Re: Searching for James Collins circa 1830 - Tennessee
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In reply to:
Re: Searching for James Collins circa 1830 - Tennessee
Karl Collins 3/06/10
Karl,
probably the best indication of "Melungeon" ancestry would be a combination of factors like peculier racial designations in records (example, being labeled "Indian" or "mulatto" in one record and "white" in others, or a sibling having a different racial designation, etc), or intermarriage with other families in a clannish situation. I would beware of the "bump" and shovel teeth thing, because those arent true indicators. One thing you should keep in mind is that your family may naver have been known as "Melungeons" though you may be related to the Collins families that were. "Melungeon" is just a term given to a clan of people by outsiders, and there were similar clans in different locations, some having strange names as well. Names like Collins, Goins, etc were popular among such clans, and many might have a common ancestor, or come from the same tribe or band of people. But DNA testing could indicate if you're related to certain other families with similar backgrounds. I'd reccomend Family Tree DNA.
Kevin