Ethnic Origins
Home > Genealogy > Ancestral Origins > Ethnic OriginsWho were those mysterious dark skinned ancestors of mine?
We are all of diverse ethnic origins. I am "White", but some of my ancestors apparently weren't. I've found several ancestors and relatives, and others listed on the pre 1850 census records in the "Free Colored" columns. These same people were sometimes listed in the White columns. In the 1850 and later census records they were listed with a race of White on some census records, and Mulatto on others. What does all this mean?
As you know, there are a multitude of different races and ethnic groups on this planet, yet in the United States, prior to the 1850 census (1790-1840), there only seemed to be three categories: White, Slave and "Free Colored" (or "Other"). (American Indians were not supposed to be listed on the census records, though they were occasionally.) If you weren't "White" (i.e. light skinned of typical western European origin ), and you weren't a slave, you went in the "Free Colored" column. Beginning in 1850, the categories were changed slightly. In 1850 you could be "W" (White), "B" (Black, but not a slave), or "M" (Mulatto). If you didn't fit "W" or "B", then you went in the "M" category. This causes a lot of confusion. By definition, "Mulatto" means someone of mixed race, one parent being black, the other white, or a descendant of such a couple. Various laws were enacted (differed from state to state) saying just how much black blood you could have to be considered Mulatto, or if you only had a certain amount (i.e. 1/16th) you could be considered "legally White."
Prior to the Civil War (1861-1865), the vast majority of African Americans were held in slavery. Many of these were already mixed with White blood (and Indian blood). However, over the years (and as far back as there are records, to the 1600's) slaves were being freed by their masters. These former slaves now being free often intermarried with whites and Indians (though in many places mixed marriages were illegal). The offspring of these marriages generally tended to stay together in communities. Racism is nothing new, so these people had many hardships, though it seems that it wasn't as bad in the early days (1600's to early 1800's) as it was in the mid 1800's. Many descendants of these families were those who were found in the census records in the "Free Colored" columns and listed as "M" (Mulatto) in the 1850 and 1860 census. (See the Race Codes page for more on how census takers recorded race.)
However, this isn't just a "Black and White issue". Not everyone listed as "Free Colored" or Mulatto's were actually of African origin. There are some whites and blacks who intermarried with Indians, and their offspring were often listed in those categories.
There were also other possibilities, including those families that claim to be of "Black Dutch" or "Melungeon" origin. These are a little harder to track down. There are differing opinions on just who these people were, and some claim that they are just terms used to try and hide black ancestry, and that may be true in many cases.
"Black Dutch" supposedly originated with Sephardic Jews living in Spain during the 1400's. They were cast out of Spain in 1492 and many moved to the Netherlands, where they were assimilated to some degree, though their darker skin earned them the name "Black Dutch". Many of them eventually wound up in America. The above isn't the only explanation for what "Black Dutch" means, but it is the most logical one I've seen. I have some ancestors who claimed to be "Black Dutch."
The "Melungeons" are supposedly of Portuguese or Turkish origin (or a combination of both). How they got here is debatable, but in any event, they were in America early on (pre 1700, by most accounts) and by the late 1700's had probably intermarried with various Indians along the way (they started out in SC and wound up in the Appalachian mountains of SC, NC, TN, VA and KY, and probably other areas). The darker skin of these people is attributed to various origins, most of them theoretical: Intermarriage with Indians and blacks once in America; or their possible Turkish origin. I have some ancestors who claimed to be Portuguese, though the term "Melungeon" was never used.
There have been several books and articles written on the subject of Melungeons, and they go into far more detail than what I've discussed here.
You may find that a person who falls into the "Free Colored" or "Mulatto" category will be found in the Court records for the county where he lived. In many cases they had to go and defend themselves if someone tried to dispute their rights as a free person (and that happened a lot, mainly out of racism, greed and spite). I've found records (in Court minutes and deed books) where a person would just make a statement to be recorded stating that "John Doe" was White, and that his parents were "White" or that the persons Great grandfather had been Black. These records are quite interesting and helpful though it is hard to always know what the motivation is for the statement, as sometimes they just stand alone in the deed books with no other reference, so you don't know what brought it on, or if the person making the statement was a friend or enemy to the person in question.
When the 2000 census was being designed they ran into a problem. What to do about race? In America today, "race" is a complicated issue. (Same problem in 2010.) There are so many different types of "hyphenated" Americans, and if you could only choose one "race", and you are multi-ethnic, which do you choose? If your mother was "black" and your father "Native American", which do you claim? This very problem shows the fallacy of the entire "race" issue. There truly is no such thing as "race". All people are the same species. The "race" issue is really just a matter of how much Melonin is in your skin, resulting in darker or lighter skin, depending on the quantity. Other so called "Racial" features are a matter of genetics (and beyond my scientific understanding), but the point is that it isn’t always a "black and white" matter.Whatever my own ancestors turn out to have been, I'm glad they were there, otherwise, I wouldn't be here!
In any event, good luck in figuring out the "Ethnic Origin" of your ancestors!