[sammarroq]

Brenda Collins Dillon wrote: The 1755 Orange County, North Carolina, tax list several families who either they are their forefather once lived on the Pamunkey River in Louisa County, Virginia and who eventually migrated to Hawkins County, TN and became know as the Melungeons.

Gidean Bunch 1 tithe (mulatto)

Micajer Bunch 1 tithe (mulatto)

Moses Ridley (Riddle) 1 tithe and wife Mary (mulattoes)

Thomas Collins 3 tithes (mulatto)

Samuel Collins 3 tithes (mulattoes)

John Collins 1 tithe (mulatto)

Thomas Gibson 3 tithes (mulatto)

Charles Gibson 1 tithe (mulatto)

George Gibson 1 tithe (mulatto)

Mager Gibson 1 tithe (mulatto)

Most of these families moved from the flat River to the New River area of Virginia and North Carolina. The follow tax lists are from Kegley’s early adventures on the Western Waters) 1771 New River area Botetourt County, Virginia

Charles Collins 1 tithe

John Collins 4 tithes

Samuel Collins two tithes

Charles Sexton 1 tithe

McKegar Bunch 1 tithe

William Sexton 1 tithe

Some of these including Micager Bunch were living on Indian Lands.

Fincastle County was formed from Botetourt in 1772; this 1773 tax list shows the ones living on Indian land. Which means they had crossed the survey line agreed upon in the treaty of Lochaber as the western boundary.

David Collins (Indian Lands)

Charles Collins (Indian Lands)

Samuel Collins (Indian Lands)

George Collins (Indian lands)

Micajer Bunch (Indian lands)

John Collins SR

John Collins Jr.

Ambrose Collins

Elisha Collins

Lewis Collins

The Melungeons began selling their land on the Flat River in Orange County beginning about 1767 and moved to the back woods section of the New River in Virginia and North Carolina. They moved from the Pamunkey River area of Virginia to the Flat River beginning in about 1747-9. These families included Collins, Gibson, Bunch, Bolen, and possibly Moses Riddle. They were of the Baptist faith, some joined at Stony Creek by letter from another Baptist Church

FOREST: Do you know of any word in the Saponi language that is close to Melungeon?

According to North Carolina records, the Saponi Indians had a settlement about 15 miles east of Hillsboro, county seat for Orange County, North Carolina … According to their settlement location, the Saponi would probably be near the Flat River. …

The following Saponi information is from a Saponi chronology compiled from an Eno-Occoneechee petition for recognition by the State of North Carolina-1750. The Saponi had a settlement near Hillsboro, North Carolina. Post Revolutionary Pleasant Grove region Saponi Indians Jeramiah Bunch, George Gibson, and Henry Bunch received land grants in 1785 along the Eno River just east of Hillsboro, North Carolina.

pp. 84-85

This is an interesting thread, thought I would bring it back for those who haven’t seen it.

[Author]

Posts