Family History Etched in my DNA
The Science section of the New York Times published a wonderful article this weekend titled Tales of African-American History Found in DNA. The article details...
Tag: Virginia
Who was Lou Pope Cumbo?
Louisa “Lou” Pope Cumbo was my great-great-great grandmother. She was born around 1832 in Northampton County, North Carolina to a free family of color. Her fat...
A Mixed-Race, Mixed-Marriage
My great-great grandparents Edward Biggs and Florence Cumbo were both listed as Colored on their 1890 marriage license. So why am I classifying their union as a...
The Cumbos as Lumbee Indian
Bloggers note: Lumbee is a modern day term. This blog is about Cumbo ancestors whose descendants currently make up the modern Lumbee tribe. Who are the Lumbee...
Cumbos as Free People of Color
If I were to ask you, “Who were free people of color in America?” how would you answer? If you were to survey say 100 Americans with a reasonable gr...
Charting Cumbo Migration Patterns
In a previous post I explored the origins of the name Cumbo and uncovered its beginnings in Africa and Italy. In this post I will explore Cumbo residence and m...
Were the Cumbos Melungeon?
The origins of the American Melungeon have always been considered mysterious. Melungeons are generally known as a group of families from relatively unknown but ...
Were the Cumbos Portuguese?
My Cumbo ancestors migrated to Northampton County NC at the turn of the 19th century likely from Virginia. Census records tracked them starting in 1820, as fre...
The Origins of the Name Cumbo
Cumbo is a very unique sounding name. It stands out from the traditionally Anglo names associated with the first inhabitants of Jamestown. The origins of the ...
The Cumbos as mixed race people
According to Tim Hashaw’s book “The Birth of Black America: The First African Americans and the Pursuit of Freedom at Jamestown”: The African Cumbo family...