I have been reading up on the Melungeons since it was first mentioned as a possible explanation for my grandfather's claim that his early Breedlove ancestors were in South Carolina, but were originally from Portugal. He also said that one or more of his ancestors had married Cherokees. According to what I have read so far, some census takers would record Melungeons with a line or check mark in the "color" column of their census records since there was no "official" letter to represent them and they were not necessarily considered white because of their olive complexion. I wonder how many of our Breedloves have this notation on the census records? Does anyone know? I know that some records show "FC" or "Free Man of Color", and this, too, was sometimes a reference to the Melungeons, according to the articles. Much of my Breedlove family is from the surrounding area of Chattanooga, Tennessee. I found reference on the internet at http://www.hypertext.com/blackirish/melungeons.html, to the "Celebrated Melungeon Case" in Chattanooga in 1872, where a woman's inheritance was challenged by cousins on the grounds that her mother was Melungeon and Melungeons are part black and since black-white marriage was illegal, she was illegitimate. Lewis Shepherd, her lawyer, convinced the court that Melungeons are the descendants of Carthaginians, not Black Africans and her cousins lost. Another interesting article on the Melungeons can be found on the internet at http://members.aol.com/bbbenge/page15.html, if anyone is interested. Cindy (Breedlove) Dicken "Ellen Byrne" <dande@mail.tds.net> on 12/10/98 05:33:45 PM To: BREEDLOVE-L@rootsweb.com cc: (bcc: Cynthia Dicken/AMS/AMSINC) Subject: [BREEDLOVE-L] Melungeons Notice the reference to Melungeons. I first heard of them years ago and also they call some of the people in Robeson Co Lumbee Indians. I tried to fit my Lowery's into that family but couldnt quite work it out. there was a William Lowery but he didnt leave Robeson Co and my William to warren Co Ky. there is a web page on the Melungeons-not sure if I still have the address. Ellen, dande@mail.tds.net