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 Yet, Hirschman, supported by DNA testing, genealogies, and a variety of historical documents, suggests that the Melungeons included such notable early Americans as Daniel Boone, John Sevier, Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, and Andrew Jackson.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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... Marriage , and Naming Patterns among the Melungeons Chapter 6. xxx The Templar / Freemason Connection Chapter 7. xxx Keeping the Faith- How Jews and Moslems Gathered Together and Became Baptists Chapter 8. xxx We Are Not Alone ...
... married their own kind . ) It is difficult to verbalize how stunning a revelation this was to me personally and to the thousands of others who have recently learned that they share this same heritage . I had always been told I was ...
... marriage of her parents would have been illegal , leaving her with no claim to her father's property . The ... married and , on their death , the surviving one inherited their estates . He rented the land , hired out his slaves , and ...
... marriage license , they would file suit against him , claiming not only that the young man was mentally incompetent but that the girl had Negro blood and such a marriage would be illegal . The alarmed clerk was so impressed by their ...
... married to his alleged wife , and claimed that if he had gone through the form of marriage , it was void for numerous reasons , and the issue of such marriage was illegitimate . " [ Memoirs of Judge Lewis Shepherd , 85. ] At that time ...
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 |