History is a creature, one that flashes beauty or strangeness. Black history or family history, it makes no difference.
Here’s a tragic piece of history about Richard Gay, who was “Pa” Bob Gay’s Aunt Cherry’s father.

Richard Gay is Killed

Eastern Reflector, November 17, 1886

A colored man was killed by a white man at Farmville this county, on Saturday evening. The substance of what information we can gather is that the white man, W.B. FAITHFUL was in a barroom with a crowd of negroes, and while drinking dropped a dollar upon the floor, which was picked up by one of the colored men. Faithful looked around and accused Richard GAY of having his money. Some words passed between them and a fight ensued. GAY was shot dead at the beginning of the fight and FAITHFUL was cut several times in the back and shot through the wrist by some of the negroes standing near. For a while it was though he too had been killed. FAITHFUL’S wounds were dressed Saturday night and on Sunday he was brought to Greenville and placed in jail. Whiskey was at the bottom of the row.
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ncpcfr/pittobituaries_4.html