Melungeons: The Last Lost Tribe In America

Great book on Appalachian History and where it came from. Reading this book all started with the results of my DNA test from Ancestry.com and the results I got back. I am originally from Scott County VA and grew up as one of the "mountain folk" in the Stoney Creek/Ft. Blackmore area. We were always held as being different and from the "poor" background. When I got older I left the area but still can't shake certain elements I grew up with. I was raised Baptist but when compared to other Baptists in other parts of America I grew up very different in beliefs. Our Baptists were "Mountain Baptists" who had a very different way of doing things. Our family history was non-existent and was never told why. My father was of very dark skin and had a certain dialect that even the local people from "town" had trouble understanding at times and even my friends at school asked if he was a foreigner. The only family history I grew up with was that we were descended from the Cherokee and the Whites who settled the area.Now that I am older I have started to investigate my family background and all of that changed with my DNA results I got back from Ancestry.com. My results came back with not only European influence but also North African and Western European influence. With these results I had to start digging and found this book. The Author does describe many things that do sound familiar and does give accurate details in the areas I grew up in. The link that my DNA and her research has in common is that we have both traced Sephardic Jewish, Berber and Cherokee influence/genetics to this area. Many of the things described has allowed me to make sense of some of the "mountain" traditions make more sense as I am now looking back on them. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to know more about their past in the area of the "mountain folk" of Southwest VA and Northeast TN.

this was given as a gift. The receiver sad he learned a great deal about the Melungeons in regard to culture and history.

I have been studying Melungeons in Eastern Tennessee and Western North Carolina for about three years. I found some very interesting ideas in this book. I also enjoy the fact that so many family names are provided. I personally believe that "admixture" has a lot to do with the origin of the people of the Great Smoky Mountain area. If you are from this area, this is a must read book. However, I do not believe they are a "Lost Tribe" as indicated by the title. These are simple country people who have been in those mountains for a very long time that represent complex haplogroups.

This was the first of a group of books I bought about the Melungeons. I am a certified Genealogist and specialize in Cherokee families. However, many times I found Cherokee physical features but now ancestor on any of the numerous Cherokee Rolls and Census records. Many of the family surnames I have researched are mentioned in this book and locations and family histories match what was recorded in this book. It has helped to explain many family stories and history.

liked it and found family name in correct correlation to our ancestry. I am a blooded jew who has had my DNA to confirm my family lineage and oral ancestry. I found her work accurate as to my family.

A delightful, yet provocative book. While some of the ideas presented are at best only theories, they all have possibilities for being quite valid. It helps open the mind to new ideas and to a new way for me, at least, to think of my own heritage. Thanks for making it available. Susie

Very well researched and informative. Provided some interesting background for my family history research

Great book. Lots of info. Ordered it again for my cousin.