Due to the discovery of a rare genetic "skeleton key," it is deter-mined that many descendants with various spellings of the fam-ily name are blood related. The fact that each group has "chocolate colored" members called Melungeons, ties all the branches together. The swarthy Melungeons generally have sharp, aquiline features and blue eyes.

It is unfortunate that early census enumerators in the United States did not have the latitude to properly record individuals who did not fit into their prescribed pigeon-holes of "white, In-dian, slaves, mulattos, and free men of color. The Melungeons were none of the above!

Louise Littleton Davis, writing in "The Mystery of the Melun-geons" refers to them as a "mystery race tucked away between ridges of East Tennessee mountains long before Daniel Boone and the long hunters arrived." She suggests that they were de-scendants of Portuguese sailors shipwrecked off Cape Hatteras in the 1500s or of deserters from Ferdinando De Soto's expedi-tion in 1539. A Portuguese writer who accompanied the De Soto expedition on its four-year search for gold, wrote "Evora," an ac-count of the trek, upon his return to Portugal. An English trans-lation of his manuscript was published in 1609 by the Hakluyt Society of London.

In any event, when English adventurers first topped the moun-tains going westward, there they were--copper-colored colonists who had gotten there first! It is also interesting to note that the Melungeons used English names, such as Gowen/Goin, Ross, Sellers and others.

Jean Patterson Bible in "The Melungeons, Yesterday and Today" concluded that the Melungeons were Portuguese castaways. ["Melungo" means "shipmate" in Portuguese.] Lewis Shepherd concurred and reasoned that because of cultural similarities, the Melungeons were originally Carthagenians who escaped by ship to Portugal when the city fell to the Arabs in A.D. 68.

It is probable that the Melungeons in America predated the first Negro slaves who arrived in Jamestown in 1619. The Melun-geons do not have white palms, white soles, thick lips or flared nostrils. Lewis Shepherd, attorney [later judge] of Chattanooga won a lawsuit proving that the Melungeons were not negroid. John Netherland won a similar lawsuit in Hancock County. As recently as WWII, the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled that Melungeon soldiers should be classified as non-negroid by the military.

It is interesting to note that Melungeon characteristics are found today in several branches of the family--Gowan, Gowen, Gowin, Goin, Going, Goen, Gowing and Goyne. This strengthens the theory that all of the above carry some common genes, and Melungeon features can crop out in any generation. Chan Ed-mondson, light complexioned vice-president of the Foundation, reports that his father, Charles Bartlett Edmondson a Gowen de-scendant, was called "Choc" because of his chocolate complex-ion.

Whether a genealogical curse or blessing, this genetic skeleton key has forced researchers in any of the above to take notes on all of the above. This fact, plus the reality that scribes would in-variably record the surname in interchangeable spellings in ev-ery generation, requires that research be broad-ened to include every possibility.

It is planned that a research team be formed to make an inten-sive study of the Melungeons. Family researchers interested in joining in this effort are requested to contact the Foundation for details.
 
Foundation Press Release
November 1, 1989
For Immediate Release----

The mystery of the Melungeons of southern Appalachia which has intrigued family researchers for decades is to receive a new challenge in 1990.  A research team proposing to gather data starting in the Spanish Archives and continuing to Newman's Ridge in Hancock County, Tennessee is being organized to find the origin of this mysterious bronze-colored people.  The pro-ject is being undertaken by Gowen Research Foundation, a non-profit heritage society chartered in May 1989 through a grant from Miller A. Gowen of Geneva, a member of the Swiss financial community, according to Arlee Gowen, president.

The Melungeons arrived in Appalachia probably 200 years be-fore the colonists pushed across the mountains into Tennessee, according to Mary Sue Going of the Watauga Association of Genealogists of Jonesboro, Tennessee.  She stated that John Se-vier, later the first governor of Tennessee, first encountered the Melungeons in 1774 when his expedition crossed the Ap-palachians in Lord Dunsmore's War.  He wrote a report on the dark-skinned people he found there to the governor of North Carolina.  The report which today reposes in the state archives mentioned that the Melungeons wore beards. had straight, black hair and many had dark blue eyes.

When the first federal census was taken in 1790, the enumera-tors found hundreds of Melungeon households in the area where Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia and North Carolina con-join.  In that year Tennessee was enumerated as part of Salis-bury District of North Carolina.  The enumerators were in-structed to record the population as "white, free men of color, slaves. mulattos and Indians."  They were frustrated by the Melungeons who were none of the above.

Early settlers who asked the Melungeons about their origin were told that they were Portuguese.  Louise Littleton Davis writing in "The Mystery of the Melungeons" mentions that word melungo means shipmate in Portuguese.  She concluded that they were descended from Portuguese sailors shipwrecked off Cape Hatteras in the mid-1500s.

Jean Patterson Bible in "The Melungeons, Yesterday and Today" also concluded that they were Portuguese castaways.  Lewis Shepherd, a Chattanooga judge concurred and reasoned that be-cause of genetic and cultural characteristics, the Melungeons were originally Carthagenians who escaped by ship to Portugal when Carthage fell to the Arabs in A.D. 698.

Henry R. Price in "Melungeons: The Mysterious Colony of Newman's Ridge" offers a theory that the mysterious people were descendants of Sir Walter Raleigh's lost colony of Roanoke, Virginia established July 23, 1607.  Another expedi-tion arriving three years later found no trace of the vanished colonists.

Mary Sue Going suggests that they were descendants of desert-ers from a Spanish expedition which explored eastern Ten-nessee in 1577 under the command of Capt. Juan Pardo. Joseph Judge, an editor of National Geographic wrote an article on this expedition which was published in the March 1988 edition of the magazine.

Authority for his article was a translation of Pardo's report written in April 1569 and deposited in Seville's Archives of the Indies.  The archives holds 82,000,000 manuscript pages of well-preserved reports on Spanish efforts in America.  The re-port was translated by historian Herbert Ketcham and placed in the North Carolina State Archives.

Pardo arrived early in 1566 with 250 men and established his headquarters on Parris Island.  On November 30 he moved in-land as far as an Indian river city called Joara [DeSoto identi-fied the town as Xuala] where he built a fort and left 100 men under the command of Sgt. Hernando Moyano de Morales.  Joara is identified as present-day Newport, Tennessee by Mary Sue Going.  In the spring of 1567 a letter from Sgt. Moyano addressed to Capt. Pardo's headquarters told of eminent Indian trouble and of swapping insults with an Indian chieftain who "threatened to eat not only Sgt. Moyano. but his dog as well."

Moyano took the initiative, attacking and burning an Indian village. The chieftain retaliated with a force of 3,000 braves. The sergeant withdrew with a remnant of his forces to Chiaha [on Zimmerman's Island. according to archaeologist Polhemus who reports that the city is now submerged under 70 feet of water in Lake Douglas created by a TVA dam.]  Capt. Pardo with the help of some friendly Indians rescued Sgt. Moyano and the survivors and brought them back to Parris Island.

Manuscripts in the Spanish Archives reveal that there were Portuguese under Sgt. Moyano's command.  Emperor Charles V of Spain had made a star-crossed decision to attach the Nether-lands to the Spanish monarchy and consequently involved him-self and his successor son in a rebellion that they were unable to quell despite 54 years of continuous warfare.  A Dutch revolt against the Spanish monarch began in 1555 and continued to its successful conclusion in 1609.  The nation could not field enough soldiers to defend its empire, and as a consequence, Spain subjected neighboring Portugal and impressed Por-tuguese men into Spanish regiments throughout the empire.  It is more than credible that Portuguese soldiers would desert or defect in Tennessee if the opportunity presented Itself.

As a sidelight, a genealogical anomaly resulted from this war. A new race was created in the southern part of Holland during the six decades that Spanish and Portuguese soldiers were sta-tioned there. Their "fraternization" with the Dutch girls pro-duced dark-skinned children which were the beginning of the "Black Dutch."

The very dark Melungeons were frequently mistaken for Ne-groes, however they had sharp aquiline features.  They did not have white palms. white soles, thick lips or flared nostrils. Lewis Shepherd won a case in Chattanooga proving that the Melungeons were not Negroid.  John Netherland won a similar suit in Hancock County.  As recently as WWII, the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled that Melungeon soldiers should be classi-fied as non-Negroid by the military.

Dark-complexioned individuals occur in every generation in the southern branch of the Gowen family whenever Melungeon genes dominate.  It is interesting to note that these characteris-tics occur in several spelling variations of the name--Goan, Goen, Goin. Going, Gowan, Gowin, Gowing, Goyen, Goyne, along with other Soundex versions and plurals. This genealogi-cal "skeleton key" proves a relationship between the several branches of the family. Whether a curse or a blessing, it has forced researchers of any of the above to take notes on all of the above.

Genealogists nation-wide who have Melungeon data or who would like to participate in the Melungeon probe are invited to join the Foundation's research team by contacting Evelyn L. Orr, Chairman, 8310 Emmet Street, Omaha, Nebraska, 68134, 402/571-3422. The Founda-tion newsletter giving additional details is available free upon request to any member of the family or to any Melungeon researcher.  Address requests to Gowen Research Foundation, 5708 Gary Avenue. Lubbock. Texas, 79413, 806/795-8758.

Newsletter
Volume 1, No. 4  December 1989
 
Researchers Tackle Mystery
Of the Melungeons

A yellowing document addressed to the governor of North Car-olina locked in a box in the state archives there is believed to contain the first official notice taken of the Melungeons. The report, written with a quill on now-brittle foolscap by John Se-vier, later the first governor of Tennessee, described the large, mysterious colony of bronze-skinned people he found in north-eastern Tennessee.

Sevier had been dispatched by Gov. John Murray Dunmore of Virginia to rid the west of the Indian menace.  In the ensuing engagement known as Lord Dunmore's War, the colonial forces in 1774 crossed the Appalachians into Tennessee in pursuit of the Indians. Five years earlier, a few intrepid settlers had crossed the mountains and discovered the Melungeons who had already been there for 200 years, according to the estimate of Mary Sue Going of the Watauga Association of Genealogists of Jonesbor-ough, Tennessee.

The settlers directed Sevier to the Melungeons' location near present-day Harrogate, Tennessee. In his report to the gover-nor, written about 1775, he described some of the mysterious dark-skinned people as having "straight black hair and dark blue eyes."

Today, after another two centuries, researchers know very little more about the Melungeons than did Sevier, but a team of Gowen Research Foundation members is now being assembled to probe the mystery.

When the first federal census was taken in 1790, the enumera-tors found hundreds of Melungeon households in southern Ap-palachia, the area where Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky and Virginia conjoin. In that year Tennessee was recorded as part of Salisbury District of North Carolina. In the first census the enumerators was instructed to record the population as "white, free men of color, slaves, mulattos and Indians." They were completely frustrated by the Melungeons who were none of the above!

In succeeding enumerations there, individuals who were once recorded as "free colored" were in the following decade recorded as "white" or "mulatto."  Color then, like beauty, lay in the eye of the beholder when the enumerator had no definitive criteria to follow.

Various writers have divergent views about the origin of the Melungeons. Louise Littleton Davis in "The Mystery of the Melungeons" refers to them as a "mystery race tucked away be-tween the ridges of East Tennessee mountains long before Daniel Boone and the long hunters arrived." She suggests that they were descendants of Portuguese sailors shipwrecked off Cape Hatteras in the mid-1500s. "Melungo" means "shipmate"
in Portuguese.

Mary Sue Going suggests that they are descendants of deserters from an expedition of 100 Spanish soldiers who were once camped at the present-day location of Newport, Tennessee. This theory is plausible because Emperor Charles V of Spain had made a star-crossed decision to attach the Netherlands to the Spanish monarchy and consequently involved himself and his successor son in a rebellion that they were unable to quell de-spite 54 years of continuous warfare. A Dutch revolt against the Spanish monarch began in 1555 and continued until its suc-cessful conclusion in 1609. The nation could not field enough soldiers to protect its empire, and as a consequence, Spain sub-jected neighboring Portugal and impressed Portuguese men into Spanish regiments throughout the empire. It is more than credi-ble that conscripted Portuguese soldiers would desert in Ten-nessee if the opportunity presented itself. As a sidelight, a ge-nealogical anomaly resulted from this war. A new race was cre-ated in the southern part of Holland during the six decades that Spanish and Portuguese soldiers were stationed there.

Their "fraternization" with the Dutch girls produced dark-skinned children which were the beginning of the "Black Dutch."

Henry R. Price in "Melungeons: The Vanishing Colony of New-man's Ridge" offers a theory that the mysterious people were de-scendants of Sir Walter Raleigh's lost colony of Roanoke, Vir-ginia established July 23, 1687. Another expedi-tion arriving three years later found no trace of the vanished colonists. John Fetterman in "The Melungeons" suggests that they are descen-dants of Carthagenian sailors who fled to Portu-gal when Carthage fell to the Arabs in A.D. 698.

Genealogists researching the Gowen family have discovered a rare genetic "skeleton key." It is interesting to note that Melun-geon characteristics are found today in several branches of the family--Goan, Goen, Goin, Going, Gowan, Gowen, Gowing, Goyne and other Soundex versions and plurals. Thus, it be-comes evident that all of the above carry some common genes. It has also forced researchers interested in any of the above to take notes on all of the above.

To undertake the Melungeon challenge the Foundation re-search team will begin gathering and interpreting all of the available data. An invitation is being extended to other Melun-geon re-searchers to join in the Foundation effort through the assistance of genealogical newspaper columnists nationwide.

Foundation members, some of whom are Melungeon descen-dants, who have been asked to serve on the research team in-clude: Evelyn L. Orr, Omaha, NE, chairman; Jean Fry, Cave City, KY; Sam K. Goans, Knoxville, TN; Mrs. Dixon Goen, San Diego, CA; Hoyt L. Goin, Russellville, AR; Martha Gowen Herbert, Ekron, KY; Sam Kretzschmar, San Angelo, TX; Louise Goins Richardson, Paragould, AR; Brenda Wood, Chandler, IN; Hazel M. Wood, San Diego, CA and Betty J. Robertson, Jacksonville, FL. Mary Sue Going, Jonesborough, TN is assisting as a consul-tant.

Newsletter
Volume 1, No. 4  December 1989

William Goyens, Melungeon
Becomes Texas Millionaire

William Goyens, believed to be a son of William Goings and Elizabeth Goings, was born in 1794 in North Carolina of a "free col-ored" father and a "white" mother.  He rose above the constric-tions im-posed by his dark skin to become an ad-venturer, a sol-dier, a pirate, an interpreter, a diplomat and a Texas million-aire and philanthropist.

Early in his life, he became aware of the stigma of a dark-col-ored skin in slave-holding North Carolina, and he went to the district judge and re-quested a cer-tificate from the court es-tablishing that he was "free col-ored," the best he could do in North Carolina.  He carefully guarded this treasured docu-ment and carried it with him wherever he went for the rest of his life, present-ing it upon occasions to prove that he was not a run-away slave.

William Goyens learned in his early years in North Carolina that slavery was forbidden in the Spanish province of Coahuila y Te-jas and concluded that his destiny lay there.  He was aware that making his way across several slave states from North Car-olina to Texas would be hazardous with his dark complexion, so he "became a Cherokee" and moved freely with the tribes-men toward the southwest.  In 1814, "William Goyens of the Chero-kee Nation" gave power of at-torney to John Lowery to collect money due him.

When the British Navy showed up at the mouth of the Mis-sissippi in December 1814 with 50 ships and 10,000 men un-der Maj.-Gen. Edward Packinham, William Goyens an-swered the call for volunteers.

When Gen. Andrew Jackson assembled his forces, William Goyens served in three different units in the Battle of New Orleans, ac-cording to "War of 1812 Veterans in Texas" by Mary Smith Foy.  He was a private in the company com-manded by Capt. James B. Moore.  When his fellow soldiers resented "serving with a nigger," he transferred to Capt. Ja-cob Short's company of U.S. Mounted Rangers.  When that be-came intolerable, he was became a member of Capt. Samuel Judy's company of Mounted Illinois Militia.

After the British withdrew following the death of Packinham and their defeat in the Battle of Chalmette, William Goyen af-filiated with Jean Lafitte and his Barataria Bay pirates to avoid the threat of slavery, accord-ing to histo-rian R. B. Blake.  He jumped ship in Galveston Bay and made his way in 1821 to Nacog-doches, his original destination, according to "Monument to a Black Man" by Daniel James Kubiak.

There his color proved to be an as-set.  When the Mexicans and Anglos there staged an up-rising in the Guiterrez-Magee-Long revolt, the Spanish army came down hard.  Nacog-doches had been nearly obliterated by the Spanish reac-tion, according to "People and Places in Texas Past" by June Ray-field Welch.  Stephen F. Austin wrote that when he passed through the town in 1821, Nacog-doches had only five houses and a church left standing.  The home of William Goyens whom the Spanish commander regarded as neither Mexican nor Anglo was preserved.

William Goyens who fluently spoke Spanish, Cherokee and several Indian dialects was used by the Spanish, the Mexi-cans and later the Texans to maintain peace with the Indi-ans who trusted him as well.  Goyens became a nego-tiator as well as an inter-preter.

He became a large property owner in Nacogdoches, opened an inn, a blacksmith shop, a gunsmith shop, a wagon factory and operated a freight line, hauling goods from Natchi-toches, Louisiana to Nacogdoches.  On a trip to Natchi-toches in 1826, he was seized as a runaway slave by William English who planned to sell him in the Louisiana slave auc-tion.  He offered William English more money for his free-dom than he would bring in the slave market and posted bond to guar-antee pay-ment.  Upon return to Texas he re-tained attorney [later sena-tor] Thomas Jefferson Rusk to repre-sent him in court.  When his North Carolina certificate was pro-duced as evi-dence, he won the case and was success-ful in getting his obli-gations to English declared null and void.  Having had a taste of victory in the courtroom, he be-came a con-stant liti-gant, being in-volved in over three dozens lawsuits during the next decade.

On May 7, 1826 he bought a lot in Nacogdoches from Pierre Mayniel for 70 pesos, and this became the first in a long string of real estate transactions recorded in his name in Nacog-doches.  He was recorded as a blacksmith in the 1828 census of Nacogdoches.  He was appointed by the Mexican govern-ment as an Indian agent to deal with the Cherokees, and upon occasions he negotiated with other tribes.  He was trusted by the Indians and the Mexicans and Anglo-Ameri-cans in East Texas, as well.

A flood of Anglos from the southern states began to flow into Mexican Texas, many bringing their slaves with them, and the practice was gradually tolerated by the government.  As fur-ther protection against being again labelled as a run-away slave, Goyens became a slave owner himself.  On Jan-uary 3, 1829, he bought Jerry, 26-year-old slave from John Durst for 700 pesos.

In the Mexican census of 1828 the household of William Goyens was recorded:

 "Goyens, William 43, single blacksmith
   Linse, Jususa  20, agreg. single
   Linse, Maria  26, widow
    Manuel 10, her son"

On June 1, 1829, he was enumerated in the district "from At-toyac to Nacogdoches:"

 "Goyens, William  44, single, blacksmith
   Lindsey, Jesus   21, single
   Lindsey, Mary,    27, widow
    Manuel  11, her son [Henry]"

On June 30, 1830, he was recorded in the district "from At-toyac to Trinity River" and reported three slaves:

 "Goyens,  William     34, single, blacksmith,
             Catholic"
    Maria Petra,    32, Catholic
    Henry, her son   11
    Sallie, slave    30
    Luiza, her daughter    6
    Juliana, her daughter   3"

In that year he was recorded as a Catholic, a requirement of every land owner in Texas.  On January 18, 1831, William Goyens appeared on a "List of Foreigners living in Nacog-doches."

On June 30, 1831, the enumerator recorded him "in the dis-trict from Attoyac to the Trinity:

 "Goyens,  William   36, single, blacksmith,
          Catholic
    Ma. Polly   35, with him, Catholic
    Henry    13, child of hers
    Sexo, slave  32
    Luisa      7, her child
    Juliana      4, her child
    Eli       1, her child"

In 1832 William Goyens, at age 38, proposed marriage to Mary "Polly" Pate Sibley, a white widow who was born in Georgia in 1795, also age 38.  Her brothers came from Geor-gia to block her marriage to a black man, but then consented when they learned that she was marrying a "Melungeon" rather than a Negro, according to Benjamin Lundy.  She had one son, Henry Sibley, by her first marriage who visited Nacogdoches frequently from Louisiana.  In the Mexican cen-sus, married women were listed by their maiden names.  In 1832, the household was recorded as:

 "Goyens, William  38, single, blacksmith, Catholic
    Maria Mose 37, single, aggreg.
    Henry   14, her son
    Ma. Lera  34, slave
    Ma. Luisa    7, her daughter
    Ma. Juliana   5, her daughter
    Ma. Ylalla   3, her daughter
    Jose Juan      6/12, her son

In 1833, the family remained static:

 "Goyens, William  39, single, blacksmith, Catholic
    Maria Mose 38, single, aggreg.
    Henry   15, her son
    Ma. Sarah  35, slave
    Ma. Luisa    8, her daughter
    Ma. Juliana   6, her daughter
    Ma. Ylalla   4, her daughter
    Jose Juan    1, her son"

In 1833, "Leonardo Goyens, blacksmith" [unidentified] was enumerated, according to "Nacogdoches--Gateway to Texas, a Biographical Directory, 1773-1849" by Carolyn Reeves Ericson.  His enumeration read:

 "Goyens, Leonardo  31 blacksmith, single
    Ranu   31, aggregated
    Maria   16, her daughter
    Sally   14, her daughter
    Thomas  12, her son
    Priscilla  10, her daughter
    Pole [Polly?]   8
    Leonardo,    4, her son
    Malinda    2, her daughter"

In 1834, the household of William Goyens was recorded as:
 
 "Goyens,  William  40, single, blacksmith, Catholic
   Mose, Maria   39, single
    Henry   16, her son
    Ma. Laura 35, slave
    Ma. Luisa    9, her daughter
    Ma. Juliana   7, her daughter
    Ma. Ellala   5, her daughter
    Jose Juan    2, her son"

In 1835, in the last Mexican census, the enumeration read:

 "Goyens,  William  40, married, blacksmith
   Pate,  Marie   39, married
   Goyens,  Henry   16, her son
   Calare, Robert     5,
    Sallie   30, negro slave
    Juliana      8
     Haire     6
    John     4
    James   30, negro"
    Jose Juan    2, her son"

In 1836, during the Texas Revolution, William Goyens was given the important task of keeping the Cherokees on friendly terms with the Texans.  And a friend of his, Sam Houston, who also had lived with the Cherokees earlier, be-came gen-eral of the Texas Army.  On May 10, 1837 he was referred to as an Indian agent in official Texas records.

Following the Revolution, Williams Goyens purchased land with a large promontory located four miles west of Nacog-doches which be-came known as Goyens' Hill.  There he con-structed a large, two-story mansion, with a sawmill and a grist-mill located on Moral Creek, just west of his home.

He appeared in the 1837 Nacogdoches County tax roll as the owner of 1,270 acres of land valued at $7,247.  He bought a quarter league December 20, 1838 from William Gann, ac-cording to "Nacogdoches County Families."

In the 1840 tax assessment of Nacogdoches County he paid a poll tax and an advalorem tax on 5,000 acres of land, city prop-erty in Nacogdoches, nine slaves, 30 head of cattle and a silver watch.  The Republic of Texas made no allowance for a free Negro to vote nor to own land, producing addi-tional evi-dence that William Goyens was not regarded as a Negro.

On April 12, 1845, William Goyens "of Nacogdoches County" gave a deed to Charles Chevalier for 1,107 acres [1/4 league] out of the John Walker League, according to adjoining Cherokee County Deed Book I, page 36.  Consideration was $1 per acre for the land which lay east of the Neches River.

On August 4, 1845, he deeded 100 acres to Mary Comb for $100, according to Nacogdoches County Deed Book I, page 76.  On November 19, 1845, he deeded 1/4 league to Thomas Jefferson Rusk, his attorney, upon payment of 1,000, ac-cording to Deed Book I, page 103.

He appeared on the advalorem tax list of Nacogdoches County in 1845.  Although his skin was dark, he appeared on the 1846 polltax list of the county.  The polltax of $1 applied to every white male resident of Texas over 21 and to women who were heads of households within the state, according to "Poll Lists for 1846, Republic of Texas" by Marion Day Mullins.  Thirty-seven of the state's 254 counties had been organized by 1846.

William Goyens deeded a house and lot in Nacogdoches to Alexander Toost "for $100 and compliance with bond," as evi-denced in Deed Book I, page 308.  He made a deed to Matthew Mosely August 24, 1848 for 100 acres of land ac-cording to Deed Book K, page 45.  On December 12, 1848, he deeded land to Joseph Campbell at a price of $1.50 per acre, according to Deed Book K, page 45.

He was enumerated in the 1850 U.S. federal census, page 158 as the head of Household 344-344:

 "Goyan, William 55, born in North Carolina, farmer,
         12,000 real estate
    Polly  55, born in Georgia, illiterate
 Collier, Robert  31, born in Texas, farmer, $320 real
         estate
 Darlin, Lewis  47, born in Delaware, farmer"

On October 4, 1851, William Goyens deeded 50 acres to Har-rison Morrow for $75, according to Nacogdoches County Deed Book M, page 259.  His charitable nature was revealed in his gift of "two cows and calves" to Arena Paasche and chil-dren," widow of D. R. Paasche in 1852, according to Nacog-doches County Deed Book K, page 690.

On March 15, 1853, he deeded to Jesse P. Bruton a tract of land for $1,712, according to Nacogdoches County Deed Book L, page 71.  On June 24, 1854 he gave a deed to Jose Mariano Acosta, Jr. to 50 acres for $50, according to Deed Book L, page 199.  Upon payment of $500, he transferred land to Eli Willingham May 24, 1855, according to Deed Book L, page 634.

Arnold Barrett received from William Goyens a "labor and 20 acres" for $500 on November 12, 1855, according to Deed Book M, page 32.  On January 1, 1856, he sold 100 acres to Alexander Moyers for $150, according to Deed Book M, page 256.  On January 17, 1856, he deeded to Thomas Collins 100 acres of land for $150, according to Deed Book M, page 357.  This land came from the original grant to Juan I. Acosta.

William Goyens sold 100 acres located eight miles southwest of Nacogdoches near Alazan Creek to Alexander Myers at $1.50 per acre on January 17, 1856.  On the same day, he sold 100 acres to Thomas J. Collins at the same price.

Shortly before his death, William Goyens owned 3,818 acres in Nacogdoches County and 9,056 acres in neighboring Houston, Cherokee and Angelina counties.  He died June 20, 1856, soon af-ter the death of his wife.  They were buried in a cemetery near the junction of the Aylitos Creek with the Moral.

In 1967, the value of his real estate was estimated at $1,863,450, ac-cording to Di-ane Elizabeth Prince who docu-mented his life as her thesis at Stephen F. Austin University.
No children were born to William Goyens and Mary "Polly" Pate Sibley Goyens.  Henry Sibley had died in March 1849.  His two daughters, Henrietta S. Sibley and Martha S. Sibley became the heirs to the estate of William Goyens and Mary "Polly" Pate Sibley Goyens.  Henry C. Hancock, a Nacog-doches lawyer was appointed administrator of the estate at the time of the death of William Goyens.

On August 6, 1857, the heirs of Matthew Moseley received 120 acres of land from the estate in compliance with a title bond, as recorded in Deed Book M, page 53.  On September 2, 1857, Jesse P. Bruboul received 1,071 acres of land located three miles west of Nacogdoches upon payment of $2.34 per acre, according to Deed Book M, page 598.  This land was part of the headright of Henry Sibley.

Additional data on this outstanding man is pro-vided in "Diary of Adol-phus Sterne," "Memoirs" by Benjamin Lun-day and "Writings of Sam Houston."

Historians have recorded his exploits for over 150 years, al-ways crediting his accomplishments to a Ne-gro.  The Texas Historical Commission sought to honor him in 1936 by erect-ing a monument at his gravesite.  On it was inscribed:

"William Goyens, born a slave [error] in South Car-olina [error], escaped [error] to Texas in 1821.  Ren-dered valuable assistance to the Army of Texas, 1836; inter-preter for the Houston-Forbes Treaty with the Chero-kees, 1836. Acquired wealth and was noted for his char-ity.  Died in his home on Goyen's Hill, 1856.  His skin was black; his heart true blue."

Newsletter
Volume 1, No. 8  April 1990

Serving Three Hitches . . .
David S. Goins, Melungeon
Ended the War at Yorktown

Prepared from research developed
By Louise Goins Richardson

David S. Goins, probably a Melungeon, was born in Hanover County, Virginia November 21, 1757, according to his Revo-lutionary War pension application abstracted in "Tennessee Heroes of the Revolution" by Zella Armstrong.

During his life he was sometimes enumerated as "white" and sometimes as "free colored."  Apparently his family removed to Halifax County, Virginia prior to the Revolution.  He en-listed there in a militia com-pany commanded by "Capt. Rogers," ac-cording to his pen-sion application dated February 27, 1834:

"David Goins, a resident of Hamilton County and State of Tennessee, aged 76 years doth appear in open court be-fore the Worshipful Justices of the Court of Pleas & Quarter Sessions of Hamilton County now sitting and on his oath make the following Declaration:

That he entered the service of the United States as a vol-unteer under Capt. Rogers in Halifax County, State of Vir-ginia and was mustered into service under Col. William Terry at Halifax Courthouse, to Williamsburg, from Williamsburg to Norfolk, and from Norfolk to Portsmouth where he was discharged, having served three months.

"Six or eight months after his return home, he was drafted, according to his memory under Capt. Bates and joined the regiment at Bibb's Ferry under Maj. Jones.  He was marched from there to Cabbin Point below Peters-burg, Virginia and was stationed there until his term of service expired, having served three months this tour and was dis-charged by Capt. Bates and returned home.

About two years after the last mentioned service, this ap-plicant was again drafted, according to his memory un-der Capt. Pregmore in Halifax County.  They marched to join Gen. Washington's army at Portsmouth where this appli-cant remained about two months before the surrender of Corn Wallis.  About three days afterward, his term of ser-vice ex-pired, and he was discharged by Capt. Pregmore and re-turned home, having served three months this tour.

Four or five years after the termination of the Revolution-ary War [October 1781], he moved from Hali-fax County to Grayson County, Virginia where he resided three years.  From there he moved to Wythe County, Vir-ginia and resided there for 10 years.  From there he moved to Grainger County and resided there for 14 years.  From there he moved to Hamilton County, Tennessee and has resided here twelve months the last day of this month and still re-sides here."

Apparently David S. Goins was married shortly after his re-turn home.  "David Going" was listed in the state census of Virginia of 1782 as the head of a household of two people in Halifax County, according to "Heads of Households, Vir-ginia, 1790," page 24.  He reappeared in the 1785 state cen-sus of Halifax County as the head of a household of "four white souls," ac-cording to the same volume.  In 1787 in Hali-fax County "David Gowin" rendered for taxes "two horses and five head of cattle."  About 1788 he removed to Grayson County and from there he relocated in adjoining Wythe County about 1791.

"David Gowin" was listed as the head of a household in the 1810 census of Wythe County, according to "Index to 1810 Virginia Census" by Madeline W. Crickard.  About 1811 he moved again to Grainger County "where he had a brother, La-ban Goin," according to his pension application.

The 1820 census of Grainger County [and all but 10 counties of Tennessee] was destroyed by a fire in Washington, and no copy remains.  "David S. Going, free negro" appeared in the 1821 tax list of Grainger County and paid a tax on "one free poll."  "David Goan" reappeared in the 1830 census of Grainger County, page 359, heading a household of "free col-ored per-sons."

"David Goins, age 76" was listed as Revolutionary War Pen-sioner S3406 in Hamilton County in 1834, according to "Twenty Four Hundred Tennessee Pensioners" by Zella Arm-strong.

David S. Goins died in 1840 in Hamilton County, "his pension then being paid to his children" [unnamed], according to pen-sion records.  He did not appear in the 1840 census of Hamilton County.

Children born to David S. Goins are unknown, however Louise Goins Richardson, Foundation Editorial Board Mem-ber, 2207 E. Lake Street, Paragould, AR, 72450 is seeking to document him as the grandfather of her great-grandfather, Oscar Clai-borne Goins.

Laban Goins, identified as a younger brother of David S. Goins, was born in 1764 in Virginia, probably Hanover County.  He lived in Halifax County during the Revolution-ary War, but was too young to serve in the militia with his brother.  About 1800 Laban Goins removed, apparently with several fam-ilies of rela-tives, to Grainger County, Tennessee.  The 1805 tax list of Grainger County included "Laborn Go-ing, Claborn Goins, Daniel Going, Caleb Going, James Goins and John Goins.  A second version of the "Taxable Inhabitants for the Year 1805" listed "Laban Going, Clai-borne Going, Daniel Goin, Shadrack Goin, James Going, John Going and Calib Go-ing."

Although the spelling varies from the first list to the sec-ond, it is obvious that the two lists refer to the same in-dividuals.  Of the second group only Shadrack Goin does not appear in the first list.  "Laborn Going" was rendered as "one free poll, ne-gro" in the tax list.

Laban Goins preceded his brother in the move to Hamilton County.  He appeared in the 1830 census of that county, page 75, as the head of a "free colored" household.  The enumera-tor obviously had no way to properly record a Melungeon house-hold.  Although he did not record the "free colored" individu-als, he did enumerate in the household "one white fe-male, 5-10" and "one white female, 0-5."

On February 7, 1834 Laban Goins submitted his affidavit to the Hamilton County Court attesting to his brother's Revolu-tionary War service.
 

Newsletter
Volume 1, No. 11  July 1990

Melungeon Gowens Plant
The Family in Kentucky

Frederick Gowen and Jonathan H. Gowen, regarded as kins-men, perhaps brothers, were born in the Patrick County, Vir-ginia area and became patriarchs of Kentucky families that, in two centuries, have spread throughout the nation.  Frederick Gowen was enumerated as "free colored" in Vir-ginia, but was reported as "white" in the Kentucky census.  Jonathan H. Gowen was the father of 13 children.  This ge-netic influence is apparent in 1990 in the descendants of both men--even eight generations later.

Frederick Gowen is regarded by some researchers as a Melungeon [a recent appellation preferred by some whose an-cestors were labeled "Mulatto"] because census enumera-tor recorded him as a "free colored male."  In many enumer-ations in the area individuals were listed as "mulatto," "colored," or "Indian" by the censustakers who had no other latitude in recording a dark-skinned person.

He was born about 1797 in Virginia, according to the federal census of 1850.  It has been suggested that he was a grandson of John F[rederick?] Gowen, Jr. of Stafford County, Virginia and Granville County, North Carolina.

Jonathan H. Gowen was a son of William Gowen and Betsey Moss Gowen, according to the research of Clara Jean Grider Fry, a descendant of Cave City, Kentucky.

"Frederick Going" was married December 10, 1818, to Nancy Coomer [Comer?] in adjoining Surry County, North Car-olina, according to "Surry County, North Caro-lina Mar-riage Bonds, 1780-1868."  "William Going" thought to be his fa-ther, was the bondsman.  Nancy Coomer Gowen was born in North Carolina about 1798, according to the 1850 census.  Their first child was born in Patrick County about 1819.

A son was born to them there about 1822, and was fol-lowed by a daughter about 1824.  "Frederick Going" appeared as the head of a "free colored" household in the 1830 census of Patrick County, page 154.

 "Going, Frederick free colored male  24-36
       free colored female 24-36
       free colored male    0-10
       free colored female   0-10
       free colored male    0-10"

They continued in Patrick County about 1831 when another son was born to them there.  About 1833, they lived in Lee County, Virginia, in the extreme western tip of the state, where their fifth child was born.

About 1835, Frederick Gowen was living near Somerset, Kentucky in Pulaski County.  No members of the Gowen [nor spelling varia-tions] family were recorded in the 1830 census of Pulaski County which showed a popu-lation of 9,521 at that time.  Frederick Gowen purchased land in Pulaski County for $225 in 1838, according to the research of Steve Gowen.  He sold his property March 2, 1848 for $150, ac-cording to Pu-laski County Deed Book 13, page 520.  On Oc-tober 1, 1849 he was paid "$1 for work on road," according to Adair County Court Order Book H, page 9.

In 1850, the household of Frederick Gowen was recorded in Adair County, First Civil District, Household 603-603:

 "Gowen, Frederick 53, born in Virginia, farmer, $200
        real estate
    Nancy  52, born in North Carolina, illiterate
    Allen  20, born in Virginia, illiterate
    Larkin  18, born in Virginia, illiterate, farmer
    Elizabeth 15, born in Kentucky
    Frederick   8, born in Kentucky
 Hignight, Mary  40, born in Virginia"

The fact that he named a son "Allen" suggests a relationship to other branches of the family who used the name "Allen" as well.  Mary Hignight was possibly related to the house-holders.

Frederick Gowen reappeared in the 1860 census of Adair County in the First Civil District as the head of Household 242-242:

 "Going, Fredrick 62, farmer, $600 real estate, $540            personal property, born in
         Patrick County, VA
    Nancy  61, housekeeping, born in Stokes
         County, NC
    Elizabeth 22, housekeeping, born in Pulaski
         County, KY
    Fredrick 18, farmer, born in Pulaski County,           KY"

Adjoining were the households of "William Going," his son, No. 243-243; "Allan Going," a son, Household No. 244-244 and William Chadowick [Chadwick?] and Mary "Polly" Gowen Chadowick, his daughter, Household No. 245-245.

He removed shortly afterward to Gibson County, Indiana where his son, Larkin Gowen had located.  "He died intes-tate, but did leave a treasure trove of information in Gibson County Court records when his heirs divided the estate," ac-cording to a letter written by August 13, 1990 by Steve Gowen, a de-scendant of Lexington, Kentucky.

Children born to Frederick Gowen and Nancy Coomer Gowen include:

 William R. Gowen   born about 1819
 Polly Gowen     born about 1824
 Allen Gowen     born about 1830
 Larkin Gowen    born about 1833
 Elizabeth G. Gowen   born about 1835
 Frederick Gowen    born October 9, 1841

Jonathan H. Gowen was a son of William Gowen and Betsey Moss Gowen, according to the research of Clara Jean Grider Sex-ton Fry.  It is suggested that he was a kinsman of Freder-ick Gowen because he appears to be closely associated with him.  Melungeon characteristics are also found among his de-scendants.  He was born in 1822 in Patrick County, Virginia, according to the 1860 census of Adair County, Kentucky.  He was born in 1827, according to the research of Jessie Gowen Thompson.  On February 6, 1846 "Jonathan Goen" was mar-ried to Hannah J. Beasley, according to "Surry County, North Car-olina Marriage Bonds, 1780-1868."  Clara Jean Grider Sexton Fry who has researched the family for many years reports that Hannah J. Beasley was a half-Cherokee, "and she is the source of the dark complexioned genetics in our family."

She was also born in Patrick County about 1826, and both of her parents were born in Virginia, according to the census enumeration.  She was born August 15, 1829, according to the research of Jessie Gowen Thompson.  J. Allen Berryman was the bondsman for the marriage.  Later that year "James Goen" was married to Elizabeth Beasley, according to the Surry County volume.  Eli Crouk was bondsman.  "Morgan Goin" was married April 5, 1862 by J. Gray, J.P.  William Gilmer was bondsman.

Jonathan H. Gowen and Hannah J. Beasley Gowen were enu-merated in the 1850 census of Stokes County, North Car-olina, along with "James Going and Betsy [Beasley?] Going and their children next door, with a Beasley household be-tween them and John Going, his wife, Margaret and a 15-year-old boy, LeRoy Going," according to the research of Steve Gowen.

From 1844 until 1855 Jonathan H. Gowen lived in Stokes County, just across the state line from Patrick County.  By 1857, he had removed to join Frederick Gowen in Adair County.  A photograph of Jonathan H. Gowen indicates him to be a tall, lean, stern man with a full growth of neck whiskers.  He was a hunting dog fancier, and descendants "swore that he loved his dogs more than his children."  Con-sequently, none of his children would tolerate a dog on his homestead after he was grown.

His household appeared in the 1860 census of Adair County.  Fortunately for genealogists, the enumerator saw fit to in-clude the county of birth for each individual:

 "Going, Jonathan   38, born in Patrick Co, VA,
          farmer
    Hannah   34, born in Patrick Co, VA
    Mary F.   15, born in Stokes Co, NC
    Sarah J.   13, born in Stokes Co, NC
    John    11, born in Stokes Co, NC
    Fanny      9, born in Stokes Co, NC
    Thomas J. [twin]   5, born in Stokes Co, NC
    Henry C. [twin]   5, born in Stokes Co, NC
    Susan E.     3, born in Adair Co, KY
    Frederick    3/12, born in Adair Co, KY"

He served as a private during the Civil War in Co. G, Thirty-seventh Kentucky Infantry Regiment.  His household reap-peared June 22, 1870 located seven miles west of Columbia, Kentucky as Household 119-119:

 "Gowen, Jonathan  46, born in VA, farmer, $300
         personal prop, $3,000 real
         estate
    Hannah  44, born in VA
    Andrew J.  18, born in NC, farmer
    Thomas J.  14, born in NC, farmer
    Henry C.  14, born in NC, farmer
    Susan E.  12, born in KY
    Jonathan  10, born in KY
    Nancy M.    8, born in KY
    Martha A.    6, born in KY
    Cornelius    3, born in KY
    Emily      2/12, born in KY

On June 10, 1880 the household of Jonathan H. Gowen ap-peared in Adair County at Gradyville, Kentucky, Civil Dis-trict 5, Enumeration Dis-trict 4, page 19:

 Gowen,  Jonathan 55, born in VA, father born in
        [blank], mother born in NC,
        farmer
    Hannah 53, born in VA, father born in VA,
        mother born in VA, wife
    Elizabeth 21, born in KY, father born in VA,
        mother born in VA, daughter
    Nancy M. 17, born in KY, father born in VA,
        mother born in VA, daughter
    Cornelius 15, born in KY, father born in VA,
        mother born in VA, son, farmer
    Emley    9, born in KY, father born in VA
        mother born in VA, daughter"

According to the family bible owned in 1972 by Martha Ann Gowen McGrath, a de-scendant of Louisville, Kentucky, chil-dren born to them in-clude:

 Mary Frances Gowen    born January 23, 1848
 Sarah Jane Gowen    born May 4, 1849
 John Gowen      born in 1850
 Andrew Jackson Gowen   born February 2, 1851
 Fanny Gowen      born February 2, 1853
 Thomas Jefferson Gowen  born June 12, 1855
 Henry Clay Gowen    born June 12, 1855
 Susan Elizabeth Gowen   born in 1858
 Jonathan Frederick Gowen  born January 10, 1859
 Nancy M. Gowen     born April 20, 1962
 Martha Alice Gowen    born in 1864
 Cornelius C. Gowen    born February 14, 1867
 Emily Gowen      born in April 1870

Newsletter
Volume 2, No. 2  October 1990

I Am Proud to Be a Melungeon!
By M. Ruth Johnson

Winding roads will take you high upon Newman's Ridge where a large group of people once lived.  They became known as the Melungeons.  Few of these courageous people had indoor plumbing or running water.  They lived in modest log homes and carried water from nearby springs, except for the fortunate few who had their own well.

Some of these people moved far away from the magnificent mountains with all their beauty, never to return.  They located wherever they could find work.  Those who remained carved out a living on the mountain, growing all their food, including the grain for flour and meal.  They hunted and fished for most of their meat, although they raised some pigs, chickens and calves for meat.  All vegetables were grown on their farms and were al-ways in bountiful supply.  Food preservation was quite an art, us-ing their own methods of drying, canning, under-ground storage and curing meats to perfection, thus they were able to feed their families through the cold winter months.

Spring days were cool and used mostly for clearing the land and readying it for planting of the crops.  Summer was so hot that straw hats were worn outside, and new ones decorated the land-scape every spring.

New straw hat, barefoot and hoe in hand readied you for work in the fields.  Joyous were the words, "Lay them by this time" which meant the last hoeing of the season.  Weeding and tilling were constant chores.  A small weed this week would be four feet tall next week!

Each season brought its own special pleasures.  Springtime on the mountain was a grand awakening of nature with trees putting out new growth in every shade of green imaginable, wild flowers springing up everywhere, snow melted off and re-sulting waterfalls cascading down the mountainside made de-lightful music--it was an exciting time.  Spring also brought the work of readying for planting crops which was hard work, but a happy time, too.

Winter was so cold that laundry froze on the line before you could get it hung out.  In only a moment the clothes would be stiff as a board.  I used to wonder if they would actually break!  Snow was plentiful and so deep that paths had to be dug in or-der to get from one area to another.  Fortunately wood for the fireplace and stove was abundantly available, and we were warm and cozy.  Boots and galoshes were a necessity.  Cold winter nights were fun-filled, popping popcorn, baking pota-toes or onions in the fireplace ashes and reading fairy tales and bible stories.  Dad played the guitar or banjo, and we would all sing along.  Often neighbors joined us in games like "Who's got the Thimble?"  We made candy, listened to the radio and played the old Victrola.

Travel on the mountain was mostly done on foot or horseback.  Overnight guests meant bringing out the pallets so guests could have your bed.  Beds were mostly straw or feather ticks.  Some-times you lucked out and got box springs with a mattress on top.  No matter, company was exciting, and no one complained about sleeping on the floor.

Farm animals included horses, cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, guineas, ducks, dogs and cats.  It was alarming to hear the chick-ens being frightened in the night and to know that "that old red fox has come back."  When a hawk hovered overhead, the chickens would flee under trees and bushes and remain very still.

All the children had chores to do, and they knew to do them on time.  There were trips to the spring for water each morning and each evening, and it was two buckets per trip.  Bath nights meant extra trips.  Washing clothes was done near the spring.  There was a big black cast-iron kettle there over an open fire.  First you boiled the clothes with home-made lye soap, then you rinsed, and then you rinsed again and added blueing.

In the old days, there was no food stamps or welfare.  The peo-ple either made it or they grew it--they made do.  There were no refrigerators so milk was placed in springs to keep it fresh.  Elec-tricity finally came to mountain about 1949, and almost everyone hooked on, adding a light to each room, usually a naked light bulb suspended from the middle of the ceiling in each room with a switch just below the bulb.  This was cer-tainly an im-provement over the "coal oil" lamp, but the lamp could be car-ried from room to room.  Lightning rods were in vogue.  If your house didn't have a lightning rod, you were "pore," so everyone had to get one to keep up appearances.

These were God-fearing people, and they were in church sev-eral times a week.  The revivals would go on for weeks--as long as people would "come forward" and repent.  The only thing I hated was the special nights, two or three times a year, given over to snake-handling.  Usually only two or three people han-dled the copperheads and rattlesnakes.  My parents were promi-nent dur-ing the singing, but when snake-handling time came, they always moved back.  I always sat in the pew with my feet up under me, in case a snake got loose and came slithering in my direction.  I decided then and there that I was never going to be a snake-handler.

Historians and writers have regarded the Melungeons in differ-ent ways.  Sometimes they praised their independence; some-times they criticized their aloofness.  Some appraisals were fair, and some were unfair--some were good, and some were bad.  Good or bad, they were the most wonderful people in the whole world to me.  The bad stories that made them feel put down, made some not willing to admit being kin to the Melungeons and caused them not to trust strangers.  That was always sad to me because they were pretty much like everyone else, only they had to work harder to earn a living up on the mountain.  They loved nature, minded their own business and respected each other.  They were a proud people, and I have learned to appreci-ate and respect them.  I am proud to say that I am a descendant of the very first settlers of Newman's Ridge.  I am a proud to be a Melungeon!
 

Newsletter
Volume 2, No. 8  April 1991

Goin, TN Selected as Site of
Goins Family Reunion in May
 
                        By Louise Goins Richardson
                      Melungeon Research Team Member
              2207 E. Lake Street, Paragould, Arkansas, 72450

The Melungeon  Goins will come back to Newman's Ridge for their 1991 family reunion which  is held  annually on  the last  Sunday in  May at the Goins, Tennessee Baptist  Church and  Cemetery.   Their's may  be the only family reunion in the na-tion centered around a cemetery.

The custom  of utilizing  part of  the family  reunion time to decorate the graves of  departed family  members displays the love of family held by the Melungeons.  Younger members  of the  family learn  much of their ancestry during the maintenance of the graves.

The mystery  of the  Melungeons first came to  my attention in 1986 when a Goins family  researcher of  Richmond, Kentucky  sent me  several  articles written about  these  fascinating  peo-ple.    More  material came  from  a correspondent in Dunlap,  Tennessee  who  had  been  in  pursuit  of  the Melungeons for  20 years.   Our  information  exchange  expanded into the nu-cleus of a Melungeon  library, and  our  interest  has  grown  into  the Foundation's Melungeon Research Team  under  the  chair-manship  of  Evelyn McKinley Orr of Omaha, Nebraska.

One of  the most  significant books  on our  shelves is  Henry  R.  Price's "Melungeons, the  Vanishing Colony  of Newmans Ridge."  His research showed that Goins, Bowlin, Collins, Bunch, Fields, Gibson, Minor and Mullins were the primary   surnames  found   initially  in  the  main  body of people tradi-tionally bearing  Melungeon traits.   Intermarriage  with  neigh-boring settlers in Tennessee added many other names to the Melungeon heritage.

In May 1988, I found the Goins Baptist Church Cemetery that Price mentioned in his  volume.  It is  located at  Goin, Ten-nessee  on Clinch Mountain's Newmans Ridge in Hancock County, about four miles from Sneedville, a small
mountain town.   Many of the people there responded to my questions.  These included members of two Goins families and William Grohse, local historian and writer whose wife  has a  Goins ancestry.   I  found all of the people there very  hos-pitable, and  several invited  me back  for the  next  Goins Fam-ily Re-union and Decoration Day.

On May 27, 1990, I returned for the reunion and found the same friendliness and hospitality.  There were Goins  and allies from all over.  A memorial service preceded the grave  decora-tion and  visiting, and  it was  a  very enjoyable experience.  There's  a saying about Sneedville--"you have to be going there to get there."  It is a small, isolated mountain town close to the Vir-ginia  line.  Many Melungeon families live there.  They are the most beautiful people  with olive skin and black hair.  I met one man with olive skin and silver gray hair who was so hand-some.

The Melungeons  seemed to originate in  the  area  where  Vir-ginia,  North Carolina, Kentucky  and Tennessee come together,  and it  is unknown where they came from prior.  There are many theories about their origin, but no one yet can document  their ancestry.   Unfortunately  there was neither a historian nor  a poet  in their earlier days to chronicle their activities.

It is the  goal  of  the  Research  Team  to  gather  information  on  all possibilities and to publish our findings in the Founda-tion Newsletter.

Will Allen  Dromgoole was the penname of the earliest known writer on the Melungeons.  She wrote "The Melungeon Tree and Its Four Branches," and it was published in Boston in 1891.   Her description of the four branches--Collins,  Gibson,  Mullins  and  Goins--was  generally  derogatory.  Most authors, up  until 1950,  were influenced  by her writing, but fortunately research professionals like Dr.  Edward Price  and Dr.  Calvin Beale  made studies of these people  about that  time and began to show them in a more favorable light.  Later,  unbiased re-porters  like John  Fetterman,  Henry  Price, Louise Davis and Bonnie Ball wrote incisive articles about them.  In 1975,  Jean   Patterson  Bible  published  my  favorite, "The  Melungeons, Yesterday and Today."

Anyone researching his Melungeon heritage needs to read her book.  She discusses the  various theories  of the  origin of these fascinating people and evaluates  each.   Each author  contributes something  to the Melungeon lore, and  every the-ory  should be considered with an open mind.  The Goins name and  Melun-geon traits are frequently found among mixed bloods all over the nation.   Most of us  Goins descendants  find  ancestors  and  even  a sprinkling of present-day cousins ex-hibiting these ge-netic characteristics.

My grandfather,  William Preston Goins [b1853 Hamilton Co, TN; d1950 Greene Co, AR]  was the only child of Oscar Clay-born Goins [b1830 Grainger Co, TN; d1903 Bradley  Co, TN]  and the only one of his family to come to Arkansas.  He had  11 children,  and five  died in infancy.  Only one of the remaining six who lived to adulthood had Melungeon traits.  He had olive skin, black hair and was a very handsome man.  The other five were fair-skinned, and no one in my generation has obvious Melungeon genetics.

My grandfather exhibited the Melungeon characteristics of self-reliance and the ability to live  off the  land.  The  family  re-lates  that  he  was successful in  every undertaking he started.  He raised and traded horses, cattle and  hogs.  He cultivated large orchards with every variety of fruit tree that  would grow  in Arkansas.   He  raised blue  Concord  grapes and maintained 150 stands of bees to aid in the pollination of his trees and to pro-duce honey  and beeswax.  He operated a blacksmith shop in which he made his own implements and maintained a horse-shoeing service for the community.  He built a sawmill, sold lumber and supplied coffins to the area.  He owned one of  the first  threshers in the country and took a harvest crew far and wide doing  custom threshing.   He was a "workaholic" and kept several farm laborers busy trying to keep up with him on his 264-acre farm.

Newsletter
Volume 2, No. 10 June 1991

Elijah Goin Sues Slanderer
In Claiborne County, TN

By Carol Ledford
Route 1, Box 16, Leicester, North Carolina, 28248

Trouble started for Elijah Goin when his daughter, Mary Ann "Polly" Goin was married to William H. "Billy" Mayes May 23, 1853 in Claiborne County, Tennessee.  Sterling Mayes, brother to the groom, took exception to the marriage, and one week later was telling everyone that his brother had married a mulatto and that the whole Goin family were mulattos and ne-groes.

Sterling even instructed his children to taunt the Goin children with the mulatto label and promised to protect them in it.  By July, the whole county had heard the accusations.  Sterling had gone so far as to make up a little song about blacks and mulat-tos which he sang to the tune of "Old Dan Tucker," popular jig tune of the day.  He even had the nerve to sing the song to Eli-jah Goin in front of his friends on the main street of Tazewell, the county seat.

Elijah Goin bit his tongue and turned the other cheek, hoping that Sterling would tire of his little game, but the pressure only intensified.  In September, Sterling sang his doggerel verses in church.  He made his rhymes fit the hymns that were being sung at the camp meeting, an evangelistic meeting held out-doors in a tent.  Several rows of worshipers heard the caustic mulatto slurs drowning out the gospel words.

That was the last straw, Elijah Goin filed suit in Circuit Court for slander against Sterling Mayes September 15, 1853, re-questing damages of $5,000, a monumental sum in those days.  The charges were serious and damaging to Elijah Goin who was a schoolteacher and active in community affairs.  He had once been elected as constable.  It was embarrassing to his family and his friends, and Elijah Goin had to take action before his reputation and standing in the county were destroyed.

Action on the suit was exceedingly slow, with continuous post-ponements and continuances.  It would be five years before a verdict was finally handed down.  When the case finally went to court July 26, 1858, the trial lasted 37 court days and in-volved the testimony of 43 witnesses.  Tennessee law required that the loser in a suit pay the court costs and the expense of bringing in the witnesses.  The witnesses were paid 25 cents a day for their appearances, and if they travelled over 20 miles, they were paid four cents a mile travel allowance.  There were 22 witnesses who had to be in court 27 days of the trial, some traveling as far as 290 miles.  Total court costs of the case was $720 with $669 going to the witnesses.

Each of the litigants had to post bond guaranteeing payment of the huge sum.  Both were men of substance, but it was a severe obligation.  Elijah Goin owned land valued at $1,000, and his personal property was valued at $350.

He was 38 years old and married.  His wife and six children would suffer severely if the verdict went against the plaintiff.  William H. "Billy" Mayes joined his father-in-law in posting the bond.

The "mulatto and negro" charge had serious implications.  The Territory Act of 1794 and the Tennessee Constitution of 1796 declared, "all negroes, mulattos and Indians and persons of mixed blood, descended from negro or Indian ancestors to the third generation inclusive, though one ancestor of each genera-tion may have been a white person, whether bond or free, should be held deemed to be incapable in law to be a witness in any case whatsoever, except against each other."

The Act also forbad such persons from obtaining marriage li-censes, voting, owning land, paying taxes, making wills, own-ing slaves or holding office.  Their civil rights were denied.

Even in Revolutionary days and in the War of 1812, negroes and mulattos could not serve as soldiers.  A few were utilized in non-combatant roles as cooks and teamsters.

Elijah Goin's 70-year-old father, Levi Goin was enduring great anguish.  Elijah Goin had several brothers, uncles and cousins who were undergoing mental duress, not to mention all of the inlaws involved.  He took some comfort in the fact his old grandfather, Thomas Goin, Revolutionary soldier and family patriarch of Claiborne County, did not have to undergo the pain and anxiety that the trial brought to the family.

Thomas Goin had lived in Claiborne County long before its creation in 1801 and had died there in 1838, 15 years before the suit was filed.  Thomas Goin didn't come to Claiborne County; the county came to him.  Thomas Goin bought his land, 225 acres on Cherokee Creek in 1786 from the State of North Car-olina, two years before Tennessee came into existence.  He was a constable there [Washington County, North Carolina] in 1784.  He served on several jury panels there, according to the county court records and was in court in Jonesborough on the day that Andrew Jackson was admitted to the bar.

In 1788, he sold his land in Washington County and moved 90 miles west to newly-created Hawkins County, Tennessee from which Claiborne would be later created.  He appeared there as a taxpayer on Big Barren Creek in 1799 in "Capt. Coxes com-pany."  The postoffice of Goin, Tennessee would later be named for this pioneer's family.  Goin still exists today, but the postoffice was discontinued in 1965.  In 1802, he and his sons help to build to road to Tazewell and were appointed its over-seers.  In 1803, he was instrumental in establishing the Big Bar-ren Primitive Baptist Church.  He served on Claiborne County jury panels and in 1833 was listed as a "white male" taxpayer.

Until he died in 1838, no one had ever suggested that he was a negro or a mulatto.  The family had distinct Melungeon fea-tures, but the mixed-blood characteristics were attributed to In-dian or Portuguese ancestry.  Thomas Goin was buried in Old Big Barren Cemetery.  The site is now at the bottom of Morris Lake, and it is unknown if the graves were moved before the lake was created.

Known children of Thomas Goin include Levi Goin, born about 1778, Uriah Goin, born about 1785 and Isaac Abraham Goin, born about 1793.

The verdict?  Elijah Goin won his slander suit against Sterling Mayes, and the jury awarded him $50 damages, far less than the $5,000 he sought.  Sterling Mayes appealed the case to the Tennessee Supreme Court in Knoxville where the Circuit Court's decision was reversed and remanded.  He won the ap-peal on the grounds that it had long been common knowledge in the community that the Goin family was of mixed blood and that he was not seeking the forfeiture of the civil rights of Eli-jah Goin.
==0==
The authoress, Carol Ledford who was born March 4, 1944 in Monroe, Michigan is a double ninth-generation grand-daughter of Thomas Goin.  Two of his sons, Levi Goin and Uriah Goin were her eighth-generation grandfathers.

Joseph Gowen Sentenced To 21
Lashes in Chowan County, NC

Joseph Gowen "alias Smith" of Chowan Precinct was indicted August 2, 1725 for larceny.  He was charged by  Patrick Ogilby of Edenton, North Carolina in the theft of a pair of shoes, according to "Colonial Records of North Carolina," Volume 2, page 591.  The indictment read:

"William Little, Esq: Attorney General comes to Prosecute the Bill of Indictment found by the Grand Jury against Joseph Gowen, alias Smith of Chowan Precinct, Mariner for Larceny in these words, viz:

The Jurors of Our Sovereign Lord the King on their Oath doe present that Joseph Gowen alias Smith, not having the fear of God before his Eyes, but moved by the instigation of the Devill in the precinct of Chowan aforesaid on or about the seventeenth day of this instant July in the year of our Lord One Thousand seven hundred & twenty-five by force and armes did fradulently and feloniously Steal, take and carry away from the house of Patrick Ogilby of Edenton of the Pre-cinct of Chowan aforesayd one payr of shoes of the value of eleven pence against the peace of Our Sovereign Lord the King that now is his Crown & dignity etc . . .

Upon which Indictment the said Joseph Gowen alias Smith was arraigned and upon his arraignment pleaded [Not Guilty] and for tryall thereof he putt himself upon God and the Country and the said William Little on the behalf of our Lord the King likewise.

Whereupon the Marshall was commanded that he should cause to come twelve good & honest men etc. . . and there came viz: Capt. John Pettifer, Mr. Thomas Luton, Junr, John Harlee, Thos. Matthews, J. Pratt, Const. Luton, John Lewis, William Benbury, John Adderly, Thos. Stubbs, Edward Patchett and John Ward who being impannelled and sworn etc. . . do say upon their Oath, 'Wee of the Jury find the Prisoner Guilty.'

Then the sayd Gowen alias Smith being asked if he had any-thing to say why sentence should not pass against him as the Law in that Case has provided and he offering nothing in avoydance thereof, It was then and there Considered and Ad-judged that he should be carried to the publick Whipping post and there to receive twenty-one lashes on his bare back well layd on & to remayne in Custody till fees are payd."

Newsletter
Volume 2, No. 12  August 1991

Joseph Goins, Pioneer Among
Newmans Ridge Melungeons
By Ruth Johnson
3705 Bloomingdale Road
Kingsport, Tennessee, 37660

Joseph Goins, a Revolutionary War veteran and my seventh-generation grandfather, was born about 1766 in Bedford County, Virginia.  Rev. Arthur Hamilton Taylor who re-searched in Melungia, suggested his birthplace as Albemarle County, Virginia.  William P. Grohse, Sneedville historian, re-ported that he was the son of Joseph Goins, Sr. who also fought in the Revolutionary War and was wounded in battle.

"Joseph Goings" on May 19, 1784 received "4 pounds, 2 shill-ings, 3 pence" for service in the militia, according to Vir-ginia Payroll Account No. 683.

Joseph Goins was married about 1790 to Millie Loving [Lov-in, Loven?]  who was born in 1770 in Scotland, according to Rev. Taylor.  She was brought to America at the age of six by an aunt who settled in Charleston, South Carolina.  William P. Grohse stated that she was born in Bedford County in 1772 to James Loving who was born in 1759 to Abraham Loving.  Mil-lie Loving Goins lost three uncles in the Revolutionary War.

In 1793, Joseph Goins was a resident of Fairfax County, Vir-ginia where a daughter was born.

"Joseph Gwinne" was enumerated as the head of a household in the 1830 census of Hawkins County, Tennessee:

 "Gwinne, Joseph  white male  50-60
       white female  50-60
       white female  10-15"

"Joseph Gowin, age 70-80," living alone, was listed in the 1840 census of Hawkins County, page 234.  Apparently in 1840 Jo-seph Goins and Millie Loving Goins were living in separate, adjoining households.

"Joseph Goings" appeared as the head of Household 302-302 in the 1850 census of Hancock County, 33rd subdivision, east part.  The family was enumerated November 27, 1850 as:

 "Goings, Joseph  84, born in Virginia, cooper, illiterate
    Milli A. 80, born in Virginia
    Leathey 36, born in North Carolina, female,

Hancock County had been created in 1844 with land from Hawkins County and Claiborne County.  Joseph Goins died in 1859 in Hancock County, a nonagenarian.  Millie Loving Goins also died there, before 1860.

Children born to them include:
 Virginia Jane "Gincie" Goins  born in 1793
 George Goins       born in 1803
 Harden Goins       born in 1805
 Aletha Goins       born about 1814

Newsletter
Volume 3, No. 2  October 1991

Melungeon Research Team
Examines Origin Theories

By Evelyn McKinley Orr
Melungeon Research Team Chairman
8310 Emmet Street, Omaha, Nebraska, 68134
Many researchers have shown a great deal of interest in the complex mystery of the origin of the Melungeons, and Gowen Research Foundation elected to pursue studies of them.  The in-tent of this series of short articles is to present a sprinkling of ideas from some of the material collected.  I wish to ex-pound on a few theories and offer some sources of informa-tion.  This is in-tended to help researchers to find data to share with the Melun-geon Research Team.

If we are to find a "lost key" to unlock the origin of the Melun-geons and other similar groups that used our Gowen surname, our examination will include researching the nation-alities of all the early dark/black-skinned peoples who came to the New World.

The Melungeons of Northeast Tennessee are not the only iso-lated group which shares the Gowen name.  The surname ap-pears in several varied spellings as the most widely used mixed race surname, thus making genealogical research more challenging.  According to Dr. Calvin Beale, the name "Goins" appeared among mixed race groups in 35 counties in seven states in early America, as quoted in "Melungeons Yes-terday and Today" by Jean Patterson Bible.

And, interestingly, many of them share similar physical and cul-tural characteristics.  From the research of other experts such as Edward T. Price of Los Angeles State College and Anthropolo-gist Brewton Berry, we learn that various racial isolate groups were sprinkled along the Eastern and Southern coasts of the United States.  Gowen individuals were not found in all of these mixed groups, and it would be a mistake to assume that all of these groups had a common origin.

No singular theory and no simple answer has been found to this complex puzzle.  The Melungeon Research Team is in-debted to many people, both inside and outside the Founda-tion, for their input and interest in this project.
Mediterranean/Moors Theory
The possibility of a Mediterranean connection appears to be one of the most frequently advanced theories.  It has included pre-Columbus theories, such as the Lost Tribes of Israel and sur-vivors from the fall of Carthage as well as suggestions of more recent Mediterranean origins.  The Melungeons of Southern Appalachia and some other isolated groups were de-scribed as not being Indian, White or Negro, but rather of "looking Mediterranean."  In "Outline of History," 1920, H. G. Wells writes, "About the Mediterranean there is a preva-lence of swarthy white-skinned peoples with dark eyes and black hair.  Their hair is straight, but never so strong and waveless as the hair of the yellow peoples.  The hair is straighter in the East than in the West."

In "Races of the Old World," 1871, Charles L. Brace de-scribed the Moors as "well built, but not so tall as the Arabs.  Their fea-tures are noble, but not so energetic as those of the Arabs.  The complexion of their children is clear, white and rosy.  The men are more brown, their hair is jet black, their eyes are also black.  The expression of their faces indicates mildness and melan-choly."

The Moors are described in "World Book Encyclopaedia" as "a dark-skinned Caucasian race among the Mediterranean peoples who were of early Arabic descent, and became a mix of Spanish, Jewish or Turkish descent.  The common, but in-correct, belief that the Moors were Negro was spread by Shakespeare's "Othello."  They were driven out of Spain in 1492, and most of them settled in North Africa.  Being skilled navigators, some of them could have found they way to the New World in the exo-dus.

While visiting in the County Museum in Galveston, Texas last winter, I observed in the Black American history display, evi-dence that Africans were in the New World before Euro-pean voyagers.  From at least the 14th century, African ships sailed the Atlantic Ocean.  Some of these ships by design or ac-cident may have crossed to the New World.  The Institute of Texan Culture, University of Texas documents the presence of blacks on Spanish ships in 1528.  This preceded by almost a cen-tury the beginning of the black slave trade in America.  Could these early sailors have included the Moors?

Five hundred years after the arrival of Columbus in the West In-dies, and in the year that the world has chosen to honor him, historians generally agree that he was not the first ex-plorer in the New World.  If there is evidence of the presence of the Moors here, can we assume that some remained by ac-cident or choice?  Serious study should be given to the many reports of early voyages and shipwrecks near our shores.

Ethnologist Thomas Henry Huxley divided the Caucasian race into two categories, the northern blonds and the Mediter-ranean brunets.  "Outline of History" makes three divisions--the Nordic blonds, the Iberian brunets and the round-headed Alpine race.
Black Dutch Theory
After a mention of the Black Dutch in a recent Foundation press release, the Melungeon Research Team received many requests for more information about these equally mysterious people.  Generally, these writers cited a family tradition of Black Dutch ancestors, but had no idea as to the origin of the Black Dutch.  Usually they described their ancestors as having "blue-black straight hair and olive or swarthy skin.  The Li-brary of Congress definition of Black Dutch is: "Sephardic [Spanish and Portuguese] Jews who intermarried with Dutch Protestants to escape the Inquisition," however this definition has generally fallen into disfavor among anthropologists.

One of the most interesting letters received was from Eva Noblin of Mississippi who wrote that she had Melungeon features which her early Grogan ancestor had ascribed to Black Dutch descent.

Eva had suffered for years from an anemia that perplexed sev-eral doctors.  Finally a doctor who was also a research spe-cialist, diagnosed it as Alpha Thalassemia, a type of inherited blood dis-ease found only in Mediterranean people.  Her father immedi-ately told the doctor about his grandmother, born in 1843, who had very dark skin and straight blue-black hair.  This knowledge helped the doctor to understand why Eva had this disease.

The Grogan family was one of the first settlers in Scott County, Mississippi.  Several generations, including the par-ents of Eva's great-grandmother, are buried near her home.  Some of the other descendants still display the Melungeon characteristics of their dark-skinned ancestors.

Information on the various types of this disorder was found in McGoogan Library of Medicine at the University of Ne-braska.  Ethnic background of the patient, Southern Euro-pean, North African or Middle Eastern, gives the physicians a clue as to the type of Alpha Thalassemia to look for.  Sickle Cell Anemia, a form of this disorder, is peculiar