Jamestown Freedom Pioneers (c. 1830–1850s) were free people of color in Jamestown, North Carolina whose families and extended networks participated in abolitionist and freedom support activities during the antebellum era. Within a region shaped by an active Quaker presence, free Black families and Quaker allies shared moral opposition to slavery and engaged in efforts to aid freedom‑seeking enslaved people as part of the broader system of clandestine assistance that historians associate with the Underground Railroad in North Carolina. Jamestown’s Quaker communities — including members of the North Carolina Manumission Society and other anti‑slavery advocates — created legal and informal pathways to freedom, negotiating manumissions and facilitating movement northward. During the mid‑19th century, some descendants and kin of these free families migrated westward into the Midwest, contributing to the establishment and growth of free Black settlements, most notably the Weaver Settlement near Marion, Indiana, beginning in the 1840s. Founded by free people of color, including families originally from North Carolina, Weaver became a self‑sustaining community of farms, churches, and businesses and was part of a network of free Black communities that provided refuge and assistance to freedom seekers and formerly enslaved people moving through free states. Together, the Jamestown Freedom Pioneers and their connected communities reflect the complex social, religious, and migratory landscapes of free people of color in the antebellum United States, demonstrating how coordinated local resistance and regional alliances contributed to the broader struggle against slavery.

Podcast guest Marvin Jones, Documentary Photographer and Founder of the Chowan Discovery Group. We discuss his mixed ancestry and Melungeon Revolutionary ancestors from the Winton Triangle in Hartford, NC, as well as his Virginia connections.

Former MHA President and Melungeon author, Wayne Winkler, discusses how mixed-ancestry people like the Melungeons influenced and contributed to the American Revolution.

Join the Melungeon Heritage Association for Season 6 Episode 2 with special guest: Daughters of the American Revolution!

Links D.A.R. - dar.org

D.A.R. members can send names of Patriots to the D.A.R - [email protected]

If you're not a member yet, you can ask for more information - [email protected]

We will also have all of this information on the Melungeon Roots website: melungeonroots.com

MHA President Heather Andolina speaks with Jes Arnold, creator of the new Melungeon Roots website (melungeonroots.com), a Melungeon resource center and online community. Jes is an amateur genealogist and researcher, and a Melungeon descendant with deep roots in Eastern Kentucky. Through her project, Jes aims to support those seeking to learn more about their mixed ancestry heritage, foster a greater understanding of Melungeon history and identity, and uncover and retell the stories of lost ancestors.

In this episode, we also share our new 'We Are Melungeon' song! If you enjoy the song, you can download it here for free from our website and play it anytime!

Hosted by Heather Andolina, President of the Melungeon Heritage Association, Co-hosted by Brooke Gibbons, Presented by The Melungeon Heritage Association (melungeon.org)

Note: This episode was originally recorded as a live YouTube video. There were some technical issues with the audio, so this podcast begins when the audio starts (intro is missing).

Season 6 will focus on the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution and the contributions and significance of the Melungeon people and people of mixed ancestry to the American Revolution. The episodes will be dropped monthly instead of weekly, with more content in between episodes to learn more about each episode, and we will let you know the date and time of each new episode.

In this season’s finale episode, MHA Board President Heather Andolina welcomes YouTube creator Danielle Romero and discovers how she found out about her Melungeon and Redbone ancestry, how the two communities are similar, and what inspired her to start her own YouTube channel you’ll want to discover for yourself.

Danielle Romero is a YouTube creator and hosts the YouTube channel NYTN where she explores American identity and hidden history. She also delves into her multicultural heritage (both Melungeon and Redbone ancestry) through her documentary series "Finding Lola," uncovering the complex stories of her ancestors in Louisiana. Born in New York, she now lives in Tennessee with her family.

Guest contact information:

NYTN YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@nytn Social media handle: @ImFindingLola 

Hosted by Heather Andolina

Produced by Lis Malone (Lis Malone LLC)

Presented by the Melungeon Heritage Association

In this episode, Heather Andolina welcomes John King to discuss at-risk populations, specifically the poor, homeless, and mixed-ethnic and non-white communities in Appalachia and the Southeastern United States. John also introduces listeners to the conference, Class Con, and why he started the conference and what it's all about.

John King is an American Cultural Studies PhD candidate at Bowling Green State University and is a graduate of Berea College with a degree in Popular Culture. He studies at-risk populations with a particular focus on poor and homeless groups in the Southeastern United States. Most recently King was a contributing author for the Soulful Sounds of Derbytown, chronicling the history of black musicians and entertainers in Louisville, Kentucky.

John King / Class Con https://www.bgsu.edu/library/classcon.html will be March 14-15, 2025 at BGSU Jerome Library. It is free to present and attend, and will also be available on Zoom. Past presentations can be found in their digital archive: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/classcon/ 

If anyone would like to get updates on Class Con 2025, or to become a member, please email [email protected]

Additional information mentioned in the episode:

Frederick Murphy's new documentary "The Indelible Appalachians"

Social media @historybeforeus

Spcial thanks to Kathy Lyday, Vice President of the MHA

Hosted by Heather Andolina (MHA President)

Produced by Lis Malone (Lis Malone LLC)

Presented by the Melungeon Heritage Association

Nae Whitman joins Heather Andolina to talk about her journey in overcoming generational trauma, the resilience of the Melungeon people, her fierce support of the LGBTQIA community, and her future writing, and performing endeavors.

Nae Cole Whitman is a writer of essay, travel, fiction, and food, as well as a poet and bon vivant. She has written her first memoir called “Hag,” and is working on her second memoir which will be called, “Factory Girl.” 

She describes herself as a Melungeon descendant, newly-diagnosed-ADD Bodacious Broad Cisgender Woman and strong LGBT advocate. Someone with an obsession for diners, cool old lamps, belly dancing, road trips, and Tom Jones. She adores brunches which turn into dinners, prefers barefoot picnics to fine dining, and believes biscuits with honey to be a cure-all.

Nae is also a DJ and a performer with a one woman show also called, “Factory Girl.” 

Nae Cole Whitman contact info:

www.linktr.ee/houseofnae 

Social media @houseofnae 

Find "Hag" on Amazon

Additional links mentioned in this episode:

Kiran Singh Sirah

www.kiransinghsirah.net 

Social media @kiransinghsirah

Hosted by Heather Andolina (MHA President)

Produced by Lis Malone (Lis Malone LLC)

Presented by the Melungeon Heritage Association

Heather Andolina welcomes Dr. Kimberly Cheek to examine the Tribal connections to the Underground Railroad in North Carolina and Virginia, how maroon and Melungeon communities helped and supported African Americans with Freedom-Seeking, and delve a little into Dr. Kimberly Cheek’s own mixed ethnic ancestry.

Dr. Kimberly M Cheek is an Adjunct Lecturer at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, and has over twelve years of experience teaching undergraduate students. She also has grant writing experience and has served on three grant committees.

Dr. Cheek's historical areas of focus include Race and Empire, Transnational black politics and radicalism, as well as U.S. Foreign policy during the Cold War. Her teaching areas are Global History, Ancient History, United States History, African American History, and Modern European History.
Dr. Cheek's research interests are 19th century African American intellectuals, late 19th and early 20th century European imperialist activity in West Africa and Central Africa, African and African American anti-colonial and liberation movements, African American global civil rights activism during World War II and the period of European colonialism in Asia and Africa, the early period of the Cold War, as well as the African American Press during World War II and the Cold War.

For more information on Dr. Kimberly M Cheek visit www.ncat.edu

Visit the new MHA online store and order your merchandise today! https://melungeon.org/shop/

Hosted by Heather Andolina (MHA Board President)

Produced by Lis Malone (Lis Malone Media)

Presented by the Melungeon Heritage Association

To learn more visit www.melungeon.org

The information and opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily represent those of the MHA.

In this episode's discussion, Heather Andolina invites Chief Deanna Wood-Priddy to sharing her discovery of her Melungeon heritage, what inspired her to write a book about her life story, and how she became Chief of a Tribal nation.

Chief Deanna Wood-Priddy is the mother of two beautiful daughters, and has been married twelve years to her childhood sweetheart. She is an author, singer, songwriter, minister, Chief, mother and wife, and Banana Dee to her grandchildren. She is the author of the book, “Unraveled and Made Whole Again,” and is working on making her book into a movie. Chief Deanna, is a regional Chief of the Tsalagiyi Ngvadi Texas Cherokee Tribal Nation.

Links from this episode:

Chief Deanna Wood-Priddy

Facebook: ⁠www.facebook.com/deanna.priddy⁠ 

To purchase her book "Unraveled And Made Whole Again":

Amazon: ⁠Amazon.com: Unraveled - And Made Whole Again: 9781647737504: Priddy, Deanna Wood: Books⁠

Frederick Murphy

Website: www.historybeforeus.com

Social Media Handle: @historybeforeus

Kimberly Knight

Website:  www.theluxblognc.com

Social Media Handle: @blackindiansnc

Beverly Scarlett

Website: www.indigenous-memories.com 

Social Media Handle: @indigenousmemories

Ramona Moore Big Eagle

Website: www.ramonamoorebigeagle.com 

LaTonya Beatty

Website: www.Saponigirl76.blogspot.com 

Hosted by Heather Andolina (MHA Board President)

Produced by Lis Malone (Lis Malone LLC)

Presented by The Melungeon Heritage Association

To learn more visit www.melungeon.org

The information, views and opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily represent those of the MHA.