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. The clan kept multiplying. Fear that more inflation will cost jobs. Stereotypes about West Virginian breeding practices have long been linked to the states poverty. Hilda Stacy (nee Godsey) is fiercely protective of her son. John Stacy still lives on Lick Branch of Ball Creek. This is redneck wonderland. One day, one of the older mountain men cornered the doctor. What Happened to the Blue People? al. When young people started moving away from the farms surrounding Troublesome Creek in the mid-20th century, they took their recessive blue genes with them. The family was first discovered in 1958 when one of the blue men, Luke Combs, who was a descendant of another branch of the Fugate family, took his white wife to the University of Kentucky Hospital and doctors paid more attention to him than his wife. While in the hills, Cawein drove over to see Zach (Big Man) Fugate, the 76-year-old patriarch of the clan on Troublesome Creek. In the Inuit communities, scientists had pinpointed the problem, a deficiency of an enzyme that converted methemoglobin to hemoglobin. She has lived in the primitive dwelling without running water or electricity on the slopes of Dead Fall Mountain her entire life. All contents 2023 The Slate Group LLC. 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. Sometimes they married first cousins. Rachel was leaning against the wall. Two YouTubers have shared an inside look into Odd as they documented themselves traveling down a windy two-lane road. Since rail lines and paved roads didn't make it out to Troublesome Creek for nearly a century, the blue recessive gene was passed down to generations of Fugates and neighboring families, all of whom came to be known as "the blue people of Kentucky.". His two room log cabin sits in the middle of Laurel Fork Hollow. When Eleanor Roosevelt visited West Virginia mining towns in the 1930s, national newspapers ran pictures of rundown shacks and barefoot kids in rags, which left a lasting impression of the state as a backwater. Cawein, in researching the family lines in Perry County, Kentucky and with the help of Fugate Family Bibles, found in fact, that the Fugates had married Fugates, had married first cousins, and had intermarried with families whose surnames were: Combs, Smith, Ritchie, and Stacy. Written family records do not indicate Martin's skin color, but family legend says he was blue. 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. 11 HINTS YOU MIGHT BE DESCENDED FROM ALIENS, FUGATES OF KENTUCKY: SKIN BLUER THAN LAKE LOUISE As My World Turns, If Your Skin Is Blue, Dont Marry Your Other Blue Shaded Relative interesting12, Daily News investigates: Mystery of family with blue skin solved | Bazaar Daily News, If Your Skin Is Blue, Don't Marry Your Other Blue Shaded Relative - interesting12. The man who discovered the cure for methemoglobinemia was Madison Cawein III, a hematologist (blood doctor) at the University of Kentucky who heard tales of the "blue people" and went looking for specimens in the 1960s. Its true that, through the 19th century, transportation networks developed slowly in the rugged, westernmost portion of Virginia (incorporated as West Virginia in 1863). WHEELING, W.Va. (WTRF) If you drive by the 10th Street Parking Garage in Wheeling, a blue-and-white striped pattern may have caught your eye. The Derby Bar & Grill, Fairmount, WV. Cawein is no stranger to eccentricities of the body. Of their seven children, four were blue. THE town of Odd, West Virginia is a quiet, rural countryside, despite all the buzz surrounding the infamous inbred family, The Whittakers, who live within it. "I started asking them questions: 'Do you have any relatives who are blue?' Yes, West Virginia is among the poorest if not the poorest state in the union as well as one of the most uneducated and least economically developed. Why can colloidal silver turn your skin blue? The range of blue that could express itself in the blue Fugates ranged from light blue to dark blue like a blueberry, with even darker blue on the lips and fingernail beds. Typically, the blue is isolated to one part of the body. Two days of tests produced no explanation for skin the color of a bruised plum. It seems as if this area is generally, more wealthy than the other cities on this list. However, only 89% are white, and a whopping 83% finished high school. Buckhannon is a town thats 95% white, where 3 out of 10 people didnt graduate from high school. The doctor gave each blue family a supply of methylene blue tablets to take as a daily pill. February 16, 2012 by Tap Vann. Chapter 1: The Climate of Post-War America Chapter 2: West Virginia - The Violent Heritage Chapter 3: Political Maneuvering Chapter 4: The Creative Act of 1919 Chapter 5: Getting Organized PART II Chapter 6: The Mine Wars, 1919-1929 Chapter 7: Depression and Recovery, 1929-1939 Chapter 8: War Service, 1939-1949 He injected the Ritchie siblings with 100 milligrams of the blue dye and didn't have to wait long to see results. West By God is right. They were delighted., They changed colors! remembered Pendergrass. The blue skin gene is a recessive gene that only appears when both parents are carriers of the gene. And unleash your spirit. One of them even married his own aunt, and most of them had a lot of children who also married their cousins. Madison Cawein began hearing rumors about the blue people when he went to work at the University of Kentuckys Lexington medical clinic in 1960. Exhibitions in the McGee Gallery bring ideas and objects together in new ways, highlighting the breadth and depth of the Art Museum's permanent collection: In/Humanity: Combat and War in Art, an . And when you look at the data, its clear this is a really solid place for a redneck to make home. A transfusion was being prepared when Benjys grandmother spoke up. Some of us finished high school and became the "dreaded wife and mother"-as society portrays it. If this conversion continued, all the bodys hemoglobin would eventually be rendered useless. You might actually call Hurricane home of the rednecks with paychecks. (Martian Survivors). As travel became easier, more people moved into and out of the Fugates area of Kentucky, including some actual Fugates. But his first love, which he developed as an Army medical technician in World War II, was hematology. The railroad didnt come through eastern Kentucky until the coal mines were developed around 1912, and it took another 30 or 40 years to lay down roads along the local creeks. The odds against it were incalculable, but Martin Fugate managed to find and marry a woman who carried the same recessive gene. Is there anything really wrong with being called a West Virginia redneck? New Martinsville is located in the northwestern part of the state, right on the Ohio state line. Its 97% white, very blue collar, and there are lots of places to get guns, ammo and chew. Normally diaphorase converts methemoglobin back to hemoglobin. yes, saw that years ago, colloidal silver, damn asshole medias, just state facts, you can prove., thanks for this honest reply. 2,999 100 . Only adopted cousins are allowed to marry, while in Vermont, Virginia, and many other states, first cousins can tie the knot. "The beginning of this story is so wild because Martin moved to Kentucky from Europe and married a complete stranger, a nonrelative who just happened to have the same mutation," says Lewis. The gene is still around today but has now become statistically insignificant and there are no serious medical problems associated with it. His car gave out on the dirt road to Zachs house, and the doctor had to borrow a Jeep from a filling station. Set in West Virginia, it features cannibalistic mountain men, horribly disfigured from generations of incest. In 1980, a counter-intuitive solution was discovered where the blue person drinks a chemical-filled solution that is itself blue. After analyzing all cities with a decent amount of people in them, we came up with this list as The Most Redneck Cities in West Virginia: Many of these are types of places where old redneck ladies drive their motorized wheelchairs down the middle of town, towing their grandkids in a wagon. ( Returnto the corrected sentence.). Eventually, a nurse named Ruth Pendergrass heard of them, and, along with a hematologist named Madison Cawein III, decided to go meet these locally famous blue people in person. Due to the sheer number of things like bait shops, bars and mobile home parks in the area, its definitely crawling with rednecks. Eventually, Cawein gained their trust and began taking blood samples. She was as blue a woman as I ever saw.. These people arent related to the Fugates: Also fake. A nearby family who the early Fugates married into quite extensively also carried the gene. He came from where the sun don't shine. 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. Population: 6,427High school graduation rate: 70%Bars per capita: 1st in WVMobile home parks per capita: 1st. You have the official bragging rights as being named the most redneck city in the entire state of West Virginia. From California herself, the informant was very curious to hear about what the people of West Virginia were like. Upon discovering the blue members of the Fugate family were perfectly healthy in every other way, Cawein decided to try some experiments to see if the blue color could be treated. Cawein drew lots of blood from the Ritchies and hurried back to his lab. Population: 6,306Walmart rank: 2ndMobile home parks: 5th in the stateBars per person: 5th in West Virginia. After ruling out heart and lung diseases, the doctor suspected methemoglobinemia, a rare hereditary blood disorder that results from excess levels of methemoglobin in the blood. Meghan. The Fugates are of French Huguenot descent, with the original immigrant ancestor coming over from France in about 1820. Cawein, Madison and E.J. This information supplied by John Graves whose uncle was the father of the child. 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. In another neighborhood of this rust-belt city of 46,000, Pam and Ted Keesee have their own. Genetic Causes Plus, we thought why not add in a few stereotypes? But as Kentucky became more populated and more genes came into the Fugate family tree, there were far fewer children born blue. For more West Virginia reading, check out: In order to rank the most redneck cities in West Virginia, we had to determine what criteria makes a redneck. In 2014, the lowest-cost bronze plan in the WV exchange was an average of $280/month, higher than the national average of $249. Then he began to construct the family genealogy and traced their roots back to Martin and Elizabeth Fugate. 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. Between 1880 and 1920, southern West Virginia's population grew from 93,000 to 446,000, due almost entirely to the coal industry. In fact, the last known blue Fugate was born in 1975, and his skin color faded to normal as he grew up. 3 of 10 isnt good enough; think of how high you wouldve finished on this list had more of you ditched class to head to the hills on Friday mornings like a lot of your friends. Days of testing provided no answers; but then Benjy's grandmother told the doctor a story about the "blue" Fugates. 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. As a result of a coincidental meeting of recessive genes, intermarriage and inbreeding, members of the Fugate family were born with a rare condition that made them visibly discoloured. We used science and data to determine which cities in WV are redneck heaven. Some sources claim their are no blue . Generations later, a descendant of Martin Fugate, Benjy Stacy, would be born "blue". He was a French orphan who knew nothing of his lineage. She lives alone in one of the. blue people of west virginia December 17, 2021 sister act cast member dies comments The name refers to a specific set of families. type to search . "The True Story of the Blue People of Kentucky" 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 inbreeding caused the recessive gene to appear in both parents. Patrick was all hunched down in the hall. Trudging up and down the hollows, fending off the two mean dogs that everyone had in their front yard, the doctor and the nurse would spot someone at the top of a hill who looked blue and take off in wild pursuit. When Two Strangers Lost the Genetic Lottery Martin Fugate arrived in the unsettled frontier of Kentucky in 1820. Habitat: Thick shrubbery and areas with tall trees. West Virginia History Timeline. They wouldnt come into the waiting room. The clinic doctors only saw her a few times in her life and never for anything serious. Blow your mind. All Rights ReservedPrivacy Policy |Terms of Use, Baltimore, Chicago, and St. Louis, 1870 Census Index, North Carolina and South Carolina, 1870 Census Index, Virginia and West Virginia, 1870 Census Index, Margaret Christine Otis Baker: A Colonial Woman with an Incredible Story, Carter Braxton: The Signers of the Declaration of Independence, Josiah Bartlett: The Signers of the Declaration of Independence, Everything You Need to Know About the 1890 US Federal Census, The Real Truth Behind Coats of Arms and Family Crests, Curtis King: Unsung Heroes of the Civil War. His lips and fingernails still turn a shade of purple-blue when he gets cold or angry a quirk that so intrigued medical students after Benjys birth that they would crowd around the baby and try to make him cry. In most people, there is an enzyme present called diaphorase that converts methemoglobin back into a usable form of hemoglobin. I couldnt tell you what caused it.. 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 ". Cawein, Madison, et. Despite those incredible odds, this is exactly what happened with the Fugates. Correction, June 9, 2008: The article originally stated that a handful of states allow marriages between first cousins. As a bonus, theres a Golden Corral, several Dollar Stores and many Waffle Houses in the area. Population: 5,373Tobacco stores per capita: 5th in West VirginiaGun stores per capita: 2ndFishing/bait shops per capita: 2nd. Several familes moved elsewhere after being bought out. The reasons for this almost have to do entirely with coal. Studying the problem, Cawein figured out that he could convert methemoglobin to hemoglobin without the enzyme. During the same time period, missionaries reported pervasive ignorance and poverty, with large families living together in ramshackle cabins. The area was never. Methemoglobin levels over 50% may result in seizures, coma, and death. When West Virginia University decided to put "Black Lives Matter" decals on the back of their football helmets, the reaction by the people of . She remembers the story very easily, most often humorously, because she remembers the manner in which her brother told her. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. by F. William Sunderman, J.B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia PA, 1964. Google Maps, Cowboy Up Bar, Bluefield, WV. Most of the Fugates didnt seem to mind being blue. 8 November 2021. Google Maps. Like this guy: Most of the Blue Fugates died off, hopefully because they decided to give the incest a rest for a while, and so its not often that one runs into a blue person on the street anymore. Such people tend to be very blue only at birth, probably because newborns normally have smaller amounts of diaphorase. Martin married a red-headed American woman named Elizabeth Smith and the two set up a homestead on the banks of Troublesome Creek near Hazard County, Kentucky. It has nothing to do with melanin, the amino acid that gives people darker skin tones. This genetic defect comes from a rare recessive gene, so most people arent affected by it unless they happen to reproduce with another person who carries it. For more than a century, these Appalachian families passed along an exceedingly rare genetic blood condition that turned their skin a disarming shade of blue. Legend has it that Martin himself may have had a blue tinge to his skin, but not the dark blue color of later Fugates. West Virginia Get facts and photos about the 35th state. In 1980, anthropologist Robert Tincher published a study titled Night Comes to the Chromosomes: Inbreeding and Population Genetics in Southern Appalachia, based on 140 years worth of marriage records. 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