Two white men, Robert Coleman and John Regan testified that they were acquantied with with Thomas Hagans grandfather, Thomas Ivey when he had been living on Drowning Creek in NC. They stated that Ivey was "of Portuguese descent, that his complexion was swarthy, his hair black and strait - that his wife Elizabeth was a free white woman, very clear complexion." They testified that Thomas Ivey's daughter Kesiah Ivey married Zachariah Hagan and they were the parents of Thomas Hagan. From: Race and History News and Views Race and History Forum Date: 7/27/2008 http://www.raceandhistory.com/cgi-bin/forum/webbbs_config.pl?md=read;id=2248
Noted by W. Edward Ivey: Although at some unknown point this paternal haplogroup E. originated in Africa, many of the early so-called Melungeons in America could have, by familial word-of-mouth and tradition, honestly and legitimately believed themselves to be of Portuguese origin. "Portuguese presence in Africa started in 1415 with the conquest of Ceuta and is generally viewed as ending in 1975,------." 1 "Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, East Timor and Equatorial Guinea,"2 along with other continental African locations were considered by the Portuguese to be a part of the nation of Portugal. Portugal's view of its overseas colonies: "There was in effect no empire, just “one state, single and indivisible” (um estado, uno e indivisível) parts of which were “overseas provinces” (províncias ultramarinas). This semi-mystical doctrine of “lusotropicalism” asserted that Portugal’s unique history and culture enabled it to transcend its continental limits to spread across the non-European world."3
Although their present day genetic classification would of course remain the same, under this maxim “one state, single and indivisible”, those continental Africans living in, or originating from Portuguese Africa could in good faith and by tradition refer to themselves as Portuguese. A different, but somewhat analogous comparison in today's world is citizens of the non-contiguous states of Alaska and Hawaii legitimately referring to themselves as citizens of the United States, or Americans.4
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution_of_the_Portuguese_Empire 2.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese-speaking_African_countries 3.Portuguese Colonial Rule - African Studies - Oxford Bibliographies Norrie MacQueen http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199846733/obo-9780199846733-0058.xml 4. W. Edward Ivey. My personal analogy.
Bob’s Genealogy Filing Cabinet (Robert Baird) http://www.genfiles.com/ivey-files/Bladen-iveys.pdf
South Carolina Indians, Indian Traders, and Other Ethnic Connections: Beginning in 1670, Theresa M. Hicks, 1997
Morris Britt Lumbee Library @copyright 2012 Glenn Ellen Starr Stilling Appalachian State University Belk Library & Information Commons http://lumbee.library.appstate.edu/list-lumbee-surnames
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Thomas is 29 degrees from Zendaya Coleman, 32 degrees from Sting Sumner, 18 degrees from Josh Brolin, 26 degrees from Timothée Chalamet, 22 degrees from José Ferrer, 23 degrees from Frank Herbert, 20 degrees from Richard Jordan, 25 degrees from David Lynch, 22 degrees from Virginia Madsen, 23 degrees from Charlotte Rampling, 31 degrees from Patrick Stewart and 24 degrees from Denis Villeneuve on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
As for "the Potugese thing"; it was used instead of Mulatto, Meluengeon, and more. Although, they were right. I have traced my Driggers back to one of the first Africans in Jamestown Colony, Manuel (Rodriquez) Driggus/Driggers. He came from the "odd twenty" (you can search those two words), which came from Angola. I have that story on my profile. Hope it helps. And "Hello" Cousin. LOL