THE SEALS FAMILY HISTORY by Elmer D. Scalf. 1984. Soft back. 171 VP. Order both books from
Mr. Scalf, 6056 De Lay Ave., Glendora, CA 91740. $10.85.
Mr. Scalf explores early variations of his name and concludes that the earliest version was
Scarfe. To support this conclusion, he cites a 1663 land grant from the first documented American
ancestor. John Scarfe (Scalf) was living in the Albemarle region of North Carolina in 1719.
The Revolutionary soldier ancestor, born about 1761, was John Scalf.
One chapter of the book covers the related families of Killion, Hodge, Edwards, Seals, Jones, and Lanham; another is a
listing of Tennessee and Kentucky Scalf marriages. An appendix includes copies of a 1719 deed
and a 1751 will. There are maps of South Mills, North Carolina; Hawkins County, Tennessee; and
Clay, Knox and Laurel Counties in Kentucky.
After briefly discussing the English and German origins of the Seals name, the author moves
quickly through the colonial history of the family, focusing on the Hancock County, Tennessee
descendants. He proclaims that area of Tennessee "Melungeon country ••• beautiful and secluded ••• "
and writes with genuine appreciation of his family's Tennessee heritage. His anecdotes, well
chosen and charmingly related, are presented against the background of the Me1ugeon mystique and
the seclusion that was early Hancock and later Hawkins County. Charming and provocative, this
unpretentious little book is a must for Seals and the following related descendants: Bowlin,
Brewer, Vaughn, Cantwell, Trent, Odom, Jones, McCarty, Webb and Cope.