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Archiver > Melungeon > 2007-03 > 1172788300


From: (Joanne Pezzullo)
Subject: Re: [MELUNGEON] The Meluneons - According to Joanne
Date: Thu, 01 Mar 2007 22:31:40 +0000


-------------- Original message --------------
From: Dennis Maggard <>


''Do you think the Melungeons of the early 19th century had no black
ancestry? Or do you think they had both black and Portuguese ancestry
and used the latter to help hide the former? Or do you think they had
black ancestry but were unaware of it?''

Dennis,

This is actually the second part that I haven't finished yet.

I think the above questions are much too complex to be answered with a simple yes or no. I also believe it is a matter of who each individual considers a 'Malungeon' -- for instance the families who were 'dubbed Malungeons' on Newman's Ridge were most likely not of the same ancestry as the families who were in Hamilton County, Tennessee... those Hamilton County families are from Marion Co., SC., and are likely the source of the Portuguese stories.

I also think each family needs to be looked at on an individual basis, the Goins family is a perfect example. There is no simple answer. Priber's 'Kingdom of Paradise' was collecting runaway slaves, Indian, African etc., remant Indians, 'people of all coulors' for seven or eight years. Could those Portuguese have intermixed with an African? Of course. Or a Cherokee, or Saponi, etc., etc., etc.

I think the fact that the 1848 article says the Malungeon decendants intermixed with the 'negroes and whites' would tell you they weren't trying to 'hide' anything. Why would they say they were Portuguese and then give up their grandchildren? So yes, I believe some did not have African ancestry, some did. Some had Portuguese ancestry, some did not. And I believe it is entirely likely that many of the Indian tribes intermixed with Africans, Spanish and/or Portuguese as early as 1526 so some of those families with Indian ancestry would have had African ancestry and not aware of it.


Joanne Pezzullo

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