John Harmon, born c.a. 1725, remains elusive to researchers because of the scarcity of Spanish and Portuguese records here in America. During that period of of time, he was not White, so he fell into the large realm of “Black” of “Free Persons of Color.” There were no distinctions at that time between the non-White ethnic groups including Portuguese, Spanish, Mediterranean, Asian, Arabian, Turkish, or Native American. Historically, it was a Black or White world. But we know differently now. Archaeologists working in North Carolina have now discovered that Spain and Portugal’s colonization efforts reached further inland than previously thought. Regarding North Carolina excavation sites, archeologist Robin Beck emphasizes:
- “North Carolina’s history has always been multi-cultural, even before the Europeans arrived…This is a chance to get the Spanish and Native American contributions back into the history books. We are trying to bring light to the lost stories. They are all a vital part of the American experience.” (Blackburn, Marion P. “Spain’s Appalachian Outpost: Failed Ambitions for a North American Empire,” Archaeology, July/August 2009, 38-43).
-Upon reading the original genealogy affidavit of Daniel Goins, filed in Randolph County in 1882, I believe the mysterious John Harmon, a “native of Portugal,” must have resided in Granville County. According to my research, Granville County was considerably large and once included the areas of Carbonton with Deep River as a Southernmost boundary. While it looked liked this Goings family moved around throughout the generations, in reality they were still on the original land purchased by William Goings, Sr. in 1764 from the Crown. It was the boundaries which shifted over the years, as Chatham, Lee, Cumberland, Moore and Randolph Counties were carved out of the parent county. This fact was documented by Rassie E. Wicker, an early surveyor of the county of Moore, who took an interest in the families of Moore and wrote a history entitled “Miscellaneous Ancient Records of Moore County, North Carolina.” In the book, Wicker, a descendant of Kennith Murchison, Sr. of Moore County, North Carolina took an interest in the Goings family as well, stating that they were not ‘negro’, but were ‘classified exactly as the so-called Lumbee Indians of Robeson County.” (316)
The Croatan Indians, more recently referred to as the Lumbee Tribe because of the nearby Lumber River, were historically known as the Cherokee Indians of Robeson County North Carolina. William Goyens, Jr. and his family are descended from these proud tribes and his kinship with the Cherokees was the very reason why Sam Houston entrusted Goyens with the negotiation of the Houston-Forbes Treaty in 1836.
A tedious study of the persons who testified in Daniel Goins’ genealogy proves that each testator was a descendant of Kenneth Murchison of Pocket Creek. Andrew Cole was a neighbor to William Goings, Sr. but he is also tied into the family through his St. Clair and Petty relations. Andrew Cole married Talitha Ann Wicker.
Flora Coffer, daughter of Henry Coffer and Margaret McIntosh, born in 1839, married Ben Kimball, which is also a family name that appears on the Goins affidavit of genealogy. The Henry Coffer home was adjacent to Edward Goins’ property line. The old, white Coffer home was converted to a church before it was removed to the Henry Coffer place. (Interview with Mack Wicker, Lee County, North Carolina, 1992).
Because the sons and daughters of Daniel Goins are descended from Leah Goings, therefore a female line, a normal Y-DNA test would not reveal much. It is significant however, that these descendants are from a double Goins line (Daniel Goins married Margaret Goins). When a Whole or Composite DNA test was done which reflects both maternal and paternal DNA, the test results came out to verify the affidavit of Daniel Goins. The test’s top population match as Berber (Asni, Moroccan) as the number one population match. The others in the top ten match were Spanish, Moroccan, Macedonian, Canary Islander and Scottish in order from highest to lowest population matches. The conclusion was 91% European, 9% Native American and 0% Sub-Saharan African in this generation of Goings/Goyens/Goins family. It is significant the Goinses married within their tribe because they did preserve their cultural identity in their blood-line. Sadly, American history does not reflect the diversity of colonial America within the text books.
Still scholars persist that the forensic anthropological evidence of the composite DNA, along with the fact that it validates the 1882 affidavit of genealogy by Daniel Goins of Randolph County is mere coincidence. The blood cannot lie. The facts are what they are . . . Those who continue to argue these facts for argumentative and speculative sake, need to do much better research. So begins the journey to correct the misrepresentations of the past.
