PRIMARY DOCUMENT

Surnames, by Counties and Cities, of Mixed Negroid Virginia Families Striving to Pass as “Indian” or White by Walter A. Plecker (ca. 1943)

ORIGINAL IMAGES
Letter from Walter A. Plecker to Local Registrars
CONTEXT

Walter Plecker, Virginia’s registrar of vital statistics, compiled this list of the surnames of families he believed were Black and misidentifying themselves as white or Indian to distribute to public health personnel. This was part of Plecker and the state’s attempts to eliminate documentary records of Virginia Indians’ existence. These actions are known as the Paper Genocide and affected tribal communities’ efforts for federal recognition into the twenty-first century.

Author: Walter A. Plecker
    Transcription Source: “Surnames, by Counties and Cities, of Mixed Negroid Virginia Families Striving to Pass as “Indian” or White.,” Library of Virginia, accessed June 13, 2024, https://lva.omeka.net/items/show/64.

    FULL TEXT
    Letter from Walter A. Plecker to Local Registrars
    Letter from Walter A. Plecker to Local Registrars, et al. (December 1943)

    SURNAMES, BY COUNTIES AND CITIES, OF MIXED NEGROID VIRGINIA FAMILIES STRIVING TO PASS AS “INDIAN” OR WHITE.

    Albermarle: Moon, Powell, Kidd, Pumphrey.

    Amherst: (Migrants to Alleghany and Campbell)
    Adcock (Adcox), Beverly (this family is now trying to evade the situation by adopting the name of Burch or Birch, which was the name of the white mother of the present adult generation), Branham, Duff, Floyd, Hamilton, Hartless, Hicks, Johns, Lawless, Nuckles (Knuckles), Painter, Ramsey, Redcross, Roberts, Southards (Suthards, Southerds, Southers), Sorrells, Tyree, Willis, Clark, Cash, Wood.

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

    Rockbridge: (Migrants to Augusta)
    Cash, Clark, Coleman, Duff, Floyd, Hartless, Hicks, Mason, Mayse (Mays), Painters, Pultz, Ramsey, Southerds (Southers, Southards, Suthards), Sorrells, Tarry, Tyree, Wood, Johns.

    Charles City: Collins, Dennis, Bradby, Howell, Langston, Stewart, Wynn, Adkins.

    King William: Collins, Dennis, Bradby, Howell, Langston, Stewart, Wynn, Custalow (Custaloe), Dungoe, Holmes, Miles, Page, Allmond, Adams, Hawkes, Spurlock, Doggett.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Westmoreland: Sorrells, Worlds (or Worrell), Atwells, Gutridge, Oliff.

    Greene: Shifflet, Shiflet.

    Prince William: Tyson, Segar. (See Fauquier)

    Fauquier: Hoffman (Huffman), Riley, Colvin, Phillips. (See Prince William)

    Lancaster: Dorsey (Dawson).

    Washington: Beverly, Barlow, Thomas, Hughes, Lethcoe, Worley.

    Roanoke County: Beverly. (See Washington)

    Lee and Smyth: Collins, Gibson (Gipson), Moore, Goins, Ramsey, Delph, Bunch, Freeman, Mise, Barlow, Bolden (Bolin), Mullins, Hawkins. – Chiefly Tennessee “Melungeons.”

    Scott: Dingus. (See Lee County)

    Russell: Keith, Castell, Stillwell, Meade, Profitt. (See Lee & Tazewell)

    Tazewell: Hammed, Duncan.

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

    FEATURED IN
    FURTHER READING

    An act declaring who shall not bear office in this country (October 1705) An act declaring what persons shall be deemed mulattoes (October 1785) General Provisions as to Slaves (1860) An Act to amend and re-enact the 9th section of chapter 103 of the Code of Virginia for 1860 (1866) An Act to amend and re-enact section 49 of the Code of Virginia, 1887 (1910) Colored Persons and Indians Defined (1924) Preservation of Racial Integrity (1924) Atha Sorrells v. A. T. Shields, Clerk, Petition for Mandamus (November 14, 1924) Letter from Walter A. Plecker to Turner McDowell (September 27, 1937) Letter from Walter A. Plecker to Local Registrars, et al. (December 1943)

    CITE THIS ENTRY
    APA Citation:
    Plecker, Walter. Surnames, by Counties and Cities, of Mixed Negroid Virginia Families Striving to Pass as “Indian” or White by Walter A. Plecker (ca. 1943). (2020, December 07). In Encyclopedia Virginia. https://encyclopediavirginia.org/primary-documents/surnames-by-counties-and-cities-of-mixed-negroid-virginia-families-striving-to-pass-as-indian-or-white-by-walter-a-plecker-ca-1943.
    MLA Citation:
    Plecker, Walter. "Surnames, by Counties and Cities, of Mixed Negroid Virginia Families Striving to Pass as “Indian” or White by Walter A. Plecker (ca. 1943)" Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, (07 Dec. 2020). Web. 31 Aug. 2026
    Last updated: 2024, June 17
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