"This book has been written for students, for amateur archaeologists, and for all other persons with curiosity about the Indians. The story is factual because it is based upon archaeological researches, both our own and those of our colleagues, and upon historical records. As we have gazed back into the faintly illuminated distant past, the people of our story have become almost like old friends to us. Our aim, insofar as it is possible, is to make them your friends too, and in so doing to breathe some life into the dust-covered facts of archaeology."-- Preface.

Athens and old Tioga Point lie in Athens Township in Bradford County. Tioga Point is the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chemung rivers. This history describes the valley above Tioga Point.

Most of us probably think of America as being settled by British, Protestant colonists who fought the Indians, tamed the wilderness, and brought "democracy"-or at least a representative republic-to North America. To the contrary, Elizabeth Caldwell Hirschman's research indicates the earliest settlers were of Mediterranean extraction, and of a Jewish or Muslim religious persuasion. Sometimes called "Melungeons," these early settlers were among the earliest nonnative "Americans" to live in the Carolinas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia. For fear of discrimination-since Muslims, Jews, "Indians," and other "persons of color" were often disenfranchised and abused-the Melungeons were reticent regarding their heritage. In fact, over time, many of the Melungeons themselves "forgot" where they came from. Hence, today, the Melungeons remain the "last lost tribe in America," even to themselves. Yet, Hirschman, supported by DNA testing, genealogies, and a variety of historical documents, suggests that the Melungeons included such notable early Americans as Daniel Boone, John Sevier, Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, and Andrew Jackson. Once lost, but now, forgotten no more.

An annotated text includes such features as maps, timelines, essays, and a glossary of terms.

For over 50 years students, professors, clergy, and general readers have relied on The New Oxford Annotated Bible as an unparalleled authority in Study Bibles. This fifth edition of the Annotated remains the best way to study and understand the Bible at home or in the classroom. This thoroughly revised and substantially updated edition contains the best scholarship informed by recent discoveries and anchored in the solid Study Bible tradition. · Introductions and extensive annotations for each book by acknowledged experts in the field provide context and guidance. · Introductory essays on major groups of biblical writings - Pentateuch, Prophets, Gospels, and other sections - give readers an overview that guides more intensive study. · General essays on history, translation matters, different canons in use today, and issues of daily life in biblical times inform the reader of important aspects of biblical study. · Maps and diagrams within the text contextualize where events took place and how to understand them. · Color maps give readers the geographical orientation they need for understanding historical accounts throughout the Bible. · Timelines, parallel texts, weights and measures, calendars, and other helpful tables help navigate the biblical world. · An extensive glossary of technical terms demystifies the language of biblical scholarship. · An index to the study materials eases the way to the quick location of information. The New Oxford Annotated Bible, with seventeen new essays and introductions and others--as well as annotations--fully revised, offers the reader flexibility for any learning style. Beginning with a specific passage or a significant concept, finding information for meditation, sermon preparation, or academic study is straightforward and intuitive. A volume that users will want to keep for continued reference, The New Oxford Annotated Bible continues the Oxford University Press tradition of providing excellence in scholarship for the general reader. Generations of users attest to its status as the best one-volume Bible reference tool for any home, library, or classroom.