June 17, 2002 -
The 'Lost Tribe' of Appalachia -
By Kristen Philipkoski, Wired News,
Kevin Jones wanted to study the
genetics of the rare diseases common to
a mysterious sub-population in
Appalachia called the Melungeons. What
he discovered was a group of people
starving for information about their
heritage. The Melungeons make up about
50,000 of the 22 million people who live
in the mountainous region just inside
the eastern seaboard, most of them in
the southern edge of Appalachia in the
area where Tennessee, Virginia and
Kentucky meet...
