A few days ago, while cruising the Oceans Blue, my daughter in law, Gail asked me if I’d ever heard of the Melungeons. I had not.

She had researched the topic while doing some family ancestry work. While researching it she found that Janet Lewis Crain had written about this group of people. She had remembered Janet from seeing the many interactions she shared with us here on the Angora Chronicles, before her passing a few years ago. Figuring that it must be the same Janet, I threw the topic out and tagged Janet’s sons on the post.

They told us that yes their mother had written papers on the Melungeons.

Seeing the discussions our very own fellow member, Terry Cole said he too had written a four part series on the subject. Terry sent me links to those writings from his very fine group, A Texan’s Writers Block. With his approval I’m sharing those papers here with y’all.

As you’ll see, these were from several years ago. It was in the winter time of 2013/2014 when Terry stroked the keyboard to give us these. Thank you Terry.

Part I……The Melungeons…
I can tell this story a whole lot better than I can write it…I cain’t wave my arms on paper and I have a right passable Tennessee accent.. This story don’t have no end to it, no moral, or no kind of nuthin that usually makes a good story…..But some folks have been wanting to read this so here goes…Ya”ll might as well take your shoes off and get comfortable…..
This started about fifteen years ago or so when I met this UT student from Tennessee name of Jason Hill….He was into genealogy and so was me….and some of my kinfolks come from the part of Tennessee he was from….so Jason sends me a note on how to look up some stuff and then he says—-This part of Tennessee is home to the Melungeons, a mysterious group of people that noone knows where they came from…..I got right curious..went to the dictionary–no Melungeons…went to the encyclopedia—no Melungeons….went to the computer…..there is all kinds of Melungeons and every site has a different theory about where they came from—some of the very early English settlers found them —and they spoke and older form of the King’s English……interesting…one place has possible Melungeon surnames and right there are the Berrys, the Booths, and the Coles…..three of my great granparents …..and I’m going…doggone……..look someplace else—check your teeth to see if you have Melungeon or American Indian blood—–ok—–the back of your font four top teeth are not straight up and down–but concave—called the Oriental shovel tooth–yessir, run your fingernail on the back of your top front teeth—–and I know you are right now…..-I got it–mine are dished out in the back….
I have got to check somebody else…..and Sweet Merna is the only one in the house…..We had been together a little while…..and I have done some strange things but I never asked a woman if I could feel her teeth…..so I walks in and she’s sitting on the couch reading a magazine…..so I sidles up to her and starts to get in position and drop to one knee so I’ll be lower than she is…and she looks at me…and I says,”Can I ask you a question?” and she looks at me sorta strange like and says,”’I guess so.”and I realize—she’s thinking I’m fixin to propose marriage…but I’m to far into Melungeon shovel teeth to be knocked off corse….and I says”Can I feel your teeth?” and that poor woman has been lookin at me strange ever since…but she let me…and she has the teeth…but she is quarter Indian…so who knows?

PART II. THE MELUNGEONS
Well Sirs…I had read up on the melungeons all I could and checked Sweet Merna’s teeth. Now I couldn’t wait to tell somebody…..and my chance came with one of our Cole family gatherings at brother Kevin’s house….After we ate,,,which is always the most important thing at a Cole family gathering….I started telling everybody about the melungeons….and then I got around to telling them about the Oriental shovel teeth…..Everybody in the room had their fingers in their mouth,,,that is except Papa Zane…he wouldn’t check his teeth and would not allow anyone to check them…Brother Kyle says…I got it….Brother Lane says..I got it….Mama Char says….I don’t…..but it was no surprise because she is French and English…and then Brother Kevin says…I don’t got it…and looked sorely dissappointed….but nobody thought too much of this because he had been gnashing his teeth at nite for years and his teeth were wore down…
Things were winding down and Mom and Dad had left when Kevin got a phone call and the room got quiet so he could talk…and the conversation went like this….Uh-huh …yep….. okay….uh-huh…yep…love you too…bye…..
And we all looked at him and somebody asked…Who was that?……
And Kevin looked at us and said…That was Mom…..She says there’s no shame in not knowing who your real Daddy is…..

MELUNGEONS; PART III
Things was going along and I had told people to check their teeth to see if they were melungeons,,,,,,,and then I met this feller that was out at the house doin a little bobcat work….Turns out he’s from Tennessee,,name of Craig Sneed…..and right off the bat I know he’s a kind of easy going joker…So I asks him.”Did you ever hear of Melungeons?”
And ol Craig he gets this real strange look about him and sorta looks off into space. ( And this is where my Tennessee accent would kick into high gear if I was tellin this story in person)….Craig says….”Melungeons….Who was I tellin abouwt Melungeons jus tha other day? Yessir…AAh know abouwt Melungeons. Sneedville Tenahsee is full of em..And over the next few days I got me a plumb good education on Melungeons from Craig Sneed….such as……Doan be tell nobody they’re dum as a Melungeon, them’s fighten words…Their famly tree goes strait up like a telephone pole….and my favorite…….That laust colony of Roanoke ain’t lost…We know who begaught and who begaught and who begaught. ….part 4 coming soon…

PART IV; THE MELUNGEONS
My pard Tommy Chapman heard the Melungeon story and just right then and there that he was one…I don ‘t know how tall Tommy is but I purt near have to stand on a milkin stool to look him in the eyes, and I’m 6’2”. He’s one of these lanky fellers that’s easy goin til you cross him and is pure D Texas cowboy…He’s also part Comanche Indian.
Seems like American Indians are prone to havin back troubles….and Tommy did. He was in a doctor’s office getin an exam..and the doctor left the room and come back with another doctor. This other doctor looks Tommy over and asks,”Are you part Indian?
Tommy replies, ”No, I’m a Melungeon.” He said both them doctors looked at me like I was crazy and just ignored what I said and went to talkin amongst theirselves……
Now when Tommy calls me on the phone and I say hello, he asks, ”Is this Melungeon headquarters?” and then I got this text message at Christmas.
Ho ho malunjin, merry Christmas from malunjin number 2……and that is the end for now…but this thing has been goin on for 15 or so years and might never end.

If any of you aspire to writing and want another place to share your works, to test them out, I bet Terry would love to have you come join up with this group.

But I also would appreciate if you’d share them with us on The Angora Chronicles. (First if you don’t mind😂😂)