Sometimes called the Lost Tribe of Appalachia, the Melungeons are people of mixed ethnicity who claim varying degrees of Portuguese, Turkish, Moorish, Arabic, Jewish, American Indian and African descent. The third time this photo is published is on the cover and on page 230 of the book by Manuel Mira titled The Forgotten Portuguese, The Melungeons and Other Groups, The Portuguese Making of America. neck, rather than the Anatolian bump. The following are other multi-racial groups that at one time were classified as tri-racial isolates. The Melungeons' origins are still being debated. The court record of Jacob Perkins vs. John White (1858) in Johnson County, Tennessee, provides definitions of the time related to race and free people of color. Big Stone Gap, VA Collins family history. Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the Melungeons, A Multi-Ethnic Population published in JOGG, the Journal of Genetic Genealogy written by Roberta J. Estes, Jack H. Goins, Penny Ferguson, and Janet Lewis Crain . Ulmann's photo is shown world wide. Creating an endogamous group, they migrated together, sometimes along with white neighbors, from western Virginia through the Piedmont frontier of North Carolina, before they settled primarily in the mountains of East Tennessee. I'm hoping a descendent will read this essay and identify who they are, by name. The hardest question for a genealogist to answer is the first and most obvious one: Am I a Melungeon or not? Researching this topic often reveals confusion and frustration with the lack of physical evidence and absence of that elusive paper trail genealogists so intensely crave. Each of these groupings of multiracial populations has a particular history. [40], In December 1943, Virginia State Registrar of Vital Statistics, Walter Ashby Plecker, sent county officials a letter warning against "colored" families trying to pass as "white" or "Indian" in violation of the Racial Integrity Act of 1924. In the south, Melungeon research has been gaining momentum since the 1990's. The father of the movement is Dr. N. Brent Kennedy a college administrator and Melungeon descendant. mention I've found to identify these boys, but 'where's the beef ', This pathfinder contains general history, cultural studies, linguistic studies, genetic studies, fiction, and nonfiction works about the Melungeons. To the contrary, Elizabeth Caldwell Hirschman's research indicates the earliest settlers . Keep in mind, though, that colour was often in the eye of the beholder, and lack of a non-white designation is not an indicator that an ancestor was NOT Melungeon. Actually, "shovel teeth" are found among Native Americans and people from Central Asia. [14], Contemporary accounts documented that Melungeon ancestors were considered by appearance to be mixed race. (2004). A different explanation traces the word to malungu (or malungo), a Luso-African word from Angola, meaning "shipmate" and derived from the Kimbundu word ma'luno, meaning "companion" or "friend. Since the late 1960s, "Melungeon" has been increasingly adopted by individuals who identify with the ethnic group. Kentucky? Others say the Melungeons descend from the legendary Welsh explorer Madoc, who supposedly explored the southern Appalachian region in the 1100s. According to the historian Pat Elder, the earliest of those was that they were "Indian" (more specifically, "Cherokee"). For example, some Melungeons are allegedly identifiable by shovel-shaped incisors, a dental feature more commonly found among Native Americans and Northeast Asians, but not restricted to these peoples. The English surname Gibson and Irish surname Collins appear frequently, and the genealogist Pat Elder calls them "core" surnames. The general breakdown by subject of the Library's glass plate negatives is: Appalachia 70-75 percent, South Carolina 10-15 percent, celebrity portraits ten percent, Landscapes and still lifes five percent. 9, Page 32 Doris Ulmann Captured The Rich Culture of Appalachia . As time permits my intention is to research as many of these families as I can. Most of these families claimed the Ridgetop Shawnee heritage to explain their dark skin and Indian features and to avoid racial persecution. Home; About Us; Tanita Scale; Workshops; Testimonials; Recipes; melungeon bump images Joanne Pezzullo and Karlton Douglas speculate that a more likely derivation of Melungeon, related to the dominance of the English language in the colonies, may have been from the now obsolete English word malengin (also spelled mal engin) meaning "guile", "deceit", or "ill intent." I don't know if 'Monday' is this woman's name or is it the day of the week the photo was taken ? Yes, arguably the two most famous Melungeons are kin! Melungeon traits include: dark hair and skin with light-colored eyes stark contrasts in skin and hair color within a single family American Indian features a particular type of bump or ridge at the back of the head (usually just above the neck) known at the Melungeon bump What race is Melungeon? With changing attitudes and a desire for more work opportunities, numerous descendants of the early Melungeon pioneer families have migrated from Appalachia to make their lives in other parts of the United States. After fears had been raised by the 1831 Nat Turner slave rebellion, Virginia, Tennessee, and other southern states passed new restrictions on free people of color. The historian Jack D. Forbes has discussed laws in South Carolina related to racial classification: In 1719, South Carolina decided who should be an "Indian" for tax purposes since American [Indian] slaves were taxed at a lesser rate than African slaves. However, prior to shipping the collection the Foundation made the decision to reduce the weight of materials being shipped by selecting and destroying some 7,000 glass plate negatives. In the 1830 censuses of Hawkins and neighboring Grainger County, Tennessee, the Collins and Gibson families are listed as "free-colored." In adjoining Grainger County, there were 130 people in 24 families. The writers David Beers Quinn and Ivor Noel Hume theorize that the Melungeons were descended from Sephardi Jews who fled the Inquisition and came as sailors to North America. About a code to live by in appalachia. [43] Several other uses of the term in the print media, from the mid-19th to the early 20th centuries, have been collected at the Melungeon Heritage Association Website. Unsurprisingly, for the stars in this . [43] The spelling of the term varied widely, as was common for words and names at the time. This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 00:52. Who is the most famous melungeon? an Asian eyefold. Mira states on the inside of the front dust jacket a photo of Melungeon man and boy(courtesy of Berea College and the Doris Ulmann Foundation). Lewis Crain. The organization says their ancestors migrated to the region in the late 18th and the early-to-mid-19th centuries. The ancestry and identity of Melungeons has been a highly controversial subject. The writer Bill Bryson devoted the better part of a chapter to them in his The Lost Continent (1989). The term appears to have arisen in the early 1800s, and it was used as a pejorative until the 20th century. With each writer, new elements were added to the mythology surrounding the group, and more surnames were added to the list of possible Melungeon ancestors. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures. The Melungeons were often discriminated against because they were labeled as Indian, or black, or a host of other terms. Some researchers believe they descend from the lost colony of Roanoke, and ended up marrying into American Indian families. The Two Melungeon Boys becomes the poster boys of what a Melungin might look like. Ancestors are hard to find before 1850. The families known as "Melungeons" in the 19th century were generally well integrated into the communities in which they lived, but they may still have been affected by racism. 2003: January, Native Kentuckians Cleland Thorpe and Author Pat Spurlock have a discussion with Brent Kennedy about Doris Ulmann's 'Melungeon Boys' photograph, on the Rootsweb Melungeon List. So is Mira suggesting these boys are not only Melungins, but are also 'Portuguese' ? Harry M. Caudill, Through The Back Door: Melungeon Literacies and 21. According to FamilySearch.org, some common Melungeon last names may include: N. Brent Kennedy, founder of the Melungeon Research Committee and author of The Melungeons: The Resurrection of a Proud People, 2nd edition (Mercer University Press), says the Melungeons are a people of apparent Mediterranean descent who may have settled the Appalachian wilderness before 1567, 40 years before Jamestown. [20] Definitions of racial categories were often imprecise and ambiguous, especially for "mulatto" and "free person of color." USA a particular type of bump or ridge at the back of the head (usually just above the neck) known at the Melungeon bump. Similarly, in 2012, the genealogist Roberta Estes and her fellow researchers of the Melungeon DNA Project reported that the Melungeon lines had likely originated in the unions of black and white indentured servants living in Virginia in the mid-1600s before slavery became widespread in the United States. "Land of the Malungeons", Quote: "In view of the explanations offered by the Melungo (white man)," The chief replied, "this affair is at an end. Please do not post racist or obscene comments. One group of Melungeon descendants is actively seeking recognition as an Indian tribe from the State of Tennessee, continuing the claims of Cherokee and other Indian heritage that people called Melungeon have avowed since the early 1800s. They appear to have been treated as social equals of the white members. [They are] a people who almost certainly intermarried with the Powhatans, Pamunkeys, Creeks, Catawbas, Yuchis and Cherokees., The origin of the word Melungeon is a mystery, too. Some descendants have had [4], From the Virginia and North Carolina frontiers, the families migrated west into frontier Tennessee and Kentucky. Melungeons are descendants of people of mixed ethnic ancestry who, before the end of the eighteenth century, were discovered living in limited areas of what is now the southeastern United States, notably in the Appalachian Mountains near the point where Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina converge. In some places they are known as Guians, Too think this fresh face youngster will make women from all over the world faint, scream and fall in love. Standards were not then as strict as under the 20th-century "one-drop rule" laws. Who are some famous Melungeons? FamilyTreeMagazine.com is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. What is a Melungeon bump? Subscribe to our newsletter and learn something new every day. If you have a ridge, it will stop your . The general consensus among many researchers and amateur historians today is that Melungeons are triracial, with European, African, and Native American ancestry. Ulmann and Niles were never in the historic Melungin area. Population is published in JOGG, the Journal of Genetic Genealogy, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln's mother. "Dr. Brent Kennedy Responds to Virginia DeMarce", "Kentucky General Assembly 2010 Regular Session HJR-16", "Kentucky General Assembly 2009 Regular Session HJR-15", "Looking at Legends Lumbee and Melungeon: Applied Genealogy and the Origins of Tri-Racial Isolate Settlements. About Us | Contact Us | Copyright | Report Inappropriate Material Melungeons are an ethnic mix, and each family and individual receives different genetic markers from their various ancestors. DeMarce, Virginia E. (1992). Discovering your possible Melungeon heritage all boils down to simple research trying to find out as much about your ancestors as possible One strong indicator of Melungeon ancestry is ancestors who were in the Clinch River region of southwest Virginia/northeast Tennessee about 1800; this area seems to be the focal point of migration to other areas later (although it is important to remember that not all Melungeon families passed through this area). Scolnick, Joseph M Jr. and N. Brent Kennedy. At the no names were given. a particular type of bump or ridge at the back of the head (usually just above the neck) known at the Melungeon bump. Much has been made, in the press and on the Internet, about so-called "Melungeon diseases," or physical characteristics such as "shovel teeth" or "Anatolian ridges" on the base of the skull. Many people involved with Melungeon research have been approached by someone who has said, Feel the back of my head am I a Melungeon? Others, upon learning of ones Melungeon heritage, will ask, What is that disease you guys have? Although these characteristics are significant in each individual's family and genetic history, they do not necessarily represent Melungeon ancestry. Although there is no consensus on how many such groups exist, estimates range as high as 200,000.[1][2]. Another is a photo by Ulmann labeled Melungeon Girl, East, North Carolina. Portagees. Caudill understood that these mixed bloods were McGowan, Kathleen (2003). inner corner of the eye, the upper lid attaches slightly lower Speculation about Melungeon origins continued during the 19th and the 20th centuries. Samuel H. Lifshey, a New York commercial photographer, developed the negatives Ulmann had exposed during her final trip, and then made proof prints from the vast archive of more than 10,000 glass plate negatives. [5] Descriptions of Melungeons have varied widely over time. [44][irrelevant citation] The play was first presented in 1969 in Sneedville, the county seat of Hancock County. The historical documentation of continuity of self-identified Native American families was lost. There really is no 'Melungeon bump." The "anatolian bump" is actually a. reported over the years. Price, Henry R. (1966). This page was last modified on: Thursday, 01-Jul-1999 13:32:32 MDT, RootsWeb is funded and supported by The white Democrat-dominated state legislatures passed Jim Crow laws. [5], The original meaning of the word "Melungeon" is obscure. Old They were largely endogamous through the 19th century and married primarily within their community until about 1900. http://www.melungeon.org/index.cgi?&CONTEXT=cat&cat=10077. They did not exhibit characteristics that could be classified as those of a single racial phenotype. "[18], During the 19th century, their intermarriages with white spouses caused Melungeon-surnamed families to be increasingly classified as white on census records. melungeon photos African American History Native American Indians Tim Dorsey Alexandre Dumas People Of Interest Writers And Poets Book Writer West Indian Important People Alexandre Dumas (Pere): literally adventurous a daring mulatto literary author. Brent Kennedy and others first began talking about these characteristics and their significance over a decade ago, and many of those who have reported on his work come up with the same mistaken interpretation -- that these are "Melungeon" traits. He claimed to have ancestors who were persecuted for racial reasons. I can lay one finger under it and Relatively few people of Melungeon descent have these diseases, but unfortunately several reports have focused on the disease issue to the point where many believe that having one of these diseases is a primary indication of Melungeon ancestry, or that all Melungeons are afflicted. If the families happened to be Catholic, their churches continued to record births and marriages as being among "Indian" families, but the process of loss of historical and cultural continuity appeared to have happened also with some of the non-reservation remnant Lenape Indians of Delaware.[21]. "Dr. Virginia DeMarce, Review Essay: The Melungeons. On this one they visit, Louisa (Lawrence Co), Hazard (Perry Co), and Whitesburg (Letcher Co) , KY. "Where do we really come from?". 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