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Dutch and English settlers brought the first enslaved people to New Jersey in the seventeenth century. By the time of the Revolutionary War, slavery was an established practice on labor-intensive farms throughout what became known as the Garden State. The progenitor of the influential Morris family, Lewis Morris, brought Barbadian slaves to toil on his estate of Tinton Manor in Monmouth County. "Colonel Tye," an escaped slave from Shrewsbury, joined the British "Ethiopian Regiment" during the Revolutionary War and led raids throughout the towns and villages near his former home. Charles Reeves and Hannah Van Clief married soon after their emancipation in 1850 and became prominent citizens of Lincroft, as did their next four generations. Author Rick Geffken reveals stories from New Jersey's dark history of slavery.
About the author
Rick Geffken has written numerous articles on various aspects of New Jersey history for local newspapers, magazines and newsletters. An energetic and popular speaker, he has spoken at the New Jersey History & Historic Preservation symposia, Rutgers and Monmouth Universities and dozens of libraries and historical societies throughout the Garden State and has appeared on the New Jersey Cable TV show Family Historian. Rick is a trustee of the Shrewsbury Historical Society, past president and a trustee of the Jersey Coast Heritage Museum at Sandlass House, former publisher of the Monmouth Connection and a member of the Navesink Maritime Historical Association and the Monmouth County Historical Association. He is currently heading up a project called the New Jersey Slavery Records Index.
Rick's publications include
The Story of Shrewsbury Revisited, 1965-2015; Lost Amusement Parks of the North Jersey Shore (Arcadia Publishing); Highland Beach: Gateway to the Jersey Shore, 1888-1962; Hidden History of Monmouth County (The History Press); and
To Preserve & Protect, profiles of people who recorded the history and heritage of Monmouth County, New Jersey. Rick has owned and operated several small businesses, taught secondary school mathematics, was an adjunct professor at Ocean County Community and enjoyed a successful career with Hewlett-Packard. A retired U.S. Army officer and decorated Vietnam veteran, he holds a BS in economics from St. Peter's University, a Secondary Teaching Certificate from Monmouth University and an MA from Montclair State University.
