Blue human aren't possible. However, the disorder didn't seem to cause any special health problems. This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as info-tainment. All them old fellers way back then was blue. This small enclave was no longer isolated and they began to disperse and marry outside of their little clan diminishing the effect of the "blue" gene. Everyone knew the blue Fugates were healthy people. From a history of Perry County and some Fugate family Bibles listing ancestors, Cawein has constructed a fairly complete story. valley in the mountains in West Virginia with a barn and cows visible Stephanie Pittman 561 followers More information Blue People of West Virginia | . Settling in the remote hills of Kentucky, there werent a lot of other people nearby, and marrying people who were closely related became common among the Fugates. Cawein got lucky when a brother and sister named Patrick and Rachel Ritchie walked into a Hazard County clinic. It is almost certain that Martin was a descendant of the Fugate family of Russell County, Virginia and probably of French origin. "Methomoglobin is an oxidized form of hemoglobin that has a decreased affinity for oxygen, resulting in a reduced ability to release oxygen to tissues." Dr. Cawein injected the dye into the volunteers, and they were amazed to see how quickly their skin changed from blue to a healthy pink, then gradually to a Caucasian white. 5,600 views made by Rocco. Genetic Causes 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. Eventually, the recessive gene began to disappear once coal mining and the railroad opened the community to outsiders. But as Kentucky became more populated and more genes came into the Fugate family tree, there were far fewer children born blue. Oh, and they had blue skin. score: 5 of 27 (18%) required scores: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 list stats leaders vote Vote print comments. 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. "They vary in color from white to black, often have blue eyes and straight hair, and they are generally industrious. The following piece was collected at a dinner table with a group of girls out celebrating a friends birthday. They were really embarrassed about being blue, he said. The Appalachian region of the US is a beautiful place with a rich and sometimes tragic history. Those who are otherwise healthy with levels under 15% may exhibit minor symptoms or none at all. He married Elizabeth Smith, who carried a recessive gene for a genetic condition called methemoglobinemia, which gives those who have it blue-toned skin, even though they are otherwise perfectly healthy. The topographic boundary was modified where Route 9 crossed the watershed divide. Generations later, a descendant of Martin Fugate, Benjy Stacy, would be born "blue". Archives of Internal Medicine, April, 1964.2. Blue Grass Riding Club Of West Virginia, Inc. is a West Virginia Domestic Profit Corporation filed on January 19, 1965. One relative describes her as blue all over, and another calls Luna the bluest woman I ever saw.. 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? When they settled this country back then, there was no roads. The first known ancestor was David Wilson, who was born in Scotland about 1650; he had a son David, born about . Mary Fugate said that the gene is very dominant in the Smith line but there is still no concrete answers as to what couple started the shades of blue people. That total makes West Virginia the 38th most populous state in the country. Legend has it that Martin himself may have had a blue tinge to his skin, but not the dark blue color of later Fugates. Its blue, and their people have always had blue skin because of all the intermarrying and incest. 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. Levels at or above 70% are considered life-threatening and are accompanied by erratic heartbeats and circulatory problems. So I knew we had the defect defined.. June 18, 2015. I looked at other enzymes and nothing was wrong with them. 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. 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. The Fugate familys condition caused the blue members to be missing that enzyme; because their methemoglobin couldnt be converted, large amounts of it built up in the blue Fugates, even before birth, causing a very obvious blue tone to their skin. My first reaction to this story was wondering whether there was a scientific reason, or condition perhaps, that acted as a precursor to this belief of a skin condition that was a result of incest. The odds against it were incalculable, but Martin Fugate managed to find and marry a woman who carried the same recessive gene. Well, according to the official bible of literature, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a redneck is: A white person who lives in a small town or in the country especially in the southern U.S., who typically has a working-class job, and who is seen by others as being uneducated and having opinions and attitudes that are offensive.. 8 November 2021. Laughing, the Informant launched into a story of the "West Virginia Blue People", a story about a genetic condition the resulted from intermarriage. Oxygen, or a lack of oxygen, is what turns the blood from red to blue in people with methemoglobinemia. And a sense that President . The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, and extends 550 miles southwest from southern Pennsylvania through Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia. If enough blood is "infected" with this faulty type of hemoglobin, it changes from red to an almost purple-ish dark blue. But by 3 years old and . It is documented that Fugates were born in the colonies in the mid 1600's but the original progenitor has not been confirmed. Population: 5,626High school graduation rate: 72%Gun stores per capita: 5th in WVFishing/bait per capita: 3rd in the state. The area was never entirely cut off, but many people lived in remote closed communities with little incoming or outgoing migration. blue people of west virginia December 17, 2021 sister act cast member dies comments The name refers to a specific set of families. 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 good news for those who may still be born expressing the blue gene is that there is a treatment. The methylene blue he used on them is a dye a blue dye, ironically. GreenPower Motor Co. to begin manufacturing at South Charleston, West Virginia facility 'this quarter' Hot and cold: Up and down weather calls for adaptation for West Virginia's ski destinations; Morgantown (West Virginia) business owner who pleaded guilty to Jan. 6 charges sued along with Trump; This Week in West Virginia History ( Returnto the corrected sentence.). Informant: "So, what my brother told me is that there's a story that there are people in the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia, near the campus I guess, and there is skin is blue. By. They were bluern hell, Cawein says. I was actually born with my twin sisters fetus inside me. From California herself, the informant was very curious to hear about what the people of West Virginia were like. Buckhannon is a town thats 95% white, where 3 out of 10 people didnt graduate from high school. Fortunately, Cawein was able to find an antidote for the blood disorder - methylene blue which acted as an electron donor. Blue Man Group will rock your world. Days of testing provided no answers; but then Benjy's grandmother told the doctor a story about the "blue" Fugates. Two YouTubers have shared an inside look into Odd as they documented themselves traveling down a windy two-lane road. The only thing Stacy cant or wont remember is that his wife Luna was blue. Theyre prominently featured in reality television. Methemoglobinemia is one of the rare genetic conditions that's treatable with a simple pill. And a Walmart all to their own. Diet: Insects, seeds, and grains. A new playing surface, FieldTurf Revolution 2.5, was installed in 2016, giving West Virginia one of the country's safest and most . Dont freak out. If you stayed awake in high-school biology, you might remember that blood is red because red blood cells are packed with proteins called hemoglobin. RoadSnacks is reader-supported. Instead, football players bore a bronzesque gold helmet emblazoned with a blue outline of the state of West Virginia and the letters "WVU" inside an oval. Sit back, relax, and read the amazing but true genetic tale of the Blue People of Kentucky. In 1820, Martin Fugate, who is believed to have been blue, moved to Troublesome Creek from France and just happened to shack up with Elizabeth Smith, who also carried the gene. When West Virginia University decided to put "Black Lives Matter" decals on the back of their football helmets, the reaction by the people of . It began whenMartin Fugate, aFrench orphan, settled on the banks of eastern Kentuckys Troublesome Creek to claim a land grant in the early 19th century. God Bless America. A nearby family who the early Fugates married into quite extensively also carried the gene. Written family records do not indicate Martin's skin color, but family legend says he was blue. However, now that the Fugate gene pool is more diverse, there is less need for this treatment, as fewer blue children are being born. This then turns the carriers blood into a normal red hue which is then reflected in a change in skin tone. The Blue Fugates have essentially now gone from reality to legend. 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. Legend has it that Martin himself may have had a blue tinge to his skin, but not the dark blue color of later Fugates. The state capital is Charleston. Yep, thats right. Rednecks are hailed as being great in our song lyrics. Ask the Explainer. *. Of their seven children, four were reported to be blue. He married a red-haired American named Elizabeth Smith who had a very pale complexion and their union formed a genetic mutation that resulted in their descendants being born with blue skin. In the isolated hollows of rural Kentucky, they were known as the blue Fugates and the blue Combses. They wouldnt come into the waiting room. 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 There was a Zachariah Fugate who was married to a Mary Smith; both carried the gene which resulted in blue children. When Benjamin "Benjy" Stacy was born in 1975, nurses and doctors were shocked and confused. Read on below to see where your town ranked. The company's filing status is listed as Revoked (Failure To File Annual Report) and its File Number is 45369. When you look at the numbers, its clear that most of Moundsville is a buncha fun-lovin rednecks. Due to all this inbreeding, there were a lot of blue people running around the backwoods of Kentucky. We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. During the same time period, missionaries reported pervasive ignorance and poverty, with large families living together in ramshackle cabins. If their blood had a lower concentration of methemoglobin, they might only blush blue in cold weather, while people with higher concentrations of methemoglobin were bright blue from head to toe. Soon, the Fugates became known as the Blue Fugates of Kentucky. March 8, 2012— -- Kerry Green was a "blue baby," born in 1964 in Tulsa, Okla., and his family was given little hope that he would live because of a malformed aorta. The notion of widespread inbreeding was at least in part the result of crude assumptions about how these isolated forest people might have been perpetuating their communities. Despite those incredible odds, this is exactly what happened with the Fugates. "For the first time in their lives, they were pink. It like to scared me to death! In people with methemoglobinemia, the skin appears blue because the veins beneath the skin are coursing with dark blue blood. 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 Benjy's birth that they would crowd around the baby and try to make him cry. Martin and Elizabeth had seven children, four being born blue; Zachariah, who was blue, married his mother's sister. He came from where the sun don't shine. When Two Strangers Lost the Genetic Lottery Martin Fugate arrived in the unsettled frontier of Kentucky in 1820. 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