Southern Roots
Ancestors from the Courts of Kings to the American Presidency !
The Mystery of the Melungeons
During the course of my research, I have found the term "Melungeon" used many times in reference to the Driggers Family. Emannuel Driggers, according to many, was a "Negro" slave, but was he really? He is listed as being a slave and a servant, his children are listed as being slaves and free persons of color. However, the term "Melungeon" is associated with this family. Could Emannuel have been just a descendant of a Mediterranian people who came to the Americas and were forgotten? Could he have sold himself and his children into slavery? Records state that Emannuel Driggers was freed not long after 1658 and the earliest record of Emannuel being a "slave" is 1645. It is the opinion of this researcher that Emannuel Driggers may have indentured himself and his children to acquire goods and property that otherwise would have been denied to him and his family because of their dark skin.
While researching the Melungeons, I have found that the Surnames Driggers, Dyess, and Nichols are listed as being a common surname among the Melungeons. Being a descendant of families with each of these surnames, it is probable that our family is of Melungeon descent. This could explain the "family stories" of having an Indian ancestor.
"Traditionally thought to be White Northern American, Red Indian, and Black African. In recent years many people think they are also mixed with Portuguese, Spanish, Turks, Moors, Jews, and other Mediterranean people. Many Ships came to early America, the territory of the Spanish from Florida reached all the way to Knoxville Tennessee..
When you find your ancestors in the census records you may look twice when you find one listed as colored in one census and white in another. The word colored did not only refer to African-Americans it also included Native Americans and sometimes Europeans of darker skin. FC in the census stands for free colored person; even and M or FP is also listed sometimes.
You may see an old photo and think their skin was not quite white. Many people have an "indian grandparent" theory in their genealogy lines.
A theory of the Lost colony mixed with Indians may have been the start of this group of people, other theories that sailors were shipwrecked here and the groups started this way.
There is a Welsh legend of a Prince Madoc who came to America and founded a Welsh colony in late Pre-Columbian times. The site of his landing has been set as Mobile Bay (a very long ways from Wales for small boats) and three Pre-Columbian stone wall sites in the Southeast (Old Stone Fort in Tennessee, Fort Mountain in Georgia and the Welsh Caves at Desoto Falls in Alabama, all within 100 miles of Chattanooga) were all traditionally attributed to these Welsh.
Welsh people are typically dark hair and medium to light skin with dark eyes, not blue.
Many Melungeons themselves claim they were descended from Portuguese sailors shipwrecked on the Carolina Coast and married Cherokee women."
( Source: Melungeons)
WHO ARE THE MELUNGEONS?
The Melungeons are most likely the descendants of the late 16th century Portuguese and Turks stranded on the Carolina shores when the settlement of Santa Elena, South Carolina was abandoned by the Spanish. They later intermarried with the Powhatan, Pamunkey, Chickahominy and Catawba Indians.
After being abandoned in the outlying Spanish forts, they settled in the Appalachians and further intermarried with the Chreokees and much later with the northern European settlers; primarily the Scotch-Irish, becoming part of the American Melting Pot.
The word Melungeon is both Portuguese, meaning "white person" and Turkish, meaning "cursed soul." ( From the National Melungeon Registry )
Common Melungeon Surname List:
* ADAMS ADKINS ALLEN ALLMOND ASHWORTH
* BARKER BARNES BASS BECKLER BELCHER BEDGOOD BELL BENNETT BERRY BEVERLY BIGGS BOLEN BOLLING BOLTON BOONE BOWLIN BOWLING BOWMAN BRADBY BRANHAM BRAVBOY BRIGER/BRIDGER BROGAN BROOKS BROWN BUNCH BULLION BURTON BUTLER BUTTERS BUXTON BYRD
* CAMPBELL CARRICO CARTER CASTEEL CAUDILL CHAPMAN CHAVIS CLARK CLOUD COAL COFFEY COLE COLEMAN COLES COLLEY COLLIER COLLINS COLLINSWORTH COLYER COOPER CORMAN COUNTS COX COXE CRIEL CROSTON CROW CUMBA CUMBO CUMBOW CURRY CUSTALOW
* DALTON DARE DAVIS DENHAM DENNIS DIAL DOOLEY DORTON DOYLE DRIGGERS DULA DYE DYESS
* ELY EPPS EVANS
* FIELDS FREEMAN FRENCH
* GALLAGHER GANN GARLAND GIBSON GIPSON GOINS GOINGS GORVENS GOWAN GOWEN GRAHAM GREEN(E) GWINN
* HALL HAMMON(D) HARMON HARRIS HARVIE HARVEY HAWKES HENDRICKS HENDRIX HILL HILLMAN HOGGE HOLMES HOPKINS HOWE HYATT
* JACKSON JAMES JOHNSON JONES
* KEITH(E) KENNEDY KISER
* LANGSTON LASIE LAWSON LOCKLEAR LOPES LOWRY LUCAS
* MADDOX MAGGARD MAJOR MALE MALONE(Y) MARSH MARTIN MAYLE MINARD MINER MINOR MIZER MOORE MORLEY MOSELY MOZINGO MULLINS
* NASH NELSON NEWMAN NICCANS NICHOLS NOEL NORRIS
* ORR OSBORN OSBORNE OXENDINE
* PAGE PAINE PATTERSON PERKINS PERRY PHELPS PHIPPS PRINDER POLLY POWELL POWERS PRITCHARD PRUITT
* RAMEY RASNICK REAVES REVELS REEVES RICE RICHARDSON RIDDLE RIVERS ROBERSON ROBERTSON ROBINSON RUSSELL
* SAMMONS SAMPSON SAWYER SCOTT SEXTON SHAVIS SHEPHARD SHEPHERD SHORT SHORTT SIZEMORE SMILING SMITH STALLARD STANLEY STEEL STEVENS STEWART STROTHER SWEATT SWETT SWINDALL
* TALLY TACKETT TAYLOR THOMPSON TIPTON TOLLIVER TUPPANCE TURNER
* VANOVER VICARS VICCARS VICKERS
* WARE WATTS WEAVER WHITE WHITED WILKINS WILLIAMS WILLIAMSON WILLIS WILSON WISBY WISE WOOD WRIGHT WYATT WYNN
Sources and Further Reading
"The Melungeons: The Pioneers Of The Interior Southeastern United States 1526-1997" by Eloy J. Gallegos.
COMMON MELUNGEON FIRST NAMES:
Melungeon families often chose Jewish names, from Levi to Zephaniah, as well as names resonant with Turkish, such as Hoissam, Souleman, Sydenai. Other unusual names include: Dicey, Jincey, Malinda, and Dorcas or Darcus, Micajah, Dinselondy, Naaman, Alcidasa, Agia, Jorial, Levicea, Moneyea, and Cephea. Spanish-sounding names like Chavises, are also found as first names.
Links to Melungeon health issues:
Melungeons and Arthritic-like disease
For more information about the Melungeons, click here : Links