This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/2YB.2ACI/1225.1237.1379.1.1 Message Board Post: Hi Darlene, Well, FIRST, :-) I hope you have read ALL my websites that I noted and still note below my signature. That is a good way to begin. From there, ...... Sometimes determining whether or not one has a Melungeon family is simply a matter of adding up points and saying, I believe these folks were Melungeons. :-) The Melungeons are difficult to find, to say the least. They needed to hide in order to survive and they did that VERY well. Your folks with Melungeon surnames, (1 point) were in an area that was close to known Melungeons areas (1 point). Now check out the following physical characteristics and add points if any of your family has these characteristics:PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: There are some physiological characteristics which are called ethnic markers, that seem to be passed on through the lines of some Melungeon descendants. There is a bump on the back of the HEAD of SOME descendants, that is located at mid-line, just ABOVE the juncture with the neck. It is about the size and shape of half a golf ball or smaller. If you cannot find the bump, check to see if you, like some descendants, including myself, have a ridge, located at the base of the head where it joins the neck, rather than the Anatolian bump. This ridge is an enlargement of the base of the skull, which is called a Central Asian Cranial Ridge. My ridge is quite noticeable. It is larger than anyone else's that I have felt, except my father's. I can lay one finger under it and the ridge is as deep as my finger is thick. Other ridges are smaller. To find a ridge, place your hand at the base of your neck where it joins your shoulders, and on the center line of your spine. Run your fingers straight up your neck toward your head. If you have a ridge, it will stop your fingers from going on up and across your head. ONLY people who live/d in the Anatolian region of Turkey or Central Asia also have this "bump/ridge." See the following diagram for the site of both the ridge and bump. Back of Head \lllllllllllllllllllllllll/ ears ( ___x___ ) ears x marks the bump's location \valley / the ridge is the line __ shown \ / neck / \__shoulders There is also a ridge on the back of the first four teeth - two front teeth and the ones on either side (upper and lower) of some descendants. If you place your fingernail at the gum line and gently draw (up or down) you can feel it and it makes a slight clicking sound. The back of the teeth also curve outward rather than straight as the descendants of anglo-saxon parentage do. Teeth like these are called Asian Shovel Teeth. Many Indian descendants also have this type of teeth. The back of the first four teeth of Northern European descendants are straight and flat. There is no way I can do justice to the look of a shovel tooth on a computer, but this is the closest I can come. An example of northern European teeth would be similar to this diagram: \l Shovel teeth look like this diagram. Back of teeth )/ front of teeth, straight. Hold a teaspoon by its handle with the inside of the spoon on the left. Note that it arches toward the right hand side but it also somewhat scoops back from both sides inward. SOME Melungeon descendants have what is called an Asian eyefold. This is rather difficult to describe. At the inner corner of the eye, the upper lid attaches slightly lower than the lower lid. That is to say that, it overlaps the bottom lid. If you place your finger just under the inner corner of the eye and gently pull down, a wrinkle will form which makes the fold more visible. Some people call these eyes, "sleepy eyes, dreamy eyes, bedroom eyes." Many Indian descendants also have these kinds of eyes. Northern European eyes: NOSE < Asian eyefolds: NOSE /- Some families may have members with fairly dark skin who suffer with vitiligo, a loss of pigmentation, leaving the skin blotched with white patches. Some descendants have had six fingers or toes. There is a family of people in Turkey whose surname translated into English is "Six Fingered Ones." The term for that in Turkiq is "AltI parmak." (pronounced "altah-par-mock) "AltI" ends with the undotted Turkish "i" which is pronounced as "uh." There is a region near Efes (Ephesus) called "AltI Parmak" - many of the people there have historically had six fingers. Some families have even taken the last name of "AltIparmak." (Add one point for each characteristic in the family) If your family has an Indian Grandmother(father) `myth' which you have been unable to prove, an adoption story that is unprovable, or an orphan myth, (1 point each) and they have been hard to trace (1 point) and they lived in NC, TN, KY, VA, WV areas in the early migration years or if they seem to have moved back and forth in these areas or into neighboring states (1 point) and if they share any of the mentioned surnames (1 point) and characteristics, you MAY find a connection here. Some descendants do not show the physical characteristics and of course, there are many people with the surnames who are not connected to this group. If any ancestor has been labeled M, mulatto; FPC, Free Person of Color, then this is an excellent clue. (3 points). Dr. Walter A. Plecker director of Vital Statistics for VA is responsible for almost single handedly destroying the lives of Melungeons by using these designations and other states followed. You can use the net to find more info on him to if you are interested. If the family used any of the terms, Black Dutch/Irish/Scot etc that is also a good clue, or if the family said they were "Portyghee." These terms were used to hide Melungeon ancestry. (1 point) If you have 4 or more, then it is quite likely the family is of Melungeon descent. I suggest that you go to http://www.google.com INPUT: Steel Genealogy+Melungeons (note spacing) A lot should come up and you might also want to check into the CASTEEL family since many Casteels became Steels in order to hide their background. Do the same with Butters. Dr. N. Brent Kennedy's book, `The Melungeons: The Resurrection of a Proud People,' both a genealogy and theoretical search for answers, is a must read for anyone who is connected to this group. Most bookstores can order this book in paperback for you. When I started researching Melungeons, there were 3 websites. Now there are hundreds. Use the google search engine and simply put in Melungeon and start searching. What a fascinating journey you are about to begin!! Good luck and if I can help further, just let me know. My e-dress is: nmorri3924@aol.com (note there is no 's' in this e-dress.) Write anytime. NancyS THE MELUNGEON HEALTH EDUCATION AND SUPPORT NETWORK: http://www.melungeonhealth.org Melungeon Information and Common Surname List: http://members.home.net/sparkys9/melungeons.html Fibromyalgia in YOUR family? Inherited? Maybe!! Causes of Fibromyalgia, Nancy, Fibromyalgia http://www.holisticonline.com/Remedies/CFS/fib_causes_nancy.htm MelungeonDNA info http://www.geocities.com/bourbonstreet/inn/1024/DNAannouce.html Sparks Genealogy: http://SparksGenealogy.net (Select: Index/Nancy's Corner/The Melungeon Connection) (Select: Index/The Melungeon Media Release) Searching SPARKS, HAGER, JAYNE, RAMEY/REMY, COLLINS, MUSICK, WALKER, PORTER MAYO, CAREY/CARY NAPIER,QUEEN, PERDUE, KELLEY, LETT, BELCHER