Plecker's December 1943 letter: "no ... Indian ... unmixed with negro blood" (Richmond, VA, Dec. 1943)
Record: the document says itPattern: documents line upLens: our readingOpen: not yet proven
Year: 1943 · Places: Virginia, Europe
SUMMARYPlecker's December 1943 letter: "no ... Indian ... unmixed with negro blood" (Richmond, VA, Dec. 1943) [Connections: Virginia & Eastern Shore, Nov 5, 2026]
RECORDWalter A. Plecker, State Registrar of Vital Statistics, addressed the letter to "Local Registrars, Clerks, Legislators, and others responsible for, and interested in, the prevention of racial intermixture." It states that "there does not exist today a descendant of Virginia ancestors claiming to be an Indian who is unmixed with negro blood." He asks the General Assembly to "empower us to state the recorded pedigree on the backs of such certificates." HOSTILE
WITNESSThis is a eugenicist official writing to enforce his own classification system
PATTERNA state official tells every records office that no unmixed Indians exist, which means every Native person can be classed "colored."
LENS (WW9)A paper genocide written in a state official's own words
OPENWhich local registrars acted on it. Accomack and Northampton files need checking