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I happened upon this web page at several different sites and was wondering if anyone can shed any light on the area, the word “Melango.” Or, some of the folks there. Of course I’m really searching for information on the Coin’s, but I’m interested in the whole story.
http://www.geocities.com/ourmelungeons/wash.html
Well, this is interesting. I have cousins named French. I am not sure how they are related; the mother came up to me in church years ago and told me that I was related. I have found them in the locations of my Sinkeys in Pennsylvania. I am not sure of the Ohio and WVA locations, but they are in Iowa where my Sinkeys are.
Techteach
There are French’s in Perry County KY that were members of the French-Eversole feud.
The feud lasted for years, there was marshal law for a while but when the soldiers left the feud just started up again. Judge Josiah Combs kept making rulings on the murders. Eventually somebody didn’t like his rulings enough to burn down the court house. Mr. French wore a bullet proof vest the rest of his life, but was eventually shot anyway. Judge Josiah Combs left Hazard, but returned many years later, where he was assasinated.
There are also Campbells, Bowlings (Bollins), Adkins, Gambriels and others involved. You can read the full account at the site below. A total of 75 people died.
http://echandgs0.tripod.com/feuds/id1.html
Gray Owl,
I’d recommend you get a copy of “Melungeons: Exploring An Appalachian Legend” by Pat Spurlock Elder – see http://www.continuitypress.com for a synopsis.
While Coins aren’t mentioned there specifically, a spelling variation of “Cohen, Cowan/Cowen…. ” is, and while this is a short piece, putting them into full context would require the entire book. Short form…. it’s a spelling corruption of GOINS, or vice versa – there is NOT just one line. (The GOINS section is large.)
In her book, Pat Elder pretty much puts most of what’s known about Melungeons into historical perspective and it’s only $19.95 🙂
For a substancial genealogical history and much more, see Brenda Collins Dillon’s homepage – one of the best – I can’t find the addy in my dozen or so folders on Collins data, so find one of her posts on this Forum and email her for her homepage address.
Well worth an evening’s read!!
Bill
Now the cat’s out of the bag! Brenda I never knew that you had a home page. To say the least, Please , would you share it with me ?
Tom,
Here is old URL for the site I had up. It hasn’t been upgraded in a long time and hackers got to several pages that I can no longer get to to edit. It really needs to come down but it does have a lot of good information. With my medical issues I just haven’t been able. Perhaps now that I have a new computer I can think about redoing the site.
http://bjdillon.topcities.com/
also
http://www.wmmartin.com/genforum/
Happy reading……….
Hey Brenda I hope that all is well , we haven’t posted together for a while so I”ll read on and get back to you,
best wishes for the New Year!
Brenda, I looked quickly through your first website. I wanna go through it more thouroughly next time. There is a lot of great stuff.
I only saw 2 surnames that might be mine. My great great great grandpa William Wayland’s wife was named “Elizabeth” and we don’t know her maiden name. But one of their daughter’s was named Mary Stewart (or Stuart? I need to look it up again) Wayland. Long ago that made me think Elizabeth’s maiden name might be Stuart/Stewart. Also I have thought that William’s father, Nevil Wayland, may have married a Gibson. They had Gibson’s living on their land, Francis Wayland paid taxes for John Gibson on one occasion. Why would he do that if they weren’t related? Nevil’s wife was Kezziah and there was a Thomas Gibson with a daughter named “Cusiah”. Thomas’ wife was Mary and there was a Mary Gibson that appeared to be a widow at Stoney Creek Primitive Baptist church and Kezziah Wayland was also at that church. Now that’s all circumstantial, nothing concrete, though.
But you have a lot of great history material! I wanna get out a map and read that history material through slowly, tracing each migration you mention of the Saponi. You’ve done quite a lot of research on this.
vance
Thanks Bill and all. Those are some awesome web sites, and there is a lot of information there to weed through. I had been told a long time ago, that Coin was actually a corruption of Corn. Something about not wanting to be known as Corn because it was an indian name and the kids got picked on or something like that. Can’t remember where, probably wasn’t to interested in genealogy at the time. Several of us have looked at the Going thing a lot and can’t make a connection. I have even called Mr Jack Goins and talked with him. He didn’t seem to think they were connected.
I recently found a family tree on the net that had all of my names from around the same area. I got really excited and just knew the search was over, until I found that all of the folks listed were born about 25 years after all of mine. Then I got to thinking, what if they stole the name? I’ll never figure it out.
I really would like to talk to the person who said that “Coin was an original Virginia Saponi name.” If it is, I can’t find reference to it. I’ll probably be dust before this is figured out.
And the search goes on, and on, and …..
Patty wrote: There are French’s in Perry County KY that were members of the French-Eversole feud.
The feud lasted for years, there was marshal law for a while but when the soldiers left the feud just started up again. Judge Josiah Combs kept making rulings on the murders. Eventually somebody didn’t like his rulings enough to burn down the court house. Mr. French wore a bullet proof vest the rest of his life, but was eventually shot anyway. Judge Josiah Combs left Hazard, but returned many years later, where he was assasinated.
There are also Campbells, Bowlings (Bollins), Adkins, Gambriels and others involved. You can read the full account at the site below. A total of 75 people died.
Had to bring this back…interesting link, story. My 4xgrandfather George Gibson was b. Perry Co., KY
It’s cool local history, and all; but nobody ever answered the question of the original post. Is there any other reference to “Melango Indians,” apart from this one (apparently started by Uncle Wash Osborne)? I wonder if Uncle Wash invented them. Some of those “Melango” Littons might be my wife’s family… or might not. I think Pat Spurlock Elder also has Littons. Neither of us tied our folks to the specific ones named in the anecdotal reference by Uncle Wash.
That’s the reference (url) cited in post #1, not the story about the Eversole-French feud in Perry County.
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