Melungeon-L Archives

Archiver > Melungeon > 2003-03 > 1046632454


From: John T <>
Subject: Re: [Melungeon] So-Called Melungeon Branches
Date: Sun, 2 Mar 2003 11:14:21 -0800 (PST)
In-Reply-To: <192.168a9d19.2b936baa@aol.com>



wrote:
Hello everybody,

1. Are There Different Kinds of Melungeons?

Howdy; YES THERE ARE 2 TYPES, #1- The historical Melungeons, Dromgoole was guided to where the Melungeons lived as a clan and she came to the right place.

.#2 THE WANNABEES , using your own words these are

". In other words, so-called "white" Melungeons were
johnny-come-latelys to the Melungeon community and certain did not constitute The people who claimed to be better than Melungeons, were without fail, white people. Apparently some are still making such claims."

You sure are right about this. Walter Plecker also knew who the Melungeons were and he was looking for their descendants who had migrated to Virginia. He was not looking for the white Mullins, Collins, or Bolens. He was looking for the free persons of Color. You are a good reporter Wildwest. Thanks again, Frank


















Personally I find the efforts to describe four branches to be divisive and
selfserving. It perpetuates the false idea of a Melungeon "aristocracy" and
is the very antithesis of the values of mountain Melungeons who are never
recorded as suggesting that some Melungeons were better or "purer" than
others. The people who claimed to be better than Melungeons, were without
fail, white people. Apparently some are still making such claims.

2. Who were the ancestors of the people called Melungeons?

Melungeon ancestors were free people of color from 18th century Virginia and
North Carolina. The Goins family for example can be traced back to within
the original generation of the English settling of Virginia in the early
1600s. There is some controversy concerning one surname of Melungeons who
may or may not have descended from Pocahontas and a white planter. But I
leave that issue to those who have studied it in more depth.

3. Lost colonies

Did Melungeons descend from stranded European explorers before or immediately
after Columbus?

There is no evidence of such an origin. The best lost colony theory by far
is the Lost Colony of Roanoke, of which I have recently concluded study.
Certain members of Raleigh's colony did in fact survive among tribes with
whom early Melungeon ancestors intermarried. However, such a connection has
to date not been documented, and if so, would only account for a very small
contribution to Melungeon origins. But to be honest there is a slim
possibility that Roanoke ancestry may exist among a few Melungeons. It can't
be ruled out. It also can't be presently documented.

The fanciful story of early European colonists with a bell and books living
in the wilds of Tennessee is a myth, and was created to counter opposition to
premature plans to extend European immigration west of Virginia. If certain
ambitious people could suggest that mythic "lost" whites had been living in
Tennessee, they could claim Tennessee for whites over British and American
objections. No such lost colony existed. The story of lost whites was
invented by other whites as an excuse to steal land from Indian allies of
other governments, and it was perpetuated beyond its origin because it
appealed to the then popular sense of "manifest destiny."

4. Did Melungeons Descend From a Mysterious Tribe of Migratory Indians
around Fort Blackmore?

No. The Indian ancestry of Melungeons came from Indians who had been
displaced and affected by White immigration in Virginia and North Carolina in
the 17th and 18th centuries. Fort Christanna played much significantly in
the Indian ancestry of Meluneons than Fort Blackmore.

5. Did Melungeons originate in Hancock County Tennessee?

(To be dealt with in another article.)

Tim Hashaw
Houston, Texas


==== Melungeon Mailing List ====
To unsubscribe from the Melungeon email list, in mail mode, send a message to:

The message: unsubscribe
To unsubscribe from the Melungeon email list, digest mode, send a message to:

The message: unsubscribe
To subscribe to either mode, replace unsubscribe with subscribe



---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, and more

This thread: