Browsed by
Tag: race

“Race” and Our Appalachian Ancestors

“Race” and Our Appalachian Ancestors

This is a “reprint” of a post to my Facebook Group from 17 Mar 2023, before I reactivated my blogging capabilities. Hoe it is useful to site visitors. “Race” is a tricky thing — and it often is in the eye of the beholder. As I review records online I frequently see “W” or “Black/African-American” as if such categorizations are absolute. But the story is almost never so simple.For that reason, in the past I have resisted creating a fact…

Read More Read More

Running from Race

Running from Race

As I watch “Finding Your Roots” on PBS, a weekly habit, I am reminded that all of us who claim ancestry of “Melungeon” or “Cherokee princess” ancestry need to recognize the genetic truths — many of us have Black ancestors. I can document hundreds of “white” folks who moved around Appalachia, from places in East Tennessee and/or SW Virginia into various counties of Eastern Kentucky, to escape labels of “colored”.It has long been documented that the poor white (English) indentured…

Read More Read More