Read at Melungeon

How many fingers do you have?

Best wishes,,,,

Z

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), June 03, 2000

Answers

Thanks for the link, Z. PBS aired a special on the Melungeons a few years back. Yet another example of man's inhumanity...

"You can't have a middle class unless you've got an underclass. America needed Appalachia the way Appalachia needed Melungeons."

And people wonder why I look upon humanity pessimistically? How long has this idiocy gone on? When will it end?

On the whole, we suck.

-- Bingo1 (howe9@shentel.net), June 03, 2000.

I never heard of Melungeons but I am intrigued by how similar they sound to a group called "Jackson Whites". When I was growing up in NJ, the Jackson Whites lived in isolated settlements in the Ramapo mountains on the border of NY state and NE New Jersey (Mahwah, Suffern area). There was one settlement that was visible from Route 17 as it curved thru the mountains just north of the state line.

They were poor, swarthy, and their origins unknown. The story was that they originated in Revolutionary times and were a combination of Hessian deserters from the British army, freed slaves, Indians and Chinese. Naturally there were stories of inbred, dueling-banjo types, 6 finger types and more. They were mysterious and scary to a young white-bread.

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), June 03, 2000.

Why do you ask?

-- Abe Lincoln (What "color" @re. your genes?), June 03, 2000.

Lars from Mars,

JACKSON WHITES

-- (nemesis@awol.com), June 03, 2000.

Try again

J-W

-- (nemesis@awol.com), June 03, 2000.

If you are interested this is the URL of the organization discussed in the report:

Organization

An AltaVista search will bring up many sites on the subject; these include name searches.

Best wishes,,,,

Z

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), June 03, 2000.

Thanks for the link nemesis. Interesting reading. I hail from NJ, about 45 minutes south of Hackensack. I don't recall any mention of the Jackson Whites.

Familiar pattern of behavior, eh. "We have the power, your appearance is different than ours, therefore you must be inferior." Obviously.

-- Bingo1 (howe9@shentel.net), June 03, 2000.

Where's the beef.....

i.e. this oberver sees no PROOF.

So easy to post opinions on the web (too easy, for that matter)

-- Chicken Little (panic@isover.now), June 03, 2000.

I think Z1X4Y7 is just looking for a way to discriminate against others based on their genetic makeup. I am a "melungeon" and I don't have 6 fingers, neither does Elvis, so kiss my ass, bigot.

-- Abe Lincoln (just.more@NWO.racism), June 03, 2000.

Bingo---

I grew up 10 miles west of Hackensack. Went to summer camp in the Ramapos, near Oakland. That's where I first heard of the Jackson Whites.

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), June 03, 2000.

In Alabama we call ourselfves Freeborn. We are free and we will stay that why.

-- ET (bneville@zebra.net), June 03, 2000.

Isn't a Melungeon a Girl Scout cookie?

-- J (Y2J@home.comm), June 03, 2000.

Naah, that's where I eats me lunch everyday laddy, down at "me luncheon".

-- the leprechaun (don't.steal@my.lucky.charms), June 04, 2000.

Abe, you said,

I am a "melungeon" and I don't have 6 fingers, neither does Elvis, so kiss my ass, bigot.

No, he meant on EACH HAND, your ancestry is why you have TWELVE fingers (thirteen most of the time).

Don't even know what a Melungeon is, just thinking back to old Polish jokes,

Frank

-- Someone (ChimingIn@twocents.cam), June 04, 2000.

well.... my friends and i wanted to see if this was true, we took 17 north to sheraton cross roads and went up the mountains, it was dark and nothing happend besides someone chasing us with a white pick up truck down the mountain. it was pretty damn scary. i/m sorry i just wanted to see what they looked like.

-- F (pillow98@aol.com), March 25, 2002.

Whats all this Shit about race, Lets ALL JUST GET ALONG a Melungeon is just another group of people in America like the Italians,Germans and Mexicans

-- Justin Fiorenzio (jfiorenzio@yahoo.com), August 14, 2002.