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The Fugates, a family that lived in the hills of Kentucky, commonly known as the “Blue Fugates“[1] or the “Blue People of Kentucky“, are notable for having been carriers of a genetic trait that led to the blood disorder methemoglobinemia, which causes the appearance of blue-tinged skin
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” The Blue People Of Kentucky ” I Episode Credits
Hosted By Mark Tauriello , Jen Wilson , & Marc Bluestein
Original Episode Art By Mark Tauriello
Original Episode Story & Concept By Jen Wilson
Episode Production By Marc Bluestein
” The Blue People Of Kentucky ” I Show Notes
Intro / Question
What is a cool rare genetic trait you have seen ?
This episode was recommended to us by our very own (my boyfriend) Jerry Eagan.
The Blue People of Kentucky
There used to exist a group of people for a hundred fifty years in the Hazard Kentucky area who had BLUE SKIN.
It was later revealed that the blue skin was a symptom of a condition called Methemoglobinemia which is a rare genetic trait that changed the skin color to blue.
The victims of this condition were descendants of the Fugate family, who later came to be known as the Blue People of Kentucky or the Blue Fugates.
What is Methemoglobinemia ?
Methemoglobinemia- a blood disorder caused by a metabolic condition that affects hemoglobin which is the four part protein that carries oxygen bound to an iron atom at each subunit’s core. It is caused by certain medications, chemicals, or can be genetic inheriting from the parents.
There was nothing physically wrong with the Fugate’s bodies, except for the color of their skin. Healthwise as well there was nothing wrong with the descendants of the Fugates as years went on.
The Blue People Of Kentucky
There used to exist a group of people for a hundred fifty years in the Hazard Kentucky area who had BLUE SKIN.
It was later revealed that the blue skin was a symptom of a condition called Methemoglobinemia which is a rare genetic trait that changed the skin color to blue.
The victims of this condition were descendants of the Fugate family, who later came to be known as the Blue People of Kentucky or the Blue Fugates.
The Fugate Family
Around 1820, Martin Fugate, a French orphan settled near Hazard Kentucky. He married a woman by the name Elizabeth Smith and they planned to start a family together. Both Martin and Elizabeth were unaware that they carried the methemoglobinemia gene that turned their skin indigo blue. They had seven children, and out of the seven, four of the children wound up having blue skin like their parents.
The area of Hazard, Kentucky, is very isolated and roads. At the time there weren’t roads for local citizens (only in 1910 they got a railroad). There were few families living in the area with a few of them being related to Elizabeth. Fugates began to intermarriage as they were left no other option because of their isolation. This lead to a higher probability of passing along the gene and having kids with blue skin.
Other families in nearby communities were terrified that they would wind up having blue skinned children, so they avoided marriage into the Fugate family. A few descendants of the family began to move out settling into different parts of the country. As time passed, new families moved in which allowed the Fugates to marry outside of their family with people who did not share their genes.
Later Years
Rachel and Patrick Ritchie, two blue descendants of the Fugates family met Doctor Madison Cawein III, a hematologist at the University of Kentucky’s Lexington Medical Clinic. The couple was embarrassed for their skin color as there was a perception in the minds of people that it is because of inter-marriage. In some areas, people accepted blue skin people whereas in other areas they faced a lot of discrimination and psychological trauma.
Research work done by Hematologist Madison Cawein III and nurse Ruth Pendergrass was very significant to understand the root cause of this issue and take preventive action as well. Their contribution in the field of methemoglobinemia is immense. Both of them have compiled the family tree of people who were suffering from this disease. He published a detailed note in the year 1964 that the blue hue will start disappearing and stop the pigmentation of the skin if methylene blue is injected into the patient’s body suffering from this problem.
Hematologist Madison Cawein III and nurse Ruth Pendergrass have discovered during their investigation that there were two people with similar symptoms before Martin Fugate and Elizabeth Smith. There is still disagreement and debate among modern-day researchers that all methemoglobinemia patients are descendants of the Fugates family.
“You almost never see a patient with it today. It’s a disease that one learns about in medical school and it is infrequent enough to be on every exam in hematology. It also exemplifies the intersection between disease and society, and the danger of misinformation and stigmatization,” said Dr. Ayalew Tefferi who is a Hematologist from Minnesota’s Mayo Clinic.
Benjamin Stacy, who was born in 1975 is the last known person born with the active Methemoglobinemia gene and his treatment was successful. Stacy is the great-great-great-great-grandson of Martin Fugate and Elizabeth Smith. There was panic among hospital staff as Benjamin was almost purple in color when he was born. As he grew up the indications of the disease cease to exist.
No one knows if Benjamin is still alive or not. His mother Hilda Stacy, who is 56, appears to still live in Hazard, Ky., but did not answer calls to her home. Other relatives are scattered throughout Virginia and Arkansas.
It is suggested an inbred line that had been passed from generation to generation. To get the disorder, a person would have to inherit two genes — one from each parent. When both parents have the trait, their children have a 25 percent chance of getting the disorder.
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