Wow, it sounds as if you have an interesting ancestor. You'll find many, many references to the "Black Dutch" on the Internet, just Google the term and do some reading. Many people use the term interchangeably with Melungeon, but it is likely not the same thing. There are even some DNA projects around the Melungeons as a matter of fact. Google Melungeon, too for some interesting reading.I think the term "Black Dutch" was around a lot longer than Melungeon though. Just one interesting site is this one: http://www.geocities.com/mikenassau/BlackDutch.htm Most of the Melungeons seem to be in the Appalachians as a general rule, and in several states for that matter. There are many articles written about tri-racials in the south, and the Melungeons are mentioned in some of them as well. There is a NC researcher, Jeffrey L.Haines, who did a marvelous study written up in the NGS Journal a few years ago that traced just such a migration pattern as your family. He has a web page at http://ourworld-top.cs.com/HainesJeff/index.htm that talks a bit about his area of research, so you can understand that he is well experienced in researching that part of the country. His article was fascinating and I really enjoyed reading it. If you don't have the journal yourself, perhaps your local genealogical library has it on its shelves. I'm sure you'd enjoy it. It may give you some pointers on how to proceed with your research. When the NGS had its conference in the states in Nashville, TN last year I was fortunate to spend the afternoon in the State Archives there, and enjoyed seeing the vast resources they have on Tennessee families. There is a great deal to be seen there on the families of western North Carolina too, naturally, as eastern Tennessee was once North Carolina. If you have access to this wonderful resource I'm sure you will learn a lot more about your family's progress westward. The NCGS lists genealogical societies in the state, and the listing for Stokes County is here: http://www.ncgenealogy.org/ It sounds like you're going to have fun with this family. Good luck. Carol