Where Have All the Indians Gone?

Native American Eastern Seaboard Dispersal
Genealogy and DNA in Relation To
Sir Walter Raleigh's Lost Colony of Roanoke

By MHS Board Member Roberta Estes

Journal of Genetic Genealogy, 5(2):96-130, 2009

Introduction

Within genealogy circles, family stories of Native American1 heritage exist in many families whose American ancestry is rooted in Colonial America and traverses Appalachia. The task of finding these ancestors either genealogically or using genetic genealogy is challenging.

With the advent of DNA testing, surname and other special interest projects, tools now exist to facilitate the tracing of patrilineal and matrilineal lines in present-day people, back to their origins in either Native Americans, Europeans, or Africans. This paper references and uses data from several of these public projects, but particularly the Melungeon, Lumbee, Waccamaw, North Carolina Roots and Lost Colony projects.

To continue reading: Click Here.

Note: A PDF reader is required. This article is over seven megabytes in length, so some patience is also required if downloading over a dial-up connection.

For for links to supplementary data to which the article refers, the table contents for the JoGG issue in which the article appears must be consulted: Click Here.

Witches Infested Harlan County in the 1850's

By Holly Timm
Originally published December 24, 1986
Harlan Daily Enterprise Penny Pincher

Witches infested Harlan County [Kentucky] in the 1850's or so Wood Lyttle told the Rev. James J. Dickey in an interview in 1898. According to Lyttle, it began with "cattle dying and hair balls being found in them, hide whole but the internal part shot to pieces."

Log heaps were made and all the horses, hogs and cows that had died were burned as a torture to the witches. The people who feared the witches kept their pockets turned wrong-side-out-wards, at night, for safety.

Elizabeth Clay Turner, wife of James Turner Sr. and daughter-in-law of William and Susannah Turner, was one of the witches named by Lyttle. The other two witches named by Lyttle were "old Aunt Dinah," a slave of William Turner Sr., and Salina Sturgeon, a white woman who was the concubine or wife of Negro George, also a slave of Turner's.

Turner and his wife, Susannah Bailey, were apparently one of the main targets of the witches. Lyttle speaks of them as being both about 100 years old at this time although other evidence places them in their 80's.

In an attempt to cure the Turners, guards were placed around them and their home at a distance of about 500 feet, so that no one could come in for the four days it took to effect the cure. No one was allowed to enter the circle for if anyone inside of the guarded circle gave or sold as much as the value of a pin the charm would be broken and no cure could be affected.

Lyttle says that negro women would scream that the witches were coming through the roof to them but he goes on to say that some of these women told him that they pretended to be bewitched in order to keep from work.

He also states that the Middletons were especially afflicted by the witches and that women, negro boys and sometimes men were bewitched.

Footnote.com's Native American Collection

The latest collection on Footnote.com is the Native American collection which was released yesterday [Nov. 19]. Working together with the National Archives and Allen County Library, Footnote.com has created a unique collection that will help people discover new details about Native American history. The Footnote Interactive Native American Collection features original historical documents including:

* Ratified Indian Treaties – dating back to 1722
* Indian Census Rolls – featuring personal information including age, place of residence and degree of Indian blood
* The Guion Miller Roll – perhaps the most important Cherokee genealogical research
* Dawes Packets – containing original applications for tribal enrollments
* And other documents relating to the Five Civilized Tribes

Footnote.com’s Native American Collection creates an interactive environment where members can search, annotate, and add comments to the original documents. Additionally, visitors can view pages for many of the Native American tribes that include historical events on a time line and map, a photo gallery, stories and comments added by the community.

Footnote.com also provides a free service where visitors can create their own web pages for their Native American family. “Native Americans have a rich oral history,” explains Russ Wilding, CEO of Footnote.com. “We hope that the online community will use Footnote Pages to preserve these stories, which will help ensure that they do not become lost to future generations.”

To visit the collection: Click Here.

Note: Footnote.com is a pay site and I am always reluctant to link to pay sites, but it is a good one and some of this material is available nowhere else on the web. Generally speaking, Footnote.com gives enough free access to indexes and such that you can determine whether or not they have material of interest to you without paying first. And they have seven day free trial offer.

Native American Heritage Day

The US Congress has again designated the day after Thanksgiving as Native American Heritage Day.

To begin exploring American Indian web resources: Click Here.

For Wikipedia's extensive American Indian article: Click Here.

To visit the National Museum of the American Indian: Click Here.

Happy Thanksgiving

Hang Down Your Head Tom Dula

Hang down your head Tom Dooley
Hang down your head and cry
Hang down your head Tom Dooley
Poor boy, you're bound to die.

It's the most famous murder ballad in American folk music history. And chances are, if you know it, you know the version popularized by the Kingston Trio. Their recording of the song became a major commercial hit in 1958, selling over 6,000,000 copies. That hit single spawned a movie and helped spark the folk music revival of the 1960s. How did the song make its way to the Kingston Trio? Therein hangs a tale.

May 1st marked the 140th anniversary of the criminal execution of North Carolinian ex-Confederate soldier Tom Dula. Not Tom Dooley? Think of the written word opera pronounced opry, as in Grand Ole Opry. Standard regional southern Appalachian pronunciation at work. So the Kingston Trio simply transcribed the name as it sounded to them.

Dula was hanged for the murder of his lover Laura Foster. The two lived in the North Wilkesboro, NC area.

For the rest of the story: Click Here.

Here are the lyrics as made famous by the Kingston Trio:

TOM DOOLEY
Frank Warner/John Lomax/Alan Lomax

(Spoken recitation over musical accompaniment)
Throughout history, there have been many songs written about the eternal triangle. This next one tells the story of Mister Grayson, a beautiful woman, and a condemned man named Tom Dooley. When the sun rises tomorrow, Tom Dooley must hang.

Chorus:
Hang down your head, Tom Dooley.
Hang down your head and cry.
Hang down your head, Tom Dooley.
Poor boy, you're bound to die.

I met her on the mountain.
There I took her life.
Met her on the mountain.
Stabbed her with my knife.

(Chorus)

This time tomorrow.
Reckon where I'll be.
Hadn't-a been for Grayson,
I'd-a been in Tennessee.

(Chorus)

This time tomorrow.
Reckon where I'll be.
Down in some lonesome valley
Hangin' from a white oak tree.

(Chorus)

For more on the history of the ballad, including several earlier variations: Click Here.

As good as the above web site is, however, it leaves out one very important variation, one which is particularly important in light of tomorrow's holiday:

Hang Down Your Head Tom Turkey

Narration: Down through history, there have been many songs about the eternal triangle. This song, however, has nothing to do with the eternal triangle. It's a song about the guest of honor at a Thanksgiving dinner. Tomorrow at sunrise, Tom Turkey will meet his maker...as well as the grandma who made the dressing and cranberry sauce!

Hang down your head Tom Turkey.
Hang down your head and cry.
Hang down your head Tom Turkey.
Poor bird, you're bound to die.

I reckon by tomorrow
I know just where I'll be:
On a silver platter,
Served up with brown gravy!

Hang down your head, Tom Turkey.
Hang down your head and cry.
Hang down your head Tom Turkey.
Poor bird, you're gonna fry.

By this time tomorrow
The ax is gonna fall.
That's what I get for living
Here at Butterball!

Hang down your head Tom Turkey.
Hang down your head and cry.
Hang down your head Tom Turkey.
Dumb bird, you couldn't fly!

I know I am a turkey.
A turkey's what I am.
How I wish those Pilgrims
Had decided to have ham!

Hang down your head Tom Turkey.
Hang down your head and cry.
Hang down your head Tom Turkey.
Poor bird, you're gonna die.
Poor bird, you're gonna fry.
Dumb bird, you couldn't fly!

Colonial Williamsburg

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation operates the world’s largest living history museum in Williamsburg, Virginia—the restored 18th-century capital of Britain’s largest, wealthiest, and most populous outpost of empire in the New World. Here we interpret the origins of the idea of America, conceived decades before the American Revolution. The Colonial Williamsburg story of a revolutionary city tells how diverse peoples, having different and sometimes conflicting ambitions, evolved into a society that valued liberty and equality. Americans cherish these values as a birthright, even when their promise remains unfulfilled.

In Colonial Williamsburg’s 301-acre Historic Area stand hundreds of restored, reconstructed, and historically furnished buildings. Costumed interpreters tell the stories of the men and women of the 18th-century city—black, white, and native American, slave, indentured, and free—and the challenges they faced. In this historic place, we help the future learn from the past.

The previous two days' MHS Blog entries have, in effect, been teasers for Colonial Williamsburg's extensive web site which is full of historical and cultural resources pertaining to life in 18th century Virginia.

To begin exploring it: Click Here.

Colonial Williamsburg's Newest Addition

In November 2009, R. Charlton's Coffeehouse became the newest reconstructed building on Duke of Gloucester Street in 50 years. An authentic 18th-century coffeehouse, this exhibition building is now open to ticketed guests. R. Charlton's Coffeehouse is located just across from the Capitol.

On the same site more than 240 years ago, a Williamsburg wigmaker named Richard Charlton operated a popular coffeehouse, just a few steps from the colonial Capitol. Over cups of coffee, chocolate, and tea, Williamsburg’s gentlemen and politicians gathered to make deals, discuss business, learn the news from England, and exchange the latest gossip.

For more of the story: Click Here.

Colonial Williamsburg's Online Museum

Welcome to eMuseum
The Collections of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Online

Colonial Williamsburg's collections encompass more than 60,000 examples of fine, decorative, mechanical, and folk art. Included are American, British, and Continental ceramics, glass, furniture, textiles, costumes, tools, firearms, numismatics, metals, prints, maps and drawings from the seventeenth, eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, as well as outstanding examples of eighteenth-, nineteenth-, and twentieth-century American folk art. Many of these objects are used to furnish the buildings in Williamsburg's Historic Area, where they provide guests with a better understanding of life in early Virginia. Others are shown in innovative changing exhibitions at the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum.

To explore the eMuseum: Click Here.

DAR Records Online

The Daughters of the American Revolution Genealogical Research System is a combination of several databases created in recent years to organize the large quantity of information that the DAR has collected since its inception in 1890. Much of the work to create these research tools is the direct result of funding provided by the President General’s Project of the administrations of Linda Tinker Watkins (2001-2004) and Presley Merritt Wagoner (2004-2007). This system of databases will continue to expand as new information is added.

Access to the various databases is through the “tabs” along the top of the search screen. The following descriptions provide basic information about each database.

To continue reading about the DAR online system and to access it: Click Here.

For the front page of the DAR's web site: Click Here.

It is worth noting that the DAR which in 1939 famously refused to allow the singer Marian Anderson to perform in Constitution Hall because she was black this year joined in the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the concert she subsequently gave at the Lincoln Memorial instead.

To read about that: Click Here.

A Melungeon Timeline

By Penny Ferguson, MHS VP for Research

An extensive timeline spanning the early 16th century to the late 20th century of people, events and publications pertinent to Melungeon research.

To view the timeline: Click Here.

"Mulungeons and Eboshins"

Ethnic and Political Epithets

By Wayne Winkler

Of all the mysteries surrounding the mixed-ethnic population known as Melungeons, one of the most emblematic is the mystery surrounding the origin of the word “Melungeon.” Many possible origins for the term have been suggested by various researchers over the years, ranging from a supposed Afro-Portuguese word, “Melungo” meaning (depending on the source) “shipmate” or “white person,” to the old English term “malengine,” meaning “cunning” or “full of guile,” to the Arabic “Melun-jinn,” meaning “cursed soul.” Historically, most researchers have opted for the French term “mélange” (“mixture”) as the root of the term “Melungeon.”

For the complete text of this lengthy but very interesting essay by MHS board member Wayne Winkler: Click Here.

Genealogical Evidence and Proof

For a discussion of the nature of genealogical evidence and proof written by Helen F.M. Leary of the Board for Certification of Genealogists: Click Here.

Standards For Sound Genealogical Research

Recommended by the National Genealogical Society

Remembering always that they are engaged in a quest for truth, family history researchers consistently—

• record the source for each item of information they collect.
• test every hypothesis or theory against credible evidence, and reject those that are not supported by the evidence.
• seek original records, or reproduced images of them when there is reasonable assurance they have not been altered, as the basis for their research conclusions.
• use compilations, communications and published works, whether paper or electronic, primarily for their value as guides to locating the original records, or as contributions to the critical analysis of the evidence discussed in them.
• state something as a fact only when it is supported by convincing evidence, and identify the evidence when communicating the fact to others.
• limit with words like "probable" or "possible" any statement that is based on less than convincing evidence, and state the reasons for concluding that it is probable or possible.
• avoid misleading other researchers by either intentionally or carelessly distributing or publishing inaccurate information.
• state carefully and honestly the results of their own research, and acknowledge all use of other researchers’ work.
• recognize the collegial nature of genealogical research by making their work available to others through publication, or by placing copies in appropriate libraries or repositories, and by welcoming critical comment.
• consider with open minds new evidence or the comments of others on their work and the conclusions they have reached.

© 1997, 2002 by National Genealogical Society. Permission is granted to copy or publish this material provided it is reproduced in its entirety, including this notice.

Daniel Boone in Southwest Virginia

The Story as Told by Lyman Coleman Draper

Edited by James William Hagy

In the middle of the 19th century Lyman Copeland Draper hurried about the United States collecting manuscripts promising to use them in writing about frontier history. Draper collected a tremendous volume of documents but he could never give up the search and settle down to writing for any length of time. He was always searching for one more document, one more eyewitness account. The people who entrusted Draper with the documents were, of course, highly upset when the promised volumes never appeared - and the documents were not returned. Draper did succeed in writing his long "King's Mountain and Its Heroes" which was published in 1881. A second work which he never finished was his "Life of Boone." Consequently this work has never been published but has been invaluable in helping such writers as John Bakeless whose "Daniel Boone" is the most comprehensive account of the life of this frontiersman.

All of Draper's manuscripts ended up at the Wisconsin Historical Society where they have been of tremendous aid for research in frontier history. The manuscripts can be obtained on microfilm and though this medium is of great importance in making documents available to many people, microfilm is maddening to read for any length of time. Furthermore, one has to be at a library where there is a microfilm reader. Therefore the story of Boone in Southwest Virginia, which is certainly one of the most important periods of his life, is being presented here in order that a wider audience might appreciate the work of Draper who, had he finished his book, would have been the authority on Daniel Boone.

To continue reading: Click Here.

Eastern Cougars

Cougars, also known as panthers and mountain lions, along with wolves, were the top predators throughout the forests of eastern North America. The European settlers that began arriving in the late 1500s were familiar with wolves but had no knowledge of cougars, because cougars live only in the New World. At first, settlers thought cougars were African lions or leopards (the black phase of which is called panther). Only gradually, over a period of about a century, did Americans realize that the cougar was a distinct species. Cougar folklore combined European ideas about predators with Native American knowledge, inextricably mixing psychological fantasy with biological fact. Not until about the mid-twentieth century were scientific methods used to study cougars and determine their true nature.

Because cougars are powerful predators, settlers feared for their own safety and for their livestock. Cougars were hunted with dogs until they were believed extirpated in the eastern United States and Canada by about 1900. Widespread deforestation across the East in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and the market hunting of deer herds almost to extinction during that same time span, also contributed to the decline of cougars.

For more on the eastern cougar: Click Here.

On a personal note, my great-great grandfather, who lived in Letcher County, Kentucky, was known as "Panther Jim" Maggard due the large number of cougars, or panthers as they actually called them at the time, he killed, one when armed only with a knife and another which he held off all night long by throwing rocks at it until help arrived.

Three Administrative Matters

One) I believe I have now updated all links previously pointing to Joanne Pezzullo's "Our Melungeons" web site to point to her new web site. If you find any that I missed, please let me know.

Two) Please let me know about any broken links you may find, or anything about the blog that does not look right. In the latter case, let me know what browser you are using and your screen resolution. I use Firefox, currently release 3.5, which I highly recommend, at 1152x864. The blog will format differently to accommodate different resolutions and may therefore look better at some than others, and that is pretty much unavoidable; however, if the problem is browser-specific, I may be able to fix it.

Three) Someone has begun spamming MHS Blog comments with commercial messages. For that reason, I am now requiring that one of those "duplicate this text" blocks be satisfied prior to making comments. I am sorry it was necessary. I hate those things myself and sincerely hope Blogspot does not make theirs difficult to read, as so many do, but if this does not solve the problem, I will be forced to disallow anonymous comments.

Sorry for such a dull blog entry!!

The National Archives Online

The National Archives and Records Administration, NARA, maintains a rich but unwieldy web site filled with much information and pointing to a wealth of genealogical and historical resources, many of them unavailable anywhere else.

To visit its main page: Click Here.

To visit its main genealogical page: Click Here.

There are currently two NARA search engines in use, NAIL, the National Archives Information Locator, and ARC, the Archival Research Catalog, currently 68% complete and slated to eventually replace NAIL.

To use NAIL: Click Here.

To use ARC: Click Here.

For a two page primer on using NAIL and ARC: Click Here. (A PDF reader required.)

Links to detailed help are provided with both search engines.

Note: The primer's address for ARC is out of date and will not work.

The Guion Miller Roll

The 1906 to 1909 "Roll of the Eastern Cherokees" is better known as The Guion Miller Roll. It was created as a result of a successful lawsuit filed by three groups of Cherokees who had not been paid all of the money due them as a result of the 1835 Treaty of New Echota which resulted in the forcible removal of the Cherokees and the infamous Trail of Tears.

The Guion Miller Roll is the most important source of Cherokee genealogical research of any of the rolls, because the application required extensive information to be supplied by the applicant. Between August 27, 1906 and May 18, 1909 there were 45,940 applications filed from the United States, Canada, Mexico and even Syria. It listed an estimated 90,000 individual applicants. Each qualifying applicant received a warrant worth $133.33 for their share of the one-time payment due to them. In order for an application to be accepted on this roll, the applicant had to prove descent from a person who was shown on the 1835 roll of Eastern Cherokees (also known as The Henderson Roll), which listed the citizenship of the tribe at that time.

Most applicants were rejected (and acceptance in and of itself does not prove Cherokee ancestry), but accepted or not, these applications provide a wealth of genealogical data.

For a searchable, and easy to use, version of the Index: Click Here.

Take note of the page and application numbers. With these numbers, copies of the applications themselves can be ordered from the National Archives.

To begin the ordering process: Click Here.

Note: Navigating the National Archives site is not easy and the ordering process is not easy and registration will be required.

Hawkins County History and Genealogy

Hawkins County History and Genealogy

The records of Hawkins County, Tennessee, from which Hancock County was created, are vital to Melungeon studies.

To visit its excellent GenWeb site: Click Here.

To visit the Hawkins County Genealogical and Historical Society: Click Here.

Note: Yesterday's cautions about the Melungeon information presented or linked to applies to these sites as well.

Hancock County History and Genealogy

Hancock County Tennessee is, of course, crucial to Melungeon studies. Many of its records have been lost and many early records are in Hawkins County, of which it was originally a part. Its GenWeb site is a bit limited but should not be overlooked.

To view: Click Here.

To visit the Hancock County Historical and Genealogical Society: Click Here.

Note: Both of these sites contain or link to web pages which reflect fanciful Melungeon origin theories unsupported by research and documentation. For better Melungeon history, consult the MHS's Melungeon FAQ and the Melungeon section of the MHS Blog's "Links of Interest" page, which can be reached by links to your right on the blog's sidebar.

Geographical Location Of The Melungeons

By Joanne Pezzullo

Beginning in 1849 and to this very day the researchers have headed to Newman's Ridge to find the Melungeons.

To continue reading this extensive review of the literature: Click Here.

Note: This is a re-blogging of an important MHS Blog entry made over a year ago. The next two MHS Blog entries will present genealogical and historical resources for Hancock County, home of Newman's Ridge, and Hawkins County, from which Hancock County was created and where many older Melungeon-related public records still reside.

Weekly Appalachian HIstory Podcasts

Every Sunday Dave Tabler's outstanding Appalachian History blog (To view: Click Here.) features an Appalachian history podcast, which is really just an MP3 file, meaning you don't need an Apple iPod to listen to it, just an MP3 player on your computer.

To check out today's podcast: Click Here.

You can locate old issues by searching backward through the blog, but the easy way is to simply: Click Here.

Note: A broadband connection is highly recommended and virtually a necessity.

Poor Ellen Smith

The 19th century popular murder ballad, Poor Ellen Smith, recounts the tale of a woman named Ellen Smith, who was shot through the heart by a former lover. When Ellen was found, her ragged clothes were scattered all about the ground around her body. A group of townspeople got together and began a murder hunt which led to the apprehension of the murderer, Peter DeGraff, who was captured while he was loafing around the area.

As is the case with many Appalachian Mountain Ballads, "Poor Ellen Smith" is based on real events. In this case, the locale was Mount Airy, North Carolina.

For more of the story and two versions of the ballad: Click Here.

Mount Airy has, unfortunately, just recently been the scene of a contemporary murder tragedy.

Historical Society of Southwest Virginia

Founded in 1961, the Historical Society of Southwest Virginia has published seventeen pamphlets composed mostly of speeches made at the regular meetings by area historians. They include episodes of history that are, in many cases, not found elsewhere and should definitely be preserved in the form of a large, permanently bound, book.

Furthermore, the society has contributed to a number of projects in the preservation of Southwest Virginia Heritage. Among these are donations to the Southwest Virginia Museum at Big Stone Gap, the society s archives at Clinch Valley College, Wise, Va., and the Fort Houston Marker on Clinch River near Nickelsville in Scott County. The organization has also acquired a large volume of historical material for its archives in the John Cook Wylie Library at Clinch Valley College, including the James Taylor Adams Papers, reams of material collected by E. J. Sutherland as well as hundreds of published volumes from his library.

The area covered by the society consists of Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott and Wise Counties, Virginia, but it has members in many other counties and states. Interested visitors are always welcome to it s meetings held three times a year on the last Saturdays of March, June and September.

To visit the Society's web site: Click Here.

Scott County HIstory and Genealogy

Scott County, Virginia, formed in 1814 from parts of Lee, Russell and Washington counties, can, along with Lee County, lay claim to Fort Blackmore and the Stony Creek Baptist Church, both originally in Lee County. That along with other Melungeon connections makes Scott County of great importance to Melungeon studies.

To visit the Scott County USGenWeb site: Click Here.

To visit the Scott County Historical Society: Click Here.

Important Melungeon Web Resource Changes Address

Joanne Pezzullo's excellent Melungeon web site has changed hosts and names and has acquired its own domain name. Previously known as the "Our Melungeons" web site, it is now known as the "Documenting the Melungeons" web site with a domain name of historical-melungeons.com, not to be confused with the Historical Melungeons Blog at historical-melungeons.blogspot.com

To visit Joanne's site at its new location: Click Here.

Unfortunately, this change has had the effect of breaking every link to Joanne's site in the MHS Blog, of which there are a large number. I have updated both the name and the link to her site on the "Links of Interest" page and have updated the link in the last MHS Blog entry referencing her site; however, scores remain and finding and updating them all will take some time. Until that happens, following such links will not take you to the intended page but will take you to her front page; from there you should, hopefully, be able to find the intended target by using the search function at the bottom of the page. I do apologize for the inconvenience!

Sizemore DNA Project

The “Ancient” Indian Ancestry
By MHS Board Member Joy King

Origin of the surname:

SIZEMORE (Eng.) Descendant of Sigmar (victory, great) dweller on the Saxon's wasteland.

When I checked the LDS IGI for England (Jan/Feb 1988) many years ago, I found numerous pages of records. There were 44 spelling variants of SIZEMORE. The earliest record was dated 1556 and largest concentration of the surname was in the county of Gloucester.

However, we do have a mixed bag of results that does need explaining. The largest group in our DNA test results is Haplogroup Q. This haplogroup designation has been confirmed with SNP tests of several of our participants. It is found in Native Americans and in Europe. In addition to our main Q group, we have received results for three of our participants that also have SNP confirmed Hg Q but do not match the main group.

In order to be sure our markers are consistent with the Native American markers, our main group participants were joined to the FTDNA Q3 Native American project. The three non matching participants and a few of the main group participants were joined to the FTDNA Q project.4 The administrators of both projects have concluded our participant’s markers are most consistent with the Native American markers, which means they are all descendants of a MALE Native American, but not the same Most Recent Common Ancestor.

The continue reading this fine example of how DNA testing and traditional genealogy can, and should, complement each other: Click Here.

To go the the Sizemore DNA Project's home page: Click Here.

Note: The name Sizemore is historically found in proximity to some Melungeon core families and thus of interest to Melungeon studies; however, Sizemore is not considered to be a Melungeon core family name by most authorities.

Virginia and Tennessee Cemetery Records

Though by no means covering all graves in all cemeteries in the two states, these records do record the graves in a large number of old cemeteries in both Virginia and Tennessee. Cemeteries are listed by county.

For Virginia: Click Here.

For Tennessee: Click Here.

Another page at the same site contains records from a few cemeteries in Southeast Kentucky. To see those: Click Here.

AppLit

Resources for Readers and Teachers
Of Appalachian Literature
For Children and Young Adults

AppLit is a web site containing Resources for Readers and Teachers of Appalachian Literature for Children and Young Adults. Although the focus is not primarily on literature for adults, some sections contain material on literature for adults that may be taught in high school or college. We believe strongly that picture books and other literature for children can be enjoyed by people of all ages and taught at all levels through college.

AppLit was created by Tina L. Hanlon and Judy A. Teaford in 2000 with support from the Appalachian College Association, Ferrum College, and a Humanities Focus Grant from the Division of Education of the National Endowment for the Humanities in 2000-2001.

AppLit received the e-Appalachia award from the Appalachian Studies Association for 2002.

To visit AppLit: Click Here.