# 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

# 34 REDBONE DEFINITION -- BAH, HUMBUG!

By Gary J. Gabehart

Okay, let's get this straight, (Read my lips) "there is no definition of the Redbone or Melungeon people." They were mixed blood people. Get it? AND, IT WAS A CLASS THING!

As close as you will ever get is they were mixed blood people, and not all had the same blood mix, and most of them never gave a rat's ass anyhow! This of course is likely contrary to the Grand Wizard and know it all, LV Hayes who constantly changes his definition as much as he changes his insulin.

Today, in modern times we can begin to seperate families and even lines, via DNA, to discover that uncle Joe's wife, whose last name was never known, came from a family that originated from an area of what once was Persia. Of course, uncle Joe came from elsewhere. Things like this make a greater case to have your DNA done just to put a face on your family.

And we've all heard the Indian Grandmother story which may or may not have been entirely true in the first place. Of course, there likely was some bloodline or relation which was long forgotten in Granny's day even.

But why would you think was the reason that all these mix blood people ended up together? I've said it for years, Indians hung out with Indians -- class hung out with like classes. There really is no surprise to any of this.

If, you were of the privileged class, you likely could import a wife from England or elsewhere, but if you were not, you had to look at what was available. Sounds pretty hokey but that was the way it was, and there were very few women who had to do any of the leg work and besides, many thought it was not politically correct anyhow -- and it wasn't.

The Drake family, from where I descend, had some mixed blood in it (LV Hayes is a cousin) and some of that family ended up on Bearhead Creek, Louisiana. They were of course mentioned in the 1893 Rigmaiden letter, from Calcasieu Parish, as being Redbone. But, Albert Rigmaidens mother was a Ryan who was related to the Drakes, yet it would appear that Albert Rigmaiden did not consider himself Redbone (DNA wise, the male Rigmaiden line would not likely show up with Drake mixed blood and would follow back to England anyway, so who knows). So there you go, what buys yourself into other classes of people is success, money or power. Certainly the Rigmaiden's had much success which likely brought the other two. Guilt by association was likely forgotten as was distant cousins and lost generations.

Was LV Hayes a direct Drake descendant? Obviously not -- since his surname is Hayes. Neither am I a direct male descendant of the Drakes as my surname is Gabehart.

As for LV Hayes' recent statements about RHF, Stacy Webb and Gabe Gabehart, I have to laugh as what would LV Hayes know about anything? He wasn't there, never has been a member of RHF, never made a presentation before them and never will, and he should mind his own business.

As for his nonsense about non-Redbones on the RHF Board, RHF researches Redbone history, they are not a social recreation club for Redbones (see Ray Bridges new group). If you want to research or learn new stuff, welcome aboard -- LV Hayes has missed the point entirely in his attack on RHF.

Racist, Fruit loop, Drama Queen? You decide.

Bah Humbug, I'm too busy to care.

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

Mishiho@aol.com