The investigation of the mysterious DNA to solve the mystery of mixed race people

The investigation of the mysterious DNA to solve the mystery of mixed race people

Nashville, Tennessee – For years, says a wild and sometimes all that was done on the origin of a group of dark-skinned residents of the Appalachians, once derisively known as Melungeons. Some speculate that had come from Portugal, explorers, or perhaps slaves or Turkish Gypsies.

Now is a new DNA study in the Journal of Genetic Genealogy to separate the truth from the oral tradition and the expression of desires. The study found that the truth is somewhat less exotic: The genetic evidence shows that families historically known as Melungeons are the descendants of African countries for men and white women in North or Central European origin

And the report, published in April in the journal reference. Not comfortable with some callers Melungeon descent.

“It was a lot of people upset by this study,” said lead researcher, Roberta Estes. “They just knew they were Portuguese, and Native Americans.”

Since early 1800, or possibly before, the term Melungeon (MEH-LUN’-June) is applied as payment to a group of 40 families along the border with Tennessee, Virginia. But since then has become a phrase used by a number of mysterious groups of mixed origin.

In recent decades, interest in the origins of Melungeons has increased dramatically with improvements in both studies, DNA and the advent of Internet resources that allow people to trace their ancestry, without digging through dusty archives.

G. Reginald Daniel, a sociologist at the University of California at Santa Barbara, who has spent over 30 years starting point to see several people in the U.S. and was not part of the study, said the research is evidence that the mixture of races in the U.S. is not a new phenomenon.

“All of us are the starting point of many,” he said. “We recovered more true in American history.”

Estes and his fellow scientists theorize that the Melungeon may have arisen several lines of white and black crew members who live in Virginia, in mid 1600 and slavery.

They do what the law was put in place to punish the mestizos, the different groups of families could only marry among each other, including the relocation of Virginia through the Carolinas before ‘lay mainly in the mountains of eastern Tennessee.

Requirements of Portuguese origin was probably trick it used to be free and to maintain the privileges of others who came to be considered white, according to study authors.

study cited by the court case of 1874 in Tennessee, where he inherited a Melungeon woman was contested. If Martha Simmerman found African blo od, you lose the legacy.

His lawyer, Lewis Shepherd, argued successfully that the Simmerman family was descended of the ancient Phoenicians who eventually emigrated to Portugal and then in North America.

In writing about the reasons for the publication of his memory years later, Shepherd says, “South High breed our people will never tolerate the same elected body that is even slightly damaged with black blood, but not the same objection to the others brown or dark skin, like Spanish, Cuban airliner, Italians, etc. “

Another demand in 1855, Jacob Perkins, who is described as “Melungeon families in East Tennessee” sued a man who was accused of having “black blood”.

In a note to his lawyer, wrote to Perkins is the accusation that he was hurting. Writing in the era of slavery before the Civil War, Perkins said that racial discrimination in the Middle “, 1 st words indicate that is likely to be charged (equivalent) can be cream (equivalent) may be fined … ”

later generations came to believe some of the stories of their ancestors wove needs.

Goin Jack, who has studied the Melungeon story in about 40 years and was the driving force behind the investigation of DNA, said a distant relative of his was recorded as the Portuguese in the census 1880. But was surprised when he first tested his DNA around 2000. Samples taken from the cheeks of his collection of DNA from saliva or skin cells and the sample was sent to the laboratory for analys is.

“I was very surprised when I came to Africa I had done it again,” he said. “I had to have another opinion. However, again the same way. I had to make three. Were all equal.”

goin to handle large study of DNA and other scientists of his – who are not genealogists and academics – had to be defined as the Melungeon

In recent years it has become a term covering. people of mixed race origin and has been applied to the 200 municipalities in the U.S. – East. from New York to Louisiana

Among them were in Montauk, Mantinecocks, Van guilders, the applause of Persia, Shinnecock and the other in New York. Pennsylvania had swimming pools in North Carolina and Haliwas Lumbees and Waccamaw and South Carolina and Redbones Caps Buck and Yellow Hammers and handles other. In Louisiana, that somehow resembled the Latin nation of mixed races, the Cane River area and ole Redbones of western Louisiana, among others.

New DNA study of certain subjects and their families were called Melungeon Historical data for 1800 and early 1900 about the Tennessee counties of Hancock and Hawkins to the Virginia border about 200 kilometers north east of Nashville.

The study does not exclude the possibility of other races or ethnic groups that are part of Melungeon heritage, but none was found among the 69 lines of men and 8 women studied lines. The study did not analyze later in the mixture that have occurred, such as Native Americans.

goin estimates that there will be several thousand historical Melungeons descendants live today, but the study only examined male and female lines intact.

The origin of the word Melungeon is unknown, but there is no doubt that he considered the payment of Appalachian white residents suspected of being mixed race families.

“is sometimes compromised for the duration of their ancestors went to hide his African heritage, but look at the consequences,” said Wayne Winkler, president of the Melungeon Heritage Association. “I still suffered because of the suspicion.”

DNA research is ongoing, as researchers continue to find more Melungeon descendants.

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Cain Burdeau Associated Press contributed to this article from New Orleans, LA

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