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Melungeons

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[[Image:

Arch Goins family, Melungeons of Graysville, TN ca. 1920

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History and Tidbits

The term "Melungeon" has generally been applied to a widely distributed group of people associated with the general region of Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Kentucky in the United States, but perhaps concentrated in the general area of Eastern Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and Northwest North Carolina. Although definitions of what exactly constitute a Melungeon differ, these are a mixed-race people.

Some have been described as being "swarthy" or at least somewhat dark-skinned in appearance, but the physical characteristics of Melungeons differ greatly. Because this is a mixed race group of people, and because the exact racial characteristics vary, it is impossible to pin down a precise Melungeon appearance. In addition, again because of the mixed race nature of Melungeons, even siblings can differ greatly in their physical characteristics. That is demonstrated by the photo that accompanies this article.

Melungeon identity is assumed to involve a mixture of some combination of Western European, Native American, and sometimes African ancestry, with early assertions of "Portuguese" or "Portuguese Indian" background being widely claimed. The term "tri-racial isolate" has been academically applied to this group, but this term is problematic in that not all Melungeons claim a tri-racial identity and, in many cases, these families appear to be anything but "isolates."

Stories and claims abound as to how this group of people descend from Portuguese, or Turks and/or Moors, who navigated to the American shores with the Portuguese, and who intermarried with Native Americans prior to English settlement.

Some of the most prominent surnames that have been claimed as potentially associated with a Melungeon identity include Bowling (Bolin), Bunch, Chavis (Chavez), Collins, Epps, Francisco, Gibson, Gill, Goins, Goodman, Minor, Mise, Moore, Mullins, Phipps, Ridley (Riddle), Rodrigues, Stowers, Williams, and Wise. This extreme partial list should not be taken as suggesting, however, that every family using this surname is considered to be Melungeon.

Some of the sources and discussions pertaining to the Melungeons suggest that, in some cases, there may be a relationship to Native American groups generally referred to as Saponi. In addition, alternate names exist for Melungeons, one of the most prominent being Guineas.

Resources

Cemeteries

DNA Project

This site is self-explantatory about the DNA projects hosted and currently underway. The site has larger list of known surnames.

The Melungeon DNA Surname Project.

References

Bibliography

Probably the best-known book concerned with this subject is N. Brent Kennedy, The Melungeons: The Resurrection of a Proud People: An Untold Story of Ethnic Cleansing in America (Mercer University Press, 1997).

Many have taken issue with Kennedy's conclusions, probably most notably Virginia Easley DeMarce:

  • DeMarce, Virginia Easley. "Review Essay: The Melungeons," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 84, No. 2 (June 1996):134-139. FHL Book 973 B2ng
  • DeMarce, Virginia Easley. "Looking at Legends - Lumbee and Melungeon: Applied Genealogy and the Origins of Tri-racial Isolate Settlements," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 81, No. 1 (March 1993):24-45. FHL Book 973 B2ng

Others have, however, concluded that, based on recent reevaluation of records pertaining to Melungeon families, the phenomenon is much as Kennedy described. Kennedy's book is a part of a series of books about Melungeons published by Mercer University Press. Those books, as well as other printed materials on the subject, are listed below.

A 2011 best-seller by Daniel J. Sharfstein deals with the not-uncommon phenomenon of black families in early America making the migration toward reinventing themselves as white. This book, titled The Invisible Line: Three American Families and the Secret Journey from Black to White (Penguin Press, 2011) discusses Melungeons as a mixed-ancestry group.

Another prominent book concerned with this subject is the first non-fiction book by Lisa Alther, who has previously been known as a best-selling novelist. The book is Kinfolks: Falling Off the Family Tree - The Search for My Melungeon Ancestors (Arcade Publishing, 2007).

Yet another relatively recent (2005) book which deals with the Melungeon phenomenon (although, oddly, seeming to avoid use of the term) is Paul Heinegg, Free African Americans of North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina from the Colonial Period to About 1820. This is a two-volume set which received an award from the American Society of Genealogists as the best work of genealogical scholarship published from 1991 to 1994. Oddly, however, the book appears to have a tendency to refer to families of mixed race as simply either mulatto or as black, even where indications would suggest at least some Native American ancestry.

A very informative non-print source regarding the Melungeons is the approximately hour-long documentary film titled Melungeon Voices. This film was directed by Julie Williams with cinematography by Warren Gentry. The film's website is here, and the trailer from the documentary can be viewed in YouTube here.

This film discusses various theories regarding the origin of the Melungeon people, while focusing largely on the people of Newman's Ridge. One strength of the film is that it presents a variety of viewpoints, as well as research evidence. Melungeon Voices points out, in its narration, that genealogical research into Melungeon families can be challenging. Brent Kennedy, author of the book mentioned above, appears in the film as well as other researchers and speakers who figure prominently in discussions about Melungeons.

Among the materials listed below, note that some of the period sources, such as those by Dromgoole, are derogatory in nature.

  • Alther, Lisa, Kinfolks - Falling off the Family Tree: The Search for My Melungeon Ancestors, New York: Arcade Publishing, 2007.
  • Ball, Bonnie Sage, The Melungeons: Their Origin and Kin, Virginia Book Company, 1977.
  • Ball, Bonnie, The Melungeons, 1992.
  • Bible, Jean Patterson, Melungeons Yesterday and Today, 1975.
  • Bird, Stephanie Rose, Light, Bright, and Damned Near White: Biracial and Triracial Culture in America, Westport, Connecticut: Praeger Publishers, 2009.
  • Brake, Katherine Vande, How They Shine: Melungeon Characters in the Fiction of Appalachia, Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press, 2001.
  • Brake, Katherine Vande, Through the Back Door: Melungeon Literacies and Twenty-First-Century Technologies, Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press, 2009.
  • Callahan, Jim, Lest We Forget: The Melungeon Colony of Newman's Ridge, 2000.
  • Colby, Lester B., "The Lost State of Franklin" ("Little Journeys in Americana" column), Rock Valley Bee, Rock Valley, Iowa, 26 April 1929, p. 9.
  • "Distinct Race of People Inhabits the Mountains of East Tennessee," The Kingsport Times, Kingsport, Tennessee, 3 August 1923, p. 3.
  • Dromgoole, Will Allen, The Malungeon Tree and its Four Branches, 1891.
  • Dromgoole, Will Allen, "The Malungeons," The Arena, Vol. 3, 1891, pp. 470-479.
  • Elder, Pat Spurlock, Melungeons: Examining an Appalachian Legend, Continuity Press, 1999.
  • "Farm for Hubby: Indian Girls Desire to Marry Pale Faces - Liberal Offers Made," Moberly Evening Democrat, Moberly, Missouri, 22 November 1900, p. 1.
  • Goins, Jack Harold, Melungeons and Other Pioneer Families, 2000.
  • Hashaw, Tim, Children of Perdition: Melungeons and the Struggle of Mixed America, Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press, 2006, 2007.
  • Heinegg, Paul, Free African Americans of North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina from the Colonial Period to About 1820, 5th ed., Baltimore: Clearfield Company by Genealogical Publishing Company, 2005.
  • Hicks, Theresa M., and Wes Taukchiray, South Carolina Indians, Indian Traders, and Other Ethnic Connections: Beginning in 1670, The Reprint Company, 1998.
  • Hirschman, Elizabeth, Melungeons: The Last Lost Tribe in America, Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press, 2005.
  • "In Tennessee's Hills: The Mysterious Tribe Known as Malungeons," The Morning Oregonian, Portland, Oregon, 14 October 1890, p. 3.
  • Kennedy, N. Brent, The Melungeons - The Resurrection of a Proud People: An Untold Story of Ethnic Cleansing in America, rev. ed., Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press, 1997.
  • Kessler, John S., and Donald B. Ball, North from the Mountains: A Folk History of the Carmel Melungeon Settlement, Highland County, Ohio, Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press, 2001.
  • Kiss, Mary, "Over the Coffee Cup," Kingsport News, Kingsport, Tennessee, 29 June 1954, p. 1.
  • "Malungeons," American Notes and Queries, Vol. 6, 4 April 1891, pp. 273-274.
  • Mira, Manuel, The Forgotten Portuguese, Portuguese-American Historical Research Foundation, 1998.
  • Mira, Manual, The Portuguese Making of America, Portuguese-American Historical Research Foundation, 2001.
  • "Odd Mountain Race: Tennessee People Who Claim Portuguese Descent," Portsmouth Herald, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 22 April 1902, p. 5.
  • "Odd Race of People: The Malungeons Live in Eastern Tennessee," Delphos Daily Herald, Delphos, Ohio, 1 July 1902, p. 3.
  • "Outdoor Drama Rejuvenates Town of Sneedville, Tenn.," Daily Middlesboro News, Middlesboro, Kentucky, 9 June 1973, pp. 1, 8.
  • Overbay, DruAnna Williams, Windows on the Past: The Cultural Heritage of Vardy, Hancock County, Tennessee, Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press, 2005.
  • "Paleface Husbands Wanted: Inducements Temporarily Offered by the Malungeons [sic] Indians," The Boston Globe, Boston, Massachusetts, 6 December 1900, p. 10.
  • Podber, Jacob J., The Electronic Front Porch: An Oral History of the Arrival of Modern Media in Rural Appalachia and the Melungeon Community, Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press, 2007.
  • "'Post' Features East Tennesseans," The Kingsport News, Kingsport, Tennessee, 17 October 1947, p. 7.
  • "Rev. Mr. Kesterson: A Tennessee Clergyman with a Record," The Lima News, Lima, Ohio, 9 November 1898, p. 6; also The Oxford Mirror, 3 November 1898, p. 9.
  • Scolnick, Joseph M., Jr., and N. Brent Kennedy, eds., From Anatolia to Appalachia: A Turkish-American Dialogue, Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press, 2003.
  • Sharfstein, Daniel J., The Invisible Line: Three American Families and the Secret Journey from Black to White, Penguin Press, 2011.
  • Smith, Barbara Ellen, ed., Women, Race, and Class in the South, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Temple University Press, 1999.
  • "A Strange People of Tennessee: The Malungeons and their Curious Customs," The Daily Picayune, New Orleans, Louisiana, 20 September 1897, p. 8.
  • Thacker, Larry D., Jr., Mountain Mysteries: The Mystic Traditions of Appalachia, 2007.
  • Walsh, William Shepard, "Franklin, State of," A Handy Book of Curious Information, Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1913, pp. 366-367.
  • Weeks, Stephen B., "The Lost Colony of Roanoke: Its Fate and Survival," Papers of the American Historical Association, Vol. 5, 1891.
  • Winkler, Wayne, Walking Toward the Sunset: The Melungeons of Appalachia, Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press, 2004, 2005.

Genealogy and History Websites

Sources


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