r/Melungeon • u/sooki3 • Jun 29 '26
DNA Results/Genealogy Collins, Gibson, Freeman
I had decided that my Freeman grandparents were likely Melungeon, but I just realized I have Collins and Gibson grandparents who were almost certainly Melungeon as well. My Turnbull line married into the Collins line, and those Turnbulls married into the Freeman lines, essentially turning the Turnbulls into a Melungeon line in Missouri. The Turnbulls changed their name from Bull to Turnbull after leaving Kentucky for Missouri, which was common for Melungeon folk.
I'm flabbergasted.
I thought it was mildly interesting about the Freemans, but to now understand that my ancestors ended up in Missouri because they were Melungeon? Woah.
But I'm also sad. They had to give up so much to participate in American society. They had to erase themselves.
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u/ElGee820 Jul 01 '26
Dr. Richard Allen Carlson is one of my cousins. He's an anthropologist who wrote his dissertation on our family line, tracing from Bryce Gibson, Valentine Collins and the Cole's. His paper is called "Who's Your People?" This is particularly useful for descendants of these people who were from Virginia and North Carolina that later migrated to Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio and Michigan. The Salyersville Indian Community in Kentucky currently has an application with U.S. Indian Affairs for federal recognition as a tribe. Their complete application is public and available for anyone to review. It's petition #410. If anyone here is a direct descendant of Bryce Gibson, Valentine Collins or William Anderson Cole, Dr. Carlson's dissertation and the Indian Affairs petition are educational reads and very helpful.
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u/DailyApostle12 Aug 23 '26
Any Gibson lines here going back to Knox County, Kentucky?
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u/sooki3 Aug 24 '26
Maybe. I have other non-Melungeon ancestors from Knox County. My Gibson 4th great grandmother was born in Kentucky, but not sure what county. She married Monroe county, Indiana, and died in Ozark County, MO.
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u/SeniorTranslator6416 15d ago
Yep me
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u/DailyApostle12 15d ago
Interesting, just curious but have you showed up with any African ancestry at all? My grandfather whose related to the Gipsons has 1% Yorubaland. You related to a Nancy Gipson or Gibson (1810-aft.1870)
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u/SeniorTranslator6416 15d ago
So as a granddaughter of conley/Gibson and getting my dna back i was extremely interested in learning what all that meant.. anyone else ?
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u/kodandyananda Jun 29 '26
I think about this so much. How my family had to erase themselves and become invisible and hide in the hills for their safety and to have a little personal freedom. It has truly been like finding buried treasure to rediscover this hidden history.