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 Yet, Hirschman, supported by DNA testing, genealogies, and a variety of historical documents, suggests that the Melungeons included such notable early Americans as Daniel Boone, John Sevier, Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, and Andrew Jackson.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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... Richard Grenville in 1685 [ sic ; 1585 ] , from Plymouth , England . It had as principle " Gentlemen in the Company " : Raymond M. Stuckey Bremige Vincent John Clark . Grenville left fifteen Englishmen at Roanoke Island in 1585 . They ...
... Richard Shaberdge ( Shabedge ) John Tydway William Browne Michael Myllet Richard Kemme of Derby Glane , who deserted on Audry Tappan [. Melungeon Mythology 7.
... Richard Tauerner ( Taverner ) Arnold Archard Robert Wilkinson Thomas Butler Hugh Patterson John Bridger Grifen Jones ( prob . Welsh ) John Burden John Cheven Thomas Smith William Willes John Brooke Cuthbert White John Bright Clement ...
... Richard and Henry Berrye carry a widely recognized Sephardic Jewish surname . I propose that many , perhaps most , of these " English " colonists were not ethnically Anglo - Saxon , but rather Sephardic Jews , Moors , and French ...
... Richard Wildye , a graduate of Oxford University — altogether an unlikely group to select for colonizing a remote , forested island , surrounded by Native Americans and subject to frequent hurricanes ! Obviously , we must ask ourselves ...
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 |