Redbone Heritage Foundation, Inc.
6/25/2007

There has been considerable confusion in recent weeks as a result of some heated discussions among members of RHF and to a lesser extent with non-members. In the process some angry things have been said, by both sides, that were more harmful than helpful. It is our hope that this can be acknowledged and laid aside.

At the root of the disagreement is the lack of a clear definition of and agreement about who is a Redbone. While this has been discussed from time to time it always raises the temperature of the discussion. It is not an easy subject to discuss for many reasons. Among those reasons is that if one considers himself/herself to be a Redbone it is by definition a subjective issue with feelings doing battle with our reason. The extremes of positions about who is a Redbone are amazing. The range of positions is from anyone with mixed blood is a Redbone to only a few families who came to Louisiana during certain years being Redbone. Those people who live in other states or another community are non-Redbone regardless of their family connections. And wannabees are excluded without further ado or welcomed in depending on who is making the judgment.

Principles of RHF

1.  Membership in RHF is not dependent upon being a Redbone; interested parties are welcome. RHF does not have a definition of Redbone, but generally its members avoid the extremes.

2.     Since there is no agreed upon definition of who is a Redbone or what constitutes being a Redbone, the category is open. It is considered a high complement when someone wants to be a Redbone. The individual has a right to his/her belief. One does not have to agree, but does one have the right to deprive someone of that belief.

3.       Among the objectives of RHF is to provide a vehicle to assist persons who have connections to or interest in Redbones, whether they consider themselves Redbone or are just trying to determine their status in that regard, to conduct research.

4.     Another previously unstated objective is to provide through internet exposure to various far-flung researchers and through the Redbone Chronicles, opportunity to broaden our knowledge beyond our own village and close circle of acquaintances. Hopefully this exposure will lead to deeper knowledge of the origins of Redbones and meaning of being  Redbone.
 

Stacy Webb, President
 

The Voice Newsletter Issued December 16, 2006.  

RHF updates, announcements, research articles and much more. To read the first issue, please visit the link below.

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Melungeon Heritage Association & RHF have come together to co-sponsor a booth at the, National Genealogical Society Conference and History Fair.

We have reserved the last booth and hope you can make arrangements to attend.  There is something scheduled for all genealogist.

The conference program details are coming soon - but highlights include:

Day-long tracks on DNA, the Library of Congress, National Archives records, Virginia records and repositories

A special, "Beginning Your Family History" track on Saturday

Workshops on Handwriting, Finding and dating postcards for your family history, Court records, Advanced Chancery Record Research, Land Platting, and Mapping Workshop for Genealogists

Computer workshops on DeedMapper, GenSmarts, Legacy, Master Genealogist, Photo Image Digital Manipulation Using Software, Excel for the Genealogist, Microsoft Word for the Genealogist, Optimizing Your Computer at No Cost, Backup Strategies and Tools.

Lectures on English, Irish, Scots-Irish, German, African-American, and Indian Research; Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington, DC; military records, migration paths, railroads, indentured servants, searching the Internet; conference-long Methodology track, researching women.

RHF Board Members New Book Highlights “Redbone”Heritage

Sammy Tippit has just released his new book, Praying for Your Family. The book encourages people to pray for their families and teaches principles of praying for families. Although the book is not specifically about the people called “Redbones,” it draws inspiration from Tippit’s “Redbone” heritage.

The author is a direct descendent of the Bass/Nash family line. In Praying for Your Family, he tells of John and Delaney Taylor Bass’s work with Rev. Joseph Willis in forming some of first Protestant churches west of the Mississippi River. He explains how he learned through a strange set of circumstances his “Redbone” heritage and about his great grandparents and their pioneering Christian work in central Louisiana.

Tippit dedicated the book to the “grandmother that he never knew.” The San Antonio author and international conference speaker said, “I never met my grandmother, Eliza Bass Tippit. She died five years before I was born. My grandfather died two years before I was born. I grew up in the city and they lived in the pine forests of central/southwest Louisiana. But, when I was forced to research my heritage, I discovered things that I never imagined. My grandmother was this godly praying woman. I’m sure that my international ministry is a direct answer to her prayers. As I learned of her life, it became a tremendous source of inspiration to me. I pray that it will inspire others as well.”

Best selling novelist, Jerry B. Jenkins, said, “The church is blessed with many deep warriors of prayer, but none I would trust more than Sammy Tippit on a subject like this."

Anyone interested in reading this fascinating story or purchasing a copy of the book can go to the website:

 or you can order books by calling