The Chestnut Ridge people (CRP) are a mixed-race community concentrated in an area northeast of Philippi , Barbour County , in north-central West Virginia , with smaller related communities in the adjacent counties of Harrison and Taylor . They are often referred to as "Mayles" (from the most common surname — Mayle or Male), or "Guineas" (now considered a pejorative term).
85-532: The group has been the subject of county histories and some scholarly studies. Some scholars have classified this group as a tri-racial isolate . Contemporary census records frequently designate community members as " mulattos ", implying African heritage. Thomas McElwain wrote that many CRP identified as an Indian-white mixed group, or as Native American , but they are not enrolled in any officially recognized tribe. Paul Heinegg documented that many individuals were classified as free people of color , or similar terms in
170-497: A Cherokee man, and they had a daughter known as Priscilla Harris. Priscilla grew up on the Calmes plantation, and was said to be beautiful, with an olive complexion, black eyes, and long hair — "so long that she could sit on it." Her descendants were said to have kept some of Priscilla's wonderful hair for many years. When the claim was looked into by Henry Louis Gates Jr., he surmised that an individual named Samuel Harris who married into
255-447: A Cherokee man, and they had a daughter known as Priscilla Harris. Priscilla grew up on the Calmes plantation, and was said to be beautiful, with an olive complexion, black eyes, and long hair — "so long that she could sit on it." Her descendants were said to have kept some of Priscilla's wonderful hair for many years. When the claim was looked into by Henry Louis Gates Jr., he surmised that an individual named Samuel Harris who married into
340-549: A Native American paternal haplotype . Estes, Goins, Ferguson, and Crain wrote in their 2011 summary "Melungeons, A Multi-Ethnic Population" that the Riddle family is the only Melungeon participant with historical records identifying them as having Native American origins, but their DNA is European. Among the participants, only the Sizemore family is documented as having Native American DNA. "Estes and her fellow researchers "theorize that
425-559: A family history entitled The Males of Barbour County, West Virginia in 1980, with two updates. He documented the origins of the Male, Mahle, Mayle, Mayhle name in the United States. He claimed to have found only one incident of interracial union. In an interview , he pointed out that the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania press had carried repeated sensational magazine articles in the early 1900s about
510-402: A family history entitled The Males of Barbour County, West Virginia in 1980, with two updates. He documented the origins of the Male, Mahle, Mayle, Mayhle name in the United States. He claimed to have found only one incident of interracial union. In an interview, he pointed out that the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania press had carried repeated sensational magazine articles in the early 1900s about
595-470: A label applied to Appalachians who were by appearance or reputation of mixed-race ancestry. Although initially pejorative in character, this word has been reclaimed by members of the community. The spelling of the term varied widely, as was common for words and names at the time. According to the 1894 Department of Interior Report of Indians Taxed and not Taxed within the "Tennessee" report, "The civilized (self-supporting) Indians of Tennessee, counted in
680-538: A large number of ahistorical and dubious myths regarding their origins. Some myths involve physical characteristics and genetic diseases that are claimed to indicate Melungeon descent, such as shovel-shaped incisors , an Anatolian bump , Familial Mediterranean fever , polydactyly , dark skin with bright colored eyes , and high cheekbones . Other myths claim that the Melungeons are descendants of lost Spanish colonists, marooned Portuguese sailors, descendants of
765-510: A letter warning against "colored" families trying to pass as "white" or "Indian" in violation of the Racial Integrity Act of 1924. He identified these as being "chiefly Tennessee Melungeons". He directed the offices to reclassify members of certain families as black, causing the loss for numerous families of documentation in records that showed their continued self-identification as being of Native American descent on official forms. In
850-462: A number of other CRP families that can trace their heritage back to Revolutionary War-era mixed-race forebears, notably Sam Norris (1750–1844), Gustavus D. Croston (1757– c. 1845 ) and Henry Dalton (1750–1836), as well as others arriving in the mid-19th century, such as Jacob Minerd (1816–1907). The descendants of each of these progenitors fostered their own local "race" complete with unique folklore and origin story. B.V. Mayhle self-published
935-461: A number of other CRP families that can trace their heritage back to Revolutionary War-era mixed-race forebears, notably Sam Norris (1750–1844), Gustavus D. Croston (1757– c. 1845 ) and Henry Dalton (1750–1836), as well as others arriving in the mid-19th century, such as Jacob Minerd (1816–1907). The descendants of each of these progenitors fostered their own local "race" complete with unique folklore and origin story. B.V. Mayhle self-published
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#17328520274281020-639: A slave girl brought to this country in the middle 1700s by a Frenchman from the Bahamas by the name of Marquis Calmes. It is not known whether she was of native Bahamian Indian ancestry or not. She eloped with a Cherokee Indian by the name of Harris and to these two Priscilla was born. French and Spanish settlers in America intermarried freely with the Indians, but the English seldom mixed with the natives. Hence it appears that among
1105-439: A slave girl brought to this country in the middle 1700s by a Frenchman from the Bahamas by the name of Marquis Calmes. It is not known whether she was of native Bahamian Indian ancestry or not. She eloped with a Cherokee Indian by the name of Harris and to these two Priscilla was born. French and Spanish settlers in America intermarried freely with the Indians, but the English seldom mixed with the natives. Hence it appears that among
1190-680: A variety of colonial, local and state records. Some CRP have identified as Melungeon , a mixed-race group based in Kentucky and Tennessee, and attended the Melungeon unions, or joined the Melungeon Heritage Association. In 1997 two local historians made a presentation about the "Guineas of West Virginia" at the University of Virginia's College at Wise . Barbour County was settled primarily by white people from eastern Virginia, beginning in
1275-451: A variety of colonial, local and state records. Some CRP have identified as Melungeon , a mixed-race group based in Kentucky and Tennessee, and attended the Melungeon unions, or joined the Melungeon Heritage Association. In 1997 two local historians made a presentation about the "Guineas of West Virginia" at the University of Virginia's College at Wise . Barbour County was settled primarily by white people from eastern Virginia, beginning in
1360-538: A white woman had an illegitimate mixed-race child, the child had to serve a period of apprenticeship as an indentured servant to be trained in a trade and to prevent the community from having to support the woman and her child. Records of such indentures are among the court records he consulted. He found that most of the families of free people of color were descended from unions between white women, free or indentured servants, and African or African-American men, slaves or indentured servants, in colonial Virginia. According to
1445-538: A white woman had an illegitimate mixed-race child, the child had to serve a period of apprenticeship as an indentured servant to be trained in a trade and to prevent the community from having to support the woman and her child. Records of such indentures are among the court records he consulted. He found that most of the families of free people of color were descended from unions between white women, free or indentured servants, and African or African-American men, slaves or indentured servants, in colonial Virginia. According to
1530-450: Is Melungeon differ. Historians and genealogists have tried to identify surnames of different Melungeon families. In 1943, Virginia State Registrar of Vital Statistics, Walter Ashby Plecker, identified surnames by county: "Lee, Smyth and Wise: Collins, Gibson, (Gipson), Moore, Goins, Ramsey, Delph, Bunch, Freeman, Mise, Barlow, Bolden (Bolin), Mullins, Hawkins (chiefly Tennessee Melungeons)". In 1992, Virginia DeMarce explored and reported
1615-485: Is among his ancestors. Although no documentary connection was made, Mail is the only one of Gates' white ancestors for whom a name is known. This discovery was featured on the final second-season episode of Professor Gates' television series Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. . He visited Philippi and attended a "Heritage Day" gathering on Chestnut Ridge.) In addition to the Mail family, Finley's work also identified
1700-438: Is among his ancestors. Although no documentary connection was made, Mail is the only one of Gates' white ancestors for whom a name is known. This discovery was featured on the final second-season episode of Professor Gates' television series Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. . He visited Philippi and attended a "Heritage Day" gathering on Chestnut Ridge.) In addition to the Mail family, Finley's work also identified
1785-434: Is drawn from colonial tax lists and local court from across Virginia , Maryland , North Carolina , Delaware , and South Carolina . Anthropologist E. Raymond Evans wrote in 1979 regarding Melungeons: "In Graysville, the Melungeons strongly deny their Black heritage and explain their genetic differences by claiming to have had Cherokee grandmothers. Many of the local whites also claim Cherokee ancestry and appear to accept
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#17328520274281870-495: Is the titular protagonist and narrator of Barbara Kingsolver 's Demon Copperhead , which was a co-recipient of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction . The novel takes place primarily in Lee County, Virginia and environs. Mayle The Chestnut Ridge people (CRP) are a mixed-race community concentrated in an area northeast of Philippi , Barbour County , in north-central West Virginia , with smaller related communities in
1955-631: The Cherokee , making the Melungeons a branch of the tribe, though no documentation of this event exists. The last male in Micajah's bloodline, Michael Joseph Bullard, died in a swimming accident at the age of 15 in 1991. Many free people of color , white-passing or otherwise, served in the American Civil War on both sides of the conflict. Some served in the Confederate military , though others resisted
2040-671: The County of Hampshire and Commonwealth of Virginia do by these presents liberate, emancipate, and forever set free ... my negro woman Nancy on the condition that she may remain with me during my natural life in the quality of my wife. I have set my hand and affixed my seal on this 6th day of May in the year of our Lord 1826. Over the following two decades, Mail was classified as "white", "colored" and "mulatto" in official documents. The Federal Census of 1840 classified him as "free colored". (In 2014, Harvard historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr discovered, through DNA genealogy testing, that Wilmore Mail
2125-622: The County of Hampshire and Commonwealth of Virginia do by these presents liberate, emancipate, and forever set free ... my negro woman Nancy on the condition that she may remain with me during my natural life in the quality of my wife. I have set my hand and affixed my seal on this 6th day of May in the year of our Lord 1826. Over the following two decades, Mail was classified as "white", "colored" and "mulatto" in official documents. The Federal Census of 1840 classified him as "free colored". (In 2014, Harvard historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr discovered, through DNA genealogy testing, that Wilmore Mail
2210-584: The Goins genealogy as a Melungeon surname. Beginning in the early 19th century, or possibly before, the term Melungeon was applied as a slur to a group of about 40 families along the Tennessee-Virginia border, but it has since become a catch-all phrase for a number of groups of mysterious mixed-race ancestry. Through time the term has changed meanings but often referred to any mixed-race person and, at different times, has referred to 200 different communities across
2295-568: The Inquisition , were one of the pre-cursor populations to these groups. Many creoles, once in British America , were able to obtain their freedom and many married into local white families . In the general US census , Melungeon people were enumerated as of the races to which they most resembled. The term Melungeon likely comes from the French word mélange ultimately derived from
2380-579: The US Department of the Interior , in its "Report of Indians Taxed and Not Taxed," under the section "Tennessee" noted: In a number of states small groups of people, preferring the freedom of the woods or the seashore to the confinement of regular labor in civilization, have become in some degree distinct from their neighbors, perpetuating their qualities and absorbing into their number those of like disposition, without preserving very clear racial lines. Such are
2465-502: The ancient Israelites or Phoenicians , Romani slaves, or Turkish settlers. From 2005 to 2011, researchers Roberta J. Estes, Jack H. Goins, Penny Ferguson, and Janet Lewis Crain began the Melungeon Core Y-DNA Group online. They interpreted these results in their (2011) paper titled "Melungeons, A Multi-Ethnic Population", which shows that ancestry of the sample is primarily European and African, with one person having
2550-553: The 1770s and '80s. It was part of the colony (later state) of Virginia until West Virginia was admitted to the Union as a separate state during the American Civil War. The mixed-race families that later became known as "Chestnut Ridge people" began to arrive after 1810, when Barbour was still part of Randolph and Harrison Counties, according to census records. By the 1860s, many individuals of these mixed-race families had married into
2635-444: The 1770s and '80s. It was part of the colony (later state) of Virginia until West Virginia was admitted to the Union as a separate state during the American Civil War. The mixed-race families that later became known as "Chestnut Ridge people" began to arrive after 1810, when Barbour was still part of Randolph and Harrison Counties, according to census records. By the 1860s, many individuals of these mixed-race families had married into
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2720-456: The 18th and the early 19th centuries, census enumerators classified them as "mulatto," "other free," or as "free persons of color." Sometimes they were listed as "white" or sometimes as "black" or "negro," or even "Indian." One family described as "Indian" was the Ridley (Riddle) family, as was noted on a 1767 Pittsylvania County, Virginia , tax list. Another tri-racial family described as “Indian”
2805-571: The 20th century, during the Jim Crow era, some Melungeons attended boarding schools in Asheville, North Carolina , Warren Wilson College , and Dorland Institution which integrated earlier than other schools in the southern United States. During the American Revolution , there was purportedly a Melungeon "king" or "chief" named Micajah Bunch (1723–1804). Local folklore claims he intermarried with
2890-671: The CRP descend in the direct paternal line from an immigrant Englishman, Wilmore Mail (1755– c. 1845 ), born in Dover, Kent, England. Mail settled in Virginia with his parents William and Mary in the 1760s. As an adult, Mail purchased a black female slave named Nancy. In 1826, when he was 71, Mail both emancipated and claimed her as a common-law wife; interracial marriage was illegal in Virginia. The emancipation document reads as follows: Be it known to all to whom it may concern that I, Wilmore Mail, of
2975-525: The CRP descend in the direct paternal line from an immigrant Englishman, Wilmore Mail (1755– c. 1845 ), born in Dover, Kent, England. Mail settled in Virginia with his parents William and Mary in the 1760s. As an adult, Mail purchased a black female slave named Nancy. In 1826, when he was 71, Mail both emancipated and claimed her as a common-law wife; interracial marriage was illegal in Virginia. The emancipation document reads as follows: Be it known to all to whom it may concern that I, Wilmore Mail, of
3060-689: The CRP probably now number about 1,500, almost all of whom bear one of fewer than a dozen surnames. The Taylor County group (also long referred to by their neighbors as "Guineas" and mostly dispersed in the 1930s due to the flooding of their community — known as the "West Hill settlement" — by Tygart Lake ) bore the surnames of Mayle, Male, Mahalie, Croston, Dalton, Kennedy, Johnson and Parsons, among others. A 1977 survey of obituaries in The Barbour Democrat showed that 135 of 163 "Ridge people" (83%) living in Barbour County were married to people having
3145-569: The CRP probably now number about 1,500, almost all of whom bear one of fewer than a dozen surnames. The Taylor County group (also long referred to by their neighbors as "Guineas" and mostly dispersed in the 1930s due to the flooding of their community — known as the "West Hill settlement" — by Tygart Lake ) bore the surnames of Mayle, Male, Mahalie, Croston, Dalton, Kennedy, Johnson and Parsons, among others. A 1977 survey of obituaries in The Barbour Democrat showed that 135 of 163 "Ridge people" (83%) living in Barbour County were married to people having
3230-624: The Confederate government, such as Henry Berry Lowry . There is no uniquely Melungeon culture, though specific groups have formed into their own tribal entities on the basis of ancestral connections to historical Native American communities. Due to the lasting impact of colonialism , the decimation of initial contact tribes , and the legacy of American chattel slavery , culturally these mixed-race groups resemble their white settler neighbors in culture, with few exceptions. Melungeon cuisine includes chocolate gravy . Definitions of who
3315-664: The Eastern United States. These have included Van Guilders and Clappers of New York and Lumbees in North Carolina to Creoles in Louisiana. Award-winning genealogist and engineer Paul Heinegg created a website listing some 1,000 family histories of free people of color, categorized by surname and county . Many families regularly denoted as Melungeon are listed throughout his research, as well as other families listed as being Native American, mulatto, and East Indian. Data
3400-523: The Internet do show some with such phenotypes.) Mayhle said that three brothers, direct descendants of Wilmore/William Male (the original Male immigrant), served in regular white units in the US Civil war. Two served in the 7th West Virginia Infantry and one in the 1st West Virginia Cavalry , all white units. (Note Heinegg's discussion above, that documents court records of twelve soldiers, including several of
3485-421: The Internet do show some with such phenotypes.) Mayhle said that three brothers, direct descendants of Wilmore/William Male (the original Male immigrant), served in regular white units in the US Civil war. Two served in the 7th West Virginia Infantry and one in the 1st West Virginia Cavalry , all white units. (Note Heinegg's discussion above, that documents court records of twelve soldiers, including several of
Chestnut Ridge people - Misplaced Pages Continue
3570-529: The Jacob F. Perkins vs. John R. White, Carter County, July 1855 Abstract of depositions to support her conclusions made about identity and citizenship in 19th-century United States. In 1924, Virginia passed the Racial Integrity Act that codified hypodescent or the " one-drop rule , suggesting that anyone with any trace of African ancestry was legally Black and would fall under Jim Crow laws designed to limit
3655-465: The Latin verb miscēre ("to mix, mingle, intermingle"). It was once a derogatory term, but is used by the Melungeon people today as a primary identifier. The Tennessee Encyclopedia states that in the 19th century, "the word 'Melungeon' appears to have been used as an offensive term for nonwhite and/or low socioeconomic class persons by outsiders." The term Melungeon was historically considered an insult,
3740-469: The Male/Mayle surname, petitioning to be declared legally white in 1861 and 1866.) "What Ms. Finley fails to state is, that Wilmore Mail is the son of Wilmore Sr. who died 1800. Wilmore Jr. married Priscilla "Nancy" Harris, a "Catawba." Notes for Priscilla (Nancy) Harris: It has been told that Priscilla was a pretty little daughter of a slave girl and a Cherokee Indian. Her mother was supposed to have been
3825-418: The Male/Mayle surname, petitioning to be declared legally white in 1861 and 1866.) "What Ms. Finley fails to state is, that Wilmore Mail is the son of Wilmore Sr. who died 1800. Wilmore Jr. married Priscilla "Nancy" Harris, a "Catawba." Notes for Priscilla (Nancy) Harris: It has been told that Priscilla was a pretty little daughter of a slave girl and a Cherokee Indian. Her mother was supposed to have been
3910-461: The Melungeon claim. ..." In 1999, historian C. S. Everett hypothesized that John Collins (recorded as a Sapony Indian who was expelled from Orange County, Virginia about January 1743), might be the same man as the Melungeon ancestor John Collins, who was classified as a "mulatto" in 1755 North Carolina records. However, Everett revised that theory after he discovered evidence that these were two different men named John Collins. Only descendants of
3995-655: The Melungeons of Newman's Ridge , the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina , the Chestnut Ridge people , and the Carmel Indians . Free people of color in colonial Virginia were predominately of African and European descent; however, many families also had varying amounts of Native American and East Indian ancestry. Some modern researchers believe that early Atlantic Creole slaves, descended from or acculturated by Iberian lançados and Sephardi Jews fleeing
4080-546: The Peters & Thompson families, who did intermix with the CRP, may have had relatives who had intermarried into the Lenape people, even if they were not Lenape themselves. This is either the source of the Lenape ancestry itself, or the most likely reason for the implication. Tri-racial isolate Melungeon ( / m ə ˈ l ʌ n dʒ ən / mə- LUN -jən ) (sometimes also spelled Malungean, Melangean, Melungean, Melungin )
4165-723: The adjacent counties of Harrison and Taylor . They are often referred to as "Mayles" (from the most common surname — Mayle or Male), or "Guineas" (now considered a pejorative term). The group has been the subject of county histories and some scholarly studies. Some scholars have classified this group as a tri-racial isolate . Contemporary census records frequently designate community members as " mulattos ", implying African heritage. Thomas McElwain wrote that many CRP identified as an Indian-white mixed group, or as Native American , but they are not enrolled in any officially recognized tribe. Paul Heinegg documented that many individuals were classified as free people of color , or similar terms in
4250-600: The anecdotal claim that Melungeons are more prone to certain diseases, such as sarcoidosis or familial Mediterranean fever . Academic medical centers have noted that neither of those diseases is confined to a single population. Author Jesse Stuart 's 1965 novel Daughter of the Legend , set in Tennessee, depicts a love story between a Melungeon girl and a timber cutter from Virginia, and explores socioeconomic and racial tensions among mountain-dwelling families. A Melungeon character
4335-442: The area, highlighting its poverty and mixed-race communities. He suggests this was the origin of accounts that the group was mixed-race. (Note: The account above predates such articles.) The photographs of Male descendants that are included in his book, many from this same time period, do not show physical characteristics associated with African phenotypes. (But, other photographs of self-identified Chestnut Ridge people now available on
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#17328520274284420-442: The area, highlighting its poverty and mixed-race communities. He suggests this was the origin of accounts that the group was mixed-race. (Note: The account above predates such articles.) The photographs of Male descendants that are included in his book, many from this same time period, do not show physical characteristics associated with African phenotypes. (But, other photographs of self-identified Chestnut Ridge people now available on
4505-469: The earliest settlers of Barbour. Prof. W.W. Male of Grafton, West Virginia , belongs to this clan, and after a thorough investigation, says "They originated from an Englishman named Male who came to America at the outbreak of the Revolution . From that one man have sprung about 700 of the same name, not to speak of the half-breeds." Thus it would seem that the family was only half-black at the beginning, and by
4590-417: The earliest settlers of Barbour. Prof. W.W. Male of Grafton, West Virginia , belongs to this clan, and after a thorough investigation, says "They originated from an Englishman named Male who came to America at the outbreak of the Revolution . From that one man have sprung about 700 of the same name, not to speak of the half-breeds." Thus it would seem that the family was only half-black at the beginning, and by
4675-448: The early 20th centuries, have been collected by the Melungeon Heritage Association. Since the mid-1990s, popular interest in the Melungeons has grown tremendously, although many descendants have left the region of historical concentration. The writer Bill Bryson devoted the better part of a chapter to them in his The Lost Continent (1989). People are increasingly self-identifying as having Melungeon ancestry. Internet sites promote
4760-605: The early Mayle/Male family, many records from the 1790s to the 1850s classified members as " free black ", "free mulatto", "free colored", etc. He suggests that the following individuals are sons of Wilmore Mayle (Mail, Male), Sr. (Note that, prior to 1843, the area of Barbour County west of the Tygart Valley River was part of Harrison County and the area east of the river was part of Randolph County.) Wilmore Male Jr. William Male James Male George Male Richard Male Work by Alexandra Finley has confirmed that
4845-542: The early Mayle/Male family, many records from the 1790s to the 1850s classified members as " free black ", "free mulatto", "free colored", etc. He suggests that the following individuals are sons of Wilmore Mayle (Mail, Male), Sr. (Note that, prior to 1843, the area of Barbour County west of the Tygart Valley River was part of Harrison County and the area east of the river was part of Randolph County.) Wilmore Male Jr. William Male James Male George Male Richard Male Work by Alexandra Finley has confirmed that
4930-405: The family may have been Catawba and is the only remotely legitimate Native American connection discovered in the family's genealogy. Other members of the family had claimed Lenape ancestors. While a known Native American man (Henry Delay) & some of his direct descendants had settled in the same general area who may have been Lenape , he has no direct connection to the rest of the family. However,
5015-405: The family may have been Catawba and is the only remotely legitimate Native American connection discovered in the family's genealogy. Other members of the family had claimed Lenape ancestors. While a known Native American man (Henry Delay) & some of his direct descendants had settled in the same general area who may have been Lenape , he has no direct connection to the rest of the family. However,
5100-413: The freedoms and rights of Black people. Anti-miscegenation laws in the United States were not declared unconstitutional until the 1967 Loving v. Virginia case. By the mid-to-late 19th century, the term Melungeon appeared to have been used most frequently to refer to the biracial families of Hancock County and neighboring areas. Several other uses of the term in the print media, from the mid-19th to
5185-583: The frontiers of Virginia, what became West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee, as these areas were less bound by racial caste than were the Tidewater plantation areas. On the frontier, settlers were more concerned about people fulfilling social obligations as citizens. Heinegg's work was praised by an expert in Southern history, and won a genealogy award. Heinegg analyzed generations of many families classified as free blacks on those first two censuses. He noted that, for
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#17328520274285270-480: The frontiers of Virginia, what became West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee, as these areas were less bound by racial caste than were the Tidewater plantation areas. On the frontier, settlers were more concerned about people fulfilling social obligations as citizens. Heinegg's work was praised by an expert in Southern history, and won a genealogy award. Heinegg analyzed generations of many families classified as free blacks on those first two censuses. He noted that, for
5355-557: The general census numbered 146 (71 males and 75 females) and are distributed as follows: Hawkins county , 31; Monroe county , 12; Polk county , 10; other counties (8 or less in each), 93. Quoting from the report: The Melungeans or Malungeans, in Hawkins county, claim to be Cherokees of mixed blood (white, Indian, and negro), their white blood being derived, as they assert, from English and Portuguese stock. They trace their descent primarily to 2 Indians (Cherokees) known, one of them as Collins,
5440-573: The inter-mixtures since, many are now almost white. The people of "The Ridge" have traditionally been subject to severe racial discrimination , amounting to ostracism , by the surrounding majority-white community. In the 1930s, a local historian recorded that "on several occasions suits have been entered in Taylor and Barbour courts seeking to prevent these people from sending their children to schools with whites but proof of claims they have negro blood in their veins never has been established". As recently as
5525-522: The inter-mixtures since, many are now almost white. The people of "The Ridge" have traditionally been subject to severe racial discrimination , amounting to ostracism , by the surrounding majority-white community. In the 1930s, a local historian recorded that "on several occasions suits have been entered in Taylor and Barbour courts seeking to prevent these people from sending their children to schools with whites but proof of claims they have negro blood in their veins never has been established". As recently as
5610-523: The last names Mayle , Norris , Croston , Prichard , Collins , Adams , or Kennedy . In 1984, of the 67 Mayles who had listed telephones, all but three lived on "The Ridge." Genealogist Paul Heinegg has used a variety of colonial era documents to trace the ancestors of families identified in the South as free blacks in the first two censuses of the United States ( 1790 , 1800 ). These included court records, indentures, land deeds, wills, etc. For instance, if
5695-474: The last names Mayle , Norris , Croston , Prichard , Collins , Adams , or Kennedy . In 1984, of the 67 Mayles who had listed telephones, all but three lived on "The Ridge." Genealogist Paul Heinegg has used a variety of colonial era documents to trace the ancestors of families identified in the South as free blacks in the first two censuses of the United States ( 1790 , 1800 ). These included court records, indentures, land deeds, wills, etc. For instance, if
5780-487: The late 1890s: There is a clan of partly-colored people in Barbour County often called "Guineas", under the erroneous presumption that they are Guinea negroes. They vary in color from white to black, often have blue eyes and straight hair, and they are generally industrious. Their number in Barbour is estimated at one thousand. They have been a puzzle to the investigator; for their origin is not generally known. They are among
5865-437: The late 1890s: There is a clan of partly-colored people in Barbour County often called "Guineas", under the erroneous presumption that they are Guinea negroes. They vary in color from white to black, often have blue eyes and straight hair, and they are generally industrious. Their number in Barbour is estimated at one thousand. They have been a puzzle to the investigator; for their origin is not generally known. They are among
5950-444: The late 1950s, a few Philippi businesses still posted notices proclaiming "White Trade Only", directed against the CRP, as they were believed to be part African-American. Although the local public schools were not segregated, truancy laws — which were strictly enforced for white children — were typically neglected with regard to "Ridge people". If related individuals in the surrounding counties of Harrison and Taylor are included,
6035-443: The late 1950s, a few Philippi businesses still posted notices proclaiming "White Trade Only", directed against the CRP, as they were believed to be part African-American. Although the local public schools were not segregated, truancy laws — which were strictly enforced for white children — were typically neglected with regard to "Ridge people". If related individuals in the surrounding counties of Harrison and Taylor are included,
6120-434: The latter man, who was identified as mulatto in the 1755 record in North Carolina, have any proven connection to the Melungeon families of eastern Tennessee. Jack D. Forbes speculated that the Melungeons may have been Saponi / Powhatan descendants, although he acknowledges an account from circa 1890 described them as being "free colored" and mulatto people. Dispute regarding the origin of Melungeons families has led to
6205-454: The law of the colony and the principle of partus sequitur ventrem , by which children in the colony took the status of their mothers, the mixed-race children of these unions and marriages were born free because the mothers were free. While they were subject to discrimination, gaining free status helped these families get ahead in society. Heinegg noted that many of these free people of color migrated west with white neighbors and settled on
6290-454: The law of the colony and the principle of partus sequitur ventrem , by which children in the colony took the status of their mothers, the mixed-race children of these unions and marriages were born free because the mothers were free. While they were subject to discrimination, gaining free status helped these families get ahead in society. Heinegg noted that many of these free people of color migrated west with white neighbors and settled on
6375-589: The modern population have an estimated 1-2% non-European DNA, though jumping up to 20% or more in some groups, such as the Lumbee. Despite non-European DNA being in the minority for these groups, the impact of the one-drop rule either did, or had the potential to, label them as non-white . This redesignation resulted in some individuals being sterilized by state governments , most notably in Virginia . Many groups have historically been referred to as Melungeon, including
6460-576: The other as Gibson, who settled in the mountains of Tennessee, where their descendants are now to be found, about the time of the admission of that state into the Union (1796). The earliest historical record of the term Melungeon dates to 1813. In the minutes of the Stoney Creek Baptist Church in Scott County, Virginia , a woman stated another parishioner made the accusation that "she harbored them Melungins." The second oldest written use of
6545-458: The pioneer families of our County, the Mayle, Mail or Male family have Indian blood in their veins. In 1936 a Maryland local paper reported on Garrett County family history. It said that, according to family tradition, Marquis Calmes, a Frenchman residing in Virginia, had a French servant woman. It was not known whether she was from France or the French colony on Haiti. She was said to fall in love with
6630-409: The pioneer families of our County, the Mayle, Mail or Male family have Indian blood in their veins. In 1936 a Maryland local paper reported on Garrett County family history. It said that, according to family tradition, Marquis Calmes, a Frenchman residing in Virginia, had a French servant woman. It was not known whether she was from France or the French colony on Haiti. She was said to fall in love with
6715-557: The remnants called Indians in some states where a pure-blooded Indian can hardly longer be found. In Tennessee is such a group, popularly known as Melungeans, in addition to those still known as Cherokees. The name seems to have been given them by early French settlers, who recognized their mixed origin and applied to them the name Melangeans or Melungeans, a corruption of the French word "melange" which means mixed. (See letter of Hamilton McMillan, under North Carolina.) In December 1943, Walter Ashby Plecker of Virginia sent county officials
6800-408: The term was in 1840, when a Tennessee politician described "an impudent Melungeon" from what became Washington, D.C., as being "a scoundrel who is half Negro and half Indian." In the 1890s, during the age of yellow journalism , the term "Melungeon" started to circulate and be reproduced in U.S. newspapers, when the journalist Will Allen Dromgoole wrote several articles on the Melungeons. In 1894,
6885-555: The various Melungeon lines may have sprung from the unions of black and white indentured servants living in Virginia in the mid-1600s, before slavery. They conclude that as laws were put in place to penalize the mixing of races, the various family groups could only intermarry with each other, even migrating together from Virginia through the Carolinas before settling primarily in the mountains of East Tennessee ." Melungeon ancestors were considered by appearance to be mixed race. During
6970-635: The white community, and their descendants identified as white. Some of the men served in West Virginia Union army regiments during the Civil War . Records in the Barbour County Courthouse indicate that a dozen men successfully petitioned the courts to be declared legally white after serving in the war for the Union. The local West Virginia historian Hu Maxwell was bemused by the origin of these people when he studied Barbour County history in
7055-454: The white community, and their descendants identified as white. Some of the men served in West Virginia Union army regiments during the Civil War . Records in the Barbour County Courthouse indicate that a dozen men successfully petitioned the courts to be declared legally white after serving in the war for the Union. The local West Virginia historian Hu Maxwell was bemused by the origin of these people when he studied Barbour County history in
7140-469: Was a slur historically applied to individuals and families of mixed-race ancestry with roots in colonial Virginia , Tennessee , and North Carolina primarily descended from free people of color and white settlers . In modern times, the term has been reclaimed by descendants of these families, especially in southern Appalachia . Despite this mixed heritage, many modern Melungeons pass as White , as did many of their ancestors. Most of
7225-470: Was the Butler family, as was noted in the 1860 census for Whitley County, Kentucky , with the family patriarch (named Simon Butler) being born in Tennessee around 1776. Ariela Gross referenced the 1846 State v. Solomon, Ezekial, Levi, Andrew, Wiatt, Vardy Collins, Zachariah, Lewis Minor , Hawkins County Circuit Court Minute Book, 1842–1848, Hawkins County Circuit Court, Hawkins County Courthouse box 31, 32 and
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