Virginia" suggests that "John Geaween" was the father of Mihil Gowen. Geaween earned his freedom March 31, 1641, according to "Virginia Council and Gene-ral Court Records, 1640-1641."

John Geaween [Gowen?] was one of the first Africans to earn his freedom in Virginia according to "Virginia Magazine of History & Biography," Volume XI, page 281. On March 31, 1641 the Virginia Court ordered:

"That John Geaween being a negro servant unto William Evans was permitted by his said master to keep hogs and made the best benefit thereof to him-self provided that the said Evans might have half the increase . . . and whereas the said negro having a young child of a negro woman belonging to Lieut Robert Sheppard . . . the said negro did for his said child purchase its freedom of Lieut. Robert Sheppard . . . the court hath therefore ordered that the child shall be free from the said Evans . ."

“Has anyone ever bothered to ask why the original Mr. Geaween spelled his name in such a thoroughly Dutch way? That's not the misspelling of a semi-literate speaker of English; it looks unmistakably Dutch. So do the later variants Goyens and Guyens. We know that Dutch privateers were trading Angolans to the southern colonies early on.

If, as records show, Geaween was freed by 1640, then according to custom he would have arrived about 1628-30 at least, and perhaps earlier but not much. I concluded that Geaween came on the 1628 privateer of Arthur Guy, but perhaps not. Perhaps there is still a Dutch privateer out there we have not found.

One other remote possibility is that Geaween came on the "Dutch" man-o-war in 1619, but evidence indicates John Colyn Jope was Cornish and not Dutch, though he sailed out of Vlissengen. Then Geaween would have been one of the "forced" baptisms converted at Luanda, and not one of the voluntary Angolan converts with Portuguese surnames like John Francisco documented by Thornton in the Angolan naming customs. That means, Geaween may have been one of the unnamed Africans listed in the early Virginia census as Thornton concluded with others.”

“Here's the story on John Geaween's mate. She was first known simply as Margarett, then later as Margarett Cornish. She was tried October 17, 1640 for having a child by Robert Sweat, a white man, whose descendant is Sande. Robert was required to confess in James City church, while Margarett, the negress was whipped.

Four months later, John Geaween purchased the free-dom of his son by the negress slave woman of Robert Sheppard, regarded as Margarett Cornish. So she first had the son of John Geaween. They must have had some kind of marital arrangement because John Gea-ween was not punished for fathering the child. It ap-pears then that after the discovery that she was bearing a white man's child, John Geaween filed to get his son and have him raised in a Christian home. So there may have been some other circumstances involved in what is already historic: the first African purchasing his son's freedom, aided by the fact that his "wife" had been in-volved in an adulterous affair. Such things were public scandals in 1640.

Still to be addressed is the possibility that Margarett came in on the “White Lion” in 1619, possibly as Paul Heinegg notes as a child then. We know women were among the 22 Africans because of the presence of Issa-bella with Antony from the White Lion.”

Paul Heinegg holds that another son, Philip Gowen, was born to John Gaeween [Gowen] about 1650. He states that Phillip Cowen [Gowen] petitioned the governor and the Council of State for his freedom. He was a servant of Amye Beazleye who wrote in her will that he was to be set free and “receive three barrels of corn and a suit of clothes” after serving her cousin, Humphrey Stafford, for eight years. Stafford sold the remaining years of his indenture to Charles Lucas who forced Philip Gowen to acknowledge an indenture for twenty years, according to the “Calendar of State Papers.”

On June 16, 1675 he was called "Philip Gowen, negro ser-ving Mr. Jno. Lucas" when the court ordered that his 20-year indenture was invalid, that Philip was free, and that he should be paid three barrels of corn in accordance with Mrs. Amye Beazleye's will,” according to the “Minutes of the Council.”

"Swahili is the language of the Arabs. It arrived here thru the Arabs who invaded the country, and we began to talk in it. Like Tshiluba, which is a language of the Missionaries. The white ones. They brought this language there. Kikongo came from the Portuguese, right? They brought this language, and this is how we began to understand each other. Like we have French which became the language shared by all the people".

"Alright. Now, we had many kingdoms. Among them I know the king-dom of Kongo, for instance, the Tetela kingdom, that of the Kete, the kingdom of the Luba, and many other kingdoms. On the River Zaire, it used to be Nzadi, that was its name, Nzadi there was a chief, his name was Banza Kongo. He received the Portuguese explorer Diogo Cao and his party, and the black people with whom they had set off from Angola. These people were from Malange. Now, these people, I be-lieve, are found in Kananga, in Luluabourg, as it used to be called. And these people don't come from the Kasai, they are not Kasaians

They are Angolans, they came from there with Diogo Cao. People began to call them Malange. nd then when they settled there in a village and had children, people gave them a name and now we call them Malandi. This village was given the name Malandi wa Nshinga.

Alright, so this name Malandi wa Nshinga came from Malange, the people who came from Angola. They came to settle in this country, and they had children among each other and forgot their home country. They are the people who were with Diogo Cao."

Diogo Cao was a Portuguese explorer who discovered the Zaire River in 1483. Therefore the term "Malange" was used to describe inhabi-tants from that area of Angola as early as the 15th century.”

“Thomas Crompe, also spelled Crump, was living in a place called Neck-of-Land which is something like a mile from James Island. Neck of Land was a corporation of Charles City. I know nothing about these locations. Crompe married into the Buck family. I think his father-in-law, Richard Buck performed the wedding of John Rolfe and Pocahontas.

Apparently there is an ongoing archaeological dig at the Neck-of-Land homestead of Rev. Buck. Crumpe was born, so it says, in 1600 in England and died in Virginia in 1655.

Thomas Crump arrived in Virginia in 1624 and lived on Jamestown Island in 1625. He became a Burgess from Neck of Land in 1632-33, the period when the name John Gowing first appears. I would assume, with limited knowledge, that a ship arrived sometime in September 1633, and Crump bid on several arrivals. I have found no record of such a ship at that time in the Virginia records.

The English or Barbadoes maritime records may reveal some-thing. This may or may not indicate a freelance privateer de-livered those servants. Perhaps the ship never made contact with Jamestown.

In 1635 Crump purchased 500 acres a half mile from the Back River and apparently had his 10 indentured servants work the land. They are named as John Gowing, Roger Arnwood, Rob-ert Ackerman, Frederick Peale, John Abott, Lewis Depoma, Peter Brill, William Mallett, and Thomas Trunchfield. Most of these names, like Gowing, indicate English origins.

The name Depoma is interesting.

The only record of a negro I can find at Neck of Land in this early period is in the related Kingsmill family. The 1625 Neck of Land muster shows they had 10 servants along with a "negro" named Edward. I can find no evidence that Crump had any business with William Evans. Since Crompe would have survived the release of Gowing, if Gowing lived past the usual seven years, I cannot determine how, if Gowing is Geaween, he came to meet Evans and became his servant.

There is nothing in the Gowing record to indicate that he was negro. However we know Geaween and Mihil Gowen were Negro.

I have asked Historians John Thornton and Linda Heywood if they have ever found a September 1633 ship arrival in Virgin-ia. Perhaps they can turn up John Gowing's origin.”

Normally, under Virginia law, when a slave was set free, the minor children of his household were also freed. Mihil Gow-en and "the negress Prossa" were the parents of William Gow-en, "free colored" who was born August 25, 1655. William Gowen was given his freedom at the same time and with the same document that Mihil Gowen was freed.

Historian John Thornton reported that 32 Africans were listed in the Jamestown colony in its census of 1619.

The first shipment of slaves into Virginia now are identified as Portuguese Angolans by Engel Sluiter, a California historian who has delved into early Portuguese maritime records. The English colonists hardly knew what to do with the some two dozen blacks who landed from a Dutch ship at Jamestown in the summer of 1619.

There were no large plantations at that time to utilize slave labor. And the English colonists were accustomed to endentured servants who worked for their masters a specified number of years to pay for their passage to the New World and for their freedom--and they were unaccustomed to lifetime slavery.

Probably the condition of the slaves was not much worse than that of the endentured servants brought over from England. At times it might have been even better because the master had reason to take care of his slave who represented capital, whereas he had no similar incentive in regard to the condition of the endentured servant.

The development of slavery came extremely slow in Virginia. In 1681 only 2,000 black slaves were recorded there as opposed to 6,000 endentured servants. With the development of southern plantations, the importation of slaves rapidly increased. In 1754, 263,000 slaves were reported as taxable property. By 1860, 4,441,863 slaves were enumerated in the U.S. census.

Melungeon researchers point to several facts developed by Sluiter in his research suggesting that these early Angolan slaves were possibly a genetic component of the mysterious Melungeons. Many researchers have despaired of ever finding the origin of this enigmatic race. Their beginning has long been obscured in the mists of antiquity, but now progress is being reported in perhaps one genetic component of their forbears.

Most of the Angolans simply stepped off the gangplank into obscurity; only one possible member of the group, John Geaween, has been found in Colonial Virginia records examined thus far. By making a deal to raise hogs "on the halves" with his master, Geaween earned his freedom, according to "Virginia Council and General Court Records, 1640-1641."

"That John Geaween being a negro servant unto William Evans was permitted by his said master to keep hogs and made the best benefit thereof to himself provided that the said Evans might have half the increase . . . and whereas the said negro having a young child of a negro woman belonging to Lieut. Robert Sheppard . . . the said negro did for his said child purchase its freedom of Lieut. Robert Sheppard . . . the court hath therefore ordered that the child shall be free from the said Evans . ."

Sluiter determined that the Angolans were placed aboard the Portuguese merchant-slave ship "Sao Joao Bautisto" at the Angolan port of Sao Paulo da Luanda on the African west coast. The ship, heading for the New World, was attacked in the West Indes by a Dutch ship, and its human cargo fell into the hands of the privateers. The Dutch captain promptly set sail for Virginia to sell his human prize.

The Portuguese had fallen into the slave trade by accident. Toward the close of the war with the Moors, the Portuguese captured a group of Moorish prisoners-of-war. The Moroccans offered an even larger group of Blacks to secure the release of the Moors, and the Portuguese accepted the ransom. Immediately they were in business.

In 1420 Prince Henry the Navigator came to power in Portugal and immediately set about to build up a navy and a merchant fleet. He organized skilled map makers, ship builders, navigators and seamen into an immense maritime task force in an effort to dominate the world's sealanes.

His aims were five-fold: He wanted to develop a Portuguese empire. He wanted to explore for a sea route to reach India and its lucrative spice trade. He wanted to fight the Muslims on their own soil. He wanted to accommodate the Catholics in their desire to Christianize the world. And he wanted to finance all of this expansion with the African slave trade.

His efforts were imminently successful. Portuguese captains in 1430 claimed Madiera, the Canary Islands and the Azores, uninhabited until then. Quickly the Cape Verde Islands, "Sao Tome & Principe, Guinea and Mozambique were added to the Empire. In 1488 Bartolomeu Dias rounded the Cape of Good Hope and discovered the coveted Spice Route. Vasco da Gama in 1497 claimed Brazil. In 1506 Adm. Tristao da Cunha discovered the South Atlantic island that still bears his name today. The Portuguese Navy wiped out the Muslim Navy in a sea battle off Diu in 1509. Pedro Alvarez Cabral reached China in 1542 and established Macao in 1557.

Probing the West African coast, they reached the mouth of the Congo River in 1482 and claimed 1,000 miles of the coast as Angola. Paulo Dias de Novais founded Luanda as its capital in 1576 and brought in the Catholic Church who began to convert the inhabitants, scattered over 481,000 square miles, an area almost 150 times larger that Portugal itself. A native monarchy, the Manicongo, sought conversion and alliance with the Portuguese. As a result, today 3,000,000 Angolans are Catholic.

In contrast to the colonization efforts of the British, the French and the Dutch, the Portuguese did not plant colonies. They organized each territory as a state in the Portuguese nation, and the inhabitants of each became Portuguese citizens.

Thus when the Portuguese Angolans stepped of the gangplank in Jamestown in 1719, they were Portuguese citizens, spoke the Portuguese language and were Christians. Perhaps they eventually linked up with the descendants of the Portuguese survivors of the Spanish colony of Santa Elena which was established by Capt. Joao Pardo in 1566 in present-day Parris Island, South Carolina.

It is suggested that it was their descendants that Capt. John Sevier encountered in the Appalachians when he was dispatched by John Murray Lord Dunmore, governor of Virginia. His mission was to pacify the Indians before the outbreak of Lord Dunmore's War in 1774.

In a report to Lord Dunmore, Capt. Sevier mentioned his encounter with a mysterious people he found west of the mountains. He described them as dark skinned, of reddish-brown complexion, neither Negro nor Indian, but with European features and who claimed to be Portuguese.

Another description of the possible Melungeons was given by early explorers Abraham Wood and James Needlum. According to Wood's journal, "Eight days jorney down this river lives a white people which have long beards and whiskers and weares clothing."

Samuel Cole Williams, LLD, wrote in "Early Travels in the Tennessee Country," "There is a tradition among the early Cherokees that they respected a settlement of white men among them." "Natural and Aboriginal History of Tennessee" by Haywood also deals with the early white men who lived among the Cherokees. Mention is made that they displayed a cross, iron implements and were called to assembly by a bell, suggesting a Catholic influence.

Tim Hashaw, an investigative reporter of Houston, Texas wrote September 7, 2000:

“Engel Sluiter quotes the Spanish captain as saying there was at least two English corsairs involved in the raid on the slave ship Baustista. Furthermore, the Dutch ship is said to be a vessel from Flushing by an official of the Virginia colony who was present when it landed. Others saw the Dutch and the English ships together, while others recount the Dutch story of how they had been separated briefly in the Indies. “The Treasurer” arrived in Jamestown just four days after the Dutch dropped off its Africans. I know that at least one African female was taken off “The Treasurer.” This colony official is therefore the third eyewitness who places the Dutch man o war at Jamestown in 1619.

There is no doubt that the Flushing ship and the English "Treasurer" were both present at the pillaging of the Bau-tista's slave cargo. He says the Dutch and English ships had a consortship as early as in the Netherlands to go pirating together. Both ships were illegally involved in privateering against the Spaniards.

Thorton pretty much nails down the specific area of Angola hit by the Portuguese and their cannibalistic mercernaries. It was in the Melanje highlands and a royal capital was the target. He also describes the con-dition of the slave prison at Luanda. We can pretty much point directly to the community from whence the Bautista's Africans came. The best books about this are all in German!

I have also come across several more Spanish/Porto surnames among blacks in the Virginia colony which will support the Angola/Kongo Portuguese position. In addition, a third ship I have found which arrived in the late 1620s may actually be the ship upon which John Geaween arrived if not aboard the Dutch in 1619.

There is one other angle I would like to probe. When did the Melanje district of Angola receive its name? I know that "Melanje" is a Zulu word for white men, in their case the only white men were Portuguese. This does not necessarily mean that the Angolan place name came from the Zulu. But if Thorton is correct, and the Africans aboard the Dutch at Jamestown were all from one Angolan community, well then it is very possible that "Melanje" was remembered by them and used to describe themselves. Later it was anglicized to "Me-lungeon. This will be difficult to prove. I must learn if Melanje is an ancient name for the area. If so, the "Mystery of the Melungeons" may after about 150 years of published use, be finally solved.”

Tim Hashaw quotes from “The History of Zaire” by Tshi-bumba Kanda Matulu:

"Swahili is the language of the Arabs. It arrived here thru the Arabs who invaded the country, and we began to talk in it. Like Tshiluba, which is a language of the Missionaries, the white ones. They brought this language there. Kikongo came from the Portuguese, right? They brought this language, and this is how we began to understand each other. Like we have French which became the language shared by all the people.

All right. Now, we had many kingdoms. Among them I know the kingdom of Kongo, for instance, the Tetela kingdom, that of the Kete, the kingdom of the Luba and many other kingdoms. On the River Zaire, it used to be Nzadi, that was its name, Nzadi there was a chief, his name was Banza Kongo. He received the Portu-guese explorer Diogo Cao and his party, and the black people with whom they had set off from Angola.

These people were from Malange. Now, these people, I believe, are now found in Kananga, in Luluabourg, as it used to be called. And these people don't come from the Kasai, they are not Kasaians like those from Kan-anga. They are Angolans, they came from there with Diogo Cao. People began to call them ‘Malange.’ And then when they settled there in a village and had children, people gave them a name and now we call them Malandi. This village was given the name Ma-landi wa Nshinga. Alright, so this name Malandi wa Nshinga come from Malange, the people who came from Angola. They came to settle in this country, and they had children among each other and forgot their home country. They are the people who were with Diogo Cao."

Tim Hashaw wrote, “Diogo Cao was a Portuguese explorer who discovered the Zaire River in 1483. Therefore the term "Malange" was used to describe inhabitants from that area of Angola as early as the 15th century.”

In February 1668, Mihil Gowen received a deed for "30 or 40 acres," according to "York County, Virginia Wills, Deeds and Orders." It is unknown why land transactions involving James City County land would be recorded in adjoining York County records. The deed read:

"Mihill Gowree. 30 or 40 acres situated in Merchants Hundred Parish in James City County, formerly belonging to John James, decd, and by him purchased of Capt. Richard Barnhouse and lately bound to escheat [forfeiture and reversion to the crown] and by a jury for said county under hand and seal of Col. Miles Carey, 20 December 1666 and now granted to said Gowree 8 February 1668."

By the time Mihil Gowen died, apparently November 24, 1708, the property was again in escheat, according to "York County, Virginia Wills, Deeds and Orders:"

"Inquisition, James City County, Virginia, 11 September 1717. It appears that Mihill Goen, late of said county of James City, dyed seized of 30 or 40 acres escheat 24 November 1708 by Christopher Jackson, surveyor of James City County is found to contain 37 acres."

"Mihil Goen" [either the estate of Mihil Goen or Mihil Gow-en, Jr.] "transferred 37 acres of escheat land to Robert Hub-bard February 2, 1718," according to James City County Deed Book 9. The metes and bounds read:

"Yorkhampton Parish; beginning at the corner of Mihil Goen, Hubbard & Francis Moreland, adjoining Graves Pack; down the Beach Spring Branch to the place called Horse Bridge," according to James City County Patent Book 10, page 415.

Other notes reveal: "Escheated from Mihil Goen, dec'd, by inquisition under Edmund Jennings, Esqr, Escheater 11 September, 1717.”

“Available information indicates that Thomas Gowen was the son of Mihil Gowen. Those who disagree that Thomas was the son of Mihil, and at least part African, use the sole argument that Mihil's land was escheated at his death. "The last court records of Mihil Gowen in-dicate that at the time of his death he had no heirs be-cause his land was escheated". Note the use of the word "indicate" as I use it in the first sentence. As many researchers show, the Virginia land of the 17th century "Negro" Anthony Johnson was also escheated at his death though his many heirs are well recorded. As is documented frequently in colonial records "es-cheat" does not necessarily equate to "no heirs." See "Anthony Johnson" in J. Douglas Deal, "Race and Class in Colonial Virginia."

Escheat was not an absolute indication of absence of heirs, especially when race was concerned, crimes were alleged, debts were owed or when heirs moved on to other parts of the territory.”

There is no evidence that Anne Barnhouse gave Prossa Gowen her freedom. Paul Heinegg suggests that Mihil Gowen, as a free man, may have taken another wife, a white woman, since there may not have been any more black women in the colony at that time.

William Gowen, [Mihil¹] son of Mihil Gowen and Prossa Gowen, was born August 25, 1655, according to a statement by Anne Barnhouse which appeared in "York County, Vir-

ginia Wills, Deeds and Orders, 1657-1659." He was bap-tized one month later by Rev. Edward Johnson on September 15, 1655. Being a child of two black parents, he received a "double dip" of black genes, in contrast to his siblings who may have been from a mixed marriage.

Edward Gowen [William², Mihil¹] suggested as a son of Wil-liam Gowen by Paul Heinegg, was born about 1681. In 1704 he appeared on the tax rolls of Gloucester County, paying tax on 100 acres in Kingston Parish, according to "The Quit Rents of Virginia, 1704." Edward Gowen is suggested as the father of:

Edward Gowen, Jr, [Edward³, William², Mihil¹] regarded as the son of Edward Gowen by Paul Heinegg, was born about 1702, probably in Gloucester County. He appeared as a "tax-able" on the 1720 tax list of Northampton County, Virginia located across the Chesapeake Bay from Gloucester County.

"Edward Going" was settled in Charles City County in 1739, according to Charles City County Order Book, page 109. "Edward Goeing" received a deed in Charles City County from John Goodall "and Mary, his wife" which was recorded in the July court session of 1743, according to "Charles City County, Virginia Records, 1734-74."

"Edward Going" gave a deed to John Shell in Charles City County which was recorded in the May 1746 court session, according to "Charles City County, Virginia Records, 1734-74." Edward Gowen, Jr. may have removed to Brunswick County on the North Carolina border about this time, "Edward Going of Brunswick County" was mentioned in "Brunswick County, Virginia Deeds, 1745-1749" Page 444:

"June 2, 1748, From John Roper of Charles City Coun-ty to Edward Going of Brunswick County for £5 one certain tract of land of about 100 acres in Brunswick County on the south side of Mill Creek, bounded by Simmons' corner and old line, the south fork, being part of a larger tract of 1601 acres which was patented to the said John Roper on August 2, 1745.

Dr. Virginia Easley DeMarce, the researcher who located this deed wrote, "Part of this tract was also sold to George Hagood of Brunswick County, and then he sold it again to John John-son. Land was located "in Brunswick County on both sides of Bryery Creek, adjoining lines of Richard Russell, Benjamin Lanier, Richard Hagood and Thomas Twitty."

Phillis Gowen, [Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1] regarded as the daughter of Edward Gowen, Jr, was born about 1719, probably in Northampton County. She was in-dicted by the grand jury in Charles City County in November 1739 "for having a bastard child." In July 1745 “Phillis Goe-ing” petitioned George Gibson concerning her children, but he failed to answer the petition so the Charles City County court “ordered the churchwardens to bind them out.”

Michael Gowen, [Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1] regarded as a son of Edward Gowen, Jr, was born about 1720, probably in Northampton County. He was married about 1737, wife's name unknown. He appeared in the 1750 tax list of Granville County, paying a tax on two tithables. "Mical Go-ing" received a deed from John McKisick April 18, 1752 to 225 acres "on both sides of Taillors Creek, being the upper part of the tract of 600 acres granted to McKisick May 2, 1752 [?]" for "six pounds, Virginia money," according to Granville County Deed Book B, page 73. Witnesses were Broadhead Trulove, Thomas Hunter and Francis Maley. He was taxed as a "black" tithable in the 1753 tax list of Osborn Jeffreys. Jef-freys recorded him in 1754 as a "white" taxable.

Michael Gowen, Thomas Gowen, and Edward Gowen "mu-lattos" were listed in the roster of a company of militia- men commanded by Capt. Osborn Jeffreys, under the overall com-mand of Col. William Eaton October 8, 1754, according to "Colonial and State Records of North Carolina," Vol. 22, pages 370-380.

The roster of Capt. Osborn Jeffrey's company, one of eight in Col. William Eaton's Fifth regiment included:

Michael Gowen was again a "black" taxable in the 1755 tax list. "Michael Gowen and John Wilson, mullatoes," appar-ently in the same household, were taxables in the 1759 tax list of John Pope. He reappeared in Pope's 1761 tax list with the notation that he "refuses to list his wife." This indicated that he considered her to be "white" and therefore not taxable.

"Mickael Gowin, mulatto" of St. John's Parish was a taxpayer, according to the 1762 tax list. Bute County was organized in 1764 with land from Granville County, and Michael Gowen found himself in the new county. He was taxed there in the 1771 tax list of Philemon Hawkins.

His household appeared in the Bute County court records as "Michle Gowine & wife & Sons, Michle & David & Daugh-ter, Elizabeath, William Wilson, 0 white/6 black/6 total."

Michael Gowin, "of Prince George Parish, Craven County, North Carolina" gave a deed June 3, 1778 to Jenkins Gowin of Granville County, North Carolina to 80 acres in Granville County, "being part of 600 acres, part in Bute County, North Carolina and part in Granville County on the south side of Taylor Creek," according to Granville County Deed Book 1, page 193. The deed also stipulated that "Edward Gowin and wife were to live on said plantation until their decease" then it was to devolve to Jenkins Gowin. The deed was witnessed by John McKissick and William McBee. John McKissick was an ensign and William McBee was a corporal in the militia company commanded by Capt. Osborn Jeffreys. “Michael Gowen, Edward Gowen and Thomas Gowen, Mulattoes” served in the same militia company.

On the same date "Michael Gowin, planter of Prince George Parish," wrote his will June 3, 1778, according to Craven County Will Book I, pages 193 and 194. The will, which was probated in November 1778, left 80 acres, "being part of 600 acres in Bute and Granville County," to "Jenkins Gowin" of Granville County.

Jenkins Gowen is regarded as the nephew of Michael Gowen and the son of Edward Gowen. The deed conveyed the land to Jenkins Gowen upon the death of Edward Gowen and his wife who had been given permission to live there by Michael Gow-en. The will repeated the stipulation that "Edward Gowin and wife" were to live on the plantation until they were deceased and then the property was to pass to "Jenkins Gowin, mulat-to", according to "Abstracts of Granville County Wills" by Joseph W. Watson.

Michael Gowen died about October 1778, probably in Craven County. Jenkins Gowen apparently lost the property in the fol-lowing year. "Michael Gowing" was mentioned in a sheriff's deed dated August 3, 1779, according to Granville County Deed Book M, page 179.

The deed conveyed property that "Edward Gowing formerly lived on, and his brother, Michael Gowing, formerly owned" to Charles Yarbrough by the Granville County sheriff, appar-ently in a tax default. Abstract of the deed was reproduced in "Kinfolks of Granville County, North Carolina 1765-1826" by Zoe Hargett Gwynn. The volume contained ab-stracts of Granville County Deed Books H through Z. Jenkins Gowen was in the Granville County militia on May 25, 1778 and later served in the North Carolina Continental Line during the Revolutionary War.

Michael Gowen, Jr, [Michael5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, Wil-liam2, Mihil1] son of Michael Gowen, was born about 1738. "Michael Gowing, Jr." was sued "for trespass" by Thomas Parker September 2, 1755, according to Granville County Court minutes. He was recorded as "Michile Gowine, black" in his father's household in 1771.

Elizabeth Gowen, [Michael5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, Wil-liam2, Mihil1] daughter of Michael Gowen, was born about 1742. She was recorded in her father's household as "Eliza-beth Gowine, black" in the tax list of 1771 of Granville County.

David Gowen, [Michael5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1] son of Michael Gowen, was born about 1750, proba-bly in Granville County. He was listed as "David Gowine, black" in the 1771 tax list of his father's household. "David Gowen" received 39 lashes in Granville County for petty lar-ceny, according to Granville County court minutes.

Agnes Gowen, [Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1] regarded as a daughter of Edward Gowen, Jr, was born about 1721, probably in Northampton County. She appeared Janu-ary 9, 1743 in Louisa County, Virginia when the court ordered that "she receive 25 lashes on her bare back because she had a bastard child," according to "Louisa County, Virginia 1743-1814: Where Have All the Children Gone?"

On 10 October 1743 “Agnes Goin” sued Gilbert Gibson in Louisa County Court “for| £3 due for services performed.”

"Agnes Going" was recorded November 12, 1757 as "under the care of" Cedar Creek Monthly Meeting, according to "En-cyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy," Vol. 6 [Vir-ginia] by Hinshaw. This entry suggests that she was receiving provisions and perhaps other assistance from the Quaker church. Paul Heinegg suggests that Agnes Gowen was the commonlaw wife of a slave.

On April 10, 1770 the church wardens of Trinity Parish were ordered to "bind out all her children under 21 years, except the youngest." Her son, Sherwood Going was bound out to Wil-liam Phillips. On February 12, 1776 Agnes Going appeared in court to file a complaint about the ill-treatment "Sherrod Go-ing was receiving from his master, William Phillips."

On May 29, 1772 William Phillips was an administrator of the estate of Gilbert Gibson in Fredericksville Parrish along with Robert Anderson, according to the research of Dee Randall.

"Agnes Going, free colored" was enumerated in 1787 as the head of a household which contained a "white male, 16-21," according to "The 1787 Census of Virginia" by Netti Schreinder-Yantis." She owned two head of cattle, but was not tithable herself. The "white male" might have been her son, Daniel Going who would have fit the age bracket.

Moses Going, [Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1], born about 1743, is identified as a son of Agnes Gowen in "Free African Americans in North Carolina and Virginia" by Paul Heinegg. He suggests that he was born in January 1743 in Louisa County. In 1760 Moses Going, "sol-dier under Capt. William Christian in the regiment of Col. Byrd," received a Land Bounty Certificate. Moses Going, a Revolutionary soldier, made an oath that he had also served "as a soldier under Capt. James Gunn in Col. Byrd's regiment in 1760," according to "Virginia Magazine of History and Biography."

Moses Going was married about 1762, wife's name Agnes, the same as his mother. Moses Going appeared on the tax rolls of Trinity Parish in Louisa County in 1770 living on the farm-stead of John Fox. Two years later he was the head of his own household, according to "Louisa County, Virginia Tithables and Census, 1743-1785."

Moses Going bought 353 acres of land January 13, 1777 from Michael Ailstock and his wife, Rebecca Ailstock, "free col- ored", according to Louisa County Deed Book E-F, page 14. On June 9, 1777 "Moses Going of Louisa County and “Ag-ness, his wife” deeded the 353 acres to Robert Harris for £100," according to Louisa County Deed Book E-F, page 156. The survey ran "from Charles Smith's corner to Francis Smith's corner and to Opher Smith's line." Both Moses Going and Agness Going acknowledged the transfer.

It is believed the land was sold in preparation for Moses Going to enter Revolutionary service. On April 27, 1780, Moses Go- ing was in Henry County, Virginia, on the North Carolina bor- der, according to "Virginia Colonial Militia, 1651-1776," His brother, Sherwood Going enlisted in the Fourteenth Vir- ginia Regiment for three years service about that time, and it is believed that Moses Going accompanied him. Sherwood Go-ing stated in his Revolutionary pension application that he re-enlisted in 1780 for an additional 18 months.

In 1780, Moses Going filed suit against Duncan Carmichael in nearby Halifax County, Virginia "on an attachment." "Com-plaintant did not further process, case dismissed," according to Halifax County Plea Book 10, page 143, as researched by Jack Harold Goins, Editorial Boardmember of Rogersville, Tennes-see. In 1783, Moses Going was permitted to build a grist mill on North Mayo River, according to Henry County Court Ord-er Book 3, page 85.

Jack Harold Goins wrote, "Looking at North Mayo River [present day map], it flows into the South Mayo River, thus becoming the Mayo River as it flows into North Carolina." About the same time, David Going, regarded as a kinsman, was given permission to build a grist mill on nearby Spoon Creek. The land of David Going lay in Halifax County in 1763. When Pittsylvania County was organized in 1766, his land was in the new county. When Henry County was organ-ized in 1776, the land of David Going then lay in that county.

In 1783 and 1784, David Goins paid tax in Henry County for himself and "William Goins, Charles Goins and Jacob Goins," regarded as his sons. John Goins, a contemporary neighbor, was given permission to build a grist mill on Blackberry Creek.

On March 30, 1789, “David Gowin” was granted 185 acres “on the south side of Spoon Creek, adjoining Collier’s line,” according to “Virginia Land Office Grants,” Book 19, page 307.

When the Revolutionary war ended, the state of Georgia was opened for intensive settlement, and generous land grants were offered to Revolutionary soldiers to induce them to pioneer there. Moses Going, accompanied by Jesse Going, regarded as his son, accepted the offer, traveling there about 1786.

After inspecting the farmland of the area, Moses Going re-turned to Virginia for his family. Agnes Going and the young-er children remained in Virginia until preparation was made for them in Georgia. She removed to nearby Henrico County about 1786. She appeared on the tax rolls there the following year. She paid tax on "one tithe, two horses and six cattle, ac-cording to "The 1787 Census of Virginia."

"Aggy Gowin, parent" was a witness at the marriage of "Eliza-beth Gowin" to John Douglas January 29, 1787, according to "Henrico County, Virginia Marriage Bonds, 1780-1851."

About 1789 Moses Going and Agnes Going moved their family to Georgia. Moses Going appeared as a taxpayer on 575 acres of second class land in Wilkes County in Capt. William Lucas' District. He also paid tax on 684 acres of second class land in Franklin County, Georgia in 1790.

Nearby residents were John Going, Reuben Going, Aaron Going and William Going. All except William Going were shown as "free mulatto." Taxpayers on Capt. Lucas's District returned lands on the waters of Ogeechee River, Long Creek and Rocky Comfort Creek. The entire area was put into War-ren County in 1793, and the same taxpayers were found in Capt. Hubert's District of Warren County in the 1794 tax list.

"Moses Going, William Going and Jesse Going" who seemed to be closely associated were listed as taxpayers on the coun-ty's first tax rolls in 1793 and 1794. Moses Going deeded 100 acres in Warren County to Warren Andrews July 21, 1793 which was "part of 780 acres originally granted to Ignatius Few in 1791," according to Warren County Deed Book A, page 606.

Moses Going owned a gristmill and a sawmill on the Ogee-chee River which was mentioned in a 1795 deed from Eleazer Mobley to Francis Beck. The deed refers to the "road leading from Going's Mill to Georgetown." "Moses Going and his wife Agnes Going" gave a deed to James Cozart of Franklin County, Georgia to 648 acres of land May 29, 1795, according to Franklin County Deed Book M, page 132. Consideration was £100 sterling. They gave a deed to William Stith, Jr. Oc-tober 7, 1795 to 465 acres, "being the western portion of 750 acres granted in 1791 to Ignatius Few," according to Warren County Deed Book A, page 365.

He received a Revolutionary land grant in Warren County in 1799. Moses Going appeared as a taxpayer on 350 acres of second class land in Wilkes County on the Ogeechee River in the 1800 tax list. On October 16, 1800 he sold land "lying partly in Wilkes County and partly in Warren County on the Ogeechee River," according to Warren County Deed Book B, page 14.

"Moses Going and his wife Agnes Going" gave a deed to James Cozart of Franklin County, Georgia to 648 acres of land May 29, 1795, according to Franklin County Deed Book M, page 132. Consideration was £100 sterling. They gave a deed to William Stith, Jr. October 7, 1795 to 465 acres, "being the western portion of 750 acres granted in 1791 to Ignatius Few," according to Warren County Deed Book A, page 365:

This Indenture, made this Seventh day of October in the Year of our Lord One Thousand and Seven Hun-dred & ninety-five between Moses Going and Aggy, his wife of the County of Warren and State aforesaid of the one part & William Stith, Junr. of the sd. county of the other part, Witnesseth That the sd. Moses & his wife, for and in consideration of the sum of Two Thou-sand Dollars to them in hand and well and truly paid by the said William at or before the Sealing and delivery of these presents, the Receipt wherof is hereby ack-nowledged granted, bargained & sold, & by these pre-sents do grant, bargain and sell until the said Wm. his heirs & assigns all that tract or parcel of land situate, lying and being on the North Side of Ogeechee River in the County of Warren containing, by estimation, Four hundred and sixty-five [465] acres [be the same more or less, bounded as follows, viz: Beginning at a live oak on Rials Branch running thence N34 degrees W fifteen ch. & 50 links to a pine, thence N33 degrees West 15 chains to a post oak, thence N7 degrees W 7 chains to a post oak, thence N76 degrees E 9 chains to a post oak, thence N5 degrees W 3 chains to a stake, thence S80 Deg. W 20 chains to a pine, thence S50 Deg. W 34 chains to a Sugar Tree on Ogeechee, then down the meanders of sd. River to the mouth of Ryals Branch, then up the said branch to the Beginning, being the Western part of a tract of Land containing Seven Hundred and Eighty Acres granted to Ignatius Few on the Second day of March in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred & Ninety One with all and Singular the rights, members and appurtances whatso-ever to the Said tract or parcel of land being, belonging or otherwise appertaining & the remainder, reversions, rents, issues and profits thereof & of every part thereof. To have and to hold the sd. tract of land & premises, and all and singular the appurtenances belonging to the said William his heirs & assigns to their only use, ben-efit and behoof of the said Wm, his heirs & assigns for-ever, and the said Moses & his wife for themselves and their heirs the tract of land & premises aforesaid & ev-ery part thereof unto the sd. Wm, his heirs & assigns, against them, the sd. Moses & Aggy & their heirs, as-signs & every other person or persons, shall and will warrant forever, and by these presents,

In Witness whereof the sd. Moses & wife doth here-with set their hands and seals the day & year first above written, sealed & delivered in presence of:

Before me, Thomas Friend, one of the Justices of the Peace for this County, personally came & appeared Robt. Abercrombie & Wm. Stith, Senr, both of this county, Esqrs, who being duly sworn, make oath & say that they are Subscribing Witnesses to the within writ-ten Indenture of bargain and Sale & that they saw the within named Moses & Agnes Going, duly sign, seal & execute the same & acknowledge it as their act & deed.

Recorded Feb. 21st 1798 Transcribed from Book D, Folio 110-111 the 23rd of June 1853. F. W. Shivers, Recorder"

“If I am not mistaken one of the slaves that was left property in Williamsburg, Virginia in James City County by Mary Stith was surnamed Gregory. The Gregory family was a prominent [mixed race] Virginia family along with the Jeffersons, Randolphs, Stiths, Lees etc.”

Moses Going and Agnes Going gave a deed March 28, 1797 to Samuel Howell to 100 acres on Long Creek which had been granted in 1784 to Edmond Nugent, according to Warren County Deed Book A, page 538. Moses Going and Agnes Go-ing gave a deed to Prior Gardner June 23, 1797 to 92 acres on Long Creek, according to Warren County Deed Book 6, page 13.

Moses Going "of Wilkes County" received a sheriff's deed to land sold as property of William Sanders March 7, 1799, ac-cording to Warren County Deed Book A, page 632. Moses Going received a land grant in Warren County of 60 acres in 1799. Moses Going filed suit July 5, 1801 against Joseph Bor-en for the non-payment of a note. The note in the amount of $62.50 executed August 8, 1799 was written by Joseph Boren to John Henley. John Henley assigned the note to Moses Go-ing October 10, 1800:

On or before the twenty-fifth day of December One Thousand Eight Hundred, I promise to pay or cause to be paid unto John Henley, Jr. or bearer Sixty-two dol-lars and fifty cents for value received of him, the day and date above written.

I assign the above note to Moses Going for value rec'd this 10th of October, 1800.

The defendant, Joseph Boren is hereby required per-sonally or by his attorney to be and appear before the Honorable the Inferior Court at a court to be held in and for the County of Wilkes on the fourth Monday in July instant, then and there to answer the Plaintiff in an action on the case & to his Damages One Hundred Dollars or in default thereof the said court will proceed thereon as to Justice shall appertain.

Witness the Honorable Edward Butler, Esq, one of our said Inferior Court Justices this 3rd day of July 1801.

And now at this term, the defendant by his attorney Peterson Thweate comes into Court and for answer saith he shall pay the demands of the Plaintiff or part thereof, and of this he puts himself upon his Country. Jury No. 1

Judgement $35.50, eighteen months interest, 4.38. Rec'd of the above the sum of Thirty Dollars fifty eight cents, June 9, 1802. Cost $11.50, Paid 7.00 Tho. Going for Moses Going”

It is believed that Moses Going died about 1817 and that Ag-nes Going survived him. When the "free persons of color" were required to register in Georgia in 1819, she stated to the Columbia County Court clerk that she was 66 years old and had arrived in Georgia in 1787.

Other individuals of interest to Going/Gowen chroniclers also appeared in the "free persons of color" registration. The list of "free blacks," compiled by W. L. Kennon, county court clerk, was printed in the "Augusta Chronicle & Gazette" in its edition of March 10, 1819:

Individual Born Arrived Age Profession

Two years later, H. Lamar, the County Court Clerk, compiled another list of "free blacks" in Columbia County. It was pub-lished in the August 6, 1821 edition of the "Augusta Chron-icle & Gazette:"

Individual Age Born Yrs. in GA Profession

Anne Going, [Moses6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, Wil-liam2, Mihil1] daughter of Moses Going and Agnes Going, was born about 1763 in Louisa County. She was brought to Henrico County by her mother about 1788. She was a witness to the marriage of David Going and Chloe Webb there July 17, 1789. She "being of lawful age, daughter of Agnes Goine" was married in Henrico County to Dudley Miner December 22, 1795 while her father was away in Georgia. Meredith Childers, brother-in-law to the bride, was surety. The Miner family later removed to Hancock County, Tennessee, along with the Goins family.

John Going, [Moses6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, Wil-liam2, Mihil1] son of Moses Going and Agnes Going, was born about 1765 in Louisa County. "John Going served in the Third Virginia Regiment, the Fifth Virginia Regiment and the Seventh Virginia Regiment of the Continental Line during the Revolutionary War," according to "Virginians in the Revolu-tion," page 21. He accompanied his mother in a move to Hen-rico County about 1786. His mother paid his taxes there in 1787, according to "The 1787 Census of Virginia." He was security for the marriage bond of his sister, Mary Going in Henrico County in December 1791. "John Geoine" was the bondsman for the marriage of David Going and Chloe Webb July 17, 1789 in Henrico County. He testified that "Clawey Webb was over the age of 21." After his parents removed to Georgia, he relocated to Botetourt County, Virginia, about 1794, taking his sister, Frances "Fanny" Going with him. Ap-parently John Going removed to Georgia to join his family. On October 22, 1794 "John Goins of Greene County" received a deed from John Fluker of Oglethorpe County to 200 acres "on the waters of the Ogeechee bounded on the northwest by Henry's land" for "£86 lawful money." The land had been originally granted to James Espey January 21, 1785. In 1796 the Georgia State Legislature established that two brothers, "Reuben Going and John Going, men of color of Greene County . . . are hereby authorized and enabled to take, hold and enjoy property, both real and personal," according to "Ambiguous Lives" by Adele Logan Alexander.

Their younger brother, Thomas Going also gained his limited rights through a private legislative act, according to "Digest of the Laws of the State of Georgia, 1735-1800." The Georgia State Legislature provided:

"And being it further enacted that Reuben Going and John Going, of Greene County, be and they are hereby authorized and enabled to take, hold and enjoy property both real and personal. Provided nevertheless, that no-thing herein contained shall extend or be construed to extend, to enable the said free mulattoes and negro slaves when liberated as aforesaid to serve as justices in any case whatsoever nor to render them or either of them a witness in any cause or case where the personal right or property of any white person or persons is or are concerned, nor to entitle them or any of them to have or hold, directly or indirectly any office of trust or profit, civil or military within this state.

Thomas Stevens, Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Taliaferro, President of the Senate Concurred

"John Going" received a land grant of 11 acres in Greene County in 1807. After a half century of bachelorhood, "John Gowens" was married to Mrs. Margaret Clarke November 6, 1816, according to “Botetourt County, Virginia Marriages, 1772-1850."

"John Gowing" appeared as the head of a household in the 1820 census of Greene County.

Children born to John Gowens and Margaret Clarke Gowens are believed to include:

Reuben Going, [Moses6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1] regarded as a son of Moses Going and Agnes Going was born about 1766 in Louisa County. He accompanied his parents in a move to Georgia in 1789. In 1796 the Georgia State Legislature established that two brothers,

"Reuben Going and John Going, men of color of Greene County . . . are hereby authorized and enabled to take, hold and enjoy property, both real and person-al," according to "Ambiguous Lives" by Adele Logan Alexander. Their younger brother, Thomas Going also gained his limited rights through a private legislative act, according to "Digest of the Laws of the State of Georgia, 1735-1800."

"Reuben Gowin" received land Certificate No. 137 July 7, 1801 in Livingston County, Kentucky. The certificate called "for 400 acres on Crooked Creek, including any improve-ments." On the same date, Joseph Mercer received a Certifi-cate No. 138 for 400 acres on Hurricane Creek. Reuben Go-ing took over this land in 1804, according to the research of Anna J. Going Friedman. On the same date, "Aaron Gowin" received land Certificate No. 139 for 400 acres of land on Camp Creek in Livingston County. At the same time "Gar-land Gowin" received Certificate No. 136 entitling him to 400 acres of land on Crooked Creek and "to include any improve-ments." His land was surveyed for him March 16, 1804. He was a chain carrier on the survey of 400 acres of land for Jesse Handley June 4, 1804, according to Plat Book A.

Jesse Going, [Moses6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1] regarded as a son of Moses Going and Agnes Going was born about 1767 in Louisa County. Jesse Going was married February 12, 1799 to Jenny Ailstock, according to "Albemarle County, Virginia Marriages, 1772-1850." Since they were married on the same date as James Going and Beckey Ailstock, they are believed to be brothers marrying sisters. It is believed that he accompanied his father in a move to Georgia about 1786. He was listed with him in the 1793 and 1794 tax lists of Warren County, Georgia. Jesse Going was enumerated in the 1840 census of Albemarle County. Children born to Jesse Going and Jenny Ailstock Going are unknown

James Going, [Moses6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, Wil-liam2, Mihil1] regarded as a son of Moses Going and Agnes Going, was born about 1768 in Louisa County. He was mar-ried February 12, 1799 to Beckey Ailstock, according to "Al-bemarle County, Virginia Marriages, 1772-1850." The Ailstock family was a prominent mulatto family in Louisa County. Rebecca "Becky" Ailstock was a daughter of Absa-lom Ailstock, a mulatto who served in the Revolutionary War, according to an account of him in "Free African Americans of North Carolina and Virginia." James Going was enum-erated in the 1840 census of Albemarle County. Children born to James Going and Beckey Ailstock Going are unknown.

Elizabeth Going [Moses6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1], daughter of Moses Going and Agnes Go-ing, was born about 1769 in Louisa County. "Aggy Gowin, parent" was a witness at the marriage of "Elizabeth Gowin" to John Douglas January 29, 1787, according to "Henrico County, Virginia Marriage Bonds, 1780-1851."

Mary Going, [Moses6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1] daughter of Moses Going and Agnes Going, was born about 1770. She "gave her own consent" to marriage with Meredith Childers December 23, 1791 in Henrico County. "John Goyne," brother of the bride, was security. "Aggy Goyne" and Richard Loving were witnesses.

William2, Mihil1] regarded as a son of Moses Going and Ag-nes Going, was born about 1772. He was a namesake of his uncle, Sherwood Going. The orphans of Sherwood Going" [unnamed] were successful in the 1832 gold land lottery of Georgia. It was the final lottery of the state.

Moses Going, Jr, [Moses6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1] regarded as a son of Moses Going and Agnes Going, was born about 1774. Financial misfortune befell Moses Going, Jr, and in 1804 he was jailed for his debts, according to a legal notice published in a Lincoln County newspaper: "Matthew Raybon and Wm. Beggins, Executors of Benjamin Ship. vs. Moses Going.

“CA SA: To their Honors, the Judges of the Inferior Court for the County of Lincoln. The petition of Moses Going, humbly sheweth, that he is now confined in the common jail of said county, in view of a Ca Sa, at the instance of Matthew Raybon and William Beggins, executors of Benjamin Ship, for a sum of money which he is unable to pay, and that he is willing to give up all his estate, both real and personal for the benefit of his creditors, and therefore prays that he may be dis-charged from confinement, agreeable to the laws and constitution of the state. Ordered that the said Moses Going be brought up before the said court. The said Moses Going appeared in support of the said petition: Whereupon it is further ordered, That the said Moses Going do give notice to his creditors as the law directs, to appear by themselves or attornies, at the court house in the County of Lincoln, on the first Tuesday in Oc-tober next; to shew cause, if any they have, why the said Moses Going should not be discharged, in terms of the act of assembly in such cases made and provided.

In 1819, Moses Going, Jr, was recorded in the "free black" registration conducted by W. L. Kennon, County Court clerk of Columbia County as "age 45, born in Virginia, a farmer, arrived in Georgia in 1789." Two children, believed to be his, were recorded in consecutive entries with him:

"Moses Going, free colored," appeared in the 184th District of adjoining Lincoln County in the 1830 census, page 74, as the head of a household composed of:

Sherwood Going, [Moses, Jr.7, Moses6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1] regarded as a son of Moses Going, Jr. was born about 1808. He was recorded as "age 11, born in Georgia." in the 1819 list of "free blacks" in Columbia County.

Elizabeth Going, [Moses, Jr.7, Moses6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1] regarded as a son of Moses Going, Jr. was born about 1811. She was recorded as "age 8, born in Georgia in the 1819 list of "free blacks" in Columbia County.

Thomas Going [Moses6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4,Edward3, William2, Mihil1] regarded as the son of Moses Going and Agnes Going, was born about 1775 in Louisa County, Vir-ginia. He was brought to Georgia in 1789 by his parents. On February 13, 1796 the Georgia State Legislature established that two brothers, "Reuben Going and John Going, men of color of Greene County . . . are hereby authorized and enabled to take, hold and enjoy property, both real and personal," ac-cording to "Ambiguous Lives" by Adele Logan Alexander.

Thomas Going began a medical practice about that time Three years later, on February 18, 1799, Thomas Going also gained his limited rights through a private legislative act, according to "Digest of the Laws of the State of Georgia, 1735-1800."

“Emancipation: Be it therefore enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Georgia in General Assembly met, and by the authority of the same, That from and after the passing of this act, that the aforesaid Thomas Going, of the County of Wilkes, be and is hereby vested with and entitled to all the rights and privileges and immunities belonging to a free citizen of this state; Provided nevertheless, nothing herein contained shall extend or be construed to extend to entitle the said Thomas Going, to serve in the ca-pacity of a juror in any cause whatever nor to render him a competent witness in any cause or case where the personal rights or property of any white person are or is concerned; nor to entitle the said Thomas Going to vote at elections, nor to have or hold directly or indirectly any office of trust or emolument, civil or military, within this state.

Thomas Going "received payment for Moses Going" of $36 from Joseph Boren June 9, 1802 in the settlement of a suit, according to Wilkes County court records. During the decade, he removed to Claiborne County, Mississippi Territory, prob-ably settling in the town of Gallatin which is no longer found on modern maps. He was enumerated there in the 1810 census in "Names of the Heads of Families in the Counties of Claiborne and Warren, Mississippi, Territory." The household was composed of "1 Free Person of Color and 4 Slaves."

By 1816, Dr. Thomas Going had influenced his uncle Dr. Samuel Going to join him as a partner in his medical practice in Claiborne County. They appeared in consecutive entries in the Mississippi State Census of that year. Thomas Going was the head of a household composed of “1 Free Person of Color and 3 Slaves.” Samuel Going was the head of a household composed of "10 Free Persons of Color."

One February 9, 1820 Thomas Going and C. Warring, his bondsman, posted a bond of $200 for a marriage license. On the following day, Thomas Going obtained a license to marry Sally Allen, a white woman:

To any judge, justice of the peace or minister of the gospel duly qualified to celebrate the rites of matri-mony, Greeting. You are hereby authorized and li-censed to join in the Holy State of Matrimony Thomas Going and Sally Allen, both of said county, you mak-ing due return hereof to the Register of the Court of Claiborne County in the time prescribed by law with Certificate of said marriage. Given under my hand and office this Tenth day of February, One Thousand Eight Hundred and Twenty.

Apparently Sally Allen was a widow with two daughters. The family appeared in the 1820 census of Claiborne County, page 7:

Barbara Ellison, Goins family researcher found a reference to Dr. Thomas Going in “The Journal of Mississippi History,” Volume 11. An article by Dawson A. Phelps entitled “Stands and Travel Accommodations on the Natchez Trace” men-tioned that Dr. Going purchased a “stand,” a rest stop on the Natchez Trace which ran from Nashville, Tennessee to Nat-chez, Mississippi. The purchase was made November 1, 1834 from William Dean and his wife, Margaret Dean. Going’s Stand was later sold by the administrator of the estate of Dr. Thomas Goins to Col. W. F. Dillon February 1839, and it be-came known as Dillon’s Stand.

An obituary notice appeared in the Saturday, August 22, 1840 edition of "The Southern Star" of Gallatin, Mississippi:

"Died on Saturday last, after a short illness, Mr. Thomas[?] Going for a long time a citizen of this county. Aged 65 years."

The deceased died on August 15, 1840, accordingly. If the subject were Dr. Thomas Going, then he may have succumbed to yellow fever which frequently reached epidemic propor-tions during hot weather periods in towns along the Missis-sippi River. Cities as far north as St. Louis were affected by this scourge. Since he died without heirs, it is believed that his wife and her children also died before the death of Dr. Thomas Going.

Frances "Fanny" Going, [Moses6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1] regarded as the daughter of

Moses Going and Agnes Going, was born about 1785 in Louisa County. She was brought to Henrico County by her mother about 1786. Apparently she remained in Virginia with other family members when the family removed to Georgia. She accompanied her brother John Going in a move to Bote-tourt County about 1794. She was registered there February 3, 1806. Her entry in the county clerk's journal read:

"A dark mulatto, 5 feet, 4 inches, born free, by 14th Regt [or Augt] from Clk of Henrico."

"Fanny Goin" was married December 6, 1806 to Beverly Leg-ans, according to "Botetourt County, Virginia Marriages, 1773-1850."

[Moses6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1] regarded as the son of Moses Going and Agnes Going, was born

about 1787, probably in Louisa County, Virginia. However, he, at the age of 63 stated to the censustaker in 1850 that he was born

in Georgia. John Going, "mulatto" appeared as a taxpayer in Livingston County, Kentucky in 1830. He was recorded in the 1840

census as "free colored" as the head of a household: "Going, John H. Free Colored Male 55-100 Free Colored Female 36-55 Free

Colored Female 20-30 Free Colored Male 10-20 Free Colored Female 10-20" On May 26, 1847 John H. Going applied to the

Crittenden Circuit Court for manumission papers in order that he might travel to Claiborne County, Mississippi to claim his portion

of the estate of his brother, Thomas Going "who has been dead for some years and died without children." John H. Going stated

that he understood that he was "one of his heirs." An obituary notice appeared in the Saturday, August 22, 1840 edition of "The

Southern Star" of Gallatin, Mississippi: "Died on Saturday last, after a short illness, Mr. Thomas[?] Going for a long time a citizen

of this county. Aged 65 years." The deceased died on August 15, 1840, accordingly. If the subject were Dr. Thomas Going, then

he may have succumbed to Yellow Fever which frequently reached epidemic proportions during hot weather periods in towns

along the Mississippi River. In his petition, John Going stated that because of his dark skin he might be mistaken for a runaway

slave. He added that he was a free man of color and had been from his birth. He declared that he had lived, "where he now lives"

in Crittenden County for nearly 35 years and is well and favorably known by the residents. He also stated that his father had

always been a free man of color and that his mother Agnes was "an Indian by blood." John H. Going presented an affidavit from

Thomas S. Phillips who declared that he had known John Going for 30 years and that he is well known in the community as a free

man of color and was of African and Indian blood. He further declared that the brother of John Going, Thomas Going and their

uncle, Samuel Going were well-known physicians in partnership in Claiborne County, Mississippi and that Thomas Going has died,

leaving an inheritance to John H. Going, thus making it necessary for him to travel to Mississippi. A second affiant, Ira Nunn also

presented a declaration to the court. Nunn was a well-known, prominent and successful man in Crittenden County, according to

"Nunns of the South." He stated that both he and the applicant were raised in Greene County, Georgia. The Crittenden County

Court approved the application May 29, 1847 and provided a document to John H. Going stating that he was a free man of color

and had been since birth and was therefore entitled to all rights thereof. The family of John H. Going was enumerated in 1850 as:

"Goens, John H. 63, wagonmaker, born in Georgia Sarah M. 24, born in Kentucky P. S. 5, born in Kentucky Tennessee 5, born in

Kentucky William 3, born in Kentucky Felix A. 3, born in Kentucky Aaron 11/12, born in Kentucky" John H. Going, "age 73,

wagonmaker, born in Georgia," reappeared for the last time in the 1860 census as the head of a household. He did not own any

land and appeared in the Belles Mine area of Crittenden and Union County, Kentucky.

Moses Going deeded 100 acres in Warren County to Warren Andrews July 21, 1793 which was "part of 780 acres originally granted to Ignatius Few in 1791," according to Warren County Deed Book A, page 606. He received a Revolutionary land grant in Warren County in 1799. On October 16, 1800 he sold land "lying partly in Wilkes County and partly in Warren County on the Ogeechee River," according to Warren County Deed Book B, page 14.

Moses Going and his wife Agnes Going gave a deed to James Cozart of Franklin County, Georgia to 648 acres of land May 29, 1795, according to Franklin County Deed Book M, page 132. Consideration was 100 pounds sterling.

They gave a deed to William Stith, Jr. October 7, 1795 to 465 acres, "being the western portion of 750 acres granted in 1791 to Ignatius Few," according to Warren County Deed Book A, page 365. They gave a deed March 28, 1797 to Samuel Howell to 100 acres on Long Creek which had been granted in 1784 to Edmond Nugent, according to Warren County Deed Book A, page 538.

Moses Going and Agnes Going gave a deed to Prior Gardner June 23, 1797 to 92 acres on Long Creek, according to Warren County Deed Book 6, page 13. Moses Going "of Wilkes County" received a sheriff's deed to land sold as property of William Sanders March 7, 1799, according to Warren County Deed Book A, page 632. Moses Going received a land grant in Warren County of 60 acres in 1799.

Thomas Going, regarded as a son of Moses Going and Agnes Going, appeared as a taxpayer from 1798 to 1802 in Wilkes County, according to the research of Frank Parker Hudson, researcher of Atlanta, Georgia. In 1798 he appeared in Capt. Thornton's District and paid a polltax only. In 1799 he was identified as "free mulatto" and paid a tax of 50c. In 1801 and 1802 he appeared as a "defaulter" in Capt. Coats' District.

Edward3, William2, Mihil1] regarded as the son of Agnes Gowen, was born about 1747, probably in Louisa County. He was bound

out to James Bunch November 28, 1759, according to "Fredericksville Parish Vestry Book," page 29. He was listed as a "taxable"

in James Bunch's Trinity Parish household in 1767, according to "Louisa County, Virginia Tithables," page 10. It is believed that he

was married about 1770, wife's name unknown. The large mulatto Bunch family was prominent in the colonial period in Virginia,

North Carolina and South Carolina. Paul Bunch, who received a patent for 265 acres on the Roanoke River January 1, 1725,

according to Paul Heinegg. One branch of the family lived in Charleston, South Carolina. George Goins, grandson of Joseph Going,

Jack Harold Goins, Foundation Editorial Boardmember of Rogersville, Tennessee, wrote October 27, 1994 that Paul Bunch was the son of John Bunch who came from England to Lancaster County, Virginia as an indentured servant in 1665. "Joseph Going" was enumerated as the head of a household of seven "whites over 16" in the 1782 census of Fairfax County, page 17, according to "Heads of Families, Virginia, 1790."

Joseph Going served as a Revolutionary soldier, according to the research of William P. Grohse, historian of Sneedville, Tennessee, who reported that he was wounded in battle. "Joseph Goings" on May 19, 1784 received "£4:2:3" for service in the militia, according to Virginia Payroll Account No. 683.

Joseph Going was recorded as taxable in the 1787 census of adjoining Albemarle County on "3 horses and 2 cattle." ac- cording to "The 1787 Census of Virginia," page 139. Near-by were enumerated the households of his mother, Agnes Go-ing and brothers, Benjamin Going, Sherwood Going, David Going and Joshua Going. It is believed that children born to Joseph Going include:

Joseph Goins, [Joseph6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1], son of Joseph Going, was born

about 1770, probably in Louisa County. Ruth Johnson, Foundation member of Kingsport, Tennessee, wrote in 1992 of her ancestor:

"Joseph Goins, a Revolutionary War [War of 1812?] veteran and my seventh-generation grandfather, was born about 1770. Rev.

Arthur Hamilton Taylor, a Pres byterian minister who re-searched the Goins families in Hancock County, Tennessee and who assisted them economically, showed the birthplace of Joseph Goins as Albemarle County, Virginia. William P. Grohse, Sneedville historian, reported that he was the son of Joseph Goins, Sr. who fought in the Revolutionary War and was wounded in battle.

Joseph Goins was married about 1790 to Millie Loving [Lov-in, Loven?] who was born in 1770 in Scotland, according to Rev. Taylor. She was brought to America at the age of six by an aunt who settled in Charleston, South Carolina. William P. Grohse stated that she was born in Bedford County in 1772 to James Loving who was born in 1749 to Abraham Loving. Millie Loving Goins lost three uncles in the Revolutionary War. Richard Loving was a witness to the marriage of Mary Going to Meredith Childers December 12, 1791 in Henrico County.

In 1793, Joseph Goins was a resident of Fairfax County, Vir-ginia where a daughter was born." "Joseph Gwinne" was enumerated as the head of a household in the 1830 census of Hawkins County, Tennessee:

"Joseph Going, infantry corporal, on January 7, 1835 has not received a Bounty Land Warrant for his service in the War of the Revolution," according to "Revolutionary War Records of Virginia," page 240 by Gaius Marcus Brumbaugh.

"Joseph Gowin, age 70-80," living alone, was listed in the 1840 census of Hawkins County, page 234. Apparently in 1840 Joseph Goins and Millie Loving Goins were living in separate, adjoining households.

"Joseph Goings" appeared as the head of Household 302-302 in the 1850 census of Hancock County, 33rd subdivision, east part. The family was enumerated November 27, 1850 as:

"Goings, Joseph 84, born in Virginia, cooper, illiterate Milli A. 80, born in Virginia

Hancock County had been created in 1844 with land from Hawkins County and Claiborne County. Joseph Goins died in 1859 in Hancock County, a nonagenarian. Millie Loving Goins also died there, before 1860."

Virginia Jane "Gincie" Goins [Joseph7, Joseph6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1], daughter of Jo-seph Goins and Millie Loving Goins, was born in 1793 in Fairfax County, according to William P. Grohse. She was married about 1822 to Solomon Dickinson Collins who was born in Wilkes County, North Carolina in 1799. He was the son of a Revolutionary soldier, Solomon Collins and his wife Edy Dickinson Collins. Solomon Collins was born in Cum-berland County, Pennsylvania in 1760.

Solomon Dickinson Collins appeared in the 1830 census with nine members in his household. He appeared on the 1836 tax list of Hawkins County, Tennessee. Solomon Dickinson Col-lins was enumerated as the head of household in the 1840 cen-sus of Hawkins County:

They reappeared in the 1850 census of Hancock County, Civil Division 33, page 10:

"Solomon Collins" died June 28, 1863 in Nashville, Ten- nessee. Fourteen children were born to Solomon Dickinson Collins and Virginia Jane "Gincie" Goins Collins:

Mahala [meaning "tenderness" in Hebrew] "Big Haley" Col-lins, first child of Solomon Dickinson Collins and Virginia Jane "Gincie" Goins Collins, was born March 30, 1824. She was married about 1840 to John Mullins. He was identified as the son of Jim "Irish Jim" Mullins. In 1855 they continued in Hancock County, living above Vardy, Tennessee on New-man's Ridge..

Grohse wrote, "During the Civil War a band of Confederate raiders came over to kill or capture two of their boys who were home from the Union Army and their son-in-law Howard Collins. Jane Mullins Collins [Howards wife] saw the raiders coming and screamed to her husband Howard who took a shot at them. They fell back a little or dropped to see who all they had to fight. Meanwhile, the soldiers jumped over the low bluff. The raiders came to the bluff, but didn't get to shoot either of them. Howard Collins sprained or broke a finger jumping, but I understand he or one of the others got a shot at the raiders and got safely away.

The angry bushwackers then burned the house. They let the family take the burning bedclothes out, but they had to be watched as fire broke out in them again. Calvin was the baby and Mary Ann was a slip of a girl

old enough to carry him on her hip. A skip of snow was on the ground and the children were barefoot. Old John Mullins was mad

and loaded up a muzzle with all it would hold. Then, as the raiders were leaving going down Blackwater Valley, he fired from the

top of the bluff. He left the ramrod in the gun. It was loaded so heavily it burst at the end of the muzzle but the ramrod stuck in a rail

fence clear across the valley near where the Becky Hurley house stood, short distance from Vardy church." John Mullins was

enumerated in 1880 as the head of a house- hold in Hancock County: "Mullins, John 65 Mahala 56 Millie 30 Calvin 19 Goins, Sarah

11, granddaughter Mullins George 4, grandson" He died "in the fall of 1900," and she died "in September 1901," according to Ruben

Mullins, a son. She died in 1895, according to James Callahan. William P. Grohse, Hancock County historian, reported that he died

in 1902. Fred Brown, staff writer for the "Knoxville News-Sentinel" in an article published July 22, 1990, wrote of Mahala "Big

Ha- ley" Collins Mullins: "'Big Haley' weighed around 500 pounds, give or take an exaggerated 100 pounds. Though her girth,

thought to be the result of elephantiasis, was renowned, tonnage wasn't the thing that immortalized her in the hills. It was

moonshine. She and her sons made the finest in the region. In the late 1800s thirsty Kentuckians, Virginians and North Carolinians

came by horseback and wagon to haul off loads of Big Haley's best. She made apple brandy from the Northern Spy and Limber

Twig, two of the tastiest apples ever produced in the dimpled highlands of Hancock. From the corn came a creation of molecular

superior- ity, a supple elixir, which she either sold by the dipper from a wooden keg or by the jug. There have been many fetching

stories about Mahala Mullins, but there is one that surfaced recently that might be the best yarn of all. In the days of the Whisky

Tree, near the ridge in Snake Hollow, if a person felt the need for some liquid stimu- lation, he would ride by the hollowed out

beech tree, put in 50 cents and take out a jug. Kyle Bowlin of Treadway, a person who knows more about Hancock County than he should, picks up the story here.

'It was the whiskey honor system. Nobody would ever dream of taking more than what they paid for, or taking any of the money. If they had, they wouldn't have gotten to the end of Snake Hollow.' Her reputation for fine spirits began to irritate local law enforcement authorities, and a number of federal agents.

A new sheriff decided that he would make a quick name for himself and arrest Big Haley. He got a judge, who was fa-miliar with and had sampled some of Big Haley's best to issue a warrant. The old judge smiled as he signed the official pa-pers, handing them over to the new sheriff. 'Don't fail to bring her in,' he admonished the law officer.

Armed with the warrant, the sheriff set out for Newman's Ridge. When he got to her log cabin, the sheriff went up to the door, knocked and went on in. He announced that he had a warrant for Big Haley's arrest and had come to take her in. At this point the sheriff discovered one intriguing fact; Big Haley was too big to get through the door.

He measured her, measured the door and shook his head. When he returned to town he reported to the judge, 'She's catchable, but not fetchable.' When she died, the problem arose about what to do about getting her body through the door. They sawed the legs

off her bed, boxed it up, and it became her cof- fin. They opened a hole in the back wall of her chimney big enough to ease the

coffin through the fireplace and then replaced the brickwork after the funeral.'"

Twenty children born to them, and they raised 14, according to an affidavit prepared in November 8, 1906 by a son:

Martha Jane Mullins, daughter of John Mullins and Mahala "Big Haley" Collins Mullins, was born about 1841. She was married about 1866 to Howard Collins. He was a son of Sim-eon Collins and Frankie Collins and a grandson of the patri-arch Vardeman "Vardy" Collins and Peggy Collins. She died in 1913, according to the manuscript of William P. Grohse.

“The oldest Melungeon list I have seen was compiled by William P. Groshe in the 1960's. He was a historian who lived in Vardy Valley. His list was basically taken from the families enumerated as “Free Persons of Col-or” on the 1830 Federal census of Hawkins County, Tennessee.

These Newman Ridge-Blackwater area Melungeons came to this section in the time frame 1787-1805. Most of them had previously lived along the back-woods sections of the New River areas of Virginia and North Carolina. They migrated to this area circa 1767 from the Flat River sections of Orange County, North Carolina. Historians have long recognized the 1755 tax list of Orange County as some of the same families who came to Newman Ridge. All of the siblings of these families did not migrate to Newman Ridge and or Blackwater area, some came through and journeyed on west. Others migrated from the New River area into Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia, while others mov-ed near the border of North Carolina and South Caro-lina, others to the Broad River area of South Carolina. You can find these same families migration patterns on Revolutionary War Pension Applications, tax, land, court, and church records.

Where did they come from? This was the question Will Allen Dromgoole asked Calloway Collins in 1890; his reply, "They were living as Indians in Vir-ginia before they migrated to North Carolina."

The most complicated part to me is not knowing the surnames of the Melungeon wives. Just recently a family discovered through research that the mother of Vardy Collins mother was a Vardeman and on most legal papers Vardy was known as Vardeman, or Var-diman Collins.”

Sally Mullins, daughter of John Mullins and Mahala "Big Ha- ley" Collins Mullins, was born about 1843 in Hancock Coun-ty. She was married there about 1867 to Gib Davidson. They lived in the home with Mahala "Big Haley" Collins. Their youngest son, Willie Davidson shot and killed his uncle Cal-vin Mullins "in the back of Mahala's house in 1895," accord-ing to James Callahan. "He had a badly ulcerated leg, and ac-cordingly, was acquitted." Sally Mullins Davidson died in 1912.

Millie Mullins, daughter of John Mullins and Mahala "Big Ha- ley" Collins Mullins, was born about 1845. In 1906, Ruben Mullins stated that she had been dead over 20 years. William P. Grohse stated in his manuscript that she died in 1915.

Collins Mullins, was born about 1847. He was married about 1860 to Sarah "Aunt Tony" Collins. Later he was remarried to the widow of Shep Gibson. He died in 1915, according to the manuscript of William P. Grohse.

Burton Mullins, son of John Mullins and Mahala "Big Haley" Collins Mullins, was born about 1849. He died "in wartime [at Camp Nelson, Kentucky]," according to an affidavit by Ruben Mullins, suggesting that he was a casualty of the Civil War.

Haley" Collins Mullins, was born about 1850. He was married about 1873 to Eliza Seals. He died about 1890, according to an affi-

davit of Ruben Mullins. Richard "Dick" Mullins, son of John Mullins and Mahala "Big Haley" Collins Mullins, was born about 1852.

Nancy Dulin became his commonlaw wife about 1875. He died about 1891, according to an affidavit of Ruben Mullins. Mary Ann

Mullins, daughter of John Mullins and Mahala "Big Haley" Collins Mullins, was born about 1853. She was mar- ried about 1882 to

Haynes Miser, according to James Callahan. This couple reared Hattie Bales, the grandmother of James Callahan, after her father

Calvin Mullins was killed. Hattie Bales also lived at times with Mahala "Big Haley" Collins Mullins. Mary Ann Mullins Miser was

later married to Rev. George Harrison Roberts, according to the research of Phillip E. Roberts, a great-great-grandson. Her third

husband was App Miner. She died in 1937, according to the manuscript of William P. Grohse. Ruben Mullins, son of John Mullins

and Mahala "Big Haley" Collins Mullins, was born in February 1855 in Hancock County, according to an affidavit he submitted

They had removed to the Indian Territory about 1903. He was married about 1880 to Elizabeth Gibson. In his affidavit he stated that his grandfather, Solomon Dickinson Collins, "was a full-blood Cherokee who crossed into Tennessee and settled there because he was afraid the chief would kill him if he re-turned to the tribe." His claim was denied.

John Mullins, son of John Mullins and Mahala "Big Haley" Collins, Mullins, was born

about 1856. He was married about 1879 to Julia Ann Gibson. Later he was remarried to Maggie Lovins. Oliver Mullins, son of

John Mullins and Mahala "Big Haley" Collins Mullins, was born about 1858. He was married about 1871 to Ollie Miser. He was

shot and killed in September 1882 in Sneedville by Sheriff Grant Jarvis, according to James Callahan. Calvin Mullins, son of John

Mullins and Mahala "Big Haley" Collins Mullins, was born about 1860. He was married in 1883 to Frances Martin. He was

remarried to Coose Lawson in 1887. He was shot and killed in 1895 by his nephew, Willie Davidson, son of Gib Davidson and

Sally Mullins Davidson, according to James Callahan. Children born to Calvin Mullins and Coose Lawson Mullins include: Hattie

Mullins born February 18, 1887 Frank Mullins born about 1889 Robert Mullins born about 1891 Hattie Mullins, daughter of Calvin

Mullins and Coose Lawson Mullins, was born February 18, 1887. She was married to Robert Bales about 1920. Children born to

them include: Conner Bales born March 24, 1910 Ellen Bales born February 2, 1912 Ollie Bales born January 17, 1914 Josephine

Bales born February 10, 1920 Cornell Bales born July 10, 1924 Clarence Bales born June 16, 1926 Conner Bales, son of Robert

Bales and Hattie Mullins Bales, was born March 24, 1910. He received a life sentence as a classic psychopath and habitual

criminal. He died in prison in Michigan City, Indiana. Clarence Bales, son of Robert Bales and Hattie Mullins Bales, was born

June 16, 1926. He was married about 1950 to Norma Jean Hawkins. Children born to them include: Robert Clarence Bales born

December 14, 1953 Robert Clarence Bales, son of Clarence Bales and Norma Jean Hawkins Bales, was born December 14,

1953. He was married about 1976 to Donna Sherman. Franklin Collins, second child of Solomon Dickinson Collins and Virginia

Jane "Gincie" Goins Collins, was born about 1825. During the Civil War, he served in Company H, First Tennessee Cavalry

Regiment, U.S.A. He did not marry. Silas Collins, third child of Solomon Dickinson Collins and Virginia Jane "Gincie" Goins

Collins, was born in 1827. He was married about 1846 to Orpha Collins, daughter of Martin Collins and Elizabeth "Betsy" Collins.

He enlisted in Company A, First Tennessee Cavalry Regiment, U.S.A. He died May 11, 1863 from injuries received in a Civil War

battle fought May 4, 1863 at Triune, Tennessee. He was buried in the Murfreesboro National Cemetery. Children born to them

include: Semion Collins born in 1845 Zilpha Collins born in 1847 Isaac Collins born in 1849 Mary Elizabeth Collins born October 30,

1852 Asa Collins born November 23, 1854 Wheeler Collins born March 28, 1856 Frances Collins born March 4, 1858 Minty

Collins born March 10, 1860 Lewis Collins born January 9, 1862 Zilpha Collins, daughter of Silas Collins and Orpha Collins Collins,

was born in 1847. She was married about 1866 to Riley Jones, according to the research of Margaret Long Mabrey, a descendant

Caldonia Jones, daughter of Riley Jones and Zilpha Collins Jones, was born about 1872. She was married about 1890 to John Harvey Long. They were buried in Goins Chapel Cem-etery on Newmans Ridge.

Robert Coleman Long, son of John Harvey Long and Caldonia Jones Long, was born about 1895. He was married about 1930 to Mary Elizabeth Seals.

1935 Margaret Long, daughter of Robert Coleman Long and Mary Elizabeth Seals Long, was born about 1935. She was married about 1956, husband's name Mabrey. In 1997, Margaret Long Mabrey lived in Sparta, Tennessee where she was active in the research of her branch of the family.

Lewis Collins, son of Silas Collins and Orpha Collins Collins, was born January 9, 1862. He was married about 1886 to Sarah H. Gibson who was born April 9, 1867 to Tom Gibson and Celia Gibson. She died September 12, 1938, and Rev. Lewis Collins died February 4, 1939.

Walter Collins, sixth child of Lewis Collins and Sarah H. Gib- son Collins, was born July 28, 1898. He was married about 1918 to Nora Gibson who was born August 24, 1902. He died November 24, 1978.

Opal Mae Collins, daughter of Walter Collins and Nora Gibson Collins, was born May 13, 1920. She was married about 1937 to Henry Morgan Johnson who was born Septem-ber 1, 1917. Opal Mae Collins Johnson died May 4, 1957.

Mattie Ruth Johnson [twin] born August 27, 1940 Goldiene Johnson [twin] born August 27, 1940

Bailey Collins, son of Solomon Dickinson Collins and Vir- ginia Jane "Gincie" Goins Collins, was born in 1828. He was married about 1851 to Melissa Rhea, daughter of Sam Ray and Patsy Ray. He enlisted July 10, 1862 in the First Tennessee Cavalry. In 1906 he continued to live at Sneedville.

Commodore "Bud" Collins, son of Bailey Collins and Melissa Rhea Collins, was born June 20, 1866. He was married about 1890 in Lee County, Virginia to Laura Anderson who was born there January 6, 1874. They remained in Lee County until 1906 when they moved to Sneedville and opened Citi- zens Bank of Sneedville. He was its president for 47 years. He died there April 1, 1953.

Martha B. Collins, daughter of Commodore "Bud" Collins and Laura Anderson Collins, was born about 1895 in Lee County. Following her father's death, she succeeded him as president of Citizens Bank, a post she held until she was 80 years old.

Solomon Dickinson Collins and Virginia Jane "Gincie" Goins Collins, was born in 1830 in Hawkins County. He enlisted December

8, 1862 as a private in the First Tennessee Cavalry, U.S.A. He did not appear in the 1890 Veterans Census, suggesting that he

was deceased before that time. Solomon Dickinson Collins, Jr, son of Solomon Dickinson Collins and Virginia Jane "Gincie" Goins

Collins, was born about 1831. He was married about 1866 to Nancy Stacy. He died before 1890. Thalamos "Tommy" Collins, son

of Solomon Dickinson Collins and Virginia Jane "Gincie" Goins Collins, was born in 1832. He appeared as an 18-year-old in the

1850 census of Hancock County. Betty Collins, daughter of Solomon Dickinson Collins and Virginia Jane "Gincie" Goins Collins,

was born about 1836. She was married about 1855 to Thomas Moore. She was remarried to McKinley Collins as his second wife.

Richard Collins, son of Solomon Dickinson Collins and Vir- ginia Jane "Gincie" Goins, Collins, was born about 1838. He was

married about 1861 to Sarah Davidson. He enlisted as a private in Company D, Eighth Tennessee Cavalry and was killed in battle in June 1864. Millie Ann Collins, daughter of Solomon Dickinson Collins and Virginia Jane "Gincie" Goins Collins, was born in May 1843. She died in 1860, unmarried. Amelia Collins, daughter of Solomon Dickinson Collins and Virginia Jane "Gincie" Goins Collins,

was born in 1843. She was married about 1863 to Hamilton Miser. In 1864, she joined some other women to walk to Knoxville to

secure war relief supplies, according to Rev. Taylor. On the way, they were robbed by Confederate raiders. When they arrived,

the early shipment from Boston and Philadelphia had already been distributed. The later shipment had not arrived.

Malitha "Kate" Collins, daughter of Solomon Dickinson Col-lins and Virginia Jane "Gincie" Goins Collins, was born in May 1845. She was married about 1866 to Thomas Anderson who later abandoned her. In 1906 she continued in Sneedville.

Sally Collins, daughter of Solomon Dickinson Collins and Vir ginia Jane "Gincie" Goins Collins, was born in 1846. She was married about 1867 to Gilbert Davidson and died shortly after-ward.

George Goins [Joseph7, Joseph6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1], son of Joseph Goins and Millie Loven Goins, was born in 1803 in Surry County, North Car- olina, according to Rev. Taylor. It is believed that George Goins was married about 1825, wife's name unknown.

In the 1850 census he was enumerated living in a household headed by "Frances Gowins." Four of the children in the household were born before his marriage to Emily "Lively" Bunch in 1839. In the Federal Census of 1830 completed November 24, 1830, 385 "free colored" individuals were enumerated in Hawkins County.

"George Goen" appeared as the head of a "free colored" household in the 1830 census of Hawkins County , page 73, along with Betsy Goen, page 43; Fountain Goen, page 64 and his brother, "Harden Goen," page 72 who also headed "free colored" households.

"John Goen" and "William Goen" headed white households recorded on page 73. "Crispin Goin" headed a white house-hold recorded on page 80. Names of heads of households in "free colored" families were not recorded by the enumerators in 1830. Individuals in the "white" households were identified by sex and age bracket. None of the three individuals above appeared in the 1836 tax list of Hawkins County.

George Goins, Alexander Goins, Martin Goins, Elisha Goins, Fountain Goins and Zach Goins appeared on the 1836 tax list of Hawkins County.

"George Gowen" was married to Emily "Lively" Bunch, daughter of Joseph Bunch and Rachael Bunch in Hawkins County August 5, 1839. They may have had a common-law marriage prior to that date. P. G. Fulkerson, an attorney of Tazewell wrote a column for the Sneedville newspaper en-titled "Recollections."

"There were some families by the name of Bunch living on Newman's Ridge in Hancock County. James Bunch used to furnish the country for miles around with Clinch River fish when I was a boy. He was over six feet high, broad shouldered and a man of great physical power. At one of our old musters, he and Ambrose Day got into a dispute. Bunch struck him with one lick with his fist, and the blow killed him. The killing created a great deal of excitement in the country. It was reported and believed that the legisla-ture had actually passed a law prohibiting Bunch from hitting a man with his fist. The only other case of this kind that I remember occurred when Dan McVey killed Thomas H. White's grandfather in Tazewell. There was a woman on Newman's Ridge named Lively Bunch. She was a dark brunette, straight as an arrow and hand-some. She was a leader in her neighborhood in politics as well as in local affairs. She attended, with her cakes and cider to sell, every public gathering, and she made money. One day, in Tazewell, she called my brothers and me at a muster and gave us and some of our help all the cakes and cider we could consume. The next day we told our father that a good-looking woman had given us a big treat and never charged us a cent. He re-plied, "Yes, I know. I had just paid the bill.

There are a large number of people living on Black-water Creek and Newman's Ridge commonly called Melungeons, who are dark skinned, have long black hair and are of the white race. Many articles have been written and published in our large daily papers con-cerning them and their origin. In 1840 and 1841 my father Dr. James Fulkerson lived at Mulberry Gap, just across the mountain from them and was their physi-cian. The old people told him they were from Portugal.

Their first settlement in this local community was known as Vardy. Vardy Collins lived there, hence it's name. Judge N. C. Smith said that a few of the Melun-geons at an early date lived in Carter County and that a banker there had married one of them--a beautiful girl. As a young lawyer, Judge Smith had reason, in a law-suit, to trace her ancestry and established the fact that years before, her people had landed in Charleston, South Carolina and were from Portugal."

"George Gowin, white male, 20-30" was enumerated as the head of a household in the 1840 census of Hawkins County,

page 235, adjacent to "Joseph Gowin, white male, 70-80," page 234. George Goins was surety for the marriage of Eme-line Bunch, his step-daughter, to Boyd Stewart May 5, 1846. George Goins received a large land grant for 5,000 acres, No. 26381, November 14, 1848 in Hancock County, in partnership with Gilford Frost and Joseph Bunch, brothers-in-law:

Know ye, That in consideration of an Entry made in the Entry Taker's Office of Hawkins County, now Hancock County, of No. 852, dated the 7th day of March 1842 by George Goins, Gilford Frost and Joseph Bunch, there is granted by the State of Tennessee unto the said Goins, Frost & Bunch and their heirs a certain tract of land containing Five thousand acres . . . on the north side of Clinch River and the waters of Blackwater Creek on Newman's Ridge . . . beginning on Rachel Bunch's corner . . . surveyed October 3, 1848.

In witness whereof, N. S. Brown, Governor of the State of Tennessee, has hereunto set his hand and caused the Great Seal of the State to be affixed at Nashville on the 14th day of November in the Year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty eight and of Amer-ican Independence the 73rd."

"Francis Gowins" was recorded as head of Household 370- 370, Hancock County, 33rd subdivision, east part in a cluster of families named Miser. The family was enumerated De- cember 3, 1850 as:

The 1860 census of Hawkins County included households headed by "George Gowings," Binda Gowings, William Goins and Lewis Going. A second "George Gowings," age 15, born in Tennessee, lived in the household of an Anderson family.

Emily Bunch retained her maiden name after she was married to George Goins. George Goins was killed during the Civil War by Dave Collins in a raid by Confederate soldiers, ac- cording to Rev. Taylor. He walked home after he was shot, but pitched into the door and died.

Emmaline Goins, [George8, Joseph7, Joseph6, Agnes5, Ed-ward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1], daughter of George Goins and Emily Bunch Goins, was born about 1825.

Kendy [Kendrew?] Goins, [George8, Joseph7, Joseph6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1], son of George Goins and Emily Bunch Goins, was born in 1827. "Kendrew Gowen" was married July 13, 1846 to Lyda Wil-liams in Rutherford County, Tennessee.

Mary J. "Polly" Goins [George8, Joseph7, Joseph6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1], daughter of George Goins and Emily Bunch Goins, was born in 1830 in Hawkins County.

Guilford Goins [George8, Joseph7, Joseph6, Agnes5, Ed-ward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1], son of George Goins and Emily Bunch Goins, was born in 1834 in Hawkins County. He appeared as a 16-year-old student in the 1850 census of his parents' household.

Howard Goins [George8, Joseph7, Joseph6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1], [George8, Joseph7, Joseph6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1], son of George Goins and Emily Bunch Goins, was born in 1837. He appeared at age 13 in the 1850 census.

Jesse "Doc" Goins [George8, Joseph7, Joseph6, Agnes5, Ed-ward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1], son of George Goins and Emily Bunch Goins, was born in 1838. He was married about 1858, wife's name unknown. He was remarried about 1859 to Massey Testerment, daughter of Abraham Testerment and Mary "Polly" Testerment. "He drove a government team during the Civil War and later drew a pension," according to Rev. Taylor.

John Goins [Jesse "Doc"9, George8, Joseph7, Joseph6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1], son of Jesse "Doc" Goins and Massey Testerment Goins, was born about 1862. Of this individual nothing more is known.

Burton Goins [Jesse "Doc"9, George8, Joseph7, Joseph6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1], son of Jesse "Doc" Goins and Massey Testerment Goins, was born about 1864.

Volentine Sevier Goins [Jesse "Doc"9, George8, Joseph7, Joseph6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1], son of Jesse "Doc" Goins and Massey Testerment Goins, was born in 1873 at Kyles Ford, Tennessee, according to his son Robert R. Goins, a Foundation member of Bartlesville, Okla-homa. Volentine Sevier Goins was married about 1900, wife's name unknown.

Burton McGinnis Goins [George8, Joseph7, Joseph6, Ag-nes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1], son of George Goins and Emily "Lively" Bunch Goins, was born February 1, 1842 at Sneedville. His Civil War pension appli- cation shows his date of birth as April 1, 1842. He enlisted in Company A [Company H in one report], First Tennessee Cav- alry Regiment May 9, 1862, showing his address as Blackwa- ter, Virginia. He became a corporal and later the company quartermaster sergeant in Company A. He was honorably dis- charged in Nashville April 4, 1865. His military record de- scribed him as 5'6" tall, blue eyes, auburn hair, dark complex- ion, weighing 150 lbs.

Other members of this regiment were Pvt. Alfred Goins, Pvt. Claiborne Goins, Pvt. John Goins, Pvt. R. J. Goins, Pvt. Wil-liam Goins, Pvt. Zachariah Goins and Pvt. Alfred Gowen.

They were mentioned in “The Blue and the Gray from Hawkins County, Tennessee” by Sheila Johnson:

“The First Tennessee Cavalry Regiment, U.S.A, for-merly known as the 4th Tennessee infantry, was or-ganized from March to November, 1862, to serve three years. The field and staff, and companies A, B, C, D, E and F, were mustered out in March and April, 1865, by reason of expiration of term of service, and companies G, H, I, K, L and M, in June 1865, in accordance with orders from the War Department.”

The history of the First Tennessee Cavalry was written by William Thurman for the ‘Greeneville Herald,’ July-October 1883. Thurman was a First Lieutenant in E Company of the First Tennessee Cavalry.”

Goins, Albert age 26, Goins, Burton M., Sgt. age 19, Goins, Claiborne age 25, Goins, John age 26,

Burton McGinnis Goins was married about 1870 to Sarah Jane Wyatt. She died May 10, 1873 in Hancock County, according to Mary Eng-land, Editor of "Reflections," the Claiborne County, Tennessee Historical Society's publication. He was remarried about 1874 to Mary Ann Lawson, believed to be a daughter of Serena Lawson. Mary Ann Lawson Goins died January 25, 1885 in Lee County, Virginia. In 1887 he removed from Lee County back to Hancock County. He at the age of 47 was married for the third time to Rebecca Cox, age 37 May 25, 1889 in Jonesville, Virginia. She was born December 23, 1850 near Dryden, Virginia, the daughter of David Cox.

They removed to Jefferson County, Iowa in 1880 and returned to Lee County in 1884. He died at his home at Olinger, Vir- ginia January 21, 1922. He received Pension No. 1,064,208 for $50 monthly as the result of wounds in both hips and a chest injury resulting from a horse falling on him during the war, rendering him disabled.

Thomas Jefferson Goins born February 1, 1881 Charley Burton Goins born May 12, 1883

George Washington Goins [George8, Joseph7, Joseph6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1], son of Burton McGinnis Goins and Sarah Wyatt Goins, was born March 8, 1872. He became a physician and served in the Spanish-American War. He was married about 1901 to Lucy Hestile. Later he was remarried, wife's name Fannie. He died in 1919 at Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis, Missouri. Children born to George Washington Goins and Fannie Goins are un-known. Six children, names unknown, were born to George Washington Goins and Lucy Hestile Goins, according to Rev. Taylor.

An unnamed child was born to Burton McGinnis Goins and Sarah Jane Wyatt Goins March 10, 1873 and died the same day.

Samuel J. T. Goins [George8, Joseph7, Joseph6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1], son of Burton McGinnis Goins and Mary Ann Lawson Goins, was born January 5, 1877. He was married about 1900 to Rachel Orr of Olinger, Virginia and removed to Centralia, Washington.

William H. Goins [George8, Joseph7, Joseph6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1], son of Burton McGinnis Goins and Mary Ann Lawson Goins, was born January 8, 1879. He was married about 1898 to Laura Coldiron who was born in April 1878. He became an

engineer on the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. They later lived in Corbin, Kentucky.

Zollie Frances Goins [William H.10, Burton McGinnis9, George8, Joseph7, Joseph6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1], daughter of William H. Goins and Laura Coldiron Goins, was born in 1899. She was married about 1919 to John Tipton.

Joseph7, Joseph6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, William2, Mihil1], son of William Goins and Laura Coldiron Goins, was born in 1905.

Thomas Jefferson Goins [Burton McGinnis9, George8, Joseph7, Joseph6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1], son of Burton McGinnis Goins and Mary Ann Lawson Goins, was born in 1881. In 1927 he lived

Charley Burton Goins [Burton McGinnis9, George8, Joseph7, Joseph6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2,

Mihil1], son of Burton McGinnis Goins and Mary Ann Lawson Goins, was born May 12, 1883. He died February 16, 1910 "of bronchial trouble," according to William P. Grohse.

Sally Goins [George8, Joseph7, Joseph6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1], daughter of George Goins and Emily "Lively" Bunch Goins, was born about 1843. She appeared in the 1850 census of Hancock County as a six-year- old.

Alfred Absolom "Alf" Goins [George8, Joseph7, Joseph6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1], son of George Goins and Emily Bunch Goins, was born in 1844. He was married about 1867 to Margaret Babb, daughter of Phillip Babb and Frances Babb. They removed to Indiana, then to Iowa. They were enumerated in 1880 in Jefferson County, Iowa:

Tabitha "Tabba" Goins [George8, Joseph7, Joseph6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1, daughter of George Goins and Emily "Lively" Bunch Goins, was born about 1845. She appeared in the 1850 census as a five-year- old.

William Henry Harrison "Whistlin' Dick" Goins [George8, Joseph7, Joseph6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, Wil-liam2, Mihil1], son of George Goins and Emily Bunch Goins, was born in 1848, according to Rev. Taylor. He had an ob-struction in his breathing that made him wheeze.

"While trying to pass through the Confederate lines to enlist in the Union Army, he was arrested and imprisoned," accord-ing to Rev. Taylor. "He had a habit which made him walk to a corner and turn three times. The way he was pointed the last time is the direction he was likely to take that day." William Henry Harrison "Whistling' Dick" Goins enlisted March 9, 1862, along with Claiborne Coins, in First Tennessee Cavalry Regiment, Company A, showing their residence as Sneedville.

He was married about 1873 to Rebecca "Becky" Goodman who was born to Bill Goodman and Rachel Bunch Goodman about 1851.

Children born to William Henry Harrison "Dick" Goins and Rebecca "Becky" Goodman Goins include:

Harden Goins [Joseph7, Joseph6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1], son of Joseph Goins and Millie Loven Goins, was born in 1805, according to the research of Jim Callahan of Nashville, Indiana. "Harden Goen" appeared as the head of a "free colored" household in the 1830 census of Hawkins County, page 72. He was listed in the 1836 tax list of Hawkins County. He was married in Iowa to Addie Goins, ac-cording to Rev. Taylor. Children born to Harden Goins and Addie Goins Goins are unknown.

Edward3, William2, Mihil1], daughter of Joseph Goins and Millie Loven Goins, was born about 1814. Jim Callahan, fam- ily researcher shows her date of birth as 1807. She was mar-ried about 1830 to Guilford Frost who was born October 28, 1782. It is believed that he died about 1845. "Aletha Goins" appeared at age 36 in the 1850 enumeration of her father's household. On February 18, 1851, she was remarried to James Livesay, a veteran of the War of 1812 whose wife, Ellender Caldwell Livesay had died in 1849. James Livesay was born October 28, 1782 in Henry County, Virginia to George Lindsay and Nancy Millie Anderson Lindsay. George Lindsay was a Revolutionary soldier and an officer in the 1793 Grayson County, Virginia Militia. He died in 1837 in Hancock County.

James Lindsay was married in 1801 in Grayson County to Ellender Nellie Caldwell who was born about 1785 in Henry County. She died May 4, 1849 in Hancock County and was buried on the family farm. James Livesay served as a soldier in the War of 1812, being drafted at Grayson County Courthouse. He was discharged there February 1, 1815. He served in Capt. T. Dalton’s Company and received Bounty Land Warrant No. 38359 for 160 acres of land.

James Livesay was enumerated as the head of a household in the 1850 census of Hancock County.

James Livesay died April 11, 1857 and was buried in Panther Creek Cemetery in Hancock County. Aletha Goins Frost and her family remained on the farm until the Civil War. At that time they removed to Hunter’s Gap in Lee County, Virginia where she lived with a son. She died there March 20, 1907.

Sarah “Sally” Frost, daughter of Guilford Frost and Aletha Goins Frost, was born in December 1839 in Hancock County. She was enumerated in the 1850 census living in the house-hold of James Livesay who became her step-father. She was married about 1856 to Isaac Leedy. “Sarah Leedy, age 47 years, 6 months, 19 days” died June 16, 1887, according to the death register of Lee County, Virginia.

Samuel Frost, son of Guilford Frost and Aletha Goins Frost, was born December 12, 1840, according to Jim Callahan. He took his mother's maiden name and was thereafter known as Samuel Goins He volunteered December 9, 1861 for service in the Twenty-ninth Tennessee Infantry Regiment, CSA.

He was wounded in the right lower leg July 22, 1864 in a battle fought three miles southeast of Atlanta, according to Rev. Taylor. "Gangrene set in, but was stopped by the mountain remedy of oak bark tea, but he had a running sore for the rest of his life." He was married to Mrs. Elizabeth Lawson Ray, daughter of Stokely Lawson and Matilda Ashe Lawson as her third husband "on the third Saturday in April 1869 at a meeting at Wallens Creek Baptist Church in Lee County, Virginia." In a letter written June 6, 1881, Samuel [Frost] Goins stated that he was the son “of Leathy Livesay, wife of the late James Livesay.”

In her application for a Confederate widow's Pension No. 8435 Elizabeth Lawson Ray Ray Goins stated that they were married in 1871. Previously she was married to Robert Ray, and upon his death, she was married to Anderson Ray who also died. Samuel Goins died in 1926 in Hancock County, according to "Tennessee Confederate Widows and Their Families" abstracted by Edna Weifering. Elizabeth Lawson Ray Ray Goins died in December 1953 at age 97.

Washington "Wash" Livesay, son of James Livesay and Aletha Goins Frost Livesay, was born February 12, 1851. He was married December 27, 1873 to Julia Ann Lawson, daughter of Stokely Lawson and Matilda Ashe Lawson. Washington "Wash" Livesay was killed in Lee County by Larkin Mullins and Andy Mullins, father and son, who were attempting to bring him across the Tennessee state line to face criminal charges in trial. Six children were born to them.

David Livesay, son of James Livesay and Aletha Goins Frost Livesay, was born about 1853. He married a Kentucky wo-man and moved to Montana, according to Jim Callahan.

Harden Livesay, son of James Livesay and Aletha Goins Frost Livesay, was born about 1845.

Alexander "Alec" Goins who was born in 1875 in Hancock County, was married to America Collins, according to Jim Callahan. Children born to Alexander "Alec" Goins and America Collins Goins are unknown.

Fannie Goins who was born in Hancock County April 18, 1904 was married about 1922 to George Moore, son of Jerry Bell Moore.

George W. Goins and Susannah Goins gave a deed March 28, 1876 to Gilford Minor for "all their interest in the Zachariah Minor land lying in the 4th District," according to Hancock County Deed Book 1, page 436.

John Goins was enumerated as the head of a household in the 6th District in the 1880 census of Hancock County:

Mrs. Nellie Goins, "daughter of William Goins and Elizabeth Perkins Goins," according to Rev. Arthur Hamilton Taylor, was born in Tennessee in 1814. She appeared in the 1860 cen-sus of Hancock County in the household, No. 776-776, of her daughter Elizabeth Goins Sizemore:

Elizabeth Goins, daughter of Nellie Goins, was born about 1835. She was married to Owen Sizemore about 1856. He was killed during the Civil War. The later children born to Elizabeth Goins Sizemore were given the Sizemore surname, although Owen Sizemore was dead, according to the research of Jan Parks. Elizabeth Goins Sizemore was enum-erated as the head of a household in the Kyle’s Ford area of Hancock County in 1880.

Lydia Sizemore, daughter of Owen Sizemore and Elizabeth Goins Sizemore, was born February 27, 1858 in Hancock County, according to Rev. Arthur Hamilton Taylor. She was married April 4, 1875 to Jacob Witt Stewart, son of Boyd Stewart and Emma Bunch Stewart. Rev. Taylor described Lydia Sizemore as "medium tall, hooked nose, shows Indian blood, pleasant, friendly, with a long memory. She helped with much of this record." Seven children were born to her.

Tivis Sizemore, son of Elizabeth Goins Sizemore, was born about 1866 sometime after the death of Owen Sizemore. He was enumerated at age 14 in the 1880 census of Hancock County. He was married about 1903 to Mary Collins. He was shot and killed in Claiborne County, Tennessee in 1892[?], according to Jan Parks.

James Monroe Sizemore, daughter of Elizabeth Goins Sizemore, was born about 1867 in Hancock County. He appeared as a 13-year-old in the 1880 census.

Mary E. Sizemore, daughter of Elizabeth Goins Sizemore, was born about 1868 in Hancock County. She appeared in the 1880 census as a 12-year-old, according to Jan Parks. She was married about 1890 to

Sarah Cornelia Sizemore [Jarvis], daughter of Elizabeth Goins Sizemore, was born September 8, 1872. Jan Parks suggests that she was married about 1900 to James Trent Alder. Sarah Cornelia Sizemore Jarvis died October 23, 1930.

Loyd Sizemore, son of Elizabeth Goins Sizemore, was born about 1878 in Hancock County. He appeared as a two-year-old in the 1880 census. He was married about 1901 to Julia Mullins.

Tennessee Loyd Goins, son of Lydia Goins, was born Novem-ber 12, 1874 in Hancock County. He was married February 15, 1893 to Kyrie Collins, according to Rev. Taylor. He wrote,

"He was a farmer-carpenter, light complexioned, fairly tall, heavy shoulders, prominent nose. He was inclined to play very mean tricks on anyone he came in contact with, especial-ly Mr. and Mrs. George Allen Johnson. Kyrie Collins Goins showed Indian blood strongly. After her son Mathias was killed, Kyrie's whole per-sonality changed. She was mad at everybody, partic-ularly any of the Presbyterians. Tennessee and Kyrie were divorced, and she was remarried to an 80-year-old man from Knoxville. Following the death of her son, she was never right in her mind afterward. At times she would do some bad things, such as the time she uri-nated on one of the girls of the community. She was sentenced to 60 days in jail for this. She served about half of the sentence. She would publicly curse anyone who showed friendship for the Wardell Collins fami-ly." Tennessee Loyd Goins was remarried to Sophie Miser Goins, his niece by marriage. After three chil-dren were born, she abandoned her family and went to Maryland where she was remarried to Corda Cleven-ger. Later she returned for her children.”

Flora Goins, daughter of Tennessee Loyd Goins and Kyrie Collins Goins, was born February 12, 1893. She was married about 1918 to Luther Davidson. Luther Davidson died of pneumonia April 6, 1938, and his brother Robert Davidson also died of pneumonia on the same day.

Flora Goins Davidson remarried and was living in St. Charles, Virginia. She died there on Hallowe’en night, about 1960, according to William P. Grohse. "Some boys scared her, and she fell over dead. She was fair, had blue eyes and black hair."

Mollie Goins, daughter of Tennessee Loyd Goins and Kyrie Collins Goins, was born July 20, 1895 in Hancock County. She was

graduated from high school at Jonesville, Virginia and was graduated in 1921 from Knoxville General Hospital Nursing School. She

was married about 1924 to Bruce Elmer Burkhart, a World War I veteran. Children born to them include: Anna Jane Burkhart

born July 8, 1932 Julia Goins, daughter of Tennessee Loyd Goins and Kyrie Collins Goins, was born in June 1897 in Hancock

County. She attended school in Johnson City, Tennessee and in Jonesville, Virginia. She also graduated from nursing school in

Knoxville. She was married about 1927 to Tee Gibson. In the 1930s they lived in Hancock County. Mathias Goins, son of

Tennessee Loyd Goins and Kyrie Collins Goins, was born in November 1900. He was married to Eliza Anderson Saddler, a

divorcee about 1926. She was a daughter of Tom Anderson and Ruthie Williams Anderson. Mathias Goins was shot and killed by

Deputy Sheriff Wardell Collins on the steps of Vardy School February 11, 1931. Children born to Mathias Goins and Eliza

Anderson Saddler Goins include: William Ralph Goins born April 12, 1928 Lillian Goins, daughter of Tennessee Loyd Goins and

Kyrie Collins Goins, was born about 1902 in Hancock County. She was married about 1919 to a preacher named Taylor. She was

killed July 17, 1924 in an automotive accident in Lee County, Virginia. Corrine Goins, daughter of Tennessee Loyd Goins and

Sophie Miser Goins Goins, was born March 16, 1934. She was men- tally retarded due to rickets, according to Rev. Taylor. She

was institutionalized. Perry Dean Goins, son of Tennessee Loyd Goins and Sophie Miser Goins Goins, was born about 1935. He

became a long- shoreman in Baltimore. Mildred Goins, daughter of Tennessee Loyd Goins and So- phie Miser Goins Goins, was

born February 22, 1936. She was a midget. She died about 1975 in Maryland. ==O== Sarah "Sally" Gowen, [Agnes5, Edward,

Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1] regarded as the daughter of Agnes Gowen, was born about 1751 in Louisa County. She was

bound out November 28, 1759, according to Fredericksville Parish Vestry Book, page 29. "Sally Gowen" registered as a "Free

Negro" in Campbell County, Virginia May 12, 1802. Her entry read, "5'8", 45 years old, Mulattoe, born free in Louisa County,

according to "A Register of Free Negroes and Mulattoes." Children born to Sarah "Sally" Gowen include: Amy Gowen born about

1768 Amy Gowen, [Sarah "Sally"6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1], daughter of Sarah "Sally" Gowen, was born

about 1768 in Louisa County. She was bound apprentice by the Churchwardens of Trinity Parish there January 9, 1775. "Amey

Gowen" was registered in Campbell County January 20, 1802. Her entry read: "5'2½", 34 years old, yellow complection, born

free." David Going, [Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1] regarded as the son of Agnes Gowen, was born about

1752 in Louisa County. He was taxable in his own household in Fredericksville Parish in 1772. He was a taxable in the household

of Pouncy Bunch in 1774. In 1775 he was recorded in the household of his brother, Moses Going, according to "Louisa County,

Virginia Tithables" in 1775. In 1778 he was recorded in the household of Joseph Bunch. David Going was enumerated in

Albemarle County with "1 horse" in "The 1787 Census of Virginia." David Going was married to Clawey [Chloe] Webb in Henrico

County. Date of the marriage bond was July 17, 1789, and the bondsman was his cousin, "John Geoine" who testified that Clawey

Webb was over age 21. His cousin, Anne Going was a witness. David Going was enumerated as the head of a household of eight

"free colored" in the 1810 census of Albemarle County. Children born to David Going and Chloe Going are unknown.

Benjamin Going, [Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1] regarded as the son of Agnes Gowen, was born about 1755 in Louisa County. He appeared in the 1787 tax list of Albemarle County, He paid a tax of "3 horses and 2 cattle," according to "The 1787 Census of Virginia." Benjamin Going "of this county" was the surety for the mar- riage of "Agg Going" to Richard Newman September 7, 1793. The bride is regarded as his daughter. He reappeared there in the 1810 census as the head of a household composed of four "free colored" in the 1810 census.

Agnes "Agg" Going, [Benjamin6, Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1] regarded as a daughter of

Benjamin Going, was born about 1775 in Albemarle County. She was married there September 7, 1793 to Richard Newman,

Sherwood Going, [Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, Willi-am2, Mihil1] "free colored," son of Agnes Going, was born about 1756, probably in Louisa County. He was identified as the son of Agnes Going in "Free African Americans in North Carolina and Virginia."

The Louisa County Court on April 10, 1770 ordered that the church wardens of Trinity Parish "bind out all her children under 21 years except the youngest." Sherwood Going was bound out to William Phil-lips. On February 12, 1776 Agnes Going appeared in court to file a complaint about the ill-treatment "Sherrod Going was receiving from his master, William Phillips."

He enlisted for three years service in 1777 in the Fourteenth Virginia Regiment under command of Col. Charles Lews and re-enlisted in 1780 for an additional 18 months, according to statements in his pension application dated October 9, 1828 in Albemarle County. "Sharod Going" endorsed the Revolution-ary pension application of Charles Barnett, "mulatto" who was born about 1764 in Albemarle County. Charles Barnett de-clared that he had "enlisted in the Seventh Virginia Regiment at Charlottesville." "Sharod Going" corroborated his state-ment, and in his endorsement mentioned, "I was with him at Chesterfield Court House."

"Sherard Gowen" received a grant September 30, 1783 of 196 acres "on the waters of Buck Mountain Creek," according to "Virginia Land Grants, 1782-1783," Book H, page 575. Sherrod Going was a resident of Albemarle County in 1787 when he appeared on the tax list there taxable on "one tithe, two horses and four cattle." "Sherod Gowin" received a land warrant in the Mili-tary District of Ohio, however it is be-lieved that he sold the warrant rather than move to the new area.

"Sherwood Gowing" was married June 5, 1791 to Susannah Simmons in Stokes County, North Carolina, according to "Stokes County, North Carolina Marriages, 1783-1850." "Sherod Going" was married to Susannah Simmons June 5, 1791 in Albemarle County by Parson William Woods, accord-ing to her pension application. A copy of their marriage cer-tificate certified by the Albemarle County Clerk was attached in substantiation.

The pension application of "Sherard Going" and that of his wife "Susannah Simmons Going" were abstracted in "Virgin-ia Pension Abstracts of Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and Indian Wars," Volume 19 by Lucy Kate McGhee. In the application given to the court at Charlottesville, he stated, "I am a colored man and very illiterate" and that he had lost his discharge. He stated that he had a wife and two boys, "a boy about the age of 8 or 9 and another about the age of 10 or 12." He reported that he owned 200 acres of mountainous land with 30 or 40 acres cleared. He was a day laborer and owned one cow. His application was endorsed by an affidavit signed by A. C. Nanis.

"Sherrod Going" was enumerated as the head of a household of 12 "other free" people in the census of 1810 of Albemarle County. "Sherod Gowing" appeared as the head of a nine- member household in a cluster of 12 Gowing households of "free colored" in the 1820 census of Albemarle County, page 8A. Three members of his family were engaged in agricul-ture.

He reappeared in the 1830 census of Albemarle County, page 252 as the head of a household composed of 10 free colored individuals:

Sherwood Going died September 4, 1837, about age 81. "Su-sannah Simmons Gowin" made an application for a reinstate-ment of a widow's pension November 27, 1841. In it she stat-ed that her age was "about 70," that she had lived in Albe-marle County all of her life and she was the "widow of Sherod Gowin, deceased." She declared that she had received a wid-ow's pension from the date of her husband's death September 4, 1837 through November 23, 1837.

An endorsement attached to her application read, "She is a coloured woman of high respectability and her declaration is entitled to full credit."

Joshua Going, [Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1] regarded as the son of

Agnes Gowen, was born about 1758 in Louisa County. He was enumerated in the 1787 census of Albemarle County as the owner

of "3 horses and 2 cattle," according to "The 1787 Census of Virginia." Nearby were enumerated the households of his mother, "Agness Gowen" and his brothers, "Benjamin Going, Joseph Going, Sherwood Going and David Going." It is believed that a descendant of Joshua Going was: Joshua Goins born about 1829

William2, Mihil1] regarded as a grandson of Joshua Going, was born in Virginia, probably in Albemarle County, according to the

research of Gary Traugh of Parkersburg, West Virginia. Gary Traugh states that this branch of the family was closely associated

with the Ailstock family. Joshua Goins was the father of: Julia Ann Goins born February 24, 1859 Julia Ann Goins, [Joshua8, ?7,

Joshua6, [Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1] daughter of Joshua Goins, was born February 24, 1859 in Virginia,

probably Albemarle County, according to Okeema Traugh, a great-granddaugher of Parkersburg, West Virginia. Julia Ann Goins

was married about 1877 to Adam Tabler. In 1920 they lived in Athens County, Ohio. Julia Ann Goins Tabler, "black female," died

at Kelvert, Ohio September 7, 1920 of "mitral insufficiency," according to her death certificate signed by Paul R. McLaughlin,

M.D. She was "aged 61 years, 7 months, 14 days." She was buried in Kelvert Cemetery September 10, 1920. Children born to

them are unknown. Samuel Going, [Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1] regarded as a son of Agnes Gowen, was

born about 1760 in Louisa County. He apparently was influenced to move to Georgia by Moses Going, his older brother. Samuel

Going became a physician. He was married January 28, 1799 to Elizabeth Slade, according to "Early Records of Wilkes County,

Georgia," page 544. The marriage was also recorded in "Ceded Lands of St. Paul Parish & Early Wilkes County, Georgia," page

9. She was born about 1782. He was influenced to remove to Claiborne County, Mississippi Territory by his nephew, Thomas

Going who had located there before 1810. He became a business partner with his nephew in a medical practice, according to an

affidavit made by Thomas S. Phillips May 28, 1847 before the Crittenden Circuit Court in Cirttenden County, Kentucky. Samuel

Going was enumerated in Claiborne County there in the 1816 census in a consecutive entry with his nephew as the head of a

household composed of "10 free colored inhabitants." In the federal census of Claiborne County in 1820, page 9A Samuel Going

was recorded as the head of a houshold composed of "one white female, 26-45, 10 free colored and two slaves." Five members of

the household were engaged in agriculture. His nephew, Thomas Going was recorded nearby [page 7] as the head of household

composed of "one white female 26-45, one white female 16-26, one white female 10-16, one free colored male and seven slaves."

Three members of the household were engaged in agriculture. On April 26, 1833 Samuel Going wrote his will: In the Name of

God, Amen: I, Samuel Going of Claiborne County and State of Mississippi, being in feeble health and likely to die, but of sound and

disposing mind do make and ordain this my last Will and Testament: Item 1st. It is my will and desire, after the payment of all my

just debts that my beloved wife Betsey and our four children, Martha A, Elizabeth, Ellenor and Josiah Going shall have and

possess all the property of which I may be possessed, both real and personal, to have and to hold the same in equal proportions for

and during the natural life of my said wife Betsey, and at her death, the whole to be equally divided between my four above named

children for them and each of them to have and to hold in fee . . . I do hereby nominate and appoint my beloved and trusty son,

William Going my Executor to settle and pay my debts and to have the provisions of this, my will duly performed. Signed and

acknowledged in the presence of: Wm. H. Wyck Jon McCaleb Samuel Going Humphrey Shearman" Duly Recorded Lucas Gee,

Clk. Children born to Samuel Going and Elizabeth "Betsy" Slade Going include: William Going born about 1800 Martha A. Going

born about 1802 Elizabeth Going born about 1804 Ellenor Going born about 1807 Josiah Going born about 1811 William Going,

[Samuel6, [Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1], son of Samuel Going and Elizabeth "Betsy" Slade Going, was born

about 1800, probably in Wilkes County, Georgia. He was named by his father as the executor of his will written May 28, 1847.

Martha A. Going, [Samuel6, [Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1], daughter of Samuel Going and Elizabeth "Betsy"

Slade Going, was born about 1802. She was mentioned in the will of her father written May 28, 1847. Elizabeth Going, [Samuel6,

[Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1], daughter of Samuel Going and Elizabeth "Betsy" Slade Going, was born about

1807. She was mentioned in the will of her father written May 28, 1847. Josiah Going, [Samuel6, [Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3,

William2, Mihil1], daughter of Samuel Going and Elizabeth "Betsy" Slade Going, was born about 1811. He was mentioned in the

will of his father written May 28, 1847. Ellenor Going, [Samuel6, [Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1], daughter of

Samuel Going and Elizabeth "Betsy" Slade Going, was born about 1802. She was mentioned in the will of her father written May28, 1847. Daniel Going, [Agnes5, Edward, Jr.4, Edward3, William2, Mihil1] regarded as a son of Agnes Gowen, was born about 1766 in Louisa County. He may have been the "white male 16-21" recorded in the household of his mother in the enumeration of 1787. He was enumerated in 1787 in Albemarle County as taxable on "1 tithe and 1 horse," according to Paul Heinegg "Daniel Going, formerly a private in the Fifth Regiment, Virginia Continental Line was living in East Tennessee in 1818," according to "Pension List of 1818," published in 1820 in Washington, D. C. "William Goings of Hancock County, Tennessee" was listed on the same page.

Jaymie Friedman Frederick, Foundation Editorial Board-member of Scobey, Montana, wrote in March 1996 that she regarded her Georgia ancestors to be descended from Moses Going. She wrote:

Our James Going kept popping up around these men who were all Georgia-born, as was the father of James Going.

Absalom Jefferson Goins moved to Poplar Bluff, Missouri in 1855 and remained there until his death. He had come from Crittenden County, Kentucky.

Absalom Goins was enumerated as the head of a household in the 1850 census of Lawrence County, Strawberry township, Household B-413:

Hiram Goins was shown as the head of Household No. 482 in Strawberry township, Lawrence County in the 1850 census:

We immediately started searching in Livingston County, since Crittenden was formed from Livingston in 1842. We found all of these Goins men listed in the 1840 census. All of these guys were listed as "free mulattos" and owned slaves! Boy, was I confused now, but I kept on digging!

I found where all of these Georgia Gowan/Going/Goins men came to Livingston County from Wilkes and Greene Counties, Georgia in 1801. Greene County was organized in 1786 with land from Wilkes County. The first that arrived in Kentucky were Aaron Goins, Reuben Goins, Gallant/Garland Goins, Patsy Goins and Elizabeth Goins. They were listed in the Old Salem Baptist Church records in 1804, and believe it or not, the present-day church still has the original church meeting minutes.

From the minutes, I got my first clue that my family was not very popular in Kentucky. Poor Aaron was being constantly called down by the church council for speaking harshly to others and was made to apologize publicly. I knew something was wrong when I found a reference to an apology Aaron had to make to a black slave!

How many people were forced to apologize to slaves in 1805? In 1809, "Sister Going" got our whole bunch excommunicated for stating that the Goings "did not believe what the Salem Church was preaching, and that they believed in a more Cal-vinistic doctrine." Although they were considered white by the church members, the tax collectors certainly considered them black. My g-g-g- grandfather, John Going showed up around 1806, and after two years of being reported as "white" on the tax rolls, as his kinsmen were, they all became "mulat-tos."

We searched through land records and established that John L. Goins [aka Levi Goins] ca1796 Georgia; Hiram B. Goins, 1799 Georgia; Abner A. Goins, 1803 Georgia and Absalom Jefferson Goins, 1805 Georgia were all brothers, sons of John Goins. They inherited their father's farm upon his death in 1820, along with "their aunts Mary, Lucy, and Massa." The farm, about 800 acres, was valuable. It had a sawmill and a gristmill located on it. My g-g-g- grandfather John L. Goins was married to Rebecca Harris in 1835, across the Ohio River in Pope County, Illinois. I suspect they went there to marry as Kentucky at that time would not license mulattos to marry. The Goins family may have felt it necessary to leave Georgia

because of the racial prejudice they encountered, but Kentucky wasn't much better. Minutes of the Crittenden County Circuit

Court in 1837 and 1838 show that John L. Going was twice charged with assault, along with his brother, Abner. The charges,

There were several land disputes with their neighbors; I concluded that the neighbors were trying to 'run them off.' Luckily the county court judges must have been fairly decent, as the family members managed to hold on to their land throughout all the persecution.

John Levi Going received a deed from his brothers to 235 acres from his father's estate in a deed dated September 2, 1842, according to Crittenden County, Kentucky Deed Book A, page 94:

"Abner A. Going, Hiram Going and Jefferson Going, heirs of John Going, Sr, dec'd, to John L. Going, all of Crittenden County, $1 and for the further consideration of relinquishing to John L. all, claim, right, interest and title as heirs to the tract of land containing 235 acres on which John L. Going lives, including a saw and grist mill on Brushy fork of Crooked Creek. This land is a portion of a 400-acre tract granted to John Going, dec'd in his lifetime by patent July 27, 1819 and being the portion that fell to their father in a division between Mary Going, Lucy Going and Massy Going, his sisters and our Aunts and being the portion by a division amongst the heirs set apart to John L. Going as a legal heir of their father, John Going, but which since his death been deeded.

In 1844, John L. Going and his wife, Rebecca Harris Going and Abner Going and his wife, Matilda Jenkins Going were arrested for the crime of fornication! John and Rebecca had removed to adjoining Union County, Kentucky, but their troubles followed them.

Again, the neighbors turned them in and had arrest warrants drawn up against them. The whole Going gang left Crittenden County in 1847 and removed to Arkansas and Missouri. Only John remained in Union County. Last summer, Mom and I went there and learned even more! The local historian, a man in his 80s, had a friend whose father had known the Goings. They were suspected of counterfeiting and selling the bogus money to people on their way to the California gold rush. When they were alerted that the sheriff was coming, the Go-ings left for Missouri and Arkansas.

where they had any more legal troubles in Missouri or in Arkansas. We were fascinated to learn that they were known to be

fortune-tellers, the most renowned being Nancy Goins. To this day in Marion, Kentucky, people say, "If you want good luck, just

She convinced her clients that she was their good luck charm and could help them attain any goal! Not long

after they left Kentucky, a schoolhouse was built on the old farm and was named the Goins School. The Goins family cemetary

lies beside the old school, long rotted away. The school children were told that it was an Indian burial ground. The stones are

unmarked and were hauled from the river to the gravesite. I later learned from a local genealogist that the Goings were looked

down upon and were considered troublemakers. [Then why did they suddenly become model citizens and not continue to make trouble after they left Kentucky?] She also reported that there were caves on their Kentucky farm, and when trouble came [which was often], the offender hid out in the caves until the coast was clear again."

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