There are Native American/African families who went to Appalachia. In places like Macon, NC, there was not a need for an "exotic" heritage since the Eastern Cherokee were not removed during the trail of Tears. Native American/African/European families faced increasingly difficult "classifications" in Macon, under Jim Crow.

Tim Hashaw is a writer who has documented many aspects of the the Native American/African/European equation. He traces the term Melungeon to Malungu- an Angolan word.

I have also found that many children; including children of the "Great Men" of the Sapponi, Meherrin, etc, were held in Jamestown as "hostages" and placed in living situations with the early Angolan indentured servants.

There is much more to this; families sharing the same surname can be any mix; I hope everyone will continue to do their research and honor All of their ancestors.

Akhasa