PRIMARY DOCUMENT

Surnames, by Counties and Cities, of Mixed Negroid Virginia Families Striving to Pass as “Indian” or White

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, https://lva.omeka.net/items/show/64.

FULL TEXT

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. 

CITE THIS ENTRY
APA Citation:
Plecker, Walter & Miller, Patricia. Surnames, by Counties and Cities, of Mixed Negroid Virginia Families Striving to Pass as “Indian” or White. (2025, November 21). 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.
MLA Citation:
Plecker, Walter, and Patricia Miller. "Surnames, by Counties and Cities, of Mixed Negroid Virginia Families Striving to Pass as “Indian” or White" Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, (21 Nov. 2025). Web. 25 Aug. 2026
Last updated: 2025, November 21
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