The University of Nebraska Press has just published a new study that I hope many of us will be reading and discussing in the weeks ahead.  Melissa Schrift is an associate professor of anthropology at East…

As of April 30, 2013 here are the top ten states ranked for searches over the last twelve months:

Justin Kennedy, formerly of Abingdon, VA, is a student at New York University whose current research involves Melungeon history. This flyer provides contact information and details.…

Those of us who have been fortunate to hear Dr. Smallwood's presentations at Melungeon Unions will find much familiar material in this article published by Oklahoma Humanities this summer, "A History Long Forgotten: Intersections of Race in Early America."  The events calendar has been update to include Dr. Smallwood's June 2013 trip to Canada as…

In 2002, Brent Kennedy issued a statement about the first Melungeon DNA study. Excerpt:

The long-awaited DNA results are in and as many of us have maintained, the Melungeons are indeed a mixture of all races and many ethnic groups.…

(Johnnie Rhea and Rose Trent at 16th Union-- photo courtesy of Julie Williams Dixon)

16^th Union at the Southwest Virginia Historical Museum State Park

Report by K. Paul Johnson

Every Melungeon Union combines an extended family reunion with a scholarly…

For Virginians wondering whether they might have a connection to Melungeon heritage, it is worth noting that in 1943 Virginia Bureau of Vital Statistics Director Walter Plecker issued a list of surnames suspected of being  mulattoes trying to "pass" as white or Indian.  He estimated "One hundred and fifty thousand other mulattoes in Virginia are watching eagerly the attempt of their pseudo-Indian brethren, ready to follow in…

In today's article, Travis Loller of the Associated Press interviewed Roberta Estes and Jack Goins, two of the coauthors of the study's report, and Wayne Winkler, who will appear at this year's 16th Union. 

comment by K. Paul Johnson:

Having attended the last four Unions and met almost all MHA members, I can report that the African roots of Melungeons…

Preregistration is not required and onsite registration is $10 for the conference itself, with a free Friday afternoon preconference from 1 to 5 pm.  The Friday keynote address will be at 7 pm.  Saturday presentations will be from 9 am to 4 pm.  Other evening and Thursday event details are being finalized. Speaker order will be as follows:

Friday:

1 pm Johnnie Rhea, 2 pm Phyllis…

Frank Stasio interiewed Lisa Alther for The State of Things yesterday, February 1, and the interview is now up on the WUNC website:

http://wunc.org/tsot/archive/Washed_In_The_Blood.mp3/view

Every year it seems a new window opens into the relationships among mixed ancestry groups of the southern and eastern United States.  In 2007 when I first met MHA officers in Richmond at the annual conference of NGS, (the National Genealogical Society) they were joined at the conference booth by…

Welcome to the MHA Ning community.  We are still exploring features of the site, but the three main features already in use require some explanation:

1. Blogs. Each member is welcome to post genealogical and historical information related to Melungeons, including documents, photos, charts, etc.; the only requirement is to keep the focus on families and communities with known or suspected mixed ancestry, and to respect copyright of published material.  “Related to Melungeons” includes…

As a lifelong Virginian and avid reader, I have never enjoyed a book about Virginia history with the scope and passion of Lisa Alther’s new novel Washed in the Blood. Author of five bestselling novels before writing her first nonfiction book in 2007, Alther returns to fiction with a multigenerational family saga set primarily in the mountains along the Virginia/North Carolina/Tennessee border. 

Opening in 1567 with the arrival in the New World of Diego Martin, a hog drover from…

Three New Markers for Roanoke-Chowan People.

The North Carolina State Highway Historical Marker program has accepted three nominations made by the Chowan Discovery Group for Roanoke-Chowan people.   This first marker honors the town of Choanoac (Chowanoke) which was the largest coastal town in North Carolina when the second Roanoke Island expedition explored the Chowan River in 1586.  The town was first reported in 1584.  Choanoac, commonly referred to as Chowanoke, was located…

All who heard Lisa Alther speak at 15th Union about her new novel have been looking forward to its release.  Nashville area residents can hear her speak about it at the Southern Festival of the Book on October 15 (see events for details).

Here is the publicity release by Mercer:…