Possible Melungeon Roots
While researching my father's side of the family, the Bells and Ferrells, I have come up against quite a few roadblocks. About the only thing that I can get out of any of them is that someone, somewhere was Native American.
A friend of mine told me about a friend of his who was researching his family tree and that this friend had Native American in his family and that I should check with him.
I did and to my surprise, he lead me to a group of people called Melungeons. There is entirely too much to explain and too many varying opinions about these people but there are some pretty good sites on the web and some great books.
After much digging around, I found that my third great grandfather, Thomas Benton Ferrell had a brother named Smith Ferrell and he married into the Melungeon family of Solomon "Money-Making Sol" Mullins. Smith had married Solomon's granddaughter Mahala Johnson.
Digging a little deeper, I found that Thomas Benton Ferrell's father James Ferrell had a sister named Emma Ferrell who James Colley, son of another Melungeon, Richard "Fightin Dick" Colley. I have also discovered that, according to the research of N. Brent Kennedy, Emma and James' mother was Jane Jackson and she has a connection to the "Black Jacksons" of western North Carolina. She married William Ferrell, Jr.
I am just beginning to put together my father's family and I would really like to correspond with anyone out there who is related to any of the above mentioned people.
Melungeon Sites
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Melungeons.com
Melungeon Health Problems
My Ferrell Family
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Email: robin_bell@verizon.net
