The Melungeons

melungeons.com blog

Friday, December 30, 2005

The Kotel

The Kotel: "The Kotel

Sometimes called the Western Wall, the Wailing Wall, or the Kotel HaMaariv, it is part of the remains of the second Temple in Jerusalem. Over generations, Jews came to pray there, as it was the closest they could come to the Holy of Holies on the Temple Mount.

When one refers to 'The' Wall, they mean the Kotel. "

re: Prayer for Brent on the Wailing Wall, Israel

re: Prayer for Brent on the Wailing Wall, Israel: "Hi Guys!

Just received this - first part from Helen, then in response to her request and finally from me:

Greetings,

A few days ago Brent's very good friend Kelly Pritchard contacted me about Brent Kennedy. She read on my site that Brent was in a coma. Kelly told me that she knew people who had miracle healings after their name was placed in the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. I immediately contacted my friend Jack Zeller about the Wailing Wall and if were possible to have Brent's name placed there in Jerusalem. Within an hour I got a response. I will give more details later but for now Jack did send me a statement to post. A call from Jerusalem confirmed that the great deed had been done.

Helen,

Let me make a composite message for everyone:

There is a tradition to say a prayer for anyone at anytime among our Sephardic Mulungeon ancestors.

We do not have to be in a house of worship because the heavens above, G'd's gift to us, is a holy place.

One old tradition is to write a prayer and place it in the wall of the foundation ( Kotel) of the 2nd Temple in Jerusalem.

Two prayers have been placed on behalf of Brent. Both this Thursday. Thursday ( Monday and Saturday also) is a special day for prayer because it is the day that part of 5 books of Moses( torah) is read during a prayer service. At the prayer service when the torah reading occurs, a prayer was made by Rabbi Peretz Rodman who lives in Jerusalem on behalf of Brent. Rabbi Rodman is a close friend and I explained to him who Brent Kennedy was. Rabbi Rodman also placed a supplication into the Kotel.

My two daughters and their families went to Jerusalem early today to place a prayer on behalf of Brent into the Kotel. My youngest daughter Ariella lives in Modiin"

Thursday, December 29, 2005

The Gift Of Life

Nancy Hopkins Kennedy and Brent Kennedy
Picture was taken in 1951-1953

Monday, December 26, 2005

RootsWeb: Melungeon-L Update

RootsWeb: Melungeon-L Update: "We visited with Robyn Kennedy and Brent's father and brother In the ICU waiting room at Holston Valley this evening. They seemed pleased that we came. Robyn said Brent was resting and still on life support, she ask us all to continue praying for him. Jack & Betty "

Gift of Peace

Mayor of Wise, Mayor of Cesme and Brent Kennedy

The Tree of Hope




Brent Kennedy and Mayors of Sister Cities
Cesme and Wise, planting a tree to represent
hope and friendship.

Melungeon Mountain


Melungeon Mountain in Turkey

Saturday, December 24, 2005

Update on Brent Kennedy Dec. 24, 2005

From: "ljcrain"
Subject: Update on Brent's Condition
Date: Sat, 24 Dec 2005 09:44:05 -0600


Copied from the Historical Melungeons List:

Here's another update. There's no change in Brent's condition.
Audie

Update from Liza Harmon.

Another tough day at the hospital for Brent's
family.

There has been no significant change in Brent's condition. As you can imagine, as the days drag on, it gets harder to remain strong. Blessed are the doctors and nurses that can be uplifting even when they are sharing critical information. Brent has some outstanding health care providers. Evidently there are two nurses, Penny and Lisa that are taking care of Brent that have been especially helpful to Brent's
family.

Robyn prays for a miracle and thanks each of you a million times over for your many prayers. I believe that Brent would be embaressed to realize how much attention he is receiving. It is touching to receive many of your stories of how knowing Brent has changed your lives. I will print those off and share them with Robyn, Ryan, Richie and 'PaPa' (Brent's father).

I'm sorry that I do not have any different news or more exensive information.
On a 'housekeeping' note, the distribution list has gotten too big. I have had to split it into at least two sections. Please if you know of someone that needs to know this information, please just forward them your copy of the note. Tonight I had to write this note twice, because after an hour and a half of trying to get it to go through, it failed yet again and did not save the unsent version for me to edit the distribution list and try again. So, I had to compose the note again, and start over. Thanks for your help.



Best to each of you,
Liza

Friday, December 23, 2005

Beloved UVa-Wise professor passes away at home























Beloved UVa-Wise professor passes away at home: "When political science professor Joe Scolnick failed to show for his 10 a.m. class on Wednesday, concerned college officials dispatched campus police to his residence in Wise, located in an area behind the county courthouse. Town of Wise police were called to the residence, where his body was found seated in a chair. Scolnick apparently passed away Tuesday evening while reading a book."

HistoricalMelungeons : Message: Update on Brent

HistoricalMelungeons : Message: Update on Brent: "Hi Folks, here is an update on Brent from Wayne Winkler.

Penny

I just spoke with John Thompson at the Wellmont Foundation. There has been no significant change in Brent's condition, which is actually good news. As John said, the longer he goes without a change, the more likely that he will come out of the coma. The dangerous time is early in the coma; as long as he maintains his vital signs, there is a strong possibility of recovery.

Robyn reports that she is eating and getting some rest. Richie and Brent's father come in regularly, and they have brought in some of Brent's favourite CDs, along with some holiday music, to create a pleasant ambiance in Brent's room.

We'll all have to be patient and hope for the best, and continue our prayers for
Brent's recovery.

Wayne

Wayne Winkler

Vice-president

Melungeon Heritage Association"

A Legacy of Two Cities


Brent Kennedy and OSMAN FARUK LOGOGLU in Wise, Virginia 2003


by Helen Campbell

On October 11, 2003, Dr. Logoglu visited the people of Wise to honor the growing friendship between Wise, Virginia and Cesme, Turkey. The two cities, Cesme and Wise became sister cities in mid-1995 through the successful program, Sister Cities International.

Dr. Osman Faruk Logoglu, is the world known Ambassador of Turkey to the United States. He was appointed ambassador in 2001. Ambassador Logoglu is the author of Ismet Inonu and the Making of Modern Turkey , a book about the life and times of the second president of the Turkish Republic. Dr. Yucel Guclu, the Minister-Counselor at the Turkish Embassy to the Holy See, wrote a wonderful book review on the ambassador's book in the Journal of International Affairs also for further reading read an article in the Turkish Daily News."

Thursday, December 22, 2005

Tamer Ozaydin- Thank You

Dear Friends,

I would like to thank my friend Tamer Ozaydin for translating the news about Brent Kennedy.

Umit,

Helen

Monday, December 19, 2005

Brent Kennedy

UPADATE:

According to my sources at UVA-Wise, over the weekend, Brent suffered a more-serious stroke and is now in a coma at Holston Valley Hospital, in the ICU. That's all the information I have but will keep the list posted if I find out more.

bye,
darlene

Thursday, December 15, 2005

Confirmed Spanish Land Grant Claims

Confirmed Spanish Land Grant Claims: "Maps: Past and Present
Included below are eight examples of maps from the collection. For purposes of comparison, four different types of maps have been cropped and scaled to show the grant parcel for each example. The first image in each series shows the map that has been cropped from the original document. The second image is a rendering of the same map with the text translated to english. The third image is a cropped portion from the USGS 7.5-minute topographic map series showing the subject area. The fourth image is a cropped portion from an aerial photo (USGS digital orthophoto) showing the subject area. Click on the thumbnail images to view a larger image, or you may view and print the examples from the Adobe Acrobat PDF files linked below."

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

THE BAT CREEK STONE: JUDEANS IN TENNESSEE?

THE BAT CREEK STONE: JUDEANS IN TENNESSEE?: "THE BAT CREEK STONE: JUDEANS IN TENNESSEE?
Tennessee Anthropologist
Vol. XVI, No. 1, Spring 1991
Robert C. Mainfort, Jr., and Mary L. Kwas
Reproduced with permission from The Tennessee Anthropologist
ABSTRACT
An inscribed stone reportedly excavated by the Smithsonian Institution from a burial mound in eastern Tennessee has been heralded by cult archaeologists as incontrovertible evidence of pre-Columbian Old World contracts. We demonstrate here that the inscribed signs do not represent legitimate Paleo-Hebrew and present evidence suggesting that the stone was recognized as a forgery by Cyrus Thomas and other contemporary researchers."

HistoricalMelungeons : Message: "Black Dutch" - A Polite Euphemism?

HistoricalMelungeons : Message: "Black Dutch" - A Polite Euphemism?: "'Black Dutch' - A Polite Euphemism?
http://www.melungeon.org/?BISKIT=367877315&CONTEXT=cat&cat=10092
by Darlene Wilson
Note: This article, slightly revised here, appeared in the winter 1997-98 issue
of the Appalachian Quarterly, published by the Wise County Historical Society.
My mother's family (surname 'Albert,' mostly in and around Pulaski Co., VA)
always said that they were of 'Black Dutch' ancestry but no one then or now
living could explain, to my satisfaction, what that meant. Many of her aunts,
uncles, and siblings looked more Native American than any other ethnicity; by
the end of summer, one great-aunt of mine who loved to garden looked a lot like
surviving pictures of that much-noted Melungeon matriarch, Mahala Collins
Mullins who, as a young woman, appeared to be a medium-dark mulatto.
As is typical of many Appalachian families, my mother's people only bothered
to trace the one male line that could be linked:
1) to a 'name' on a ship's manifest-- in this scenario, an original 'Albert'
left Germany c. 1700-- and,
2) to a Revolutionary War pension record-- here, one of Albert's grandsons
apparently made his way down the Valley of Virginia after the War looking for
land."

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Farrar Funeral - Current

Farrar Funeral - Current: "JEAN PATTERSON BIBLE, age 93 of Dandridge, TN passed away Sunday evening, December 11, 2005 at Lookout Pointe Assisted Living Center. She was born October 12, 1912 in Russellville (Hamblen County), TN, the daughter of the late Hugh Graham and Lucy Nenny Patterson. She was a graduate of Salem College with an AB degree in English, French and Spanish and taught these subjects at Maury High School in Dandridge for several years. Jean was a former historical, travel and feature writer, having her articles published in several major publications and was also well known for her 'This and That' column that was featured weekly in the Jefferson County Standard Banner. A renowned author and historian, she authored 'Melungeons Yesterday and Today' and 'Bent Twigs in Jefferson County.'"

Sunday, December 11, 2005

RootsWeb: Melungeon-L Re: [Melungeon] The New Berlin Wall

RootsWeb: Melungeon-L Re: [Melungeon] The New Berlin Wall: "Hello,

I thought this may be of interest and I want to share it. Click on the link
at the bottom for the whole article.

Eleanor

Portuguese Jews

Many Shephardic Jews from Portugal fled persecution and came to
the colonies. Mathias de Sousa was one such Jew who arrived in
Maryland in 1634 being the first documented Portuguese to live in
the colonies.15 In 1654, 23 Shephardic Jews arrived in New
Amsterdam fleeing persecution in Brazil. These Jews and other
Jews in the area formed what became known as the 'Portuguese
Nation.'16

In 1790, about 3,000 Jews lived in the newly formed United States.
with many being Portuguese. They could be found living in Boston,
Philadelphia, and Richmond.19

http://wwwlibrary.csustan.edu/bsantos/immigr.html"

The Conneaut Giants

The Conneaut Giants: "Part 2: Solomon Spalding Writes About
The GIANTS of Conneaut
MARTHA D. SPALDING, the sister-in-law of the would-be novelist, Solomon Spalding, gave this interesting account in 1833: 'I was at his house [Solomon Spalding's] a short time before he left Conneaut; he was then writing a historical novel founded upon the first settlers of America. He represented them as an enlightened and warlike people. He had for many years contended that the aborigines of America were the descendants of some of the lost tribes of Israel, and this idea he carried out in the book in question... disputes arose between the chiefs, which caused them to separate into different bands, one of which was called Lamanites and the other Nephites. Between these were recounted tremendous battles, which frequently covered the ground with slain; and their being buried in large heaps was the cause of the numerous mounds in the country. -- Some of these people he represented as being very large.' "

Saturday, December 10, 2005

Temple Records

Temple Records: "I am just learning Jewish genealogy research and I am hoping someone can help me. Although this may sound like a really 'dumb' question to those that are familiar with Temple records I need to know what Temple records consist of? Do the types of records vary from Temple to Temple or are they basically the same? I am hoping to research the records of the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation in Baltimore, MD. The timeframe is 1840-1880. If anyone is familiar with these records, I would greatly appreciate any quidance."

RootsWeb: Melungeon-L Looking Jewish

RootsWeb: Melungeon-L Looking Jewish: "When living in Baltimore MD in the 40's my mother loved shopping at the
Jewish markets on Lombard St. in East Balto. There she could get the sweet butter,
fresh eggs, yummy baked goods, and pick out the live frying chicken she
wanted. They would prepare the fryer while a person waited for it.

After a few times of noticing others were getting their chickens before hers
was prepared she asked why, and was told they were waiting for the Rabbi to
kill her chicken. The Jewish people only ate meat killed by a Rabbi. From her
apparance they assumed she was Jewish. Our older Jewish landlord asked my
brother, 'be you Jew boy?'

For that reason I believe we have a goodly percentage of Jewish blood, but
did not know from where it came.

My mother's ancestors were all from the western NC & VA and eastern KY
& TN with surnames, ROBINSON, JACKSON, BUNCH, CURRY, with others such as
HELTON, SHELTON, BROCK, HOWARD, FLETCHER, and SPIVEY."

RootsWeb: Melungeon-L Re: [Melungeon] Looking Jewish

RootsWeb: Melungeon-L Re: [Melungeon] Looking Jewish: "Not the Jewish issues, but the Dodson/Dotson connection.
Mine, Tabitha [married Daniel (de la Chaumette) Shumate--his fifth wife and
the only one who survived him, in Fauquier County, VA (now W.Va)] had a
Dodson/Dotson ancestor who claimed to have been a Roanoke survivor. Said he
and other boys were away hunting and came back to find the outpost
decimated, everyone dead. Said he was raised by Indians and came out of the
woods 15 years later, into Jamestown, but wasn't believed.

Only saw it once, on a set of maybe 7-8 mimeographed sheets. up in Ft.
Wayne's genealogical library. At the time I didn't know anything about
Roanoke, or that it was simply assumed that everyone had perished. But he
had to come from somewhere.

There was no Dodson/Dotson on the passenger list, but they didn't list the
names of servants, and don't know if any later visit might have dropped
anyone off.

Although Tabitha was a Dodson/Dotson, and the paper was prepared by someone
writing about that family, perhaps the ggrandfather who the story was about
was the father of a girl who married a Dodson/Dotson, and the family
misremembered ... as so often happens.

Anyway, that's family lore for you. Endlessly fascinating and frustratingly
difficult to forget and move on from."

RootsWeb: Melungeon-L Joe Scolnick

RootsWeb: Melungeon-L Joe Scolnick: "Prof. Joe Scolnick of the University of Virginia's College at Wise,co-author, along with Dr. Brent Kennedy, of 'From Anatolia to Appalachia: ATurkish-American Dialogue,' passed away yesterday.Some of you may remember him from Fifth Union where he was a presenter."

Thursday, December 01, 2005

Weird U. S. & History Channel - www.ezboard.com

Weird U. S. & History Channel - www.ezboard.com: "Melungeons definatly exist, as I am one of them. I do have the 'Anatolian Bump' as well as the 'Shovel Teeth.'

Shovel Teeth are actually an Asian genetic trait. Most (if not all) Native Americans also have Shovel Teeth. Melungeons are mixed with American Indian, European, and Turkish or perhaps Portuguese (since a Melungeon, when asked of his ethnic origins, replied 'Portyghee'). No one really knows, and if you ask me, my own personal theory is that Melungeons are probably of Turkish, Euro and Native American descent. My grandmother was always known as 'Cherokee.' However, she, nor any of my other ancestors appear on any rolls. She was listed as a Free Person of Color (fpc) on her birth certificate.

Anyway, I didnt see this episode, I sure wish I did! "

Amazon.com: Beyond Race: The Bhagavad-Gita in Black and White: Books

Amazon.com: Beyond Race: The Bhagavad-Gita in Black and White: Books: "Beyond Race: The Bhagavad-gita in Black and White

by TDL Turner, M.A. [L.I.S.]

My thoughts about and reactions to Beyond Race: The Bhagavad-gita in Black and White, by
Charles Michael Byrd, were well clarified by my return from AMEA's (packed!& worth it!) National
Conference on 'The Multiracial Child', in Tucson (AZ) (mid-October 2002). While those who have
done some comparative reading of major religious texts might find it academically 'friendlier',
anyone in the habit of critical thinking and analysis also can glean from these pages.
As a fifth-generation member of brown, tan, and pink Moxhaccine* (Mestiza-Creole)
Multiracials my responses to certain sections were both experientially and academically triggered.
So-called ' 'black' and `white' cultures' (pages 22-25; 28-29) were developed entirely to
perpetuate antagonistic, viciously greedy, destructive, anti-humane agendas throughout the past 4,500
years. Since these agendas=the 'definitions', I tend towards not using such terms, preferring African
(Afroid) and European (Caucasoid). While both European and African heads of state used what
became 'racially-based' slavery to fund and expand their political/military agendas, Arabic Islamic
'jihads' that resulted in the fall of Adoghast (ca.1066, ending phase I of the Akana-Ashanti Empire),
and successive rises/declines of Akan-Islamic medieval to [baroque] empires that included Mali,
Songhay and Kanem-Bornu, further fueled West African involvement in kidnapping and selling of
humans (ref: Basil Davidson; Leroy Brooks"