Mystery of the Melungeons: most probable theory so far
Kay
by Kim Lobrillo -- For more than 200 hundred years the mysterious
origins of the Melungeons has mystified many who were searching for
facts.
Recent research compiled by the Melungeon Research Committee (MRS)
reveals the most probable theory thus far. N. Brent Kennedy is the
founder of the MRC, and author of "The Melungeons, The Resurrection of
a Proud People." Kennedy's search for his heritage led to the
conception of MRC in 1992 and the in-depth research performed
internationally by the MRC team. Many members of this team, including
Kennedy, are Melungeon.
Hancock County Historian Dr. Scott Collins is a member of MRC. Kennedy
consulted frequently with Collins when writing his book.
According to information obtained from Collins, the research committee
has discovered that Melungeons most likely descend from 16th century
settlers, Portuguese and Spanish, who were abandoned or cutoff when
the English overran the Santa Elena Colony, presently known as
Beaufort, S.C., in 1587.
The MRC believes these settlers came to the coast of South Carolina in
1567 under the leadership of a Spanish captain, Juan Pardo. The
settlers consisted of approximately 250 soldiers, their wives and
children.
"Several forts were built around the borders of South Carolina and
Georgia, and one near Chattanooga," Collins' information states. The
settlers lived in and around these forts 20 years, "until the English
arrived and ran them out of the area."
In addition, the research committee has reason to believe several
hundred Turks and other Muslim sailors were put off ships at Roanoke
Island, N.C. in 1586 by Sir Frances Drake.
"The evidence indicates that both (groups of settlers) intermarried
with Native Americans, primarily Cherokees, Creeks, Catawba and
Pamunkey," the information states, "and that the resultant populations
were eventually pushed together in the mountains of western North
Carolina and upper South Carolina where they merged."
Members of this community would later make claims of Portuguese,
Moorish, Turkish and Native American descent to disbelieving
Anglo-Saxons.
The term "Melungeon," is spelled based on how it sounded to the
earliest Anglo settlers, Collins said. It most likely originated from
the Turkish term "Melun can," pronounced the same way.
Melun can means "cursed soul," or "one who has been abandoned by God."
The Melungeons could not be classified as white, black, mulatto or
Indian and were categorized as free persons of color. "Their
significant land holdings were confiscated, they were denied right to
education, voting and judicial process, and driven either westward or
higher into the mountains of the Carolinas, Virginia, Tennessee,
Kentucky and West Virginia," according to information supplied by
Collins.
There are many more interesting theories and facts MRC has discovered.
Kennedy's book goes to great length discussing each one in detail.
Some of the more disturbing details chronicle the racism Melungeons
have been forced to endure through the years, including the horror of
a census that would not recognize their heritage.
Updates on MRC research reveal DNA and genetic research that links at
least some of the current Melungeon population to the Mediterranean
and Middle East through diseases they have acquired which are specific
to those areas.
Some of these people live in East Tennessee and have never traveled
overseas.
Speaking of East Tennessee, it would simply be unacceptable to discuss
the Melungeons and make no mention of the legendary Mahalia Mullins,
also known as "Big Haley."
In the mid-1800s, Mullins lived in a cabin on Newman's Ridge in
Sneedville. It was widely known that she made and sold some of the
best moonshine in those parts.
Many stories have been told through the years focusing on this
particular aspect of her life. Had Mullins' size not been an issue,
she almost certainly would not have earned such an infamous place in
most history written about Melungeons.
Mullins was obese, weighing an estimated 500 or more pounds.
When a young deputy, who had been sent to arrest Mullins for selling
illegal alcohol, appeared before the judge without her in tow, he was
said to have told the judge in a most serious manner, "She's
catchable, but not fetchable."
Apparently, when the deputy went to Mullins' cabin she was, by all
accounts, most amicable. She did not refuse to give herself up. They
simply could not get her out of the cabin-Mullins was too large to fit
through the narrow cabin door.
She spent the rest of her life under house arrest inside of her cabin.
They most likely weren't too concerned about her being a flight risk.
Besides, Mullins was not a thief or a murderer. She was a widow and
mother trying to support her children. Making moonshine was a common
occupation, albeit illegal, for many mountain folks back then.
There just weren't a lot of employment opportunities available,
especially for a Melungeon, Kennedy said in his book. When Mullins
passed away, they had to tear down the chimney in order to make a
passage wide enough to remove her from the cabin. Because she was too
large to fit into a standard casket, a makeshift coffin was built
around her bed before she was carried out and buried in the woods only
a few hundred feet from her home.
Mullins' gravesite, forgotten through the years, was discovered less
than 10 years ago.
Collins was a member of the group of researchers who found Mullins'
grave marker buried under a foot of soil and entangled in the roots of
a tree next to her grave.
Collins and Kennedy are descendants of Mullins.
Of course, most people associate Melungeons with Hancock County. This
is not a lesser-known piece of historical information. Still, we may
never know for certain how the Melungeons came to be in America.
At least we know who are they are.
Kennedy dedicated his book to them. "To all people of Melungeon
descent who are living evidence of the human will to survive, standing
tall among their neighbors as teachers, farmers, doctors, and miners,"
Kennedy said, "all bearing witness to the indomitable spirit of their
early American heritage."
According to information at the Hancock County Historical and
Genealogical Society, an estimated 500 Melungeon descendants still
live where their ancestors settled in northeast Tennessee and
southwest Virginia.
(c) Citizen Tribune 2005
(c) 1995 - 2005 PowerOne Media, Inc.
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Not for commercial use. Solely to be fairly used for the educational
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