▁M ales ▁of ▁Bar bour ▁County , ▁West ▁Virginia ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 0 , ▁with ▁two ▁updates . ▁ ▁He ▁documented ▁the ▁orig ins ▁of ▁the ▁Male , ▁Mah le , ▁May le , ▁May h le ▁name ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁States . ▁He ▁claimed ▁to ▁have ▁found ▁only ▁one ▁incident ▁of ▁inter ra cial ▁union . ▁▁ ▁In ▁an ▁interview , ▁he ▁pointed ▁out ▁that ▁the ▁Pitts burgh , ▁Pennsylvania ▁press ▁had ▁carried ▁repeated ▁sens ational ▁magazine ▁articles ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 9 0 0 s ▁about ▁the ▁area , ▁highlight ing ▁its ▁pover ty ▁and ▁mixed - race ▁communities . ▁He ▁suggests ▁this ▁was ▁the ▁origin ▁of ▁accounts ▁that ▁the ▁group ▁was ▁mixed - race .( Note : ▁The ▁account ▁above ▁pred ates ▁such ▁articles .) ▁The ▁photograph s ▁of ▁Male ▁descend ants ▁that ▁are ▁included ▁in ▁his ▁book , ▁many ▁from ▁this ▁same ▁time ▁period , ▁do ▁not ▁show ▁physical ▁characteristics ▁associated ▁with ▁African ▁phen ot ypes . ▁( But , ▁other ▁photograph s ▁of ▁self - ident ified ▁Ch est nut ▁R idge ▁people ▁now ▁available ▁on ▁the ▁Internet ▁do ▁show ▁some ▁with ▁such ▁phen ot ypes .) ▁▁ ▁May h le ▁said ▁that ▁three ▁brothers , ▁direct ▁descend ants ▁of ▁Wil more / Will iam ▁Male ▁( the ▁original ▁Male ▁imm igr ant ), ▁served ▁in ▁regular ▁white ▁units ▁in ▁the ▁US ▁Civil ▁war . ▁ ▁Two ▁served ▁in ▁the ▁ 7 th ▁West ▁Virginia ▁Infantry ▁and ▁one ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 st ▁West ▁Virginia