Melungeons

United States

Indigenous Peoples of the United States Genealogy

Indigenous Peoples of North Carolina

Melungeons

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

History

The Melungeons are a mixed-race people whose origin is associated with the general region of Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Kentucky in the United States; particularly concentrated in the areas of Eastern Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and Northwest North Carolina. References are also made to Melungeon groups in Ohio and Louisiana.

DNA Studies

• Melungeon Core DNA Project (FamilyTree DNA). This site is self-explanatory about the DNA projects hosted and currently underway. The site has a list of known surnames.

Records

The majority of records of individuals were those created by the agencies. Some records may be available to tribal members through the tribal headquarters. They were (and are) the local office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and were charged with maintaining records of the activities of those under their responsibility. Among these records are:

• Allotment records
• Annuity rolls
• Indian Census records
• Correspondence
• Health records
• Reports
• School census and records
• Vital records

Resources

Websites

• Melungeon Heritage
• Melungeon Heritage Association

Bibliography

• Alther, Lisa. Kinfolks - Falling off the Family Tree: The Search for My Melungeon Ancestors, New York: Arcade Publishing, 2007. At various libraries (WorldCat)
• Ball, Bonnie Sage. The Melungeons: Their Origin and Kin, Virginia Book Company, 1977. FS Catalog Book 973 F2
• Bible, Jean Patterson. Melungeons Yesterday and Today. Tennessee, 1975. FS Catalog Book 973 F2; At various libraries (WorldCat)
• Callahan, Jim. Lest We Forget: The Melungeon Colony of Newman's Ridge, Tennessee: Over Mountain Press, 2000. FS Catalog Book 973 F2; At various libraries (WorldCat)
• Crowe, Elizabeth Powell. "Melungeon Genealogy" (section), Genealogy Online, 9th ed. McGraw-Hill, 2011, pp. 332-334.
• DeMarce, Virginia Easley. "Review Essay: The Melungeons," National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 84, No. 2 (June 1996):134-139. FS Catalog 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. FS Catalog Book 973 B2ng
• Elder, Pat Spurlock. Melungeons: Examining an Appalachian Legend, Tennessee: Continuity Press, 1999. FS Catalog Book 973 F2; At various libraries (WorldCat)
• Goins, Jack Harold. Melungeons and Other Pioneer Families, Tennessee: J.H. Goins, 2000. FS Catalog Book 973 F2; At various libraries (WorldCat)
• 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. FS Catalog Book 973 F2; At various libraries (WorldCat)
• Hicks, Theresa M., and Wes Taukchiray. South Carolina Indians, Indian Traders, and Other Ethnic Connections: Beginning in 1670, South Carolina: The Reprint Company, 1998. FS Catalog Book 970.1 H529; At various libraries (WorldCat)
• Hirschman, Elizabeth. Melungeons: The Last Lost Tribe in America, Georgia: Mercer University Press, 2005. FS Catalog Book 973 F2; At various libraries (WorldCat)
• Hornbeck, Shirley Elro. "Melungeons" (section). This and That Genealogy Tips, Maryland: Clearfield Company by Genealogical Publishing Company, 2000, pp. 7-10. FS Catalog Book 929.1 H783; At various libraries (WorldCat)
• Kennedy, N. Brent and Robyn Vaughan Kennedy. The Melungeons: The Resurrection of a Proud People: An Untold Story of Ethnic Clensing in America. Georgia: Mercer University Press, 1997. FS Catalog book 973 F2kn; At various libraries (WorldCat)
• Schreiner, Dee Armstrong. Are You a Descendant of the Mysterious Melungeons? Ancestry, Inc., Mar-Apr 1995, pp. 21-23. Online at: Google Books