Charlene, I'm sure Ron Mathis is kin to me in some way but I am not sure. I will try to contact him and try to establish the connection. Thanks for to information. Many of my kin went to and taught at Seal-Mathis school at some time or another. My brother is a public school administrator and was expressing his views on public funding of schools. The historical aspect of this article is mixed with fact and fiction. Other than their skin color, I don't know of any major differences between the Melungeons and the other folks. That must have been part of the fiction. Ha! Just thought you folks would like to read about a new version of Hancock Co. Richard charlene.heeter@gsa.gov wrote: > Kids, Good Mornin'. In 1996, when I was in Sneedville to visit my ill > Uncle John DePew, I had a dead battery. I took my old car to the gas > station there in Sneedville and a man was standing near when I was speaking > to the owner of the gas station (the owner was going to sell me and install > a new battery). The man stepped forward and introduced himself as Ron > Mathis. He works here in GSA. Is he related to you, Richard? Reason I'm > asking is that he said he was visiting his ill mother who retired from > teaching at Seals-Mathis school. My three cousins by Uncle John attended > Seals-Mathis Elementary. > > If you want to contact him, his e-mail address is Ron.Mathis@gsa.gov. > > A quick question for you, Richard. Your brother mentions in the article > that the Melungeons had 'weird clothes and odd religion' -- do you know > what was 'weird' about their clothes and 'odd' about their religion? -- Richard A. Mathis ramat@mindspring.com