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The Necrogeography of Melungeon Cemeteries in Central Appalachia

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The Necrogeography of Melungeon Cemeteries in Central Appalachia The Necrogeography of Melungeon Cemeteries in Central Appalachia Sherry Lynn Tejada Thesis submitted to the faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science In Geography Joseph L. Scarpaci, Ph.D. (Chair) Lynn M. Resler, Ph.D. Stevan R. Jackson, Ph.D. April 9, 2008 Blacksburg, Virginia Keywords: Melungeon, necrogeography, gravehouse, cemetery, assimilation, Central Appalachian culture The Necrogeography of Melungeon Cemeteries in Central Appalachia Sherry Lynn Tejada (ABSTRACT) Previous historical and cultural geographic studies of the cemetery suggest that gravemarkers are surrogates for ethnicity and cultural assimilation. While studies of this type among single ethnic groups are common, examination of the multiethnic cemetery has largely been ignored. This study focuses on the necrogeography (regional burial practices) of the Melungeons, an understudied and underrepresented minority group. Their diverse ancestry purportedly includes a mixture of European, Native American, and African heritage. They have settled primarily in the Central Appalachian region, and more specifically within Hancock County, Tennessee. Their traditional burial practices include the construction of a unique gravehouse. I conducted personal interviews with Melungeons, religious leaders, and cemetery workers to determine the social meanings attached to these unique gravemarkers. I inspected 116 cemeteries located within Hancock County. A Melungeon Burial Index (MBI) was calculated based on the number and type of gravemarkers in individual cemeteries. The MBI acts a cultural inventory to measure varying degrees of Melungeon burial assimilation. Next, I interpreted the spatial patterns of assimilation to describe qualities of material cultural diffusion in the area. My findings show that traditional gravehouses are gradually being abandoned by the residents and over 93% of cemeteries exhibit complete burial assimilation. This suggests that gravehouse construction, a material and cultural practice of a U.S. minority group, has ended. iii Dedication To Mom, my best friend and biggest fan iv Acknowledgements As my research concludes, I am reminded that this has not been a solitary journey. The success of this thesis is a direct result of valuable contributions offered by many people. I am thankful for the constant encouragement provided by members of my committee. Dr. Lynn Resler’s mention of Terry Jordan’s studies presented much needed direction during the earliest stages of my research. Her thoughtful comments and insights about mountain cultures were always appreciated. While conducting interviews, I found myself relying on lecture notes originally written years ago during Dr. Stevan Jackson’s course in ethnographic methods. His in-depth knowledge of the Appalachian region inspired my own interests as an undergraduate. I am particularly grateful to my committee chair Dr. Joseph L. Scarpaci for not only taking an interest in my “strange” research but for guiding it. His professional and personal support during the past two years has been invaluable. I consider him as both mentor and friend. Various other members of the Virginia Tech community deserve recognition. Current and former officemates of 111 have tolerated much kvetching on my part. Many thanks to Travis, Emily, Candice, and Arvind for their technical assistance with an often temperamental GIS application: ArcMap. I am grateful for Peter Sforza’s quick thinking during preparation of a poster for the 34th Graduate Student Association Research Symposium held in March 2008. I offer a very special thank you to Aaron Collins for his shared enthusiasm towards this research. Beyond the academic realm, I must acknowledge my extended family down in Wytheville, Virginia. They have played a major role throughout both my undergraduate and graduate studies. Their hospitality made Southwest Virginia my home away from home. I am indebted to one of my key informants; a remarkably kind woman whose generosity undoubtedly influenced my life. She made my fieldwork in Sneedville extremely rewarding even while tending to ornery livestock, driving a beat-up old pickup, and crawling around cemeteries overrun with poison-ivy, but I enjoyed every moment of it! v This study was generously supported in part through the Department of Geography’s Sidman P. Poole Endowment and also by the Graduate Research and Development Program’s award for diversity related research. vi Table of Contents ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... ii Dedication ......................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. vi List of Tables .................................................................................................................. viii List of Figures ................................................................................................................... ix Glossary of Key Terms ..................................................................................................... x Chapter 1 - On Encountering Death and Dying in Hancock County, Tennessee ............. 1 1.1. Personal Interest ...................................................................................................... 4 1.2. The Final Ritual ...................................................................................................... 5 1.3. Significance of the Study ........................................................................................ 6 1.4. Research Objectives ................................................................................................ 6 1.5. Thesis Organization ................................................................................................ 7 Chapter 2 - An Historical Geography of Melungeon Settlement in the United States ..... 8 2.1. Origins..................................................................................................................... 8 2.2. Migration Patterns ................................................................................................... 9 2.3. Historical Life-ways .............................................................................................. 11 2.4. Melungeon Identity in the 20th Century ................................................................ 12 2.5. Summary ............................................................................................................... 13 Chapter 3 - On Broadening Historical Geography White and Western Foci .................. 14 3.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 14 3.2. Trends in Historical Geography ............................................................................ 15 3.3. Assimilation on the Cultural Landscape ............................................................... 15 3.4. Necrogeography .................................................................................................... 17 3.4.1. The Ethnic Cemetery ...................................................................................... 19 3.4.2. Assimilation and the Deathscape .................................................................... 20 3.4.3. Gravehouses as Indicators of Assimilation ..................................................... 22 3.5. Summary ............................................................................................................... 24 Chapter 4 - Approaching the Multiethnic Cemetery ....................................................... 26 4.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 26 4.2. Objectives ............................................................................................................. 26 4.3. Cemetery Surveys ................................................................................................. 26 4.3.1. Sample Selection ............................................................................................. 27 4.3.2. Locating Cemeteries/Ground-truthing efforts ................................................. 27 4.3.3. Documenting Cemeteries and Funerary Objects of Interest ........................... 30 4.3.4. Mapping Cemeteries ....................................................................................... 31 4.3.5. Operationalizing Assimilation ........................................................................ 31 4.4. Semi-structured Interviews ................................................................................... 32 4.4.1. Sample Selection ............................................................................................. 33 4.4.2. Key Informants ............................................................................................... 34 4.4.3. Interview Process ............................................................................................ 34 4.4.4. Transcription and Storage ............................................................................... 35 vii 4.4.5. Data
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