Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
00:00 - Introduction: Is my surname Melungeon?
01:10 - About the Channel & Supporting the Show
01:43 - Why Surnames are Just a Starting Point
02:18 - Personal Connection: The Goens Surname in Louisiana
03:10 - Defining "Core" Surnames and Newman’s Ridge
The 10 Core Surnames (Newman's Ridge)
03:48 - 1. Collins (Vardy Collins & Racial Inconsistency)
04:35 - 2. Gibson / Gipson (Shepard Gibson & Surname Clusters)
05:08 - 3. Mullins (East Kentucky & Kinship Networks)
05:35 - 4. Goens / Gowen / Going (Deepest Research Path)
06:05 - Mihil Goen: The 1668 Paper Trail
06:38 - Migration Patterns: VA, NC, TN, and the Midwest
07:32 - Essential Resources for Goens Researchers
08:22 - 5. Bowling / Bolling / Bolen
08:56 - 6. Bunch (John Bunch & Colonial Freedom Suits)
09:44 - 7. Sexton (Stony Creek Church Connections)
10:05 - 8. Sizemore (Ned Sizemore & Primary Sources)
10:27 - 9. Minor / Miner
10:53 - 10. Denham (The "Less Common" Melungeon Surname)
Widening the Lens: The Broader Network
11:32 - Free People of Color & Adjacent Communities
11:50 - Chavis / Chavez (John Chavis & The Lumbee Connection)
13:23 - Lumbee & Robeson County Surnames (Lear, Oxendine, Lowry)
13:32 - Additional Connected Families (Cumbo, Sweat)
13:43 - Other Adjacent Names (Driggers, Goodman, Trent, Williams, Moore)
Research Strategy & Best Practices
14:48 - The Importance of Surname Clusters
15:25 - Step-by-Step: How to Research Your Family
16:03 - Using Census Records & Racial Classifications
16:19 - Why You Must Look at Your Ancestor's Neighbors
16:37 - Finding Church & Court Records
17:02 - Paul Heinegg’s "Free African Americans" Resource
17:23 - DNA vs. Paper Trails: Managing Expectations
18:27 - Closing Thoughts & Where to Find More Help
Behind every one of these surnames lies a deeply personal journey through the hidden corners of American history. We are looking far beyond just a simple list of names to uncover the generation-spanning stories of the Melungeon people. Join me as we dive deep into the fascinating roots that might just connect you to this incredible part of the American story.
✅Join me OFF of Youtube
patreon.com/NYTN
💚💚Get you $50 cash back @ Rakuten rakuten.com/r/DANIEL9771
☕Send me a coffee!: ko-fi.com/nytn13#linkModal
nytonashville.com
Select sources:
Stony Creek Primitive Baptist Church Minutes, Scott Co., VA, 1801-1814. Earliest written use of "Melungin" (1813). Transcribed by Jack Goins: historicalmelungeons.com
Manumission of Mihill Gowen, York Co., VA, Oct. 25, 1657. Deeds, Wills & Orders, Book 3, p. 16. Earliest documented Gowen/Goins record.
Mihill Gowen Land Patent, James City Co., VA, Feb. 8, 1668/9. VA Land Patents, Book 6, p. 208.
Phillip Gowen v. John Lucas, freedom suit, James City Co., VA, June 1675.
Rev. John Chavis papers, NC State Archives. ncpedia.org/biography/chavis-john
Heinegg, Paul. Free African Americans of North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina, from the Colonial Period to About 1820. Fully searchable by surname: freeafricanamericans.com
Goins, Jack. Melungeons: Footprints from the Past. Self-published, 2009.
Goins, Jack. Melungeons and Other Pioneer Families. Self-published, 2000. Also: jackgoins.blogspot.com
Winkler, Wayne. Walking Toward the Sunset: The Melungeons of Appalachia. Mercer UP, 2005.
Bible, Jean Patterson. Melungeons Yesterday and Today. East Tennessee Printing, 1975.
Price, Edward T. "A Geographic Analysis of White-Negro-Indian Racial Mixtures in Eastern United States." Annals of the Assoc. of American Geographers 43 (1953): 138-155.
Pollitzer, W.S. & W.H. Brown. "Survey of Demography, Anthropometry, and Genetics of the Melungeons of Tennessee." Human Biology 41 (1969): 388-400.
Estes, Roberta et al. "Melungeons, a Multi-Ethnic Population." Journal of Genetic Genealogy 8 (2012): 1-31.
LUMBEE OVERLAP (Locklear, Oxendine, Lowry, Chavis)
Lowery, Malinda Maynor. Lumbee Indians in the Jim Crow South. UNC Press, 2010.
Sider, Gerald M. Lumbee Indian Histories. Cambridge UP, 1993.
1806 Virginia statute requiring newly manumitted free people of color to leave the state within 12 months. See Nicholls, Michael L. Whispers of Rebellion. UVA Press, 2012.
WHERE TO RESEARCH
Library of Virginia: lva.virginia.gov
Tennessee State Library and Archives: sos.tn.gov/tsla
Hancock County TNGenWeb: tngenweb.org/hancock
Melungeon Heritage Association: melungeon.org
FOLLOW ME 📸
► YouTube: / @NYTN
► Facebook: / facebook.com/findinglolafilm
► Website: nytonashville.com
► X: / twitter.com/ImFindingLola
00:00 - Introduction: Is my surname Melungeon?
01:10 - About the Channel & Supporting the Show
01:43 - Why Surnames are Just a Starting Point
02:18 - Personal Connection: The Goens Surname in Louisiana
03:10 - Defining "Core" Surnames and Newman’s Ridge
The 10 Core Surnames (Newman's Ridge)
03:48 - 1. Collins (Vardy Collins & Racial Inconsistency)
04:35 - 2. Gibson / Gipson (Shepard Gibson & Surname Clusters)
05:08 - 3. Mullins (East Kentucky & Kinship Networks)
05:35 - 4. Goens / Gowen / Going (Deepest Research Path)
06:05 - Mihil Goen: The 1668 Paper Trail
06:38 - Migration Patterns: VA, NC, TN, and the Midwest
07:32 - Essential Resources for Goens Researchers
08:22 - 5. Bowling / Bolling / Bolen
08:56 - 6. Bunch (John Bunch & Colonial Freedom Suits)
09:44 - 7. Sexton (Stony Creek Church Connections)
10:05 - 8. Sizemore (Ned Sizemore & Primary Sources)
10:27 - 9. Minor / Miner
10:53 - 10. Denham (The "Less Common" Melungeon Surname)
Widening the Lens: The Broader Network
11:32 - Free People of Color & Adjacent Communities
11:50 - Chavis / Chavez (John Chavis & The Lumbee Connection)
13:23 - Lumbee & Robeson County Surnames (Lear, Oxendine, Lowry)
13:32 - Additional Connected Families (Cumbo, Sweat)
13:43 - Other Adjacent Names (Driggers, Goodman, Trent, Williams, Moore)
Research Strategy & Best Practices
14:48 - The Importance of Surname Clusters
15:25 - Step-by-Step: How to Research Your Family
16:03 - Using Census Records & Racial Classifications
16:19 - Why You Must Look at Your Ancestor's Neighbors
16:37 - Finding Church & Court Records
17:02 - Paul Heinegg’s "Free African Americans" Resource
17:23 - DNA vs. Paper Trails: Managing Expectations
18:27 - Closing Thoughts & Where to Find More Help
Behind every one of these surnames lies a deeply personal journey through the hidden corners of American history. We are looking far beyond just a simple list of names to uncover the generation-spanning stories of the Melungeon people. Join me as we dive deep into the fascinating roots that might just connect you to this incredible part of the American story.
✅Join me OFF of Youtube
patreon.com/NYTN
💚💚Get you $50 cash back @ Rakuten rakuten.com/r/DANIEL9771
☕Send me a coffee!: ko-fi.com/nytn13#linkModal
nytonashville.com
Select sources:
Stony Creek Primitive Baptist Church Minutes, Scott Co., VA, 1801-1814. Earliest written use of "Melungin" (1813). Transcribed by Jack Goins: historicalmelungeons.com
Manumission of Mihill Gowen, York Co., VA, Oct. 25, 1657. Deeds, Wills & Orders, Book 3, p. 16. Earliest documented Gowen/Goins record.
Mihill Gowen Land Patent, James City Co., VA, Feb. 8, 1668/9. VA Land Patents, Book 6, p. 208.
Phillip Gowen v. John Lucas, freedom suit, James City Co., VA, June 1675.
Rev. John Chavis papers, NC State Archives. ncpedia.org/biography/chavis-john
Heinegg, Paul. Free African Americans of North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina, from the Colonial Period to About 1820. Fully searchable by surname: freeafricanamericans.com
Goins, Jack. Melungeons: Footprints from the Past. Self-published, 2009.
Goins, Jack. Melungeons and Other Pioneer Families. Self-published, 2000. Also: jackgoins.blogspot.com
Winkler, Wayne. Walking Toward the Sunset: The Melungeons of Appalachia. Mercer UP, 2005.
Bible, Jean Patterson. Melungeons Yesterday and Today. East Tennessee Printing, 1975.
Price, Edward T. "A Geographic Analysis of White-Negro-Indian Racial Mixtures in Eastern United States." Annals of the Assoc. of American Geographers 43 (1953): 138-155.
Pollitzer, W.S. & W.H. Brown. "Survey of Demography, Anthropometry, and Genetics of the Melungeons of Tennessee." Human Biology 41 (1969): 388-400.
Estes, Roberta et al. "Melungeons, a Multi-Ethnic Population." Journal of Genetic Genealogy 8 (2012): 1-31.
LUMBEE OVERLAP (Locklear, Oxendine, Lowry, Chavis)
Lowery, Malinda Maynor. Lumbee Indians in the Jim Crow South. UNC Press, 2010.
Sider, Gerald M. Lumbee Indian Histories. Cambridge UP, 1993.
1806 Virginia statute requiring newly manumitted free people of color to leave the state within 12 months. See Nicholls, Michael L. Whispers of Rebellion. UVA Press, 2012.
WHERE TO RESEARCH
Library of Virginia: lva.virginia.gov
Tennessee State Library and Archives: sos.tn.gov/tsla
Hancock County TNGenWeb: tngenweb.org/hancock
Melungeon Heritage Association: melungeon.org
FOLLOW ME 📸
► YouTube: / @NYTN
► Facebook: / facebook.com/findinglolafilm
► Website: nytonashville.com
► X: / twitter.com/ImFindingLola
