Melungeon: Appalachia's Lost Tribe
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- Опубликовано: 11 сен 2024
- Melungeon: Appalachia's Lost Tribe by The Appalachian Storyteller #melungeon #melungeondocumentary #appalachianhistory #appalachia #appalachian #appalachiadocumentary #appalachianbedtimestories #documentary #appalachianstoryteller #jdphillips
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I subbed & the book bounced lol - so I’ll buy it on the 23rd. Whups.
I think they are a mix of the Portuguese sailors, free blacks and centuries old Appalachian white mix races of unknown or unremembered races.
And Native “Savages”.
And Scottish Highlanders who ran from the horrible Eastern Seaboard. We’re mutts. And racism was rampant.
I am devoted to this channel and the amazing work JD does and the videos he produces!! Subscriber now!! And don’t forget to purchase his book!! ✝️❤️
You know what I'm talking about with the history of the Aztecs ,What do you think Mr JD it could be the Aztecas or the Mayans write all the way from South America
When I lived in WA State back in the late 1990's, I met a lady who raised Icelandic sheep. As we talked, the ancestry of sheep (and people) crept into our conversation. She was a striking woman. She was dark-skinned with dark curly hair & light eyes. She told me she was Melungeon from Tennessee. She said their ancestors were Phoenician.
thank you for sharing
Hit the nail on the head
@PennyTeem do you remember the name of that woman you met??? My father is from eastern Washington. My grandfather would not talk about his heritage. His grandmother was dark, almost black but European features. I have a silhouette of her in a family portrait. Her husband and their 13!!! Children!!! They raised their children between Iowa and WA state. One of their sons was an engineer on the grand Coulee Dam.
@dannettescheiderer6406
While my story isn't quite similar, somewhat the same, my dad had an interesting heritage some not filled with happiness, he didn't like talking about his families European history, which is kind of sad we he descendants can't carry on his story like yours
I always what happened to the Phoenicians. They were a very enterprising people. Their bloodlines may have scattered around countries in the Mediterranean, and from there into the new world.
My grandmother is melungeon from Hancock County. So my Mother is half, that makes me a quarter. I have dark curly hair, green eyes and I tan very easily. I love my heritage 💜🌻🍁🍂 Grandmaw was born in 1933 and grew up to marry my white Grandpaw.
Thank you so much for sharing this. Have a blessed weekend.
Timeline is probably incorrect, or the French account was fiction.
The truth may be a mix of Minorcan quadroon/mulatto & Native.
So where did you're grandmother's people originally come from?
@@lexheath8276 I agree.
Please consider sending us photos of you and any other relative. How very exciting!
My ancestors were Melungeon, they never voted until after the civil war, owned land, and our DNA is European, African, and Middle Eastern.
That is exactly what I thought seeing vintage photos of your people. Nowadays DNA testing can solve many mysteries. Fact is, the people on those pictures are beautiful and quite mystic looking.
I am quite a mix myself, so is my wife. It is interesting what ancestry is or is not found. Many of my ancestors were very dark while others were not. I was sure to have some Gypsy and Jewish genes. (Three generations in a row we had not so flattering nicknames calling us Gypsies). We did not find any genes confirming that. But beside Celtic of the British isles we have a lot of other Mediterranian ancestry and the few percent of Southern Indian genes were a surprise. My wife is from South East Asia and there were also some Oceanic genes in her DNA. (Those people are called Negritoes in the Philippines).
@@beatglauser9444my family tree is all I need to solidify my ancestry. And my living relatives
@@FloridamadeJay81 Well, as long as there are not plenty of holes in the family tree. If fathers are unknown and the origin of some of your ancesters who came from abroad and died very young half of the family tree disapears. I got plenty of requests from people in the USA who must be genetically related to me. They could go back farther than I could, but were seeking their backgrounds from centuries past.
If you want to find the origin of a family you will have to go back several hundred years. Living relatives cannot help you with that.
In Canada indigenous people were not being allowed to vote until the year 1960. Often people who were living on reservations in desperation while they were starving to death and being poisoned by pollution being dumped into waterways nearby would give up their indigenous identity when marrying someone outside of their community who was white and/or rich enough to rescue them. Something which didn't always work out well that was a nightmarish horror to have to survive through or not at all instead.
@@francesbernard2445 that’s horrible. 😢
I am a decendent of the Collins melungeons. They were African American, native American, and European. I have dark skin, black curly hair, and my eyes are blue with a circle of yellow in them that make them look gray. My dad looked the same way, but his skin was darker, and his grandmother was a Collins.
my grandmother was a Collins
@@55chevyguy1y’all cousins 🫂
Can you say what general area the Collins grandmother was from?
@@sandysmith8567 she had lived in Knox county Kentucky for a little time. Her Grandfather and father were listed as mulatto for race. Her Grandfather was a Collins and he lived in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Manchester Kentucky. His name was Solomon Collins.
@marthamullinax8247 Thanks so much for your quick response. So wonderful to have that history. My mom made a comment years ago that I didn't follow up on or question, although we have none of these distinct characteristics. So interesting. This gives me a place to start. Thanks again.
I heard stories and tales of these people through my Grandma. She was so smart and had many stories to tell. 🥰 The elderly have a lot to share if we just sit and listen for a while.
Well, said my friend, each one of them are living libraries
@@TinnaN2TheAfterlife I grew up at their knees intently listening. Real stories cuz they always stayed the same. I’m blessed to have my 85 yr young Mom who’s Sharp Minded w/a great memory. ❤️
Well Said. Living library. Listening to our elders will always be deeply enlightening.
@@TinnaN2TheAfterlife Yet, young people are being told that they are smarter and should not to listen to parents or grandparents, as if they have nothing to offer in wisdom. Smh.
Yeah young people are being indoctrinated.i don’t hold it against them personally.they don’t realize its happening.all by design.
It would make sense to me being totally independent, that they are a total mixture of people. People lost from their tribes, boat mates etc. that joined together and established their own colony, supporting each other without any prejudices for common good and survival.
There’s a lot of researchers who believe exactly what you just said. Thanks for chiming in. Have a great weekend.
Yes. Because we must remember that, to the British, anyone less than Caucasian has traditionally been considered a lesser race, to avoid marrying or mixing with! True in Africa, Australia, India and America.
That what we need to do
In British Caribbean Islands after slavery was abolished, it still wasn't socially permissible for races to marry or procreate. In the late 1800's my grandparents like many others had to move to the mountains to marry and start their families. In the mountains, it was the beginning of the mixed races which are the norm in modern day Caribbean countries. What you are saying is very true about history and survival.
My grandparents on my father’s side lived in Eastern Kentucky. Previously western Tennessee. From what I understand of our family history they were Melungeons. My father said they were Indians, Scottish, and possibly some black. My father was born in 1904. He had dark hair and dark brown eyes. He had the high cheek bones and facial features of the American Indian. He passed at 89 and still had mostly dark hair. I enjoyed listening to your Utube post. Thank you.
😢
scotch irish, cherokee and possibly black or mediterranean is the mix on my fraternal side dark hair, blue eyes from near cumberland , clay ,knox
My parents told me, we had Native American on both sides. I'm African American, and family is from the South. After taking an ancestry DNA test, I learned that I have an ancestor, probably 2 that are Melungeon. I have alot of Melungeon cousins through the test. Never heard of Melungeon until I took the test and started reaching out to my DNA matches. I think this is pretty cool, I hope that more people in our country and beyond can know/learn more about Melungeons.
In reality the scriptures tell us that the first parents were Adam and Eve. We all have come from their seed. We're all related to each other . Whether we like it or not.
I'm Melungeon.
My FNA shows significant Greek, Italian and Iberian.
My mom has Greek Italian and Iberian as well, and my grandpa was a brown man. So was 1 of his sisters. The other white as snow. So I got her to test and I
It is fascinating to see the difference between us.
@code What makes you think you are Melungeon ?
My dad is 10% Iberian peninsula
Why not say you're a mixed breed , seems obvious to me.
@davehansen6112 That is very interesting information, and thank you! Although no Jewish ancestry shows up via myself, my daughter has 8% Jewish, and we just assumed it was my husband, but after your comment, I'm saying Hmmmmm.....the algorithms for these tests are always updated, and perhaps I'll have to do mine again just to see if that shows up!!
Much Gratitude for Telling the Stories of the MisTreated !
I love these stories ❤ So much American History slips through the Cracks. Thank You so Much for Sharing this with all of us! ♡
Always amazed and in awe of the diversity of our ancestors. Thank you for sharing this intriguing history.
My grandfather's grandmother was Mahalia Mullins from Newmans Ridge. We have the Melungeon bump on our heads.
I’m related to a Mahalia Moonshiner Darkish woman. NW NC. Her house was in the border of TN & when the Pinkertons came her Sons just pushed her Still on the Other state line. Truth
I remember where the old cabin originally was before they moved it
@kencoleman3861 I've never been there. I would love to visit, though. It's my Ancestry.
@@djspatriqt2290 you should do just that
Just curious , have you find any of the DNA tests?
Loved hearing about the melunjins. It is good to hear about how these folks stuck to their family roots as long as they could.
That’s a great way to put it. Thanks so much.
That song is now stuck in my head.😂 Seriously, this is very interesting, and I can't believe in my 65 years I've never heard of these people. Thank you for enlightening me, much appreciated.
thanks so much Linda!
If you enjoy reading, you might like The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson. Melungeons play a small part in the plot, plus it's a lovely story. Great historical fiction.
Interesting! I’m married to a Mullins, which we always heard was a surname of Melungeon. Turns out he has about 35% Portuguese in his DNA!
I was about to comment about people's changing their last names.
Mullins is an Irish name!
@kathyk479 you'd think. But there's also "Mullen is an Irish name!" only to find out we were Jews that Anglecized our name. So, in America, last names may not be what they were even 100 years ago. ESPECIALLY when a people were facing racism. So taking "Mullins" or "Mullen" could be a phonetic homage to their heritage, while also allowing their children to "blend in".
@@mullins7030 agreed. There are 136 different ways to spell my Irish sir name! Living I n American I guess you never know!
@@kathyk479unless you can back it up with documentation. But even then, you don’t know who lied and bent the truth simply to survive.
l had a good friend who was a Melungeon he had dark skin and curly hair.....l met him on a fishing trip back in 1959 or 1960...ln Claiborne county Tennessee.....Thank you JD for this interesting video.
Old Shoe🇺🇸
My people. I am Melungeon. My great great grandfather and his brother were arrested as free men of color who voted. They got off by stating they were Portguese.
Very interesting thank you for sharing that
Woke up to coffee, hash browns and the Appalachian Story Teller. The history of the Melungeon people is fascinating. Thank you for including the information about the different DNA companies as well. The information was eye opening.
Thank you, Molly. Hope you enjoyed your breakfast and I hope you have a fabulous Saturday.
Fascinating stuff, I find it incredible how attached to ethic identity we can be when, scientifically, we are likely to be more diverse than we could ever truly know.
My ancestors blood line runs as such. German,Scott-Irish ,Melungeon , Cherokee. Tennessee Ernie Ford was a melungeon decent.
Interesting, Ernie did have very dark hair. He had such a beautiful voice.
I always thought he looked Spanish.
He looked kind of dark
I think Elvis was as well.
I'm a appalachian melungeon from southwestern west virginia. My lines are davis,Smith,moore,gowens,Campbell, and fields.
We are very much still here and ALOT are reconnecting.
thank you for sharing this!
Ditto 🤗
I know some Goins in Grainger County where I grew up. I live near some now in Bulls Gap, Tn.
My family are Goins
@@susieatkins3150through DNA our family has discovered that we are kin with those Goins family members.
My Great Grandmother was always said to have been part Indian. She looked it for sure, even her father used to tell stories to his grandchildren that he was the son of an Indian chief. Fast forward to 2018 when I decided to take the AncestryDNA test and it revealed zero Native American? My Aunt and several cousins have since taken the test with no Native American bloodline revealed. Ironically we all had traces of Iberian Peninsula heritage? It was then that I stumbled upon the Melungeons and feel this could explain the mistaken Native American ancestry. I firmly believe my family has the Melungeon ancestry. I really enjoyed this video!
JB it sure opens up a can of worms when ya find out the truth huh!? I look forward to tracing out our heritage
Interesting. Now you have another mystery to solve. 🙂We often forget, or it is overlooked, the Spanish and French arrived here, in America, before other Europeans. Especially in the south and southwest. We, in the US, really are a little bit of everything.
For some reason and you can research this yourself, Native American dna doesn’t always show up in people who do have it in their ancestry . It had to do with it being passed on the male side . Maybe have a male relative tested . Research this . I read this recently,
@@lauragill6019 thanks for the info, I will definitely look into that.
I heard that native American DNA does not show up in tests for some reason. Disappointing, as we supposedly have some.
Those who are truly from the blood line of the melungeon I hope they don't let the future forget the past from which they came. Thank you for your time and and story so we don't forget.
The perspective which you have expressed in the video is one of the best of which I have viewed. I descend from the core families who are considered Melungeon , you can't discuss Melungeon without seeing the surnames Gibson, Collins, and Mullins which are in my lines. 3 of my four grandparents were born on or near Newman's Ridge. Yes I have the Melungeon bump , shovel teeth , hair color , and eye colors associated with Melungeon ancestry . I have participated in two DNA tests which as stated by Dr. Thomas only provide a glimpse into our history. My Ancestry test revealed just as you stated that the Melungeon's are a melting pot of ancestorial origins, after taking a complex test provided from Family Tree DNA which uncovered a migration map. I discovered that my DNA origins which were traced to eastern Africa in the regions near Tanzania and migrated into the Caucus region of the world. After traversing the Mediterranean region into the European region it becomes unclear as how they crossed the Atlantic. I would like to thank you for providing such an insightful look into our history. How the Melungeon's came to the Appalachian region may never be know. Thank you again.
Thank you for this comment. I purposely tried to tell this story in a way that’s never been shared before especially in regards to actually researching each theory and researching the DNA testing not just the results.
@@TheAppalachianStoryteller Being from that area I can assure you that many others will appreciate the work you have put into this . Too many people read articles and don't do the homework then produce videos which offend the descendants of these proud hardworking people known as the Melungeon
Hey @55chevyguy1, I'm a mustang gal myself but I still have to say thank you for sharing. The personal tidbits flesh out a story and make it living history, and let's it penetrate hearts as well as minds. I humbly thank you!
@55chevyguy1
Disclaimer: I never even heard of the Melungeons until this video, so take what I say with a huge grain of salt.
This is pure speculation, but hopefully it's *reasonable* speculation:
I find it fascinating that you mention Gibson, Collins and Mullins as being very typical Melungeon surnames.
Gibson is Scottish; Collins and Mullins are Irish.
I was aware previously that a lot of Scots and Irish ended up in the Appalachians, and among other things contributed a lot to the musical tradition there.
(For more on that, dig out an Irish TV series called 'Bringing it all back home' by Philip King - I'm sure it's here on RUclips somewhere).
So it would appear that at least some part of the Melungeon origin/development story involves intermarrying with the Scots/Irish.
That would tend to support the 'highly mixed' genetic origins mentioned.
Thanks for the video - you've just shown me a whole new rabbit hole to dive down! 😄
Hi there! I am Melungeon, and yes, this is spot on - follow this thread! Wait til you get deep enough where you learn that the Appalachian mountains…are.. the Scottish Highlands (splitting from Pangea 2/2 continental separation) My people are FROM these hills & it blows my mind to think about!
I throw out a howdy to Scott Collins in Sneedville. He is a historian for Melungeons and he is one himself.
Also, Jack Goins of Hawkins County, Rogersville, TN. 😊
These things make RUclips and give me a lot of deep peace and hope in people, particularly those in the South. Lot of misunderstood people there-particularly Southerners of European heritage.
For 20 years my father has told me I'm melungeon and thankfully to you sir and your crew I've uncovered more truth. I've always said my uncle and dad look like black-white men.. I appreciate your tenacity and time to have researched into these things sir.
Thank you so much Travis! Have a blessed day brother
@TheAppalachianStoryteller it's my pleasure to have finally stumbled upon this after so many years 🙌 thankyou my friend
Is there a particular community you might recommend I take my fishin pole to and possibly run into my own heritage sir? I currently reside up in Montana.
These People have fascinated me since I was young. I had heard of them referenced by family members and actually talked to a professor in college who was studying them specifically. We talked for a long time. One of my favorite stories of their origins was their being Turkish slaves taken by Sir Francis Drake from a Spanish (or Portuguese) ship he plundered. Having to wish to take them on, he dropped them off the coast of the Carolina’s where they lived among the “5 civilized tribes” influencing their traditional dress (the turban, sashes, and long coats) but remaining to themselves, calling themselves “Melun Jin “ or “cursed souls” in reference to there banishment from their homeland.
They truly are a fascinating part of the Appalachian lore. Thanks for another great video on another great topic!
Jin is not used for the word soul in Turkish or Arabic. Likewise I have no seen any dna evidence for the Melungeons having any significant middle eastern history.
Another possible piece of the puzzle? Maybe!
That makes a lot of sense right there. Turkish slaves and why some Cherokee dressed that way. Interesting. 🤔
I worked in Morristown TN for a few years. I remember hearing about and seeing the Melungeons. They’d come out of Sneedville to come down and shop. Very distinctive.
Oooh, more history! I love it! DNA is interesting, as far as parentage, but I'm more interested, in how groups of people lived. I guess, more social aspects. Like, did they believe in God? What kinds of foods they ate, what kinds of work, did they do?
Some things, like hair color, eye shape, foot shape, are inherited. We did nothing to acquire them, or keep them. That's the reason, I think they are only mildly interesting, but things like art, dress styles, how we make a living, what we impart to our young, are what really define us.
God Bless you, JD
Phas their DNA been studied?
My wife's family is from deep southeast Kentucky (Pike county). Her family settled there before KY was a State. They came through the Cumberland Gap. Her mother's family name is Hall. They are Melungeons. They are referred to as 'Black Halls'.
Hall is a very common name in the UK, but like many names there, it could originate from Northern European roots.
That is an interesting bit of history. A race of people we may never know where they come from, much like the moon eye people. These mountains truly hold a wealth of history. Thanks JD. First day of school tomorrow for my kids. I'm WAY more excited than they are. 😂 I'll have two in the band!! Let the fund raisers begin. Have a great night my friend.
There’s actually a possible connection to the Moon eyed people in the story some believe that the melungeons were the moon eyed people at one point. You know, my boy also plays in the orchestra, but he’s gonna be playing in the jazz band later on this year after marching season, he’s playing the electric bass eighth grade
@@TheAppalachianStoryteller that's awesome! I love hearing about the younger generation getting involved in music
me too brother
We know exactly where we came from. It's in the birth records.
The were the left over Tartarians
This is fascinating!! These are the historical facts they should teach in school!
Yup, they should.. but they dont... one of the many reasons I quit teaching after 20 years.
my wife and i look forward to your stories every sat. morning! thank you JD for your work,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Thank yall so much!
It's crazy when you really look into native American tribal stories you find evidence that a lot of different groups of people came to America thousands of years ago.
it really is!
I love the story it a true testament to what it means to be a american we are a mix of everything on the planet. Keep up the great work love your story telling
Well said!
There are actually three dominant traits of the Melungeons.. The bone/ half golf ball shape on the back of the skull as mentioned, but also a step out/ledge at the base in the rear of the skull where it meets the neck.. and the four front teeth, both top and bottom are curved or spoon shaped on the backside, as well as have a defined lip at the gum line.. I researched the Melungeon people a great deal years ago when I first learned of these traits, as I have all three..
Interestingly, I have a knot on the back of my head. I was born and raised in Louisiana. My mother was Cajun and father was from the North. He was a Seaman. I have heard the word mulota/sebean
Has anyone gotten a DNA test to learn their Ancestry? I have a cousin, now deceased who told me of these interesting people.
That has all been debunked and is misinformation.
We have this as well.
I to have the spoon shaped bone on the back side of my mouth. Also I have the bump on my back of my head .
We've always believed that my Mother & her side of the family were/are of Melungeon descent, as both she & her brothers all had similar characteristics, not just the typical sibling similarities, but more from possessing true, darker skin color & especially, the beautiful &/or handsome blue eyes; she was always told that she was "part Melungeon," but after watching ur excellent video, I believe it was much more than that! Thank u for the great vid & the outstanding research, to make understanding this particular heritage much more easier to understand & to be shared with others👍😃🇺🇸
Love hearing the stories of Appalachia. Thank you for your work at keeping these stories alive.
Thank you so much, my friend. Have a blessed day.
My compliments to you sir! As a native of Sneedville, your story of the Melungeons along with photographs is excellent. The term Melungeon likely comes from the French word mélange ultimately derived from the Latin verb miscēre ("to mix, mingle, intermingle"). The question has always been, "a mixture of what?"
Thank you so much!
Yes I agree. East coast creoles.
My family lived in Mulberry Gap. Do you know if any Drinnon s still live near Sneedville? I'm 10th generation, great granddaughter ove Liza Delphia Drinnon & Will Hackney (via Cora Lee)
Races........what else !!!
I never heard of these people. I’ve been binge watching your channel all week since I stumbled across it. I can’t stop listening to this fascinating history of part of my country. Thank you from Wisconsin.
Welcome aboard!
What an interesting story. Now I’ll have to do more research on this. I often do research on your videos, but I’m going down a far deeper rabbit hole with this.
I'm 68 and live in Eastern KY. I grew up hearing about Melungeons. For example, my grandparents would say "the family that lived over in so and so holler , they was melungeon". They always said they had dark skin and black hair and had a "smart bump" on the back of their head.
And there it is. I have chills right now - my grandma always called my bump on the back of my head my "smart bump". I was good in school so I just figured she was being encouraging in a kind of silly way. Now I need to talk to my mom.
Graysville, TN had a significant population of Melungeons with Alvin Goins being the most remembered as he was famous for his ability to do complex math in his head, and could arrive at a correct solution to a problem before someone else could using pencil and paper.
My mother is a Goins. West Virginia and East Tennessee. She always got the ol' "records destroyed in a fire" trying to figure out family history up until recently. My brother's and I all share an olive complexion.
What an amazing mystery, all tribes and peoples are important to God.
Currently, only he knows the details but maybe one day we will.
One side of my husband's people came from Tennessee, so who knows.
Many thanks. God bless.
Thank you Nonnie, hope you have a blessed Saturday
I reckon they are very dedicated people to the Lord Jesus Christian people that live like it
Im really happy to see this getting so much traffic. My grandmother really drove our melungeon roots into my family, but that was the only source of information weve had for most of our lives. Geres hoping that interest continues to grow!
Thanks so much my friend, have a blessed day!
Yes, you know if you are one, there are traditions that are passed down, ways of the families, and strong family connections
I grew up in the Cumberlands & I always heard elders talking about Melunguns - who always stayed to themself yet we have it in our family. Each child could look so different. Then the Word disappeared.
For decades. Sadly since I’m Native & Scottish. And Melunguns ?!? All So Confusing. Cuz in the 60’s it seemed to be a hidden shame. Sadly.
And Thank You so much for letting my 63yr young self hear the word again. lol my Mom, Dad (RIP) and big Brother and my kids & grandkids are darkish. Me & 1 yr old Ivy? …. pale-ish Red Hair Green Eyes go figure. And I don’t trust those “tests”. I know too much on how they are manipulated. God bless you.
I am of this decent. Traced back to Lee Co Virginia. Indian creek Solomon, and the Osborne family are in my family.
Very proud of it. Explains why there are so many skin tones in my family and why my both brown eyed parents had a blue eyed baby.
I'm the darkest tone of my siblings too. I thank you for this video
I thought everyone had a bump/ridge on the base of their skull.
@@susannpatton2893 I'm a Sizemore/Osborne descendant. Major Virginia and North Carolina roots.
@@timwarcloud ive seen those two last names all over the place when researching my ancestors especially pertaining to one particular cherokee chief.
I just have to say JD, you picked one of my favorite mysteries to delve into here! Melungeons have always fascinated me, i had hoped dna ancestry's popularity held the key but that brilliant interview at the end gave me some unfortunate answers, wow! Great episode!!
Most unfortunate. I was hoping DNA would be the answer but that's not to be. Guess it will always be a mystery.
Surely, forensic anthropologists could figure out the mystery going back through skeletons to see where the bump, the squat, teeth, etc. physical attribute came from.
@@bettyir4302 Yes, if omeone invested enough to find out, after all, far more ancient remains have been analyzed, and scientists learned where the ancient bones originated from.
Love the stories you tell and history you teach. I’ve heard about this lost tribe my entire life but you my friend have actually put work in to learn more and to help folks like me learn more. Thank you for that my friend. Keep up the good work.
Thank you so much for that. That’s one thing that always bothered me about this story on RUclips. There was never an actual complete investigation of it until now.
I was born in Southwest VA and Melungeons lived there, I remember seeing them & asking questions about them
Thanks for sharing this
This was a very interesting piece of Application history.
I personally feel that they are even older than anyone thinks.
The bump on the back of their head is the key to their ancestry
Thanks for your insight Edward. Hope you have a great weekend, my friend.
3 AM here in Alaska, Can't sleep, perfect time for Appalachian Storyteller to drop a new episode!!!
Thank you sir!
Glad to help out 😊
Good morning from Boston 🙂 Have a good day ☀️
Keep an eye out for those grizzlies up there. Their jiu-jitsu skills are top notch.
@@joemamma416 Not to mention their salmon catching skills - -
Just watched your story on Malungeons. It was awesome. I've been called a Malungeon my entire life. My whole family has. Lol. I didn't realize the Malungeon bump on the back of my head on the back of my head was an actual thing. That's super interesting. Thanks for the story! Have a good one!😮😊
Thank you 😊
My papaw grew up in Snake Holler, Tennessee! Born sometime in the late 40's, he was dark skinned with brownish-green eyes and a full head of thick dark hair til the day he died! He didn't care about ancestry but my mother (his daughter) did a lot of research into it and claimed we had Melungeon & Cherokee ancestry show up from his side!
Thanks for compiling and sharing all this info about Melungeons! It bugs me that we may never know the origins of my papaws ancestors but these theories at least get us close!
Thanks for sharing this
This might not be relevant, but Greek people have thick dark hair, and rarely lose their hair with age.
Your description of your papaw, sounds very familiar to the many Greek families I know.
Is that true their hair don't gray
@@margaretr5701 I don’t remember hearing about any Greek in our family line but it’s been years we talked about it!
@@eyeswideopen7777 well, I can’t say for certain. He may’ve had a few silvers hiding beneath the hat he always wore but the hair that stuck out from under that cap was always dark brown!
Same for his brother!
Well I'm glad this popped up this morning.. I haven't heard anyone talk about melungeons in a good while.. I was born and raised in east TN and growing up you heard old timers talking about em every now and then.. thanks for the video J.D...
Glad you enjoyed it!
Wow! Amazing how a race of people can just vanish. No trace. They looked very similar to some of my family from Louisiana...creole...except the creole nose is wider. But as always fantastic story once again.
Thank you so much! A really fascinating story !
They ain't gone...
They’re not gone….and they’re not a race either. They’re mixed people just like creole people.
I was born and grew up in Watauga County, NC. As I got old enough to start running my genealogy I discovered an area of
Watauga or Ashe counties called.
Melungeon Mountain. My tree doesn’t go there, I just remember seeing it on a map. I was born in Boone in the mid 40s.
There’s been a distinct representation of unknown peoples here in Southern WV. for a long time probably peaking in the early seventies. When I was a kid and early teens I used to ask my mother were these people with regular white names Italian or Mexican and she would reply that she had no idea. She would also say that she had wondered many years herself because she had attended church, we had ate at their home and considered them of and considered them of high moral character. They conducted themselves as we did and other that their skin and body shape (short and a little pudgy) you could have traded names. “Buddy” was a preacher and a wonderful man and his wife equally god fearing and I thought the world of them. I wished asking them wasn’t frowned upon because I thought and wondered many, many times about this.
What a great story, thank you JD! I’ve heard it suggested that Abraham Lincoln may have been Melungeon.
I’ve heard that same thing I didn’t mention it in the video, but they also said Elvis of all people had munging traits
I first heard about the Melungeon's when I was doing research on "Black Dutch" Indians. My grandmother used to say our ancestors were Black Dutch Indian but we could never trace any Native American lineage in the family. During my research, I found that Black Dutch could also have connections to Melungeon's because of their mixed racial ties.
My grandmother was also sad to be Black Dutch, from other family members, but she never admitted or denied it, she just refused to speak of it.
Fascinating story and people, I remember discussing mulungeons 16:58 in HS back in my HS days 1970. Mulange is supposedly a garbled French word meaning yellow, if you have ever heard the term High yellow denotes an African American of mixed race usually white or some times native American. I've heard it discussed these folks were descendants of escaped slaves and local Indian tribes. What prompted this interest in " mulungeons," was a friend of mine who was obviously mixed race, he said he was Indian and his Mother was part Black and his Father White and Indian. His Mom was from way down in Virginia. There was a whole clan of these folks in Southwest Pennsylvania who supposedly left "down South" because of prejudice against mixed white and black marriages. But the word mulungeons was never used I ran across the term in a book about the American frontier. One other thing my Friend looked like a young version of Tennessee Ernie Ford who was supposed to be mulungeon
Fascinating thank you so much for sharing this bit of history
Melanger means ; mixed
I have an ancestor named David Benge that existed in parts of what is today, Clay County, Kentucky. He was called by his neighbors and kin, King David Benge and there is a legend that states that he was considered to be King of the Melungeons. I can go on about the many stories that surrounds this individual and I continue to do research on him and the Melungeons. Thank you for this episode of your story telling.
David Benge was my 5th great grandfather.
I sent this to a friend who has this mysterious knot on the back of her head. She was adopted and raised in California. Wow! She has a Mulungeon blood line! Doesn’t show up on her “DNA test” though.
Wow!
Knots can occur in many people’s heads - he might not be Melungeon.
I have told my dearest best friend for years that I believe her family is of Mulungeon descent. Alot of them have the distinct features. She and I had looked into their story years ago and did hear of the tri-racial theory. Her family lives in Perry County KY.
Thanks JD, being Australian I’ve never heard of these people so your story was fascinating and intriguing. All I can say is no matter where they originated from, they are very handsome people with quite distinct features. They must have been hard workers to build a community in such harsh conditions. Sad to think they died out, I’d rather believe they are still around somewhere.
Bless you JD for your hard work bringing us all these fabulous stories, I love them 😊
Thank you so much, Victoria. Hope everything is going well and Australia. It’s a beautiful day here in East Tennessee USA.
@@TheAppalachianStoryteller Hi JD, we are still in winter here and it will be very cold here for months to come as Tasmania is close to the South Pole we don’t get a lot of hot weather here, sad to say because I love the heat 🤣🤣
Speaking of weather I don’t know how yours is there but ours has been very odd … things aren’t growing like they used to and our temperatures are all over the place. What’s it been like for you there? 😊
We are around 😊 😉
@@victoriatracey5919 If you love the heat, come to Canada- at least for summer, it's often close to 40°C and humid.
@@victoriatracey5919 I live in the Piedmont region of N.C. and my garden was a complete failure this year. None of my vegetable plants could produce due to the extremely hot temperatures.
My Father's family came from this area...DNA test told me I am 4% Iberian...now I get it=)
FASCINATING. IF WE RELIED ON WORLD OF MOUTH TODAY,THERE WOULD BE NO STORY OF INCREDIBLE SURVIVAL. GRADITUDE TO YOU
Wow JD, that was quite a bit to chew on. I'll have to listen again and look at the photos more closely before commenting on this mystery. This sho' is a goodun. Much love❤
Thank you Diane, I’ve been meaning to tell this story for a few years now
Sitting on the porch this morning listening and learning about the melungeons. My sister and I were just talking about them because we heard a story that Abe Lincoln (our fav president) was reported to possibly be of melungeon decent. Have you heard that?
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and stories of Appalachia. 😀
Yes, Abe Lincoln, and possibly Elvis are rumored to be
I've heard that about Lincoln
My family migrated from the Carolinas and into Kentucky. I have 7 siblings and one of my brothers has Mediterranean features. He has a blood disorder that originates from that area - he is the only one that has it, I think we may have some Melungeon dna, One of my grandparents is part Cherokee. So interesting - thanks for this history lesson!
Thanks so much for sharing your experience. Hope you have a fabulous weekend.
Melungion fell under the Cherokee umbrella. There was a split with some going to Florida,some north to Wisconsin etc. Even into Canada 😊
I believe my Paternal Grandmother was Meloungun(?). She was born in the Mountains of Kentucky. She was never one to talk about her heritage. She was very dark complected, but she had crystal clear blue eyes. She insisted, strongly that she was a white woman. She had waist long, black coarse hair, dark complexion, but just wouldn’t speak of her family. I can’t find much on her, except her father’s name, Clifton Dennison. My Daddy, one one of nine children she had, looked more like her than any of the others. My Faddy was very dark complected, jet black hair, dark eyes, yet he was always considered a white man. Plus, his Daddy was Native American. My grandmother fought, fiercely to be known as white. Never made any sense to me. She’s always been a mystery I’ve always tried to figure out. We didn’t get along too well, because she considered me a nosy child, when I was just curious, mostly about her. As I get older, I’m 64 now, I see so much of her in me when I look in the mirror, except my eyes are green.( from my Mama. I would really love to get your book. Might help me with some lifelong questions, nobody ever wanted to answer.
Very interesting, thanks for sharing
Why would it not make any sense why she’d want to be seen as white? In her day you were seen as less than human if you were suspected of being non-European. You wouldn’t be able to marry who you wanted if the one you wanted was white, it’d be harder to get a bank loan, etc. why wouldn’t it make sense why she’d want to be seen as white in her day?
If you haven't done a DNA test with Ancestry I highly recommend it. You will probably have "cousins" with melungeon ancestry that may tell you more about your tree.
My late husband is from a direct descendent of the original French Creole colony of Natchitoches, La. There is a theory that the Melungens were associated with the Free People of Color , French Creole
Fascinating thank you so much for sharing that
Thank you for this video. I have been the family geneologist, and ran across a whisper of a rumor that my paternal grandfather's side a ways back could have been Melungeon. They were from Kentucky and I have been unable to trace that line. This is a fascinating mystery.
When I touch with the Melungeons the first feeling is sadness and hard lives, with a distant generational memory of a far away land of vast wealth and complexity. It does feel Portuguese and Spanish mainly. I think they were ok with letting that sad feeling of rejection,expulsion and refugee status go when they came out of the mountains.
Very well said
Thank you so very much for this story about the Melungeons. I first learned about them a couple of years ago and have been fascinated with them ever since. May the Lord bless you and may His face continue to shine upon you. Blessings, PatB
The King of Bluegrass Jimmy Martin was fron Sneedville TN (Hancock County)
Yup 👍🏼
I love jimmy martin, lived in mulberry gap in the early nineties my best friend was Virgil jones whom I'm pretty sure was Melungeon..i can still here Virgil singing in the pines. his brother dan jones played for the Tennessee Vols he's still beloved by fans for the heart he played with.
I went to middle school and high school in Manteo on Roanoke Island. Just a few miles from "The Lost Colony."
Another Great Story. I remember hearing that Elvis had Melungeon bloodline?. I wonder if we will ever know the history of these people.
I've heard that about Elvis as well. Do you know if there's any truth to it?
That would explain his dance moves. 🤔
Your research is amazing. A kaleidoscope of connectable possibilities. Thank you.
Thank you Pam!
I think it's sad when ever anyone infiltrates and tears down a group of ppl. To hear that they bred themselves into extinction is sad .
The Dr at the end was so on point . Love ur stories sir
Thank you so much, my friend. I hope you have a blessed Saturday.
Not extinct. They live on. 😉
From what I have gathered from 😅researching Melungeons since 2010, This people group remains a mystery. Fun facts: I once stumped a librarian by asking her if she knew what a Melungeon was. And I read, “The Melungeons: A Resurrection of a Proud People” by Brett Kennedy on my way to Oklahoma from Alabama. I was driving. That is how intrigued I was by the Melungeons.
I had never heard of the Melungeon people until I did my DNA test to confirm my Native American Ancestry, I was surprised to see the probability of several tribes as well as Sub-Saharan African , Jewish alleles and Portuguese and a bunch of other things. My number one Ancestry probabilty was Melungeon my Grandfather was from TN then moved to OK. It great to find out more about this history... I can't wait to find out more. I am 6th of 8 children(same parents) some of my sibs have black hair (real black) and olive skin/brown eyes, I have brown hair and darker white skin , gray eyes(tans easily rarely burn)...we are all over the gambit and many folks don't believe my sibs are my sibs..kind of fun.
That’s so fascinating thank you for showing
My sister and I often wondered what our mother was hiding. Mom was from Stoneville , N.C.; however, she did not have a birth certificate. When she turned 62 years old, some research was done and a delayed birth certificate was made for her (so she could apply for Social Security. It was her First Grade teacher's recorded grade book that was used as proof. Her people must have hid from government census takers out of fear.
Getting any kind of information out of Mom about the names of her people set her off so bad that you wished you had never asked. A simple required school assignment of drawing a family tree on paper (to prove to the teacher that I could read, understand, and make a flow chart on paper, for a grade) set Mom off so bad that I settled for an "F" (than try again to get any answers out of her). When my own daughter, Sheila, asked the same required questions for the same type of assignment (in High School years later) I couldn't help her. I told her what happened when I ask Mom those questions. Sheila had a talk with Mom, went to her room, worked on her assignment, and didn't say a thing to me. Years later, I ask Sheila what kind of grade she got for that Family Tree Chart. Sheila told me she earned an "A". I then ask her how she got the information out of Mom? Sheila received the same reaction out of Mom that I did. To get a grade, Sheila made up the names (places and dates) and turned the chart in. She was smarter than me. Sheila was correct, the assignment did not state that it had to be true information.
On WMKY 90.6 FM radio one Saturday morning many years ago, I heard a report that many Melungions suffered from a medical condition called Sickle Cell Anemia. They were trying to get the Government to give them the same rights as other First Americans (American Indians). The reporter explained who the Melungeons are. He also stated that many people who are Melungeon don't know it (because their elders were shamed/scared, and kept that information from them). After the report was over, I went to my parents to talk to my father. I asked Daddy if he had ever heard of the Melungeons. Daddy told me that there were two in his company that served with him during WWII in the Army. Mom said she had never heard the word before and stormed out of the room.
Could my mother have been part Melungeon? Could that be the big secret that she guarded all her life? I have been thinking of having a DNA test done to find out. What do you think? Will a DNA test prove that anyone is part or full Melungeon?
I say if you can afford it do so ,,, and never be ashamed of anything...God be with 😎....I too would like to know for myself....But finances don't permit... Good luck from Scotty in Alabama 😎
It would connect you to cousins and that may be key as someone somewhere may have whispered history at home. There may be some who know more and some who know as little as you. As someone who had an orphan train grandfather from the Bronx born 1902 I can tell you it may take you 30 years(and letters from the Vatican)to let history be known. But talk to your daughter as much as you can. My mother never knew what we know now about grandpa she died before then. Grandpa himself and grandma didn't know they died too but it was the grand child generation(me) who put everything together built on all the work that they did before me. Don't ever give this up❤
Your Mother sounds a lot like my grandmother. She was from Kentucky, very dark, with blue eyes, yet claimed til she died, to be a white woman. If she were white, why the need to prove it. She’d get down right mean about talking about heritage. She was always mad at me. I just couldn’t let it go, I wanted to know!
Get your DNA done. There are so many surprises sometimes for different people. I've connected/or know of 10 additional siblings that I never knew I had. It makes genealogy searches better as well. Just remember that you are still just you when the results are in. We are who we are regardless of blood line labels. 🩵💙🩵
The majority of sufferers of Sickle Cell are black, some other ethnicities may have it but it is largely prevalent in black people.
I’m 65 and always heard they were Portuguese that married into the Native American population. Then later on escaped slaves added the Sub-Saharan DNA
There’s a lot of researchers who believe exactly that
Seems consistent with other posts here. Portuguese are an Iberian people. Their genetic heritage is very similar to the Spanish, North African, Middle East, Greek, and Italian peoples. The Celts - an Indo-European people - migrated through the Iberian peninsula on their way to the British Isles. The Celts were prevalent in the area later defined as Portugal. Much later, the Visigoths migrated to the Iberian peninsula. They were also an Indo-European people. The Indo-European race inherited more Neanderthal DNA than most other human races. This explains Neanderthal traits such as the "smart bump" (occipital bun) and the very unique light colored eyes and hair that only Indo-Europeans may possess. The indigenous English, Scottish, and Irish populations are heavily Indo-European, but they also have some Iberian DNA due to the Celtic migrations. Obviously plenty of Indo-European DNA in Appalachia due to English settlement. They're probably mixed in as well.
My paternal side is from the mountains of application. My oldest brother did a DNA test and found sub Saharan south African DNA. My grandfather could very possibly have been melunjian. RIP, grandpa!
Thanks for sharing this
I was surprised to learn that I had sub Saharan blood lines
I'm Black from the waist down. 😊
I had a high school history teacher who first told us the Phoenicians who travel to Michigan for cooper. And said the Moores had trade routes to the Americas before Columbus. Very interesting. Remember most history is written by the Victorious. We will probably never never know all human history .😢
Very well said
Wow your teacher was a conspiracy theorist. The Phoenicians in Michigan? There is zero concrete evidence of this happening…I can believe the second though.
Fascinating, I had never heard of Melungeons. The Phoenician - Portuguese - Native heritage makes the most sense to me. You have two great naval cultures so getting to the Americas is not a stretch and the features/characteristics seem to fit. DNA is a wicked inexact science so I discount that totally. Unless a cache of Melungeon documentation is unearthed, I doubt the truth will ever be fully known. Of course, they could have been aliens that simply decided it was time to go home. LOL.
Thanks JD for another great story.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this my friend. Hope you have a great weekend.
Just looking at the family pictures I would have guessed Portuguese or Sicilian ancestry.
The history of this is very interesting. I continue to be amazed at these great stories.
Glad you like them!
Thank you for that awesome piece of history I've honestly never heard of. I dont know how you feel about ghost stories but back in 95 i was in high school and read ghost stories of the Appalachian mountains book and it was very good. 1 story was basically about and old lady that sold her soul to see everything through a sugar sifter and it reminds me of cell phones today.
Wow 😮
I am a Florida Appalalach and we are still here. Keep looking ! But your not going to like what you find. I have always none who I am .
I did a DNA test about 4 years ago. I wondered where my darker skin figured in my heritage. According to the results, I was 13% Ibanian. So I believe the Moorish ancestry could be a good fit for the Melungeons. But it's pure speculation on my part. Thanks for your stories. It makes Saturday morning coffee that much better
Thanks so much my friend! Hope you have a great Saturday
It's all in their DNA. The real story is how they came to be living there.
I am from southeast Tennessee. I did not know my grandfather who died when my mother was a teen. I did not know my great-grandmother, his mother. My parents and all my aunts and uncles are gone now so I cannot ask anyone who may know. Anyway, I recently obtained a photo of my beautiful, great-grandmother and upon showing it to my best friend, her comment is that she looks melungeon. My great-grandmother was born in the 1870s. I hope to find more information about her either way.
Very interesting I’d love to see the photo
Very interesting. I have a friend that claimed through spoken family history that they were Melungeons. And they came from Portugal before the white man came here. He also says Abraham Lincoln was a Melungeon as well. In North Carolina South East of Asheville is a historical place that Lincoln was born there before his family moved to the North West. But Lincoln and my friend has several characteristics they share . Olivia dark skin, moles on their face and very black hair. Thanks David
Yeah , I've been meaning to talk to you about that mole. Maybe you should get it removed. 🤔
As Lincolns mother Nancy Hanks was born out of wedlock, father unknown, and she died young, I don't suppose anyone will ever know about that lineage. He was supposed to have resembled his mother strongly and looked nothing like his father.
At 2:11 you've displayed an image of the Cook family. the boy second from the left is my great Grandfather Ottigney Pontiac cook. his father George Major Cook. the boy on the far right is Peach he will become Chief of the Pamunkey tribe. of the Powhatan Nation. we never called our selves Melungeon. the reservation is in king William county Virginia. along the Pamunkey river.
Thanks for sharing this
Thanks for sharing. Can I ask what you called yourselves then? I’m not being facetious. I’m genuinely curious. I’ve heard all sorts of stories about my ancestry and how my great great grandmother was brought from France to Canada to be “kings wives” the fille de joie but I learned later in life that just meant she was basically a prostitute 😂 I want to get Ancestry DNA testing to see what exactly my heritage is because I constantly get told I look Asian and white. But if you ask my family I’m Irish, French, Native American and Italian. And I NEEED to know.
This was a great show! I had never heard of the Melungeons before. I think there is a lot of history that has been buried and not passed on to generations. As I get older, I see that history comes from the people allowed to write it, not from true facts. Thank you for bringing this story to us!
Thank you 😊
Fascinating ! I love hearing these historical stories .. thank you
thank you so much!
I'd so love to live free and in peace in the back hills of the Appalachia's! I so admire these people staying true to their heritage for as long as they were able.
amen