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 Yet, Hirschman, supported by DNA testing, genealogies, and a variety of historical documents, suggests that the Melungeons included such notable early Americans as Daniel Boone, John Sevier, Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, and Andrew Jackson.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
Results 1-5 of 56
... secure in my tidy WASP ethnicity . Through DNA testing and genealogical tracing , however , I now know that I am actually primarily of Spanish / Iberian descent with perhaps twenty percent Semitic ancestry and around sixteen.
... Spanish Jews and Muslims who had fled the Inquisition . What's more , I believe that some of my grandparents were aware of this and chose not to tell their children ( my parents ) or me , perhaps due to the rise of the Ku Klux Klan in ...
... Spanish spy ) Nicholas Petman John Howes William Greenville [ Grenville ? ] [ On the first trip back to England , they ] took two Indians . . . Wan- chese and Manteo .... ( It is believed that two Englishmen were left with the Indians ...
... Spanish armada , further delayed matters . The invasion was imminent , and an embargo was laid on all English shipping . Nevertheless , Sir Walter Raleigh succeeded in fitting out two ships for the colonists in Virginia , but they were ...
... Spanish Inquisi- tion , aimed at killing or converting all Jews , Muslims , and Protestants , is expected to arrive in England by the following year ; an Armada con- sisting of 130 ships and thousands of Spanish soldiers is being ...
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 |