OK, Send me your email. Here's the Short story.
In the late 1500s, Sir Walter Raleigh was raiding the Spanish Sttlements on the Central and South American Coast. He Had about 500 Slaves rescued from the Spanish. In those days not all slaves were blacks or Indians since the blacks had not been brought in in any large numbers. As a matter of fact most of the rescued slaves were Portegese, Croatains, Turkish and Libians and Arabs. They were a part of the Ottaman Navy and marines that had been captured by the Spanish in Naval Battles. He took them to Roanoke Island, off the Virginia Coast and dropped all but 100 of them off and promised to return later for them, since he did not have enough provisions or room to take them to Europe. He took the highest ranks back for "Ransom" by the sultan of the Ottoman Empire. (expenses plus reward in those days). The ones left, well over 400, Left the island after a while, got to the mainland and blended with the local Indians tribes over time, (The Cherokee). That is why most mulengeons in the late 1700s claimed to be "portagee". The ones that left are also thought to have rescued the later Roanoke Island English settlers that Disappeared and left one word as to where they went. "Croatan" could that be "Crotation"?
Anyway, Time passed and they became leaders of the Cherokee sub tribe because of their advanced knowledge and skills.They were " discovered" by the earliest settlers in NC and TNN and SW Va, as a slightly dark skinned people who spoke a broken form of 16th century Elizabethen English. If you ever wondered why the cherokee wear turbans unlike other indians, wonder no more. If you look at the early 1800s painting of Cherokee Sequoia as he holds the tablets of the only indian alphabet and written language, you will see an Indian in a turban and has a bit of military medal on his neck, The remains of a shield worn by Officers in most armies in Europe in the late 1500s. That exact uniform is in the Turkish Naval Museum in Ankara Turkey today as the uniform of a Turkish naval officer circa 1570. A "Levant".A "Leuitenant" Now for the kicker. When you say Alleganies in English it is an "Indian Word". When you say it in Turkish as "Allah Guiness" it becomes the turkish word for "God's Mountains". They contained abundant game, food and medicine. Now say Alabama. It becomes "Allah ba Ma" "God's graveyard". Think of malaria and yellow feaver near the coast in those days. Now for the final word. "Mulengeon" is not a corruption of the word French word "Melenge" as the English tried to make it when they stole the land and denied the vote to darker skinned "white People who claimed to be portegee, and spoke elizebethean English" to take over an area for speculation. The word 'Mulengeon" in both Turkish and Arabic means " Lost Soul" and is spoken exactly the same way today. Just how you'd feel if you were dropped on an isolated island an ocean away from home. Hope this helps. I have lots of books and have made trips to Turkey when I was in the military as a young man. I'll be glad to help. The melungeon branch of the cherokee were the folks from Roanoke Island who 4 or 5 generatins later the settles found as "Cherokee" or "Protegee"
BT