Melungeons: The Last Lost Tribe in AmericaMost of us probably think of America as being settled by British, Protestant colonists who fought the Indians, tamed the wilderness, and brought "democracy"-or at least a representative republic-to North America. To the contrary, Elizabeth Caldwell Hirschman's research indicates the earliest settlers were of Mediterranean extraction, and of a Jewish or Muslim religious persuasion. Sometimes called "Melungeons," these early settlers were among the earliest nonnative "Americans" to live in the Carolinas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia. For fear of discrimination-since Muslims, Jews, "Indians," and other "persons of color" were often disenfranchised and abused-the Melungeons were reticent regarding their heritage. In fact, over time, many of the Melungeons themselves "forgot" where they came from. Hence, today, the Melungeons remain the "last lost tribe in America," even to themselves. Yet, Hirschman, supported by DNA testing, genealogies, and a variety of historical documents, suggests that the Melungeons included such notable early Americans as Daniel Boone, John Sevier, Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, and Andrew Jackson. Once lost, but now, forgotten no more. |
From inside the book
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... Portuguese and were dark - skinned and dark - haired , with European features . Some researchers , our teacher told us , believed they might actually be the descendants of Sir Walter Raleigh's " Lost Colony " at Roanoke ( 1587 ) but no ...
... Portuguese , and Turks . Let's consider what earlier authors have had to say about these four possibilities . Melungeons Are the Survivors of the Roanoke Lost Colony ( Bonnie Ball , 1969ff . ) Roanoke Island The first [ English ] ...
... ; original : London : Jonathan Cape , 2000 ) esp . 25 . " Miller , Roanoke : Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony , 159-60 . nando , was Portuguese and a former Barbary pirate5 and 10 Melungeons : The Last Lost Tribe.
The Last Lost Tribe in America Elizabeth Caldwell Hirschman. nando , was Portuguese and a former Barbary pirate5 and that their onboard food stuffs were decidedly Mediterranean : rice , honey , currants , raisins , prunes , olives ...
... Portuguese Jews . The time and travel element would lend it more plausibility . With the Christian conquest of Spain in 1492 , all Jews except those who agreed to renounce their faith were expelled from that country and from Portugal ...
Contents
ix | |
DNA Disease and Demographics The Keys to the Mystery | 33 |
1492 A Most Propitious Year | 45 |
Rewriting the Past A New Origin Story | 55 |
Family Trees and Family Treks Migration Marriage and Naming Patterns among the Melungeons | 83 |
The TemplarFreemason Connection | 99 |