Melungeons: The Last Lost Tribe in America

Elizabeth Caldwell Hirschman

Jan 2005 · Mercer University Press

About this ebook

Most of us probably think of America as being settled by British, Protestant colonists who fought the Indians, tamed the wilderness, and brought "democracy"-or at least a representative republic-to North America. To the contrary, Elizabeth Caldwell Hirschman's research indicates the earliest settlers were of Mediterranean extraction, and of a Jewish or Muslim religious persuasion. Sometimes called "Melungeons," these early settlers were among the earliest nonnative "Americans" to live in the Carolinas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia. For fear of discrimination-since Muslims, Jews, "Indians," and other "persons of color" were often disenfranchised and abused-the Melungeons were reticent regarding their heritage. In fact, over time, many of the Melungeons themselves "forgot" where they came from. Hence, today, the Melungeons remain the "last lost tribe in America," even to themselves. Yet, Hirschman, supported by DNA testing, genealogies, and a variety of historical documents, suggests that the Melungeons included such notable early Americans as Daniel Boone, John Sevier, Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, and Andrew Jackson. Once lost, but now, forgotten no more.

Ratings and reviews

Don't pay attention to the negative reviews. This book is fantastic, and contains a wealth of information that I have not found anywhere else. My mother's maiden name was Wolfe and her family was supposedly Pennsylvania Dutch. We could never figure out how we ended up dark, swarthy, with curly hair. The mystery increased whenever we talked about religion or ancestry. The Wolfes will not discuss these things and they get uncomfortable when ever the subject comes up. They always claim they just do not know anything. I researched this for years and found out that the Pennsylvania Dutch are far from what they are believed to be. I did DNA testing that told me a lot but not about the Wolfes because I was not a direct male decendant. I did find out that my Wolfe ancestry probably goes back to Isaac Wolff, born in Germany about 1650. I suspected that the family had been Jewish although they publicaly were German Reformed. I also suspected that the family came from Spain and were refugees of the Spanish Inquisition. Elizabeth Hirschman filled in the blanks, and I doubt that I would have ever been able to put the puzzle together on my own. The Wolfe-Berber connection is most interesting and it also makes sense. Americans have created this mythical WASP ancestry, and most often for good reason, but the result is that we really do not know who we are. If you really want to know, read this book. You are bound to find an ancestor that was not what you have been told that he or she was. Bob Wolfe Kirkconnell

This book goes beyond Brent Kennedy's fanciful theories to pseudohistory of the most egregious sort.

Burdyne