Carmel Indians
Encyclopedia
The Carmel Indians are a group of Melungeon
s who have lived in Highland County
in the southwestern part of the U.S. state
of Ohio
. They are descendants and relatives of the Melungeons of Kentucky
, also a group of mixed-race ancestry. Anthropologists described both groups as among the "little races" and as tri-racial isolates. The Carmel Indians migrated from Kentucky to Ohio during the 19th century.
The mixed-race Melungeons often called themselves American Indians
, as did people outside the group, who tried to explain their physical characteristics. This was one way they could evade some of the racial barriers of antebellum and post-Civil War years. Outsiders called them Indians to explain aspects of the differences between their appearance and that of their mostly European neighbors. They found an adaptive way to evade some of the pressures that intensified in some areas after the Civil War of the binary division of society into black and white races.
As Paul Heinegg (1997) has documented, the earliest ancestry of eight of the nine common names among the Melungeons in Magoffin County, Kentucky
, go back to African Americans free in Virginia
before the American Revolution
. Most of the free African Americans were children of early unions between white women, indentured servant or free, and African men, indentured servant, free or slave. Since the mothers were white, their children were free born. Through the years, there may have been some marriages of Native Americans into the group as they migrated to North Carolina, then into Kentucky and Ohio. One family name has been associated with the Saponi
of North Carolina.
Melungeon
Melungeon is a term traditionally applied to one of a number of "tri-racial isolate" groups of the Southeastern United States, mainly in the Cumberland Gap area of central Appalachia, which includes portions of East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and East Kentucky. Tri-racial describes populations...
s who have lived in Highland County
Highland County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 40,875 people, 15,587 households, and 11,394 families residing in the county. The population density was 74 people per square mile . There were 17,583 housing units at an average density of 32 per square mile...
in the southwestern part of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. They are descendants and relatives of the Melungeons of Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, also a group of mixed-race ancestry. Anthropologists described both groups as among the "little races" and as tri-racial isolates. The Carmel Indians migrated from Kentucky to Ohio during the 19th century.
The mixed-race Melungeons often called themselves American Indians
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, as did people outside the group, who tried to explain their physical characteristics. This was one way they could evade some of the racial barriers of antebellum and post-Civil War years. Outsiders called them Indians to explain aspects of the differences between their appearance and that of their mostly European neighbors. They found an adaptive way to evade some of the pressures that intensified in some areas after the Civil War of the binary division of society into black and white races.
As Paul Heinegg (1997) has documented, the earliest ancestry of eight of the nine common names among the Melungeons in Magoffin County, Kentucky
Magoffin County, Kentucky
Magoffin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky which was formed from parts of Floyd, Johnson, and Morgan Counties and officially created on 22 February 1860. As of 2000, the population was 13,332. Its county seat is Salyersville...
, go back to African Americans free in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
before the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. Most of the free African Americans were children of early unions between white women, indentured servant or free, and African men, indentured servant, free or slave. Since the mothers were white, their children were free born. Through the years, there may have been some marriages of Native Americans into the group as they migrated to North Carolina, then into Kentucky and Ohio. One family name has been associated with the Saponi
Saponi
Saponi is one of the eastern Siouan-language tribes, related to the Tutelo, Occaneechi, Monacan, Manahoac and other eastern Siouan peoples. Its ancestral homeland was in North Carolina and Virginia. The tribe was long believed extinct, as its members migrated north to merge with other tribes...
of North Carolina.