Dianne, who wrote this? Were there footnotes? Remember if they can't give proof, then it may not be right. Some of the stuff that is on the internet is just garbage sometimes. . Thanks, Penny Thought you might be interested in this, especially since it mentions at least one of my (and maybe your) family surnames. It may also help to explain some of the DNA testing done by some of the families who are finding Jewish blood lines. And, from what I understand, there were connections in the area to Sequoyah. Diane R. FIG. 17. SEQUOYAH (GEORGE GUESS), the only American Indian to be included in the hall of fame in Washington, was a silversmith by trade, the son of Wataugan Nathaniel Gist (1733-1796) by his mixed blood wife known as Wurteh ("Girty"). The Gists were a Baltimore family of Jews with important trading concerns. Joseph Gist, a London relative, headed one of the largest shipping insurance companies in the world. They married with the Howards, Looneys, Murrays, Gratzes and Coopers. Photo courtesy University of Georgia Hargrave Rare Book Room. FIG. 18. MOSES LOONEY (1780-1855) is shown in Masonic regalia in this rare photograph taken shortly before his death in Lawrence Co., Alabama. He married Sequoyah's niece, Mary Guess. He descends from Robert Looney of Ballagilley, Isle of Man, a member of the Spanish-Portuguese Jewish mercantile family Luna. Robert Looney brought his entire family to Philadelphia in 1732 and they became one of 70 families in a major settlement of the Virginia uplands under Alexander Ross and Morgan Bryan in 1735. The Looneys were prominent in Tennessee history for building forts, making roads and commanding armies. John Looney, Moses' cousin, died a Cherokee chief. Photo courtesy of Wanda Looney Buss. In conclusion, we have looked at a number of pre-Revolutionary Tennessee families who were both Melungeon and Jewish--more precisely, crypto-Jewish. All intermarried for religious motives, effectively keeping their secrets within the family. In some cases, such as the Gists, Rameys, Alexanders and Coopers, we have contemporary records and evidence naming them as Jews. I have argued that Judaism was the bond that brought them together on the frontier. I have instanced several communities, from the Lumbees to the Texas Choctaws, and we could explore these further in extremely worthwhile fashion now that the "truth" is known. How could Elzina Grimwood have hoped that her niece and nephew, both schoolteachers themselves, would give up! It is simply too alluring a mystery. That it is an injustice to omit our ancestors' names and deeds from the storyline of American history and saga of worldwide Jewry is a point I wish to make in closing. No matter their descendants have largely chosen to be non-Jewish. These were Jews--Jews integrally involved in the American experience--road builders, Indian traders, land agents, ferry operators, inn keepers, gunsmiths, bankers, lawyers, doctors, soldiers and sheriffs. It is a proud heritage of vision and courage, one that should be cherished by their descendants as well as other beneficiaries. Published on the World Wide Web January 1, 2003.