A People of Color
Alleghany County is not racially diverse by any stretch of the imagination. In the 2000 census, 10,217 persons, or 95.7% of the total population, listed themselves as being White. Only 131 persons, or 1.2%, considered themselves to be Black. We also have another 28 persons, or 0.3%, that call themselves American Indians, another 21 persons who specify Asian as their race, and a single person who claims to be a Pacific Islander. The remaining 279 people, however, listed themselves as being either multiracial or of some other race. And, it’s these 2.7% of the population that make the history of Alleghany County interesting.
A group of people -- typically English speaking, with northern English surnames, and perhaps best described as tri-racial isolates –- originated in the Tidewater area of Virginia in the early 1700’s. Speculation is that they began life in America as escaped or shipwrecked English slaves, and DNA evidence is that, although they originally came from both the European and African areas surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, they also intermarried with the American Indians. Racially disavowed by Black, Whites and Indians alike, these "people of color" became social isolates living in the largely ungoverned area along the then ill-defined Virginia-North Carolina state line.
By the middle of the 1700’s, a group of them had moved to the Flat River area outside Hillsborough in what was then Orange County, NC. By the end of the 1700’s, this group had moved westward into the Piedmont and the New River basin, always staying near the Virginia-North Carolina line. Their final migration was into what is today Hancock County, TN where a large concentration of them still live on Newman’s Ridge.
I am always surprised when I run into a descendent of these people in Alleghany County or the surrounding areas of Virginia. Yet it happens with some regularity; I saw one last Saturday at the Blue Ridge Music Center and another at the Sparta Post Office a few months ago. The most striking feature is their skin coloring. It’s not that of a Black or White or Indian, but rather a beautiful shade of bronze. They are typically taller than average with striking (there’s that word again) facial features and straight black hair. The women are usually described as beautiful. And, I catch myself staring at them for much longer than I should.
The ethnicity of this group is limited. Unlike the Cajuns in Louisiana, for example, they have no language, music, or literature of their own. In their isolation, most lacked a formal education. They have no oral history, and only now are beginning to piece together something of their background. Until recently they might tell you, when asked, that they were "Portuguese" or maybe that they had some Indian ancestors. But, as for Blacks, they were racists and generally denied having any Black ancestry. Yet, in the early censuses, they were often listed as mulattoes.
Over the decades, these "people of color" intermarried with their White neighbors, and today most have lost their identity. Since their surnames were usually English, it is often difficult, if not impossible, to know with certainty whether any particular individual is a descendent without DNA testing. We do know, however, that a number of names common in Alleghany County today are closely associated with this group of people. These names include, among others, Joines (Goins), Edwards, Andrews, Cheek, Osborne, Cox (Cocke), Reeves (Reaves), Tolliver and Carrico.
And, of course, we are fortunate enough to sometimes still see the descendents of these interesting and diverse "people of color" living in our midst as friends and neighbors.
A group of people -- typically English speaking, with northern English surnames, and perhaps best described as tri-racial isolates –- originated in the Tidewater area of Virginia in the early 1700’s. Speculation is that they began life in America as escaped or shipwrecked English slaves, and DNA evidence is that, although they originally came from both the European and African areas surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, they also intermarried with the American Indians. Racially disavowed by Black, Whites and Indians alike, these "people of color" became social isolates living in the largely ungoverned area along the then ill-defined Virginia-North Carolina state line.
By the middle of the 1700’s, a group of them had moved to the Flat River area outside Hillsborough in what was then Orange County, NC. By the end of the 1700’s, this group had moved westward into the Piedmont and the New River basin, always staying near the Virginia-North Carolina line. Their final migration was into what is today Hancock County, TN where a large concentration of them still live on Newman’s Ridge.
I am always surprised when I run into a descendent of these people in Alleghany County or the surrounding areas of Virginia. Yet it happens with some regularity; I saw one last Saturday at the Blue Ridge Music Center and another at the Sparta Post Office a few months ago. The most striking feature is their skin coloring. It’s not that of a Black or White or Indian, but rather a beautiful shade of bronze. They are typically taller than average with striking (there’s that word again) facial features and straight black hair. The women are usually described as beautiful. And, I catch myself staring at them for much longer than I should.
The ethnicity of this group is limited. Unlike the Cajuns in Louisiana, for example, they have no language, music, or literature of their own. In their isolation, most lacked a formal education. They have no oral history, and only now are beginning to piece together something of their background. Until recently they might tell you, when asked, that they were "Portuguese" or maybe that they had some Indian ancestors. But, as for Blacks, they were racists and generally denied having any Black ancestry. Yet, in the early censuses, they were often listed as mulattoes.
Over the decades, these "people of color" intermarried with their White neighbors, and today most have lost their identity. Since their surnames were usually English, it is often difficult, if not impossible, to know with certainty whether any particular individual is a descendent without DNA testing. We do know, however, that a number of names common in Alleghany County today are closely associated with this group of people. These names include, among others, Joines (Goins), Edwards, Andrews, Cheek, Osborne, Cox (Cocke), Reeves (Reaves), Tolliver and Carrico.
And, of course, we are fortunate enough to sometimes still see the descendents of these interesting and diverse "people of color" living in our midst as friends and neighbors.
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