Hello Anita - And the reverse is true as well. Melungeon women married men with other surnames not to be found on the list. This ancestry seems to be much more prevalent in Appalachia. I am sorry to hear about your father's thalessemia major and your lupus. Familial Mediterranean Fever and sarcoidosis are two diseases that can be seen in Appalachia but rarely diagnosed. I've found the study of the Melungeons to be very interesting. Brent Kennedy's writings came about from his being diagnosed with the Mediterranean disease sarcoidosis (sp?). It was interesting that my ethnicity matched closely with Brent's writings in "The Melungeons: The Resurrection of a Proud People". My ancestry is Portugese/Spanish; Native American; India Brahmin; Moroccan Berber; the Mediterranean areas of Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, and markers in Egypt and Israel. Plus I had Scottish; Danish; Belgian; Scandinavian; and French. I had no sub-Saharan African. I suspect that many southern West Virginians would have an ethnic profile similar to mine. Rick On Sun, Jul 12, 2009 at 11:36 AM, Anita McClung <anitajoe1963@yahoo.com>wrote: > Yes, that is correct. However you should also note that just because a > surname appears on the list does not necessarily mean they were melungeon. > > Two of my names appear on the list; Belcher and Coleman. Several of us in > my immediate family have thalessemia (minor) and I have the knots on my head > as well as shovel teeth. I also have lupus. All of these are traits of > melungeon ancestry. And we have Belchers in my paternal line. However, it > appears that there were melungeons on my father's paternal line as well. > > In 1963, at the age of 28, my father died from what we now believe to have > been thalaseemia maior. His maternal line was the Sturgells and Belchers > while his paternal line was McClungs and Colemans but there have been no > stories passed down regarding anyone else in the family having had the > health problems my father had. > > Anita > > > > > > ________________________________ > From: Richard Stewart <rcs5ster@gmail.com> > To: wvlogan@rootsweb.com > Sent: Sunday, July 12, 2009 4:27:28 AM > Subject: [WVLOGAN] Melungeons > > I have 19 of the Melungeon surnames per Brent Kennedy in my family lines. > Three of my grandparents have a Melungeon surname - Mullins, Stewart, and > Berry. I took an ethnicity test that showed my ancestry to be > Portugese/Spanish, Native American, Brahmin, Belgian, Moroccan Berber, > Scottish, Norwegian, and probable Jewish. I did not show a drop of English > or Irish. Just because our families may have immigrated from England or > Ireland does NOT mean that was their ethnicity. > > Rick > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > WVLOGAN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > WVLOGAN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

Rick, How did you find out about your ethnicity? We were always told that our second great grandmother,Lucinda Clay Sturgell was Cherokee. There was a time after I got into genealogy when I doubted this claim. Then a couple of years ago, I found a picture I had tucked away of great granny, her brother and a sister and grannie' children and a nephew and there is no doubt in my mind that there was Native blood in that line somewhere.  It is almost scary. But then again, it could be melungeon. One of the things I remember about great Granny is that even when she passed (age 97) she had very little gray hair. Anita ________________________________ From: Richard Stewart <rcs5ster@gmail.com> To: wvlogan@rootsweb.com Sent: Sunday, July 12, 2009 9:50:39 PM Subject: Re: [WVLOGAN] Melungeons Hello Anita - And the reverse is true as well.  Melungeon women married men with other surnames not to be found on the list.  This ancestry seems to be much more prevalent in Appalachia.  I am sorry to hear about your father's thalessemia major and your lupus.  Familial Mediterranean Fever and sarcoidosis are two diseases that can be seen in Appalachia but rarely diagnosed. I've found the study of the Melungeons to be very interesting.  Brent Kennedy's writings came about from his being diagnosed with the Mediterranean disease sarcoidosis (sp?).  It was interesting that my ethnicity matched closely with Brent's writings in "The Melungeons: The Resurrection of a Proud People".  My ancestry is Portugese/Spanish; Native American; India Brahmin; Moroccan Berber; the Mediterranean areas of Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, and markers in Egypt and Israel.  Plus I had Scottish; Danish; Belgian; Scandinavian; and French.  I had no sub-Saharan African. I suspect that many southern West Virginians would have an ethnic profile similar to mine.  Rick On Sun, Jul 12, 2009 at 11:36 AM, Anita McClung <anitajoe1963@yahoo.com>wrote: > Yes, that is correct. However you should also note that just because a > surname appears on the list does not necessarily mean they were melungeon. > > Two of my names appear on the list; Belcher and Coleman.  Several of us in > my immediate family have thalessemia (minor) and I have the knots on my head > as well as shovel teeth. I also have lupus. All of these are traits of > melungeon ancestry. And we have Belchers in my paternal line. However, it > appears that there were melungeons on my father's paternal line as well. > > In 1963, at the age of 28, my father died from what we now believe to have > been thalaseemia maior. His maternal line was the Sturgells and Belchers > while his paternal line was McClungs and Colemans but there have been no > stories passed down regarding anyone else in the family having had the > health problems my father had. > > Anita > > > > > > ________________________________ > From: Richard Stewart <rcs5ster@gmail.com> > To: wvlogan@rootsweb.com > Sent: Sunday, July 12, 2009 4:27:28 AM > Subject: [WVLOGAN] Melungeons > > I have 19 of the Melungeon surnames per Brent Kennedy in my family lines. > Three of my grandparents have a Melungeon surname - Mullins, Stewart, and > Berry.  I took an ethnicity test that showed my ancestry to be > Portugese/Spanish, Native American, Brahmin, Belgian, Moroccan Berber, > Scottish, Norwegian, and probable Jewish.  I did not show a drop of English > or Irish.  Just because our families may have immigrated from England or > Ireland does NOT mean that was their ethnicity. > > Rick > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > WVLOGAN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > WVLOGAN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to WVLOGAN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Hi, not to change the subject, but only adding an example.... It is my opinion only,  as to basing an ancestor's ethnicity on their facial features only,  is not a good option and may lead to a big mistake in determining an ancestor's ethnicity. A prime example to me that I always fall back upon is Charles Bronson the actor.  He looked Native American and played such roles in many of his movies that he starred in, but he was Lithuanian- American.  Born in Pennsylvania.  I was almost sure he was Native American, just by looking at him, until I seen his bio on Biography Channel. In most instances, I adhere to my Mother's old saying- "Believe nothing that you hear, and only half of what you see." Just my 2 cents worth...... Sandi (No, I did not get to attend the Mulungeon Gathering in Logan, unfortunately.) ________________________________ From: Anita McClung <anitajoe1963@yahoo.com> To: wvlogan@rootsweb.com Sent: Monday, July 13, 2009 9:04:46 AM Subject: Re: [WVLOGAN] Melungeons Rick, How did you find out about your ethnicity? We were always told that our second great grandmother,Lucinda Clay Sturgell was Cherokee. There was a time after I got into genealogy when I doubted this claim. Then a couple of years ago, I found a picture I had tucked away of great granny, her brother and a sister and grannie' children and a nephew and there is no doubt in my mind that there was Native blood in that line somewhere.  It is almost scary. But then again, it could be melungeon. One of the things I remember about great Granny is that even when she passed (age 97) she had very little gray hair. Anita ________________________________ From: Richard Stewart <rcs5ster@gmail.com> To: wvlogan@rootsweb.com Sent: Sunday, July 12, 2009 9:50:39 PM Subject: Re: [WVLOGAN] Melungeons Hello Anita - And the reverse is true as well.  Melungeon women married men with other surnames not to be found on the list.  This ancestry seems to be much more prevalent in Appalachia.  I am sorry to hear about your father's thalessemia major and your lupus.  Familial Mediterranean Fever and sarcoidosis are two diseases that can be seen in Appalachia but rarely diagnosed. I've found the study of the Melungeons to be very interesting.  Brent Kennedy's writings came about from his being diagnosed with the Mediterranean disease sarcoidosis (sp?).  It was interesting that my ethnicity matched closely with Brent's writings in "The Melungeons: The Resurrection of a Proud People".  My ancestry is Portugese/Spanish; Native American; India Brahmin; Moroccan Berber; the Mediterranean areas of Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, and markers in Egypt and Israel.  Plus I had Scottish; Danish; Belgian; Scandinavian; and French.  I had no sub-Saharan African. I suspect that many southern West Virginians would have an ethnic profile similar to mine.  Rick On Sun, Jul 12, 2009 at 11:36 AM, Anita McClung <anitajoe1963@yahoo.com>wrote: > Yes, that is correct. However you should also note that just because a > surname appears on the list does not necessarily mean they were melungeon. > > Two of my names appear on the list; Belcher and Coleman.  Several of us in > my immediate family have thalessemia (minor) and I have the knots on my head > as well as shovel teeth. I also have lupus. All of these are traits of > melungeon ancestry. And we have Belchers in my paternal line. However, it > appears that there were melungeons on my father's paternal line as well. > > In 1963, at the age of 28, my father died from what we now believe to have > been thalaseemia maior. His maternal line was the Sturgells and Belchers > while his paternal line was McClungs and Colemans but there have been no > stories passed down regarding anyone else in the family having had the > health problems my father had. > > Anita > > > > > > ________________________________ > From: Richard Stewart <rcs5ster@gmail.com> > To: wvlogan@rootsweb.com > Sent: Sunday, July 12, 2009 4:27:28 AM > Subject: [WVLOGAN] Melungeons > > I have 19 of the Melungeon surnames per Brent Kennedy in my family lines. > Three of my grandparents have a Melungeon surname - Mullins, Stewart, and > Berry.  I took an ethnicity test that showed my ancestry to be > Portugese/Spanish, Native American, Brahmin, Belgian, Moroccan Berber, > Scottish, Norwegian, and probable Jewish.  I did not show a drop of English > or Irish.  Just because our families may have immigrated from England or > Ireland does NOT mean that was their ethnicity. > > Rick > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > WVLOGAN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > WVLOGAN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to WVLOGAN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message       ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to WVLOGAN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message