# 44 -- SON OF A .....WHO?

By Gary J. Gabehart

I'm asked to give an example of Redbone folks originating in the Carolina's, and it would seem to some folks that if they were born in Louisiana and their parents were born there, then the Carolina's don't count. Carolina's don't count?

Let me give you an example of a number of migration patterns by family names. It goes along with what I said in my last blog; "born in the Carolina's, children in Mississippi, died in Louisiana." Couldn't be simpler than that.

Now Albert Rigmaiden, 1890's Calcasieu Parish Treasurer, in a letter to McDonald Furman, dated May 6, 1893 states that the Redbone people were neither White nor Black and not well liked by the Negro's.

In his letter, he mentions the names of "some of the principal and oldest families that I know of, they are -- Ashworth -- Goins -- Perkins -- Drake -- Hoozer -- Sweat -- Buxton -- Doil or Dial -- Johnson -- Esclavant."

http://jgoins.com/rigmaiden_calcasieu_parish.htm

Albert Rigmaiden is as close as anyone to being the guy on the ground in 1893 -- this was his perception at the time, and his perception would hold far more validity than a modern day supposition.

Note that his commentary stated that the names he gave, were "some of the principal and oldest that he knew of." There are other names claimed of course. I'm not sure of on what basis, so I won't speculate.

Let's take the Bass family that I have information on.

Moses Bass b. 1778 and Elizabeth Terrell b. 1778 -- both in North Carolina. Moses married Elizabeth in Amite, Mississippi in 1804. Moses died in 1845 and Elizabeth in 1860. Both died in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana.

Now I know that some folks will argue that the Bass' were not Redbone, and they may not have been, but their children grew up in Redbone Country and lived around Redbones. In fact, their kids likely married into Redbone families, such as, the Drakes.

Now we have two Redbone names, were they Redbones?

Aaron Dial b. 1765 North Carolina & Leith Drake b. abt 1775 in North Carolina. Aaron died 1831, Leith in 1819, both around St. Landry, Louisiana.

Another Redbone name.

John Aaron Drake, Sr. b. 1750, Virginia & Elizabeth Chavis/Chevis b. 1750 in Virginia. Drake, Sr. d. 1813 and Elizabeth, 1815, both in St Martinsville, Louisiana.

Of course, none of these folks jumped on Southwest Airlines on the East Coast and deplaned in Louisiana. Most came by land and they did not drive down the Interstate. Some may have walked a good portion of the way, if not all the way.

We can do the same comparisons with Joshua Perkins and Mary Mixon, out of South Carolina and into Louisiana, and there are others too numerous to mention here.

So there are some examples. There are more, but these are some I'm related to.

The above picture is of Ruben Goins, his sister Mary Goins Southward and her husband William C. Southward.

Gary. J. Gabehart, Mishiho (Mish-eh-ho)

Mishiho@aol.com

# 35 REDBONE MIGRATION, AN AMERICAN THING!

By Gary J. Gabehart

"Migration is just a part of the human experience. Like canines, the urge to travel is over powering for most of us."

Although some family members stayed put, the younger ones often picked up and moved West to find free land and make their fortune. Nothing hard to understand about that exercise. They were married before they left, or some were, and -- others married along the way.

Those migration trails began on the Eastern Seaboard -- Virginia, Carolina's and snaked West and South across the land to Spanish Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi Territory and Louisiana and Texas. Some went to Kentucky and Illinois before turning South or North.

So in a sense, Redbones came from all over -- not just Louisiana, Mississippi or the Carolina's. Some folks would have the Redbones springing out of the ground in Bearhead Creek, others recognize that the Redbone families originated elsewhere. It was more of a class thing, and for those out there claiming "my family was more Redbone than yours," (think about it) they were just talking about their own narrow little family -- especially from a modern day perspective.

Being a class thing, you could climb out of it with time and money. Move down the road, start your own business and build a big house. If you wanted to remain in the Redbone class designation, you surely could do that as well.

Redbones were not bi-racial, tri-racial or any other racial. There were simply too many races or ethnicity's involved. They were at best, multi-racial and that included Scots and Irishmen alike. You name the ethnicity, and it was there.

Some folks are hung up on names they know. As kids they visited and played with cousins on Bearhead Creek so that is all they know. They ignore their cousins up in Pitkin, Natchitoches or Alexandria which to me is absurd in the light that these same folks have not lived on Bearhead in fifty years and now live in those West Coast funny communities.

But, perhaps they were just continuing to migrate Westward. As one Redbone near Singer put it to me, " relatives and their kids -- you know, you can't pick your relatives." So, if you don't like your relatives, too bad, it's history and you're stuck with them -- even the strange ones -- it's an American thing!

Gary J. Gabehart, Mishiho (Mish-eh-ho)
Mishihi@aol.com