mg,

You may want to look at http://www.melungeon.org/.

There is also a very good article at wiki.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melungeon.

Kennedy has a very particular point of view and is not the most objective source of information regarding research and scholarly exploration, as he seems pretty determined to make the research fit his theories, rather than to allow the research to inform his theories. At least that has been my impression from what web research I have done regarding melungeons. He was one of the first sources I ran across, and there was "something" about his writings that made me wonder about his objectivity, and that is what lead me to look at other sources. Not saying he should be discounted, but I don't think he is a good sole or primary resource to use to inform yourself about melungeon ancestry.

Through my father, who agreed to be tested, I am a participant in the Williams DNA project. Genealogical DNA is pretty complicated. www.familytreedna.com is a good resource to understand haplogroups, Y-DNA and mtDNA, and how to interpret the results.

I have not done significant research on melungeons. What led me to do what research I have is that a distant cousin (with whom we came in contact through the Williams DNA project) is researching whether her branch of the family is part of the group from the southern Appalachians who were originally called melungeons. (We have several x great grandfathers who were brothers.) She has found some circumstantial and inclusive references in her genealogical research that suggests some of her ancestors, while in this area, were referred to melungeon, but what she has found is merely suggestive. She does know that she has both Saponi and Cherokee in her ancestry, and possibly Occhaneechi (whose tribal office is located in my town.) Many, if not most of the members of the small local tribes here on the Piedment of NC also have African ancestry. She is a very serious and experienced genealogist and has been president of more than one genealogical society. Reading what she had posted to our genweb family website was interesting, and particularly intrigued me because I now live in Orange Co., NC, though am not from here, and her ancestors lived in this area. This is one of the areas identified as associated with melungeons. She thinks the argument that the original group(s) referred to as melungeon as stemming from mideastern, portugese, or moorish or sephardic (sp?)jewish people is quite weak. The first people referred to as melungeon also made no claims for that to be the case.

Other than Kennedy and his followers, most other sources find his theories to be the least plausible, based on what evidence is available. All sources do seem to agree, however, the history of melungeons is still largely a mystery.