Melungeons in the family???

I've been doing this ancestry project for my husband's family. I have most of the ancestors back to the 1800's and 1700's, but there were a few lines that I had SOOO much trouble getting documentation on. One of these was a woman named Martha Collins (born 1869).

I found out yesterday that someone else in the family did some extensive research and was able to show that Martha Collins was a melungeon! The melungeons were a mixed race group both feared and distrusted, often stigmatized as they were not quite white European and very isolated for a time. There is very little recorded information related to this group of people, but there are a few pieces of information that seem to be widely accepted. One is that this group had ancestry back to the Saponi Indians in the western region of Virginia and North Carolina as well as the Eastern regions of Kentucky and Tennessee. Another widely accepted thought is that the melungeon ancestors also came from Portugal and have Mediterranean ancestry. Although they had darker or olive-colored skin, their features were mostly considered white and they had bright blue or blue/green eyes. In the 1700 and 1800 census records, they are classified as either mulattos, free persons of color, black or white. Evidently, it was difficult to classify one "race" amongst this group of families.

It appears this group started with a Thomas Collins of Flat River Virginia in the 1700's. Some of the melungeons were part of the Trail of Tears, when Cherokee Indians were forced from their land in North Carolina and made to walk to Oklahoma. The human losses of these Cherokee were extremely high and the army that accompanied them were seemingly indifferent to the hardships. The history of this group of people was mostly oral and not written, so the stories that have passed down from generation to generation are pretty much all we've got from those early settler times.

From what I can tell, there is some theories that have not yet been proven correct or incorrect. One theory is that a pirate ship from Portugal either wrecked, threw some of its crew members overboard or had crew members desert the ship. These pirates or shipmates then mixed with the local Indians, among them the Saponi, but also other tribes including Cherokee. There is some speculation that Turkish invaders were also among the mix, but there is quite a bit of differing opinions on this subject. Another speculation is that among the Goin branch of the family, that some African or Creole blood is mixed in.

What is not questioned is that this subject is extremely controversial, from the original of the word melungeon to the family history and lineage. It also appears that melungeon used to be a derogatory term, but now everybody seems to be claiming the name! So - for all those who know much more about this subject than I do (which includes most people), I won't argue with your research or your findings. I'm just a newbie at this.

Until we know more, my kids are having fun walking around saying "Aye, Matey!" and squawking like a parrot. Whether factual or not, it brings laughter to the house, so I'm grateful for the little I do know. I will continue to research, but knowing there is some history for Martha Collins, makes me feel more connected with the past.

Thanks to Cousin Ben for his information. I appreciate you sharing the results of your hard work.