Correction, June 9, 2008: The article originally stated that a handful of states allow marriages between first cousins. West Virginia History Timeline. It like to scared me to death! Dark blue lips and fingernails are the only traces of Martin Fugates legacy left in the boy; that, and the recessive gene that has shaded many of the Fugates and their kin blue for the past 162 years. There are even video games about rednecks. Some say 99%. That iron atom binds with oxygen, which is how red blood cells circulate oxygen throughout the body. They lived in isolation and married the girl next door, even if they had the same last name, and consequently passed the gene on to many generations. Despite those incredible odds, this is exactly what happened with the Fugates. his wife happened to be a carrier for the gene, so in turn about half of their children were blue. Everyone knew the blue Fugates were healthy people. Incredibly, Benjy had inherited a gene dating back over 162 years! 5,600 views made by Rocco. They were poor people, concurs Nurse Pendergrass, but they were good.References1. Dating back to the early 1800s, an isolated family in eastern Kentucky who can trace their roots back to a French orphan started producing children who were blue. Others, however, did not like being blue, and it was these Fugates, who didnt like their blue coloring, who were the first to volunteer for Caweins experimental treatments. Not myth or legend; The Blue People of Kentucky were an isolated enclave of Appalachian people who lived with an embarrassing skin discoloration until a young hematologist took notice and found a solution. How far from Flatwoods , ky? At 30%, nausea, difficulty breathing, and an elevated heart rate start to appear. Ask the Explainer. Martin and Elizabeth had seven children, four being born blue; Zachariah, who was blue, married his mother's sister. 1:52. For the first time in their lives, they were pink. Mountain People. Have you ever heard of the blue people of Kentucky? Add to calendar. Curiosity drove him to Hazard where he was introduced to a nurse, Ruth Pendergrass, who had met a "dark blue" woman. West Virginia: County: Tyler: Elevation. Published November 21, 2021 Updated November 29, 2021 For nearly 200 years, the Fugates known as the blue people of Kentucky remained largely sealed off from the outside world as they passed their blue skin from generation to generation. The lightness or darkness of the blue depends on the amount of the substance the person has circulating in them from birth. Methemoglobinemia is a rare hereditary blood disorder that results from excess levels of methomoglobin (metHb) in the blood. You might actually call Hurricane home of the rednecks with paychecks. Cawein cheers their bad luck not out of malice but out of a deep respect for the blue people of Troublesome Creek. Those who are otherwise healthy with levels under 15% may exhibit minor symptoms or none at all. Little did they know that their union would create shades of blue people! Elizabeth had pale white skin, almost translucent. In response, Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia railed against the veep, accusing him of astounding ignorance toward his own countrymen. Howd West Virginia get a reputation for inbreeding? Benjy was born in a maternity ward near Hazard, Kentucky and was rushed by ambulance to a medical clinic in Lexington to find help for his blue problem. She also states that the union of Martin and Elizabeth were probably not the originators of the gene as their marriage took place too late. Of their seven children, four were blue. Martin Fugate, who was orphaned as a child in France, began the American Fugate clan. Theres lots of trucks in Grafton, WV. Its 97% white, very blue collar, and there are lots of places to get guns, ammo and chew. Start your free trial today to learn more about your ancestors using our powerful and intuitive search. Laughing, the Informant launched into a story of the West Virginia Blue People, a story about a genetic condition the resulted from intermarriage. But his first love, which he developed as an Army medical technician in World War II, was hematology. In most people, there is an enzyme present called diaphorase that converts methemoglobin back into a usable form of hemoglobin. As travel became easier, more people moved into and out of the Fugates area of Kentucky, including some actual Fugates. valley in the mountains in West Virginia with a barn and cows visible Stephanie Pittman 561 followers More information Blue People of West Virginia | . Inbreeding in eastern Kentucky has been turning offspring blue since the early 1880s. Such people tend to be very blue only at birth, probably because newborns normally have smaller amounts of diaphorase. Folklore maintained the Fugates were blue due to heart disease or lung problems. Sit back, relax, and read the amazing but true genetic tale of the Blue People of Kentucky. Regardless, this place might be the whitest, redneckest of them all. Hilda Stacy (nee Godsey) is fiercely protective of her son. the blue color was gone from their skin, the doctor said. ELVIS SEEN AT GRACELAND ON HIS 85th BIRTHDAY! Several familes moved elsewhere after being bought out. During the same time period, missionaries reported pervasive ignorance and poverty, with large families living together in ramshackle cabins. Blue People of West Virginia | . Methemoglobin levels over 50% may result in seizures, coma, and death. Her name was Ruth Pendergrass, and she had been trying to stir up medical interest in the blue people ever since a dark blue woman walked into the county health department one bitterly cold afternoon and asked for a blood test. Plus, we thought why not add in a few stereotypes? Martin and Elizabeth set up housekeeping on the banks of Troublesome and began a family. Days of testing provided no answers; but then Benjy's grandmother told the doctor a story about the "blue" Fugates. According to the official dictionary definition of a redneck, and based on stereotypes that the internet says are true, using science to determine the most redneck cities in a state cant be too far off. Matt Harvey Dan Cunningham was born Jan. 16, 1850, in Jackson County. It was really something exciting to see.. A stance in favor of new abortion restrictions. He had to drive eight hours back to Hazard to search out the Ritchies, who lived in a tapped-out mining town called Hardburly. This information supplied by John Graves whose uncle was the father of the child. Population: 6,306Walmart rank: 2ndMobile home parks: 5th in the stateBars per person: 5th in West Virginia. Then, in 2004, Abercrombie & Fitch released a T-shirt emblazoned with a map of the Appalachian state and the words Its all relative in West Virginia. In February, a casting director for the upcoming thriller Shelter put out a call for extras with unusual body shapes, [and] even physical abnormalities to depict West Virginia mountain people. When West Virginia University decided to put "Black Lives Matter" decals on the back of their football helmets, the reaction by the people of . Scott's research had found hereditary methemoglobinemia among Alaskan Eskimos and Indians caused by an absence of the enzyme diaphorase from their red blood cells. It doesnt mean the condition is gone from the family; theres a chance another child could be born with it, but the incidents of it should be fewer and farther between in the modern era. Dennis 4 Comments. This publication also contains information on state and federal agencies; postal information; the Constitutions of the United States and West Virginia; and, considerable information on counties, municipalities and various organizations. There are still blue people around today, but some of them developed their blueness from ingesting colloidal silver. She lives alone in one of the. So is the Walmart factor, which is the number of Walmarts per person. They were like any other 1800s family except theyliked inbreeding. In 1980, a counter-intuitive solution was discovered where the blue person drinks a chemical-filled solution that is itself blue. At last they were free of their "blue" shade and were no longer embarrassed. Population: 5,626High school graduation rate: 72%Gun stores per capita: 5th in WVFishing/bait per capita: 3rd in the state. A nearby family who the early Fugates married into quite extensively also carried the gene. Diet: Insects, seeds, and grains. The Fugates are of French Huguenot descent, with the original immigrant ancestor coming over from France in about 1820. Everyone knew the blue Fugates were healthy people. One could inherit the gene, not get the blood disorder, but pass the gene on to a child. By the time theyd get to the top, the person would be gone. Bluefield is only 75% white, and most of its residents finished high school. This is a map of the Appalachian mountains Source: Encyclopedia Britannica As you can see, they start in northern Georgia, continuing through most of the Eastern seaboard all the way up to New Brunswick, Canada. In the Inuit communities, scientists had pinpointed the problem, a deficiency of an enzyme that converted methemoglobin to hemoglobin. And shop at Walmart. Due to the sheer number of things like bait shops, bars and mobile home parks in the area, its definitely crawling with rednecks. The gene is still around today but has now become statistically insignificant and there are no serious medical problems associated with it. If this story were true everyone in Alabama would be blue. (Martian Survivors). One of em I remember seeing him when I was just a boy Blue Anze, they called him. If youre curious enough, here are the least redneck places in West Virginia (if thats even possible): We aim to deliver infotainment about where you live that your real estate agent won't tell you. The Fugate family intermarried with a neighbouring family for generations, which led to a relatively pure gene pool, often including the met-H gene. The Derby Bar & Grill, Fairmount, WV. Thankfully, Benjy lost his blue shade after a few weeks and the only lingering effects were blue fingernails and lips when he was cold or angry. And they married the people who lived closest to them, the Combses, Smiths, Ritchies, and Stacys. This brief history has been gleaned from old family records, correspondence with other members, and histories of Ritchie, Barbour, Harrison and Randolph Counties, West Virginia. The Fugates, a family living in the hills of Kentucky starting in the 19th century, were commonly known as the " Blue Fugates " [1] or the " Blue People of Kentucky ". The Informant learned this information from her brother, when he returned home after his first semester at school. We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Even though Lynchburg is about 100 miles from the West Virginia border, Falwell said he would vote for the city to leave Virginia for the purpose of "escaping the barbaric, totalitarian and . All lived in isolation from the world, bunched in log cabins up and down the hollows, and so it was only natural that a boy married the girl next door, even if she had the same last name. 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