Search This Blog

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

My Appalachian DNA

For several years, my wife and I talked intermittently about having our DNA analyzed but never seemed to get around to it.  Finally, last summer, we both sent off DNA kits to Ancestry DNA.  After about six weeks, we got the results back and much like everyone else who has DNA analysis done, we found a couple of surprises.  I had heard a far too common Eastern Kentucky rumor, prevarication, and old wives' tale that my paternal third great-grandfather, Aulse Hicks, had been the son of a man named Charles Renatus Hicks, who had been the first mixed blood chief of the Eastern Band Of Cherokee.  There had always been two schools of thought about this purported connection.  Most of us who had done much in depth genealogical research leaned strongly toward the opinion that there was far too insufficient proof to justify the common belief and there was too much geographical distance between the well known homes of Charles Renatus Hicks in Spring Place, Georgia, and the area of Western Virginia from which Aulse Hicks emigrated to Prestonsburg, KY, about 1790 to 1810.  In the misguided attempt to connect Aulse Hicks to Chief Charles Renatus Hicks, various people had tried to change Aulse's first name from Aulse to Austin or Augustus despite the fact that every piece of paper he ever signed in Floyd County Kentucky as a minister and well known man had been signed Aulse.  There has also never been found a list of the names of the children of Chief Charles Renatus Hicks which listed either an Aulse, Austin, or Augustus.  In my own mind, I was clearly convinced that the connection between the two was purely the work of too many overly active imaginations which wanted to fulfill the oft repeated Appalachian fantasy of "being descended from a full blooded Cherokee Indian".  I freely admit that as I learned more about Chief Charles Renatus Hicks I grew to respect him highly as a successful man in a difficult world.  I would have loved to learn that I was descended from a man who was the first mixed blood Chief of The Eastern Band of Cherokee, who was bilingual and wrote and spoke both English and Cherokee, acted as a primary interpreter for the tribe and the US military, served as a primary sub-chief for many years, owned one of the largest private libraries in the country as an Indian, and died as the Primary Chief of the tribe.  But I knew better and my DNA analysis proved me correct.  

My Father, Ballard Hicks, Photo By Roger D. Hicks


At this point, I will burst bubbles of fantasy for many descendants of Aulse Hicks and other Hicks' in Eastern Kentucky that they are "descended from a full blood Cherokee Indian".  My genealogy is Hicks on both sides.  My father was Ballard Hicks, a second great grandson of Aulse Hicks with the documentation to prove it.  My mother was Mellie Hicks, the granddaughter of Hence Hicks, whose name I have also seen misspelled and misconstrued in various ways in order to support the Chief Charles Renatus Hicks fantasy.  I have seen Hence Hicks mistakenly identified as being named Henderson or Hensley when I knew numerous people in my childhood who knew him well. He was a well known ambush murder victim in 1935 and every public record about him calls him only one name, Hence Hicks.  Both sides of my family were in Knott County in the late 1700's to early 1800's.  I have always said that I am lucky I wasn't born with a square head and that I suspect that if the truth can ever be proven it is highly likely that "grandpa" came through the Cumberland Gap alone.  By that I mean that I suspect that our original ancestor to emigrate to Kentucky came into the region very early in the settlement process, had a large family which dispersed widely, and eventually converged again to intermarry a few generations later after all family memory and the nearly non-existent record keeping of the time had completely forgotten about any family connections three or four generations in the past.  

Now let's get to the results of the DNA Analysis and burst some of those bubbles.  The first, and most painful bubble to be burst involves Native American DNA.  I, Roger D. Hicks, well-documented third great grandson of Aulse Hicks and a Hicks on both sides,  have absolutely no Native American DNA.  The major aspect of the analysis that was not a surprise also confirmed what most Eastern Kentucky genealogists have believed for years.  Ninety-eight percent of my DNA came from Europe and seventy-seven percent of it came from Great Britain and Ireland.  That was no surprise whatsoever.  But there were a couple of other minor surprises and two fairly major surprises left in the DNA. I have seven percent DNA from Scandinavia.  I also have two percent DNA from the Iberian Peninsula and less than one percent each from Finland/Northwest Russia and Eastern Europe.  But the bigger surprise was that I have less than one percent DNA from each of Southern Asia and Nigeria.  Since I have learned of the connections to Southern Asia and Nigeria, I have tried to imagine just how that interaction took place at a time which must have been at least eight or ten generations in the past, roughly two hundred years or more.  With most of my DNA coming from Europe and Great Britain in particular, someone in my far distant bloodlines had to be a bit of a world traveler.  Was an ancient grandfather a sailor who followed the canvas to points in Africa and Asia?  Was an ancient grandmother a slave who was raped by a slave trader?  Or did a pair of my distant ancestors both find themselves stranded in isolation somewhere in a place and time where the most logical response for their own good was to assume an interracial marriage?  I doubt that I will ever find the answers unless the religion of some group of my ancestors or another is correct and we all end up in a common hereafter either sitting around a cooking fire in the darkness, sailing a common vessel on seas yet unknown, or sharing iced tea on a shady porch and telling the stories in whichever place of exactly how we all came to be.  Sorry about all those bubbles!  

Woots Hicks Cemetery Photo by Roger D. Hicks

35 comments:

Unknown said...

Good morning,
I believe I am a descendant of Aulse through his daughter Mary who married Reese Owens. Still trying to prove the connections. I have 0 NA DNA as well. I was wondering if you have ever found his parents?

Thank you,
Jennifer

Roger D. Hicks said...

Jennifer, I have not been able to trace Aulse Hicks to anyone beyond him in the genealogy. It is relatively certain that he came to Prestonsburg from Western Virginia sometime between 1790 and 1810. He was in the 1790 census in Western Virginia and in the 1810 census in Prestonsburg as a preacher. He also signed a lot of marriage licenses in Prestonsburg. I have also seen him listed by a widow as a reference for a war pension based on her husband's service. My belief is that the best way to possibly find him is to spend the time and money to go to Western Virginia and search court houses for paper related to him. You would probably need a good week of searching and might have to go to several different counties to find anything, if anything exists at all. If you send me an E-mail to one of my addresses, we can converse more directly and share what we have.
Roger

Unknown said...

DNA analysis is actually silent as to Native American geneoology. It is unlawful to use known Native American DNA from USA resident tribes in the analysis. Therefore, the exclusion of USA indigenous genetics is not currently possible. The DNA used for comparison is from South America. That question remains unknown in your review. You can say that you are not related to South American indigenous peoples but not central North American peoples. Russian and Iberian DNA are associated with indigenous North Americans. Russian DNA is one of the two founding genetics along with pacific rim. So.....

Roger D. Hicks said...

At this link, you will find the Wikitree Genealogy page about Aulse Hicks which quotes this blog post. Thanks to the writer who posted the link and quotation from this post.
Roger D. Hicks

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Hicks-7348

Anonymous said...

"It is unlawful to use known Native American DNA from USA resident tribes in the analysis. "

And where is it unlawful? As against the law for NA to do a DNA test? Well then evidently many have broken the law.Please provide citations.

Roger D. Hicks said...

Anonymous,
Here is a valid toll free number for Ancestry DNA. I am sure they will be glad to talk to you and learn how to do their job. 1-800-401-3193
Roger

Anonymous said...

I am trying to trace the lineage of my grandmother who was born in South Dakota, her name was Cora Elizabeth Hicks and she had a brother named Ballard. My mom said her father, James W. (Walter?) HIcks, was born in Kentucky but I could find no record of that. I think he later went to Tennessee and married but am not sure. I was on ancestry a few years ago and need to get back on to check again but I was never able to find where James was born nor his family.

Lol, my grandmother had pretty dark skin and we have also speculated she had Native American blood. Not sure but I think I read something that said your Asian bit of DNA could actually be Native American left from their Asian roots.

do you think there are unrelated people named Ballard Hicks from Tennessee? Can you point me in the right direction to find more?

Thank you, judi

Roger D. Hicks said...

Anonymous, Please send me an E-mail to my personal addresses and I will tell you what I know. Keep in mind that Hicks is not as common a name as Smith or Jones, but it is one of the most common last names in the country. I have seen Hicks' in nearly every place I have ever traveled from NY state to AZ and from ND to South Florida. Try me at rchicks@mrtc.com
Roger

Chris Robinson said...

There is also a false claim by some that Aulse's wife was Sarah Handshoe. Aulse's wife was Sarah Robertson / Roberson. The earliest records pertaining to them are found in Washington Co., TN, where Sarah Robertson sued Aulse Hicks for child support in 1807 (for their newly born son, Hiram). Aulse and Sarah were not married at this time. Aulse also appears on the Washington Co., TN tax list for 1806 (Captain Anderson's District) on the same page with James Robertson (Sarah's father). After their marriage, Aulse and Sarah moved to Floyd Co., KY, where they lived next to the family of Sarah's sister, Delilah (Robertson) Langley at the mouth of Spurlock Fork on Middle Creek. Aulse and Sarah were buried in the Langley family cemetery in Floyd County. You can find more about them here: https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/71226626/person/42233141941/story

Jenn Drumm said...

Hi.
I am the writer/poster (and the Jennifer that posted about in March,2017) for Aulse Hicks at WikiTree(https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Hicks-7348).
I am still struggling to sort out parentage or not of Aulse. It is an uphill battle as now people are guessing it is Claiborne Hicks and Elizabeth (Keesee) Hicks.That is the down side to WikiTree as anyone can add something. I am walking away at the moment and focusing on Sarah right now. I was wondering if any of you might have some more information on finding records and or sources for her?

Thank you,
Jennifer

Roger D. Hicks said...

Jenn Drumm,the most important words in your comment are "people are guessing"! There is no real evidence about Aulse Hicks' parentage and people attempt to create it out of thin air. That has made the confusion even worse. Until somebody goes to Western Virginia, searches every set of records that were not destroyed since 1700, and actually finds some paperwork with the correct names on it, we will never know.
Roger

Anonymous said...

Roger...my Hicks line: Linda Potter Whitt to Lunda Potter 1919 to George Potter 1880 to Cynthia Ann Allen abt 1857 to Sarah “Sallie” Hicks and Wm James Allen to Hiram and Fanny (Brown) Hicks to Aulse Hicks. I appreciate you work and interest in our ancestors. Agree, we need to spend some time in South West VA but also thing that We should look in North East Tennessee as well. My Gedmatch #A556893 and #T127060. Eventually, I am hoping that we will find our answers through some newly discovered document or DNA!
Linda Potter Whitt

Unknown said...

My husband's gm other was Cynthia Hicks who married Samuel D. Allen.My husband is now the only surviving member of their dau. Lula Allen Millers 9 children. Can you please send me the info on Cynthia's branch? God bless you for what you do. Our history is who we are. millerdiann4@gmail.com

Unknown said...

I am the grand son of Ballard Hicks email hicksthefix@gmail.com

Marah M said...

Hello! This is very interesting to read. Aulse Hicks is my 5th great grandfather. Through my own research, I’m told Aulse was the son of Charles’ Hicks younger brother, William Abraham Hicks. His mother was apparently Lydia, a woman with Cherokee ancestry who was also a descendent of Cornelius Dougherty. After reading this, as well as these comments, I’m assuming these names are all guesswork? As of 2021, there’s still no confirmed records of Aulse Hick’s parents, correct? Thank you

Roger D. Hicks said...

Marah M.
I don't think for a second that the idea that Aulse Hicks was the son of a Cherokee woman or a brother to Charles Renatus Hicks who was half Cherokee. I am a Hicks on both sides and I have absolutely no Native American DNA. I have always thought that the idea that he was part Cherokee is just one more manifestation of the idea that many people in the mountains have or want to make others believe they have Native American DNA. Read my blog post, "My Appalachian DNA".
Roger D. Hicks

Anonymous said...

Hi Roger,

Are you familiar with DNA Recombination and "wash-out?" You may want to join NATIVE AMERICAN Ancestry Explorer: DNA, Genetics, Genealogy & Anthropology with TL Dixon. Claiming you have no NA DNA while twice related on the Hicks line does not mean you may not descend from a Native American ancestor. Considering the Hicks clan were highly European ad-mixed would ensure "wash-out" within a few short generations if continuing to marry non-Native. Someone today with less than 1% NA DNA means that they had a full NA ancestor in the mid-1750s (let alone those NA ancestors who were already Euro ad-mixed which would ensure wash-out much sooner). I can understand your position in that there is no evidence regarding Aulse Hicks descending from Charles Renatus Hicks, but to state that you stand on your position that you are not related to this clan because you do not show NA DNA would be the wrong assumption.

Kindly,

Roger D. Hicks said...

To Anonymous In The Previous Comment:
I no longer recommend that anyone get a DNA test or further spread their DNA information to other organizations unless ordered by a court to do so. Until the US Supreme Court is forced by an appeal to render a broad based ruling about exactly what DNA companies and other organizations can and cannot do with DNA data, I recommend that no one get a DNA test. Far too much latitude has been allowed to the companies and other agencies regarding use of DNA data without the consent of the provider of the DNA. All access to DNA data by anyone other than the provider of the DNA should require specific search warrants or the express written permission of the DNA provider. I have no objections to criminals being caught, prosecuted, and punished. But the use of DNA technology with out search warrants must be stopped.
Roger D. Hicks

Anonymous said...

Roger, from the info I have: Aulse Hicks had a son named Hiram Hicks, his 2nd. marriage to Eliza Skeans, from this union came my grandmother Rebecca Hicks who married Vincent Whittaker. Do you have any info concerning this. I would appreciate any info. you may have. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

lets keep it real, all the places he lived are in the heart of the appalachains, the stories of him being cherokee, he was most likely a melungeon.

Roger D. Hicks said...

There is little to none evidence Aulse Hicks was Cherokee just as there is little or none that anyone in the Aulse Hicks line of descent was Melungeon unless their parents married outside the normal lines of ancestry for the Hicks's in Eastern KY. Claiming people are or might be Melungeon has become more popular now that DNA is consistently ruling out Cherokee blood in most who have claimed it.
Roger D. Hicks

Anonymous said...

My great-grandmother was a Hicks from Mousie, KY, whose line reaches back to Aulse. Several of the Hicks named their sons “Charley”, even one of my g-grandmother’s younger brothers was named Charley. That alone could be circumstantial evidence. As for DNA “evidence”, some assumed early on, after preliminary DNA analysis, that the Cherokee were not related to the children of Israel, even though their customs, rituals, and words bore striking similarities. Eventually, that initial DNA analysis was proven wrong (look up Donald N. Yates, himself a Cherokee). It has been proven that the Cherokee have both Jewish and Eastern Mediterranean origins. As for the Charles Renatus Hicks, he had very little Indian blood. His father was a Scottish trader, and his mother was, if memory serves, 1/2 Cherokee or less. At best, Charles would have been 1/4 Cherokee. His wife was not full-blooded either, so his children would have been maybe 1/8 Cherokee. As for Aulse, just because no one really knows who his parents were doesn’t automatically rule out who they could have been. To make the assumption that he was not related to Chief Hicks in some way is not proof but mere assumption. Until someone can come up with actual proof one way or the other, we must keep an open mind and not make claims against his possible tribal heritage. His birth in West Virginia instead of Georgia or TN means nothing. All that matters is who his parents really were. So, maybe someday someone will find the elusive needle in the haystack of his lineage so we can all finally repose in the truth and dispense with mere speculation.
Larry A.

Roger D. Hicks said...

The previous comment from Larry A or "Anonymous" is a classic example of the lengths to which people have and will continue to go to try to support the fiction that they are descended from Native Americans when no proof exists to support the claim.
Roger D. Hicks, the author of the blog.

Jenn Drumm said...

"To make the assumption that he was not related to Chief Hicks in some way is not proof but mere assumption"

What utter hogwash. That's the opposite of what genealogy is supposed to be about. Ever heard of Genealogical Proof Standard? People like you are the reason I refuse to contribute to WikiTree or LDS anymore.

I also have many lines from Mousie,Ky Slone,Hicks,Jacobs etc. 14 of my 16 gg grandparents are from Knott Co. 4 sets are the same couples. One set are gggrandparest on one side and ggrandparents on the other. I have so much endogamy I am my own cousin multiple times over. Sure wish I could make up new gggg grandparents and make it all go away. /s

Jenn Drumm said...

Forgot to add: Thanks Mr. Hicks for keeping this site open and going all these years, I still pop in from time to tome to check for anything new in the Hicks world.

Jenn

Roger D. Hicks said...

Jenn Drumm,
Thanks for being a regular here. With almost 200 followers, I figure I must be saying some things that need to be said. I try to consistently write a post at least once a month but I would really love to be able to hit a pace of about 10 a month for a year or two. Stay Safe!
Roger D. Hicks

Anonymous said...

From Larry A.
Respectfully, Mr. Hicks, I am not trying to support a Cherokee heritage for my family or myself. You misunderstood what I wrote. All I was trying to say is that nobody, not even you, who make yourself out to be the expert on the genealogy of Aulse, know his true heritage. Until somebody comes forward with actual “evidence” one way or the other, anybody can claim whatever they want about Aulse and it means nothing. I don’t claim heritage of Cherokee for myself. I’m just advocating for real, vial evidence for anybody’s claim, regardless if they believe they are Cherokee or not. I, personally, don’t give a rat’s behind. If Aulse was the brother, cousin, nephew, uncle, grandpa, or son of “Chief” Renatus Hicks, or just an old drunk Melungeon, I really don’t care. It means nothing to me. I like my Irish heritage. That’s good enough for me. I tried to make it clear in my post that if Aulse was truly related to the Chief, anyone related to him today would have such a small amount of Cherokee in them (maybe 1/20th or less), what is there to glory over? For all the Hicks and Gibsons and Slones, etc., who want to believe that they have Cherokee in them—getting a DNA test is the only means to know for sure. Look online for DNA testing labs that check for Indian heritage in your DNA, who won’t share your DNA information. Even better, get tested by two labs instead of one, so you can compare. Just realize there is a difference in quality of DNA testing.
Larry A. (I’m not a Hicks, only related to them)

Steven Helton said...

Roger,

First, we are cousins. My great-grandmother was Nancy Jane Hicks who is also a descendant of Aulse. Glad to meet you.

Second, I also have no Native American DNA, from Aulse or otherwise, but I do have 0.2% of West African DNA and 0.2% of North African DNA. And I think I know why.

Do you have Howard ancestors in your family?

I am descended from James Howard, son of (it is claimed) Thomas Howard and a Cherokee woman named Letty Durham. James was born around 1772. But I believe his mother, Letty, was black, and the family claimed Native American to explain darker complexions.

James Howard and his many siblings all had large families, and so the DNA from this woman is spread all over Eastern Kentucky.

My DNA is at 23andme, and they allow you to see all of your DNA Relatives, and usually their ethnicity percentages. And my Howard cousins are the ones who also have a small amount of North African and West African DNA.

So I offer you this conjecture on why we might both be partly black.

Have I guessed correctly? Are you a Howard cousin to me as well?

wxyzzy said...

Roger,

I foolishly did not provide an email address so that you could reply to me. I now have an account on blogger, and if you answer my question about whether we are Howard cousins, I will now get (I believe) an email to let me know.

I am really curious if we share black ancestry through that connection.

Thank you,

Steve Helton

Anonymous said...

First of all, my comment below has nothing to do with Aulse Hicks or Cherokee tribes, its simply about DNA.

Im curious about how well you actually understand the science of DNA.?
Do you understand even the basics of how ONE PERSON cannot disprove a family heritage, simply because of possible inherited allele differences between two siblings?
Do you understand that Ancestry DNA only tests back 5 generations and then simply lets math take over the rest of their heritage percentages? Hopefully you realize that Ancestry DNA did not test autosomal DNA when this blog was originally posted (which means you didn't get a true roadmap of your full family history identity).
It has been proven that one should not solely commit their DNA findings to Ancestry.com or 23 and Me testing and then bank on those findings as 100% concrete proof of your family's complete true origin.
I wont take an Ancestry.com nor a 23 and me DNA test personally because in the big picture of the vast DNA community, those tests are basically considered a fad, toy, or a game to entice the masses of people that want to find their heritage.
I would suggest you might find a legitimate DNA testing company that wont sell your DNA and will destroy your sample if you choose for them to do so.
when you find that company, have two of your siblings test with you and compare results.
You may just find that two of you share very close DNA while the other sibling may have vast differences in the results.

wxyzzy said...

So I spent my life in engineering and I believe I understand how DNA gets washed out over the generations.

But here is the basic argument: I am descended from James Howard, I have no Native American DNA, but I do have black DNA in the right amount to be 7 generations back. 23andme lets you see the DNA profile of Howard cousins, and many of them have black DNA as well, particlularly if they are from an older generation. There is no black DNA pattern among cousins from my other three grandparents.

I am not basing my conclusion solely on my own DNA.

Anonymous said...

Hello! I’ve enjoyed reading all of the posts on this blog and a big thank you to the owner of this blog. I am also a descendent of a Hicks but have not yet found proof of who my 5th great grandfather might have been. I have evidence of all of my Hicks ancestors as far back as my 4th great grandfather William J Hicks (1820-1877) born in Russell County Virginia and died in Floyd County Kentucky. I hope that my post contributes to some of the questions and concerns found on this blog related to the patrilineal lineage of the Hicks family and their connection with the Cherokee tribe. My great grandmother, who I knew for many years had clearly stated that her third great grandfather was a chief of the Cherokee tribe. We do not know the name of this said chief, however, when I trace the dates back to what would be my sixth great grandfather it would certainly land within the early 1700s or perhaps mid 1700s. In addition, it is true that if it Charles Renatus Hicks was our ancestor, the Cherokee DNA would not be largely evident in the last two generations because he was not a full-blooded Cherokee Indian, nor was his wife. It should also be noted that his mother was also not a full-blooded Cherokee Indian lessening even more the possibility of the Cherokee DNA showing up within the last three generations. My grand uncle, mother, and sister, and I have for some years tried to find Native American DNA in our DNA tests and 0% was found until this year wherein my sisters autosomal test on family tree DNA showed less than 1% indigenous peoples from the southern part of Mexico and Central America (Mayan Indian). Given the fact that my great grandmother stated the native American heritage to be found within her third great grandfather, and the fact that he was not a full-blooded Cherokee Indian, this would probably be accurate as no other Native Americans have married into the family since that generation. What is also interesting is the fact that I did not have this finding in my DNA test on family tree DNA. I spoke with a genealogist once, and they told me that race is recessive like an eyecolor. If you do not continue to have children with spouses of a particular race it diminishes with every generation. I did see some ancestry of less than 1% in the region of Syria, and Damascus, in my DNA test which some genealogists identify as an ad mixture of races or a mismatch. However, whatever the case may be, we are excited to finally see some Native American DNA showing up in our ancestry. Also, the name Aulsie Hicks has continually been bounced around in our family tree for years, but we do not know if he is our ancestor. We do know that my six great grandfather had some Native American DNA in his bloodline due to the stories told by my great grandmother who never lied about anything. So, unless someone lied to her, I believe this is accurate, and it may be plausible that some persons descending from Hicks ancestors have a Native American heritage but it will not show up in a DNA test because it is too many generations back. Last, I watched a show on finding your roots, and this actor had heard stories about him, descending from Pocahontas, but thought it was not true. At the end of the show, the actor was given information based on a paper trail that Pocahontas was his 12th great grandmother. They also showed his DNA chart and he had 0% Native American DNA but Pocahontas was his 12th great grandmother. Thank you so much for reading my post, and I hope everyone is making progress in tracing their family trees.

wxyzzy said...

One short comment.

When I first started looking into family history in the 2008 time frame, I talked in email with some members of the Cherokee tribe who were directly related to Charles Renatus Hicks.

They were more than a little annoyed at attempts (including mine) to connect my ancestor Aulse Hicks to their chief. As I remember it, they were very aware of the claim, but they had no information in their family histories that would lead to such speculation, and they pointed out that the geographical locations were all wrong.

To them it is just another attempt to have a Native American connection.

Also, they said they have accounted for all of Charles Renatus Hicks family, and it is really unlikely that there is one they are unaware of.

However, it is still rampant on the web that Aulse was descended from Charles.

You are correct that the DNA dilutes over time, but my descent from Letty Durham Howard is from about 1750, and about 1% black DNA still shows up in my 23andme kit, as well as more than ten of my Howard cousins who are on 23andme. It has been washed out in some of the millenials who are Howard cousins born after 1980, but it still pops up in a small amount in my grand nieces.

The vast majority of those Howard cousins, like me, show no trace of Native American DNA. We would have those traces if Letty Durham had been Native American.

Roger D. Hicks said...

wxyzzy you are correct. The Cherokee are correct that most, if not all, white attempts to prove Native American connections and especially all or nearly all of the attempts to prove those connections by descendants of Aulse Hicks are an even greater fantasy. I suspect, if those people need to sustain a genetic fantasy, they would be far better off to claim to be Melungeon or, perhaps, to just randomly choose some exotic population and chase that dream. Charles Renatus Hicks was a great man but he was not the Father Of His Country, especially the white parts of his country.
Roger D. Hicks

Anonymous said...

Thank you for responding to my post and for the continued conversation about making accurate family connections through DNA!