How do you tell if you are Melungeon?
Typical Melungeon physical traits are said to include dark hair and skin with light-colored eyes. Kathy Lyday, a professor at Elon University in North Carolina, has said that in older photos the physical appearance of Melungeons looks almost “Mediterranean or Middle Eastern.” A Spanish influence is also possible.
What are common Melungeon last names?
Some of the most prominent surnames that have been claimed as potentially associated with a Melungeon identity include Bowling (Bolin), Bunch, Chavis (Chavez), Collins, Epps, Evans, Fields, Francisco, Gibson, Gill, Goins, Goodman, Minor, Mise, Moore, Mullins, Osborn(e), Phipps, Reeves (Rives, Rieves, Reeves, Reaves).
What is Anatolian bump?
An Anatolian bump is a protuberance on the back of the skull said to be related to Asian, Central-Asian & Melungeon ancestry, not to be confused with an external occipital protuberance.
Who is the most famous Melungeon?
Yes, arguably the two most famous Melungeons are kin! Elvis is a direct descendant of Abraham Lincoln’s second great grandfather Isaiah Harrison. Harrison was born in 1666 and died in 1738. He was born in England and came to America in 1687.
What is a Melungeon bump?
a particular type of bump or ridge at the back of the head (usually just above the neck) known at the Melungeon bump.
What language do Melungeons speak?
The Melungeons have lived for years in East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and Western North Carolina. Their features are copper-skinned, dark eyed, and dark haired. They mostly had English names and commonly spoke English.
What is Melungeon heritage?
Melungeon is a term that first appeared in print in the 19th century, used in Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina to describe people of mixed ancestry. Melungeons were considered by outsiders to have a mixture of European, Native American, and African ancestry.
What is the Melungeon bump?
dark hair and skin with light-colored eyes. stark contrasts in skin and hair color within a single family. American Indian features. a particular type of bump or ridge at the back of the head (usually just above the neck) known at the Melungeon bump.
What race are the melungeons?
Over the generations, most individuals of the group called Melungeon were persons of mixed European and African descent, sometimes also with Native American ancestry, whose ancestors had been free in colonial Virginia.
What is Melungeon ancestry?
Melungeons (/məˈlʌndʒən/ mə-LUN-jən) is a term for numerous groups of people of the Southeastern United States who descend from European and Sub-Saharan African settlers. Tri-racial describes populations who claim to be of mixed European, African and Native American ancestry.
What is meant by Black Dutch?
Black Dutch is a term with several different meanings in United States dialect and slang. It generally refers to racial, ethnic or cultural roots. When used in the South, it usually did not imply African admixture, although some families who used the term were of tri-racial descent.
What is Melungeon history?
Melungeons are descendants of people of mixed ethnic ancestry who, before the end of the eighteenth century, were discovered living in limited areas of what is now the southeastern United States, notably in the Appalachian Mountains near the point where Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina converge.
Are there any physical characteristics that indicate Melungeon ancestry?
These physical characteristics are not insignificant. They demonstrate that many “white” Americans had ancestors who were NOT “white” in the generally accepted sense of the word. Again, however, these traits do not necessarily indicate Melungeon ancestry.
What kind of health problems do Melungeon people have?
Health studies have associated people of Melungeon ancestry with polydactyly (having six fingers), shovel teeth, prominent occipital bun or Anatolian bump, Behcet’s disease, familial Mediterranean fever, chronic fatigue syndrome, rare anemias and other genetic traits and disorders.
Where are the Melungeons located in the world?
(The Melungeons: The Resurrection of a Proud People; N. Brent Kennedy, Mercer University Press,Macon, GA, USA, 1997; introduction, p. xiii) The Mediterrean includes areas of North Africa, southern Europe and Central Asia.
Where did the Melungeons of the Clinch River come from?
However, also remember that the families that settled in the Clinch River region circa 1800 came there from somewhere else, and many of the known Melungeon families have been traced to eastern Virginia and North Carolina.