Enslaved people had run away from their ow ners for years before their methods and routes became known as the Undergr ound Railroad. The most travelled route \;through New Jersey \;for runaways paralleled the Delaware River from Salem County to Trenton. From there\, the escapees cut across the narrow part of New Jersey as they hea ded for New York. \;Black and white people supported runaways on their perilous journeys to freedom. \;This illustrated presentation will lo ok \;at the history of enslavement in New Jersey\, the Quakers who lob bied for manumission\, and people \;involved in the Underground Rail R oad. \;
\nRick Geffken has been a \;Monmouth County resident since 1963\, is a veteran of the Vietnam War and had a successful career in the computer industry before focusing his efforts on the study of local history. He has made countless presentations on a wide variety of subject s including slavery\, African-American history\, Shrewsbury history\, and the history of the Morris family.
\nRick has authored or co-authored several books including \;The Story of Shrewsbury\, Revisited\, 1965- 2015\, Highland Beach\, 1888-1962: Gateway to the Jersey Shore\, Lost Amus ement Parks of the North Jersey Shore\, Hidden History of Monmouth County\ , New Jersey\, \;and \;Stories of Slavery in New Jersey \;amon g others.
\nRick has also been instrumental in the development of th e North East Slavery Records Index (NESRI)\, a searchable compilation of r ecords that identifies individual enslaved persons and their owners.
\n https://theoceancountylibrary.libnet.info/event/15261143 URL;VALUE=URI:https://theoceancountylibrary.libnet.info/event/15261143 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR