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I have found a site on melungeons, which I am positive my ancestors were. There are alot of names, races, and geographic locations with number behind them. Are these numbers DNA strings? I have found many of my surnames, Thomas, Adkins, Gibson, and Baldwin. The numbers match African American, Algonquian, Chickahominy, Cherokee, Tuscarora, Cheraw, Monacan, Melungeon, Lumbee, Nottaway, Powatan, Pamunkey, Mingo, Chowan, German, French, and Dutch. The Geographical locations also match with the area my family is from. Anyone know more about this?
http://www.continuitypress.com/Melindx.htm
Another site listing interesting information on Melungeons:
http://www.geocities.com/ourmelungeons/wash.html
The link you listed first is the index to a book.
The numbers behind the names are the page numbers on which they appear in the book whose name is shown in red at the top.
Does anyone have a copy of that book?
I’d like to see the following pages:
Ridley, 323; Moses, 223
Riley, 192, 323
The indexed surname RILEY, p.192, is on a list of Plecker’s “names” for Fauquier Co., Va.
p. 223: “Moses Riddle/Ridley had descendants in Hancock County. They were not Melungeons although they lived near the Goins and Minor families. In 1767, he lived on Polecat Creek of the Banister River in Lunenburg County, Virginia. This area of Lunenburg became Halifax County in 1752 and Pittsylvania County in 1767. Moses is on the 1767 Pittsylvania County tax list. Possibly as Heinegg stated, he may be the same man classed as a mulatto on the 1755 Orange County, North Carolina tax list where he lived by John Goins and Ned Sizemore. Given the area, circumstances, tradition, and available documents, it seems Moses was at least part Indian, but not Cherokee. Riddle was also hung as a Tory during the American Revolution.”
p.323 is part of the Appendices of surnames, locations and comments:
“Ridley…..Indian…….NC Orange….1755….Also spelled Riddle
Riley……..Mulatto…..Va Fauquier…1943….See Prince William”
You can purchase this book at
http://www.continuitypress.com
Bill
Thanks Bill, I will try and find the book “Examining An Appalachian Legend”. I guess if I had read the top, I would have figured that out. I’ll blame it on working the night shift; not quite all together this week. It looks like an interesting book.
Shirley
Why would he state that Moses Riddle’s descendants were not Melungeons? I have wondered this myself.
Moses lived near and is associated with Collins, Bunch’s, and Gibsons. Even if Moses wasn’t a Melungeon himself, I thought his wife was a Collins, thereby making his descendants Melungeons, right?
From what I understand, between about 1800 and 1830 the Riddles lived near Kyle’s Ford, TN and also in down in Bledsoe County, TN.
Why didn’t they stay around Hancock and Hawkins County with the rest of the families? Did any others move to Bledsoe County, TN?
Here are some folks I found in Bledsoe County, TN in 1815. I mentioned this in another post here:
http://www.saponitown.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2262
Riddle, Thomas
Riddle, William
Rodgers, Ruben
Rodgers, William
Rogers, Amanuel
Rogers, Dauswell
Rogers, Jeremiah
Rogers, Jesse
Rogers, John
Rogers, Joseph
Gibson, Jacob [2]
Blevins, Stephen
Boling, Lewis
Self, Hezekiah
Self, Jesse
Self, Levy
Self, Spencer
From what I have read Melungeon’s were a tri-racial group of people from Appalachia. I actually stumbled across them by accident searching for the legendary Cherokee roots said to be in our family. Then I saw the surnames, all of them, and from the same area my father’s family was from. Was it just coincidence? I had to believe they were the same people. The Adkins, Thomas, Gibson, and Baldwin families all lived in and around Dickenson (formerly a part of Buchanan County), and Buchanan county. My father said the family moved around a lot, why I don’t know. It may have been food source, or persecution, I don’t know. My DNA shows Native, South Sudanese, and European roots. That is how I have may have determined my ancesters were Melungeon. I may be very wrong, that’s why I continue to search, and ask for your help in finding the truth. Thanks, Bill for making me question my opinon on my roots. Tracing my illusive ancestors has been challenging, maybe I am just hoping to finally know find roots on my father’s side. Please continue to challenge me, it keeps me from becoming weary trying to find answers.
Shirley
Originally posted by Bill Childs
Check your premise. What is the definition of a “melungeon” ?
Bill, I don’t understand what you mean.
Is it not safe for me to assume that the Moses Riddle’s children were melungeon because of their association with the Johnsons, Rogers, Collins, Gibsons, Sizemores, etc. at various locations in NC, VA, and TN?
You should study the “Melungeons, Examining An Appalachian Legend” book.
The explanation for my statement is too long to be posted here so I probably shouldn’t have said that.
In a nutshell, when historical record is examined, the term was perjorative and only applied to a small number of people in a specific time frame. Later, outsiders applied it to anyone who came thru the area who were non-white. Now, it’s become almost a ‘cult’ movement with all kinds of unsupported assertions being thrown around.
Bill
I gotcha. I don’t quite know what to think of the word myself or how it should be applied.
I don’t know if it applies to those “mulattoes” who were found in Granville Co, NC in 1755 and all of their descendants or if it is simply a term used to describe those that lived in Hawkins Co, TN in the 1800’s.
Either way, I’d like to know why the Riddles moved to Bledsoe County while many people of this group went to Hancock/Hawkins County.
Supposedly the Riddles were at Kyle’s Ford at some point in time…I just don’t know when and for how long.
Bill,
I will read the book, I didn’t know it only pertained to a certain time period, and thought the word simply meant mixture. I am not interested in persuing whether or not they were specifically Melungeon, but rather what native tribes they came from. Too, now that I know there are African roots there, I would like to find out if my ancestors were slaves, freed indentures, or something else. Not interested in cult followings…just geneology. Thanks.
Shirley
I felt like I took over this post, so I started a new one with my questions.
http://www.saponitown.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2267
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