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My name is Joi Dickerson and I am an African-American
decended from the Ragland family.

I have an ancestor John D. Ragland who was one of the
many children of a slavemaster named Ragland in
Petersburg, VA and his seamstress.

Please contact me for more info, I could use your
assistance.

My 92 year lucid grandfather told me that a plantation
owner left his planation to my Madagascan maternal
ancestor but she was denied the plantation due to the
fact that she was black. She took her children and
moved into the Smokey Mountains.

I have documents from John Davis, a sea capatain who
was abducted with Evan Ragland, the information is
below:


>
> According to George Gibson Dickerson and Ethel
> Dickerson, our family is
descendant of Malagasy Royalty of Madagascar.The
story goes that a Prince and Princess were abducted
from the seashore of Madagascar by a Scottish/English
Sea Captain. The Princess married the seacaptain and
he brought her to Virginia to his plantation. Ethel
Dickerson believes this was the Ragland
surname connection.

I, Joi Dickerson have found evidence through
Ancestry.com that an Evan Ragland was abducted from
England with a John Davis.

There was a famous Sea Captain named John
Davis-(sometimes written Davys) who published in the
1600's a book titled

The Voyages and Works of John Davis, the Navigator

I found this book in the New York PublicLibrary
(reference # 910.8 D.)

John Davis made more than one journey to Madagascar.
His first journey, under a captain or Baase (a Dutch
word for Master or Boss named James Lancaster and a
second voyage where he was the Captain.

On page 136 of his book he writes in Olde English;

(February 1599) The third wee anchored in the
same Bay(S.W. coast of Madagascar) where we saw many
peopleupon the shore, but when we landed they fled
from us: for the other Voyage ourBaase was in this
Bay,, where hee greatly abused the people, and tooke
one of them,bound him to a Post, and shot him to
death, with other shamefuldisorders.

After seven dayes by much meanes that we made, some
of them came to us, and after would no more abide us.


> SHIP NAMES: LION and LIONESS Page 139

The three and twentieth, we fell with
the islands of Maldivia, which are very low, close by
water, wholly covered with Cocoa trees, so that we saw
the trees but not the shore. Here we anchored and
refreshed ourselves:

Many of the Countrey Boats passing by us, but none
would come to us: whereupon our Baase (Ship
Master)sent out the ships boats to take one of them.

The foure and twentieth, they brought a Boat covered
with Mats, like a closed Barge.

In this Boat was a Gentleman and his Wife; he was
apparelled in very fine white Linnen, after
the Turkish manner. In his rings were rich stones,
his behaviour was so sweet and affable, his countence
so modest, and his speech so graceful. As that it
made apparent shewe he could not be less than a
Noble-man.
He was unwilling to have his Wife seen:
notwithstanding, our Baase went with him into his
Boat, to see her: he also opened her Casket, wherein
some Jewels and Ambergeese(used for perfume).

He reported that she sat with with mournefull modesty,
not using one word: what was taken from them I know
not; but in departing this Gentleman shewed a
Princely spirit. His color was blacke, with smoothe
hair, a man of middle stature.

Joi Dickerson

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