Edain who remained in Middle-Earth
 

What happened to the Edain who decided to remain in Middle-Earth at the beginning of the Second Age? I remember reading that not all of the Edain chose to remove to Numenor. It seems they must have perished. The only Men that remained in Eriador at the end of the Third Age were Dunedain (Rangers) and the Men of Bree who were descended from the Men of the White Mountains who migrated north in the Second Age.

We know of a meeting of Aldarion and his Crew with some Edain near the Lake Nenuial in the early second age. I would think that the Edain of old would be absorbed into the community of Arnor very soon i9n the late Second Age.

Respectfully
Findegil

What about the people of Tharbad and the Dunlendings? Perhaps many tribes and villages were living their still peacefully, until they had to flee or fight the Witchking when he came forth from Angmar.

lathspell

I seem to recall a note somewhere about them
returning east and either becoming the peoples
in Rhovannion or merging with them. (The Rohirrim
were, I believe, their kin who never went into Beleriand).

In "Of Dwarves and Men" (HoMe XII), Tolkien says:

And of course, the people of Ghan-buri-ghan were descendants of the Druedain who lived in Brethil in the First Age.

To be precise, the Drûg of Duradan Forest and Daurwaith Iaur were not decendents from the Druedain of Beleriand which lived in Brethil. Both groups had the same origin. But the Duradan of Brethil had left te area around the Bay of Belfalas during the first Age and wandered with folk that became later known as the People of Haleth into the West, while the greater part of the Drûg did never leave the are
of later Gondor. But later they were pushed by incommers from the low-lands into the White Mountains.


Respectfully
Findegil

It is assumed that the few Edain that didn't go to Numenor went back east to join their kin who didn't make the journey all the way to Beleriand.