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 Yet, Hirschman, supported by DNA testing, genealogies, and a variety of historical documents, suggests that the Melungeons included such notable early Americans as Daniel Boone, John Sevier, Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, and Andrew Jackson.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 42
... Colony " at Roanoke ( 1587 ) but no one knew for sure . They had been living in the mountains for as long as anyone could remember . Our teacher said that he himself had never met any actual Melungeons , but that those who had met them ...
... Colony at Roanoke , Virginia in 1587 , but no one knows for sure . They don't even know themselves . " In my mind's ... colonists in the eastern portion of the United States were Melungeon as well . If you agree with my analysis of this ...
... Colony " of Roanoke , Virginia ; ( 2 ) that Melungeons are descendants of the ancient Carthaginians ; ( 3 ) that Melungeons are remnants of the Lost Tribes of Israel ; and ( 4 ) that Melungeons are the descendants of ship- wrecked Moors ...
... colony began to feel the need of supplies , but because of the existing war on the open seas with Spain , all were reluctant to make the voyage [ to England ] . Finally Governor White consented to go . The war , and especially the ...
... colony months before . . . . [ T ] hey saw Indian footprints in the sand . On the bank they found a tree on which was carved the letters CRO ; this , they believed , signified the place where they would find their lost comrades . Next ...
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 |