Archaeologists to Host Open House at the Berry site

The Berry Site (North Carolina, USA)

"Site Description: Following the conquest of the Aztecs in Mexico and the Inka in South America, Spain looked to "La Florida" for more land and riches. Hernando de Soto and his army traveled from Florida through North Carolina in 1540 on their way to the Mississippi River. In 1566, Juan Pardo left the Spanish town of St. Elena on the South Carolina coast and traveled into North Carolina in search of an overland route to Mexico. Scholars have debated the routes of Soto and Pardo for years but archaeological investigations at the Berry site (31BK22), north of Morganton in Burke County, provide evidence that both of these Spanish expeditions passed through the Catawba River valley."

Morganton's Local History

"The Berry site is a large (nearly 12 acres) Mississippian site that dates to the Burke phase (15th and 16th centuries A.D.) and is believed to represent an ancestral Catawba Indian town. This site is believed to be the location of the native town of Joara, at which Pardo built Fort San Juan in 1567 (20 years before the "Lost Colony). Excavations have revealed the presence of four burned structures in the area which may represent the remains of the Spanish compound, FortSan Juan. Pardo also renamed the Native settlement Cuenca, after his hometown in Spain. Quenca and Fort San Juan represent the earliest European settlement in the interior of North America."

Antiquity, Project Gallery: Moore, Beck & Rodning

Joara and Fort San Juan: culture contact at the edge of the world David G. Moore, Robin A. Beck, Jr. & Christopher B. Rodning

"Joara was the political centre of a Mississippian chiefdom, one of many that dotted the cultural landscape of south-eastern North America from c. A.D. 1000 - 1600 (Anderson 1994; Beck 2003; Beck & Moore 2002; Hally 1994; Muller 1997; Smith 2000). During the mid-sixteenth century, Joara sat at the north-eastern edge of the Mississippian cultural world and at the north-western edge of the Spanish colonial frontier. Our research into the long-forgotten episode of Fort San Juan's founding and subsequent fiery destruction promises to help re-write the history of European exploration and settlement in eastern North America, offering a new and deeper appreciation of Spain's early presence in this colonial borderland and of the subsequent transformation of native societies."

Joara

Spanish nail found at the site believed to have been the location of Joara and Fort San Juan. Image courtesy of Warren Wilson Archaeology.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
During the late-sixteenth century, Joara was the most dominant, and possibly the largest, town in what is now modern-day Piedmont and western North Carolina. Located in Burke County, twelve miles north of Morganton, on Upper Creek, Joara was, according to historians, “the northeastern edge of the Mississippian cultural world.” It served as a center of trade and a hub for travelers. Its economic and political prominence and its location near navigable routes, major trails, and good farmland prompted Spanish explorer Juan Pardo to construct Fort San Juan near the Indian town.

Rowan County Kentucky

Very interesting olden days photos. Could you be related to the people in the photos?

Pocahontas's People

I highly recommend this book and any other books written by Helen Roundtree. Anyone researching Virginia Indians should have this book.


Pocahontas's People: The Powhatan Indians of Virginia Through Four Centuries

Kelly Family Journal

Descendants of Timothy Kelly

The Melungeons: An Untold Story of Ethnic Cleansing in America

Virginia "Indians"

Virginia Health Bulletin, November 1925
Vol. XVII, Extra No. 12

Virginia "Indians"
by W. A. Plecker
From the booklet:
THE NEW FAMILY AND RACE IMPROVEMENT
Fifth of NEW FAMILY SERIES
Issued by
Bureau of Vital Statistics
State Board of Health
Richmond, VA
1925

"When the Racial Integrity law was being enacted, it was the desire of all to recognize as an integral and honored part of the white race, the descendants of John Rolfe and Pocahontas, and to protect also other white citizens of Virginia who are descendants in part of members of the civilized tribes of Oklahoma and who are of no other admixture than white and Indian."

Fireworks icing on the cake for Pittsburgh's 250th party

Friday, July 25, 2008
By Mary Kate Malone, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Pittsburgh will celebrate its 250th birthday on Oct. 4 with one of the largest fireworks displays ever in the region."

Virginia Health Bulletin, November 1925

A must read for all who have mixed ancestry. Thinking about the subject everyone should read this letter from 1925. The letters were sent to doctors by Walter Plecker. He was into eugenics and creating a pure blood race....a white skinned race. He was on the track of thinking like Hitler.

Robert Davis 12TH Union

Genealogy Pedigree Collapse

Written by John Becker, Toronto, ON
As appeared in OGS Families, Vol. 38. No. 3, 1999

"We all are blessed with two parents, four grandparents, eight great grandparents and so on. If the average generation is twenty-five years, in 1200 years (back to 800 AD, the time of Charlemagne) each person has 281.5 trillion grandparents. That's the way geometric progressions work. The number of grandparents doubles every 25 years and in 12OO years or 48 generations, 281.5 trillion names would be on your pedigree."

The Charleston Gazette

July 21, 2008
By Kellen Henry
Staff writer

"Reading the clues

Genealogy research helps unravel a mystery of Appalachian medicine
Growing up in Charleston, Nancy Sparks Morrison always loved hearing family stories. While the other children played outside, she preferred staying in, listening to relatives tell tales."

History of the Coal River

melungeons.com best site of the week. By the late eighth century many Melungeons who were looking for land to call their own followed the New River and the Coal River.

Many who served in the military were given lands in the new frontier, the West. Western Virgina (WV), at this time era was considered the Western frontier. The area did have Indians, which included Shawnee, Mohawk, Delaware, Tayac and Cherokees. I'm sure that the list of Indians is not a complete list.

Obama's Family Tree

Senator Barack Obama is a Melungeon according to many genealogist. On Obama's mothers side, is a very rich and proud heritage. News reporters are quick to mention Senator Obama's father heritage, trying to put to shame his African and Islam heritage. Barack Obama embraced his father's people who live in Africa. But to the news media this embrace is equaled to being anti-American. Of course this is obsurd.

Senator Obama like everyone else has another heritage on his mother's side. Genealogist have traced his mother's side and found a very interesting and rich heritage. Barack's ancestors have been living in this country for at least 250 years. His ancestors like the rest of our ancestors were trying their best to keep America a free Nation. One of his ancestors fought in the bloody Civil War.

Senator Obama, like me, is a Melungeon. Donald Collins, a Melungeon, traces this Melungeon heritage to Nathaniel Bunch of Louisa County, Virginia. Nathaniel was born 23 Apr. 1793.

We Need to Learn More About Our Colorful Past

By By MAURICE A. BARBOZA AND GARY B. NASH
Published: July 31, 2004
New York Times

The Pilgrims and the Mayflower Compact

link referred by Larry Keels

"Buffalo Soldiers?"

Who gave the name to the African Soldiers, "Buffalo Soldiers?" To find out follow the link!


Just in case you can't find it, the Indians gave them the nickname. This book is highly recommened. The pictures are a look into the past.

Welcome Melungeons

12th Union K. Paul Johnson

The Pell Mellers, as called by people in North Carolina, are similar to the Melungeons, Wesorts of Delaware and many other numerous tri-racial people. They have been ostracized by others because of their mixed ancestry. This oppression, in my view has caused these numerous mixed ancestry people to seek refuge on the mountain peaks in order to survive. And survive they did for centuries. New technology has paved the road to teach the children the ways of the vast Internet. Thanks Paul for writing and speaking in behalf of those who can not speak for themselves. Perhaps in the future they too will write a book too.

Melungeon Heritage Association 12th Union

LMU hosting Melungeon gathering

Published:
Tuesday, June 17, 2008 10:54 AM CDT
Special to the Daily News

HARROGATE, Tenn. — The Melungeon Heritage Association (MHA), in partnership with Lincoln Memorial University, will sponsor 12th Union: A Melungeon Gathering in Harrogate, Tenn. (Cumberland Gap area). This year’s event topic is: The Ongoing Struggle of the Legacy of Oppression.