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The Melungeons: The Resurrection of a Proud People Paperback – September 1, 1996

by N Brent Kennedy (Author), Robyn Vaughan Kennedy (Author)

192 ratings

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As early as 1654, English and French explorers in the southern Appalachians reported seeing dark-skinned, brown- and blue-eyed, and European-featured people speaking broken Elizabethan English, living in cabins, tilling the land, smelting silver, practicing Christianity, and, most perplexing of all, claiming to be Portyghee. Declared free persons of color in the late 1700s by the English and Scottish-Irish immigrants, the Melungeons, as they were known, were driven off their lands and denied voting rights, education, and the right to judicial process. The law was enforced mercilessly and sometimes violently in the resoundingly successful effort to totally disenfranchise these earliest American settlers.

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As Alex Haley's book Roots encouraged African-Americans to search for their African history through family stories and "myths," Kennedy's own search for identity through family history has encouraged a population of mixed-race people to search for their origins. This has led to the recovery of lost pride and a new self-identity. The book has also forced academics to admit their long history of denial of the diversity of American people and to recognize the multicultural composition of the American population. -- Helen M. Lewis, Retired Professor of Sociology and Appalachian Studies

Brent Kennedy is the prime mover behind the recent, and astonishing, revival of Melungeon identity. His determination to uncover and to understand his heritage makes for a fascinating story, which is still in the process of unfolding. But this is the book that started it all. -- John Shelton Reed, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

For fifty years, since I first heard the word "Melungeon" and visited their home-sties in the hills of Tennessee, I have been intrigued by the history, and mystery, of my distinctive neighbors. Plagued by two centuries of rumor, superstition, and deliberate misinformation about their origin and character, they were third-class citizens in an Appalachia already burdened by second-class stereotypes.

How welcome then is Brent Kennedy's scholarly and wide-ranging search for the truth behind the Melungeons' origin. It is a fascinating work carrying an implicit reminder of the worth and pride of every human being. -- Wilma Dykeman, Tennessee State Historian and author of The Tall Woman, Tennessee: A Bicentennial History, and The French Broad

About the Author

N. Brent Kennedy, founder of the Melungeon Research Committee, is a native of Appalachia and a Melungeon. One day he began explaining to his parents their heritage and thus unraveled family mysteries that go back for generations. After years wondering about the mysterious dark-skinned people he had often encountered while growing up, he realized that he was indeed one of them, that his family was part of the proud, troubled heritage of the Melungeons. He earned degrees from Clinch Valley College of the University of Virginia and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mercer University Press
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 1, 1996
Edition ‏ : ‎ 2nd Rev and Corr ed.
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 180 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0865545162
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0865545168
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.97 x 0.48 x 8.96 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #229,088 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,288 in Cultural & Ethnic Studies
- #2,680 in U.S. State & Local History
- #5,725 in World History (Books)

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192 ratings

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Customers find the book very informative, providing wonderful insights into Melungeon lives and helping them understand their heritage. They describe it as a fascinating read with well-written content, and one customer notes how it helps explain family stories and histories. The book arrives in excellent condition.

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24 customers mention "Information quality"24 positive0 negative

Customers find the book informative and well-researched, providing wonderful insights into the lives of the Melungeons and serving as an interesting history lesson, with one customer noting how it helped explain family stories and histories.

"...Not only is the book a methodically researched and superbly written account of the Melungeon People, it is also an indictment of the Anglo..." Read more

"...written by Melungeon authors the Kennedy's, that sparks thoughts, heated debate, as you can see from these reviews, and most importantly, action...." Read more

"...begin to fill in the gaps of our missing ancestry and have a better understanding of ourselves. I read the book without putting it down...." Read more

"...The book is an easy and interesting read with several plausible origin theories...." Read more

23 customers mention "Readability"23 positive0 negative

Customers find the book to be a fascinating read.

"...The book is an easy and interesting read with several plausible origin theories...." Read more

"...Whatever their background, this book is a fascinating read and asks some difficult questions about how we treat and condemn those different from..." Read more

"Interesting book...." Read more

"...This book is a powerful read that suggests an additional facet to our American story. It's more than a collection of oral histories...." Read more

6 customers mention "Writing quality"6 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, with one noting it was written by Melungeon authors.

"...Not only is the book a methodically researched and superbly written account of the Melungeon People, it is also an indictment of the Anglo..." Read more

"...Melungeons: The Resurrection of a Proud People," is a brave book written by Melungeon authors the Kennedy's, that sparks thoughts, heated debate, as..." Read more

"Great book. Written really great." Read more

"Wonderfully written and very informative. Although some of the ideas have changed recently, it was still a nice addition to my personal library." Read more

3 customers mention "Sturdiness"3 positive0 negative

Customers are satisfied with the physical condition of the book.

"...The book arrived quickly and in excellent condition - I recommend the book and the seller!" Read more

"It came in before time and in great condition. Good research book as I am doing research on this tribe, etc.,..." Read more

"Excellent condition Very informative!" Read more

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Linda Lee Greene
Methodically-Researched and Well-Written
Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2015
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Somewhere in the deepest region of my consciousness, the word “Melungeon” vaguely held place, but it wasn’t until my recent reading of The Melungeons, The Resurrection of a Proud People, the excellent book written by N. Brent Kennedy with Robyn Vaughn Kennedy that this race of people formed distinctly in my mind. As defined by Kennedy, the Melungeons are “…a people of apparent Mediterranean descent who may have settled the Appalachian wilderness as early as 1567—forty years before Jamestown…a people who almost certainly intermarried with the Powhatans, Pamunkeys, Creeks, Catawbas, Yuchis, and Cherokees to form what some have called, perhaps a bit fancifully, ‘a new race’…a people who built cabins and tilled the land, and, at least by the late 1700s, were practicing Christians…a people who were, a century and a half later, crushed and scattered beneath the violent onslaught of unbridled Anglo jingoism.”
Not only is the book a methodically researched and superbly written account of the Melungeon People, it is also an indictment of the Anglo conquerors of the New World, of their wholesale practice of ethnic cleansing of the indigenous populations, as well as of their Old World precursors to the New World whom had integrated peacefully with the natives. It is also a textbook of the true founding of America, one rather dissimilar to that penned in our history books. I discovered in Kennedy’s book so many clues to my own obscure ancestry, at least to what I reckon to be my ancestry, as well as the inspiration to delve into my roots as thoroughly as he did his, and as related in his mesmerizing book.
If Ancestry.com isn’t doing it for you, buy this book! It just might be your pathway to the missing link in your pedigree. On the other hand, if you are hungry for a great mystery in history unearthed and responsibly revealed, The Melungeons, The Resurrection of a Proud People, authored by N. Brent Kennedy with Robyn Vaughn Kennedy, is for you.

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Stephanie Rose Bird
A very important work
Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2007
Verified Purchase
Saying N. Brent Kennedy is a very important person is something of an understatement. Through his work and collaboration with many others he has come forward to put a face on the contemporary inquiry into mixed race and multiethnic cultures in the United States. Designed for the lay person, "The Melungeons: The Resurrection of a Proud People," is a brave book written by Melungeon authors the Kennedy's, that sparks thoughts, heated debate, as you can see from these reviews, and most importantly, action. As a combination of Brent Kennedy's many years of online projects and this book *many* people have looked into their ethnic backgrounds using some of the newly available DNA testing. Apart from my general appreciation for what Kennedy as an individual(working in collobation with others) has done for the conversation around ethnicity I really enjoyed the tone, voice, pace and even the historical photographs in "The Melungeons: The Resurrection of a Proud People." Kennedy is a gifted stortyteller and you will feel privy to his thoughts, research, investigations and theory upon reading his book. I highly recommend this title to anyone studying the complexities of race and ethnicity in the southeastern United States and those particularly interested in southeastern US cultural history. Apart from those folk, "The Melungeons: The Resurrection of a Proud People," has much to offer the general readership, particularly those interested in geneology. A must read--three or four thumbs up!

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Debbie Lapeyrouse
Finding My Kin!
Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2021
Verified Purchase
I only recently discovered I have Redbone / Melungeon ancestry. I discovered it first in my genealogy research and then shortly after it was confirmed in DNA results. It answers so many questions but also raised new ones and set me on a quest. This is one of two books I ordered this week and I'm so grateful to the authors for giving us these histories so people like me can begin to fill in the gaps of our missing ancestry and have a better understanding of ourselves. I read the book without putting it down. I even discovered I'm related to the author N. Brent Kennedy!

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T. Berry
Interesting history
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2024
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My family on my father's side originated in Sweetwater Tennessee and has been a mystery, with no traceability past my great grandfather and great great grandmother. Years ago I started to suspect maybe they were Melungeons. My father's generation were all dark tan complexion with blue eyes and black hair. An unusual combination. Our surname is also common in Melungeon and Lumbee families.

The book is an easy and interesting read with several plausible origin theories. It also has some "preachy" tone disparaging other early settlers in eastern America. It was a different time with different people and political climate, and I would rather keep it "just the facts" rather than assign motives and morality to long dead people.

Worth the read, gave me lots to think about.

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S. Mayo-Ernst
Old families found
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2013
Verified Purchase
This was the 2nd of a group of books I bought about the Melungeons. I am a certified Genealogist and specialize in Cherokee families. However, many times I found Cherokee physical features but none of a family's ancestors appeared on any of the numerous Cherokee Rolls and Census records. Many of the family surnames I have researched are mentioned in this book and locations and family histories match what was recorded in this book. It has helped to explain many family stories and histories.
Many Cherokee and other Native American families had to 'hide in plain site' due to persecution and the Trail of Tears. Native Americans often claimed to be other races such as Portuguese, Black Dutch, or French among others. The Melungeons appear to be a distinct racial group that has survived similar to the Native Americans but on a parallel path. Whatever their background, this book is a fascinating read and asks some difficult questions about how we treat and condemn those different from ourselves.

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23 people found this helpful

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Scouts mom
Melungeon history
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2023
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We just started researching our family tree. We found we have Melungeon ancestors so I bought several books on the subject but this one was the most informative by far. I highly recommend it.

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Fabulous fab
I Melungeons: un popolo cancellato dalle burocrazie razziste
Reviewed in Italy on September 16, 2013
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Fu la storica e filosofa Hannah Arendt a cogliere per prima la mostruosa normalità impiegatizia con cui in epoca nazista migliaia di solerti, inoffensivi, grigi burocrati tedeschi dedicarono la loro precisa e onesta routine quotidiana di ufficio alla più criminale e feroce operazione di pulizia etnica della storia: l'Olocausto. Ma se i campi di sterminio con il personale, i sistemi e gli apparati di gestione amministrativa di quella barbarie operarono nell'arco di sei anni, per secoli negli Stati Uniti il popolo americano è stato suddiviso nei registri censuari in base a categorie razziali che seguivano criteri vaghi, o infondati, come l'aspetto fisico ed i tratti fisiognomici delle persone. Già durante la schiavitù, per esempio, impiegati anagrafici ed ufficiali di stato civile cominciarono ad annotare nei loro quaderni i cosiddetti FCP ("free colored people", cioè individui liberi di colore). Perlopiù si trattava di mulatti e Amerindi discendenti da bianchi oppure da Neri non schiavizzati, padroni di se stessi, titolari di diritti civili. Tra costoro nei monti Appalachi (Tennessee, Caroline, Virginie) i "Melungeon". Piccola e misteriosa minoranza etnica di colorito marrone, con capelli nerissimi lisci, tratti del volto proporzionati, aspetto mediterraneo, costoro ancora nel XIX secolo si dichiaravano portoghesi. Altri pero' si sentivano turchi o mori cioè nordafricani, quindi arabi. Non mancava chi attribuiva loro addirittura origini cartaginesi, ma pure ebraiche e fenice. Abolita nel 1865 la Schiavitù, quell'indeterminatezza razziale (venuta a cadere la categoria Fpc) non ha più risparmiato i "Melungeons". Se le persecuzioni e le discriminazioni contro i Neri importati dall'Africa e i Nativi amerindi hanno raggiunto vertici spaventosi subito dopo la Schiavitù fino agli anni '60 del XX secolo, con un Apartheid poco diverso (soprattutto negli Stati del Sud) da quello sudafricano, è andata forse anche peggio agli Indiani di colorito scuro con antenati afroamericani, agli Amerindi (ad esempio Tuscarora, Lumbee, Cherokee) di colorito bianco. E ad una minoranza di origine etnica incerta come i "Melungeons". Di essi neanche il nome ha una radice accertata. Potrebbe essere il termine francese "melange" (mescolanza o miscela o insieme misto). Ma potrebbe essere anche l'espressione turca "melun-can" (popolo abbandonato). Senza contare che
proprio in una comitiva di anziani italoamericani di Knoxville-Tennessee chi scrive sentì definire dispregiativamente "melanzana" un individuo afroamericano. L'autore del libro, Brent Kennedy, accredita alla sua gente una parentela con i prigionieri ispanici e nordafricani, turchi, portoghesi, brasiliani e africani, catturati dal pirata Sir Francis Drake durante una documentata scorribanda in Brasile e abbandonati sulle coste della Carolina prima di una tempesta. Ma a prescindere dalle sue origini, questo popolo che si mescolò comunque con individui di colore, tribù native e altre minoranze (i cosiddetti Indiani bianchi Tuscarora e Lumbee) ha sofferto per secoli persecuzioni, discriminazioni, violenze, umiliazioni, offese. Privi di identità etnica in un Paese ove ai cittadini si chiede ancora di definire la propria appartenenza razziale, secondo i criteri assolutamente relativi di una riconoscibilità visiva, la storia dei "Melungeons" è stata per secoli una dolorosa diaspora di perseguitati in lotta contro una "pulizia etnica" imposta dalle burocrazie e per l'affermazione di un'identità ancora negata e contestata. Non spetta certo all'umile recensore pronunciarsi sulla maggior o minor razionalità di una ricerca dell'identità etnica in una fase in cui l'etnologia (studi su un dato popolo considerato a se stante come realtà immutabile nel tempo) è stata ormai soppiantata dall'antropologia (studi sulle caratteristiche in comune dei gruppi umani in rapporto a quelle di altri gruppi in un preciso momento storico) a fronte delle infinite ibridazioni tra i popoli. E non solo il razzismo - ma persino il "razzialismo" delle tante e troppo rigide divisioni culturali tra gruppi umani essenzialmente uguali - viene identificato come un nemico insidioso della convivenza paritaria tra i popoli, dell'integrazione pacifica delle minoranze e del dialogo tra i gruppi umani di origini geografiche pur diversissime.Quel che il recensore non può omettere è l'estremo rigore della trattazione, l'interessante abbondanza di materiale fotografico, la qualità letteraria delle narrazioni storiche e dei fatti famigliari. Il libro di Brent Kennedy merita quindi rispettose attenzioni ed un profondo interesse soprattutto nelle scuole italiane dove i casi di razzismo e insofferenza xenofoba - tra i genitori anche più spesso che tra gli studenti - superano ormai la soglia dell'episodicità.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Methodically-Researched and Well-Written

5.0 out of 5 stars A very important work

5.0 out of 5 stars Finding My Kin!

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting history

5.0 out of 5 stars Old families found

5.0 out of 5 stars Melungeon history

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5.0 out of 5 stars I Melungeons: un popolo cancellato dalle burocrazie razziste

Methodically-Researched and Well-Written

A very important work

Finding My Kin!

Interesting history

Old families found

Melungeon history

I Melungeons: un popolo cancellato dalle burocrazie razziste