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 Yet, Hirschman, supported by DNA testing, genealogies, and a variety of historical documents, suggests that the Melungeons included such notable early Americans as Daniel Boone, John Sevier, Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, and Andrew Jackson.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 38
... Chapter 1. 1 Melungeon Mythology- Who Are We and How Did We Get Here ? Chapter 2. xxx DNA , Disease , and Demographics- The Keys to the Mystery Chapter 3. xxx 1492 - A Most Propitious Year Chapter 4. xxx Rewriting the Past- A New Origin ...
The Last Lost Tribe in America Elizabeth Caldwell Hirschman. Chapter 8. xxx We Are Not Alone " Melungeons " around the World Chapter 9 . Reconstructing Our Past and Exploring Our Future- Whither the Melungeons ? Appendixes Indexes XXX ...
... me , despite wars , inquisitions , and other hardships beyond my imagination . Princeton , New Jersey Elizabeth Caldwell Hirschman Chapter 1 Melungeon Mythology- Who Are We and How Did X Melungeons : The Last Lost Tribe.
The Last Lost Tribe in America Elizabeth Caldwell Hirschman. Chapter 1 Melungeon Mythology- Who Are We and How Did We Get Here ? When I was in high school biology class in Kingsport , Tennessee , Mr. William Burns , our teacher , told us ...
... chapter , it was very likely a blend of Jewish , Muslim , and Huguenot religious castaways who became the Melungeons . This possibility , albeit set many centuries earlier , is discussed by Jean Patterson Bible , as in the excerpt below ...
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 |