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 Yet, Hirschman, supported by DNA testing, genealogies, and a variety of historical documents, suggests that the Melungeons included such notable early Americans as Daniel Boone, John Sevier, Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, and Andrew Jackson.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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... young Sir Walter Raleigh , who was assisting the Huguenots . As Miller notes , many non - Catholic refugees fled to England from France during this time to escape death . 3 Fifteen years later , 1587 , Raleigh sponsored the colonization ...
... young attorney , Lewis Shepherd , went on to become a judge and a leading member of the Chattanooga bar . In 1915 Judge Shepherd published a collection of reminiscences of his legal experiences , entitled Memoirs of Judge Lewis Shepherd ...
... young woman .... When she loosed her locks , they fell almost reaching the ground , and shone in the sunlight , or quivered like the glamour [ sic ] which the full moon throws on the placid water . " [ S. L. Shepherd , Memoirs of Judge ...
... 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 threats that he refused to grant the groom - to - be a license when he applied for ...
... young attorney just starting out in his pro- fession . Shepherd agreed to take the case , with Mr. Williams acting in the capacity of best friend of the young girl . The suit they filed for the child came like a bolt out of the blue ...
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 |