RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 11, 2020
KINSEARCHING
by
Marleta Childs
P. O. Box 6825
LUBBOCK, TX 79493-6825
[email protected]
Joseph Lee Boyle is already well-known for compiling multiple volumes of newspaper extracts which identified white runaways in the Mid-Atlantic colonies/states. Now he turns his attention to black, Indian, and white escapees in the northern colonies in his latest book, “much Given to Talk and bad Company”: NEW ENGLAND RUNAWAYS, 1704-1754.
In his interesting and informative introduction, Boyle points out that runaways of both sexes sometimes utilized a variety of names, making it harder to track them. One ad, for example, was for “a tall lusty Negro Fellow named Millet, but calls himself Tom BROWN.” A noted thief was a woman who used the name Elizabeth RICHARDSON, “but her true Name is suppos’d to be Mary ROGERS.”
Multiple names might include nicknames. In 1741, for instance, Sylvester CHARLES, an Indian who ran away from Boston, was also called “Venus. Sometimes, however, the changes were simply due to a matter of spelling or pronunciation errors.
The majority of the individuals mentioned in this compilation were eighteenth-century runaway servants or slaves, both men and women. However, a significant number were runaway apprentices, skilled workers, errant spouses, and criminals, including horse thieves, counterfeiters, burglars, jail breakers, an occasional murderer, and other low-lifes.
Also appearing in this volume are names of quite a few deserters, especially sailors (mainly civilian but some Royal Navy). Boyle even includes names of imposters who had connections in the area during the years 1704-1754. Perhaps the most fascinating was an Indian girl named Ruth. In 1746, she ran away from Thomas STONE with men’s clothing she had worn before and enlisted in a military expedition against Canada. She was soon discovered, however, and dismissed.
Generally, the notices provide the names and aliases of the runaways, the person or persons offering the reward for their return, a location, and the name and date of the newspaper reference. Additional information may vary from a few sentences to a long paragraph. Details may include the individual’s age, occupation, country of origin or nationality, a description of the clothes worn at the time of the escape, and a summary of his or her physical and personality traits or quirks, some of which were described rather “colorfully.”
For this volume, Boyle gleaned material from twenty-three New England and Mid-Atlantic newspapers. Because eighteenth-century newspaper notices and advertisements concerning fugitives often provide details not found in other resources, the information may furnish valuable clues for new avenues of investigation. “much Given to Talk and bad Company”: NEW ENGLAND RUNAWAYS, 1704-1754 is an important research tool for genealogists seeking colonial ancestors in this northern area of the Thirteen Colonies.
The 425-page book has soft covers, a lengthy introduction, a list of the newspapers consulted by the author, and a full-name index. To the book's price of $47.50, buyers should add the cost for postage and handling charges. For U. S. postal mail, the cost is $5.50 for one book and $2.50 for each additional copy; for FedEx ground service, the cost is $7.50 for one copy and $2.50 for each additional book. The volume (item order #8152) may be purchased by check, money order, MasterCard, or Visa from Clearfield Company, 3600 Clipper Mill Rd., Suite 260, Baltimore, Maryland 21211-1953. For phone orders, call toll free 1-800-296-6687; fax 1-410-752-8492; website at www.genealogical.com.