21 - Franklin Township Public Library

Thursday, November 21, 1974Book dispels legendA new book by a youngRutgers University historianseeks to dispel the erroneousfolk legend surrounding theancestry of a little.knowngroup of caclally-mixed NewJersey people,Through genealogicalresearch, Dr. David StevenCohen, assistant professor ofhistory and American Studiesat die Newark College of Artsand Sciences. disprovesclaims that the RamapoMountain people aredescendents of escaped slaves,Indians, Hessian soldiers andprostitutes.Prof. Cohen’s book, "TheRamapo Mountain People,"published by the RutgersRingwoed mines, today some them."are economically middleclass,working at governmenttoral dissertation, Prof. CohenOn completion of his doc-jobs. Others are blue collar was thoroughly convinced thatand skilled workers.According to the researchdone by Prof Cohen, themountain people aredescended from coloredpioneers who were among theearly Dutch settlers in theHackeusack Valley region.’Contrary to the legend, theyare not descended fromHessian soldiers, who wereGermans; runaway slaves;black and white prostitutesand’ Tuscarora Indians.Proof of the Dutch ancestryis found in the anglicizedcommonames of De Frsese.Van Dunk, De Groat andthe legend had no historicalbasis and realized that hewanted to expand what hadstarted out to be an academicproject,For the past five years, hehas appeared as a s~akerbefore historical societies,women’s clubs, church groupsand groups of the mountainpeople to make known theresults of his research. Twoyears ago he appeared, withtwo residents of Riogwoed, onan educational televisionprogram.Reaction to his work hasUniversity Press, is anhistorical, sociological andbeen varied, and he admittedMann. None of these names. that some of the criticism hasanthropological view, Prof¯ Cohen stated, appearedreflecting his personal interestcome from the mountainon the list of marriages ofand profess’lanai expertise.people. The epilogue of thisHessian soldiers from twoin it he attacks the legend ofbook presents some of theseregiments who fought for thethe "Jackson Whites," aviews. They range from theBritish in the New York ares statement of a colored womanderogatory title applied to the campaign during the who told him she was "proudRamapo Mountain people, Revolutionary War. now to be one of the Rmnapothat was perpetuated by local "There’s no genealogical Mountain people" tothe angryhistorians, newspaper and evidence of early Indian ancestry,"he said, "If it exists,remarks of some Hillburnmagazine writersHis interest in what he callsresidents who were unhappyit would have to be s very about being shown to havea "little race" began when he small percentage. There hasblack ancestry.was a stu~tent at Westwoodbeen some intermarriage with Prof. Cohen has beenHigh School and first met Indians in recent generations,writer John C Storms theunhappy with some pastbut not enough to affect the newspaper accounts of theman he criticizes for continuingthe myth in print. "What’s interesting about cites as playing up sensationalentire population, mountain people, which he"Storms was a good story the legend," Prof. Cohenteller who too often presentedaspects distorting it out ofadded. "is that the mountain character.his stories as historical fact," people, having no alternative "The Ramapo MountainProf. Cohen said. "Unfortunately,his ’Jackson themselves, but tell only the formative on many levels.history, adopted the legend People" is readable and in.Whites’ story was later pickedThere are genealogical chartsup by such respectedauthorities as poet Williamof the earliest families, detailsof their migration to theCarlos Williams andsociologmt E. FranklinRamapo Mountains, tapetranscripts of ~eir folk be iefsFrazier. convincing manypeople that the Ramapoand appendices of herb cures,parts about the TuscaroraIndians and Hessian soldiers.This reinforces their idantificatianwith Indians, ratherthan blacks. They use the term’colored’ to describe theirrace."folk remedies and a JerseyMountains was an inacessible AI did University of Pennsylvania,where he received a The book is handsomelyDutch wordiist.area of hillbillies anddegenerates."Ph.D. in AmericanWho, then. are the Ramapoillustrated with photographsCivilization. Prof. Cohen done by Robert Goldstein, aMountain people?decided to write his dissertationon the RamapoS~cially and racially, theyfree-lance photographer fromare one of some 200 similarlyNew Milford.Mountain people. Towards thismixed groups found in various"The photographs." Prof.end. he spent a year, 19C~-69,locations throughout theCohen said, "in sensitivelyliving in the MahwaheasternUnited States.revealing the personalities ofHingwoed.Hillburn area. ForNumbering between 75,000 andindividual mountain people,a few months, towards the end refute visual stereotypes100,000 people, these groups of his stay, he lived withclaim Indian ancestry butcomparable to the stereotypeWallace and Vivian De Groat in the legend."maintaino tribal affiliations. of Hilthurn one of theSpecifically, the RamapoThe first scholarlymountain families,Mountain people are somepresentation of an integral"It took that long," he said,1,500 residents living in Mah.part of New Jersy and"to become trusted by thewah and RingwoodnorthernAmerican history: Profmountain people and for themNew Jersey and in Hilburn inCohen’s book should have atosoutheastern New York.......realize that my work was an ......dehmte impact m dispellinghonest attempt to correct me ~the 10ng-atandin~ er~Sffe6fis"Originally, farming tan. aerogatory stereotypes that : leRenddowners and later iranminers had been created about ~ "who worked the productiveThe Franklin N’EWSRECORD 9-A " ’;book stallBy Tzvee David MorrisFranklin Township Library Director"Mastering the Tarot," by American Medical doctors with ’my lumps?" If you’ve completely to Cellulite-couldEden Gray.arrived in a small plateaudesignnd for low carbohydrate :’;given up trying to’do anything change your way of life. mea s and menus, with all F,Used to divine the future, to village of Brazil with ex- because everything you’ve "Low Blood Sugar Gourmetfind solutions to immediate tensive modern medicalrecipes carefully changed IoJ:ever tried has failed, this book Cookbook," by A.B. Vivera. bring out the best flavor )f":’.dilemmas, and to analyze equipmento study a peasant ¯ the first in America-devotedThis cookbook is specifically natural foods.character, the Tarot deck has, named Arigo, whose cures and::for centuries, been the surgery had been reported toprovince of a few initiated be nothing short ofexperts. Now, with the help of miraculous! What they uncoveredwas a story that one of the most authoritativedefiesinstructors writing in the fieldtoday, even a beginner canutilize and understand thesemysterious and beautifulsymbols"Yoga is for You," hy SueLuby."Yoga is for You" presentsa way of life that is developedand maintained by ~ercise,nutrition, and recreation: Itoffers a practical, westernizedapproach geared to practicinga Yoga program when bestsuited to your own routine."Arigo. ~ Surgeon With aRusty Knife," by John Fuller.In May 1968. a team ofbelief and yet is true."Black Film Stars," byEihien Landay.For blacks in films, as inevery other area of Americanlife, the journey out of theshadows of neglect into thebright light of recognition andacclaim has been a long anddifficult one. 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