Melungeons

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 generally regarded as particularly concentrated in the general area of Eastern Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and Northwest North Carolina. References are also made to Melungeon groups in Ohio and Louisiana. 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, Evans, Fields, Francisco, Gibson, Gill, Goins, Goodman, Minor, Mise, Moore, Mullins, Osborn(e), Phipps, Reeves (Rives, Rieves, Reeves, Reaves), Ridley (Riddle), Rodrigues, Stowers, Vanover, Williams, and Wise. This extremely partial list should not be taken as suggesting, however, that every family using this surname is necessarily 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 a specific Native American group. One of those groups that figures prominently consists of those generally defined as Saponi.

In addition, alternate names exist for Melungeons, one of the most prominent being Guineas, another being Black Dutch. Sometimes the "Black" designation will appear in front of a Melungeon surname, not necessarily to indicate sub-Saharan African ancestry, but merely to designate a tendency toward somewhat dark skin.

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
 * Census records
 * Correspondence
 * Health records
 * Reports
 * School census and records
 * Vital records

Cemeteries

 * Melungeon Cemetery: Carmel, Highland County, Ohio (YouTube video; pertains to Melungeon families who migrated to Ohio)

DNA Project

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

Genealogy and History Websites
Note: These are in alphabetical order.


 * African Native Americans: We Are Still Here
 * American Indian Melungeon
 * Atlanta Melungeon Project
 * Beneath Myth, Melungeons Find Roots of Oppression (Washington Post)
 * Cyndi's List: Unique Peoples &amp; Cultures
 * Examining Melungeon History and Genealogy by Jack Goins
 * First Union: The Melungeons Revisited
 * The Graysville Melungeons
 * The Guineas of West Virginia
 * Hancock County, Home of the Melungeons
 * History of the Mullins Family of Newman's Ridge
 * Jack Goins' Research - Melungeon and Appalachian: My Incredible Research Journey
 * Links of Interest (Melungeons)
 * The "Lost Tribe" of Appalachia
 * Lost People of Appalachia (BBC News)
 * Lumbee Indians and Goins Family (Blogspot)
 * Melungeon
 * Melungeon (DMOZ Open Directory Project links list)
 * Melungeon (Google Directory)
 * Melungeon Cemetery: Carmel, Highland County, Ohio (YouTube video)
 * Melungeon Core DNA Project (Family Tree DNA)
 * Melungeon Descendants Celebrate their Mysterious Heritage (Biloxi Sun Herald)
 * Melungeon DNA Project
 * Melungeon Forum
 * The Melungeon Health Education and Support Network
 * Melungeon Heritage Association
 * Melungeon History
 * Melungeon History (video lecture by Wayne Winkler, Melungeon Historical Society Conference, 2009, in YouTube), Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6
 * The Melungeon Indians
 * Melungeon Mailing List
 * Melungeon Origin (Yahoo Groups)
 * Melungeon Page News and Articles (The Portuguese American Historical &amp; Research Foundation)
 * Melungeon Resource Page
 * Melungeon Voices documentary trailer (YouTube)
 * Melungeons.com
 * The Melungeons: A New Journey Home
 * The Melungeons: My Perspective
 * Melungeons, Redbones, and Other U.S. Maroons (video lecture in YouTube)
 * The Melungeons: Who Are They?
 * Mystery Still Hangs Over Melungeons' Heritage (Tennessee Journalist)
 * The Myth of the Black Irish: Spanish Syntagonism and Prethetical Salvation
 * One Hundred and Sixty-Nine URLs for Melungeon Research
 * Origin of the Melungeons
 * Origins of the Melungeon Appalachian Subculture
 * Redbones and Melungeons
 * So You Were Told You Were Black Dutch or Black Irish
 * This and That Genealogy Tips on Black Dutch and Black Irish, Melungeons, Moravians, Pennsylvania Dutch
 * Under One Sky: The Melungeon Information Exchange
 * Wayfaring Stranger: The Black Dutch, German Gypsies or Chicanere and Their Relation to the Melungeon[s]
 * What is a Melungeon?
 * What is a Melungeon? (different site)
 * Who Were the Melungeons?