January 1943

Local Registrars, Physicians, Health
Officers, Nurses, School Superintendents
and Clerks of the Courts

Dear Co-workers:

Our December 1942 letter to local registrars, also mailed to the clerks, set forth the determined effort to escapefrom the negro race of groups of "free issues," or descendants of the "free mulattoes" of early days, so listedprior to 1865 in the United States census and various types of State records, as distinguished from slavenegroes.

Now that these people are playing up the advantages gained by being permitted to give "Indian" as the race ofthe child's parents on birth certificates, we see the great mistake made in not stopping earlier the organizedpropagation of this racial falsehood. They have been using the advantage thus gained as an aid tointermarriage into the white race and to attend white schoools, and now for some time, they have beenrefusing to register with war draft boards as negroes, as required by the boards which are faithfullyperforming their duties. Three of these negroes from Caroline County were sentenced to prison on January 12in the United States Court at Richmond for refusing to obey the draft law unless permitted to classifythemselves as "Indians."

Some of these mongrels, finding that they have been able to sneak in their birth certificates unchallenged asInidans are now making a rush to register as white. Upon investigation we find that a few local registrarshave been permitting such certificates to pass through their hands unquestioned and without warning ouroffice of the fraud. Those attempting this fraud should be warned that they are liable to a penalty of one yearin the penitentiary (Section 5099 of the Code). Several clerks have likewise been actually granting themlicenses to marry whites, or at least to marry amongst themselves as Indian or white. The danger of this erroralways confronts the clerk who does not inquire carefully as to the residence of the woman when he does nothave positive information. The law is explicit that the license be issued by the clerk of the county or city inwhich the woman resides.

To aid all of you in determining just which are the mixed families, we have made a list of their surnames bycounties and cities, as complete as possible at this time. This list should be preserved by all, even by thosein counties and cities not included, as these people are moving around over the State and changing race at thenew place. A family has just been investigated which was always recorded as negro around Glade Springs,Washington County, but which changed to white and married as such in Roanoke County. This is going onconstantly and can be prevented only by care on the part of local registrars, clerks, doctors, health workers,and school authorities.

Please report all known or suspicious cases to the Bureau of Vital Statistics, giving names, ages, parents, andas much other information as possible. All certificates of these people showing "Indian" or "white" are nowbeing rejected and returned to the physician or midwife, but local registrars hereafter must not permit them topass their hands uncorrected or unchallenged and without a note of warning to us. One hundred and fiftythousand other mulattoes in Virginia are watching eagerly the attempt of their pseudo-Indian brethren, ready tofollow in a rush when the first have made a break in the dike.

Very truly yours,

(signature)
W. A. Plecker, M.D. State Registrar of Vital Statistics

(NOTE: This letter is attached to a list of surnames organized by counties and cities.)

[PAGE 2 of Mailing by Plecker to Virginia county-officials and health-care workers]

SURNAMES, BY COUNTIES AND CITIES (illegible) VIRGINIA FAMILIES STRIVING TO PASS AS"INDIAN" AND/OR WHITE

Albemarle:
Moon, Powell, Kidd, Pumphrey

Greene:
Shifflett, Shiflet