Books on New Jersey Native Americans, Colonial New Jersey &  Military History

Bethel Indian Town; Its History & Location Revealed; Brainerd’s Mission Among the Indians  

David & John Brainerd were Presbyterian missionaries to the Indians of the Northeast.  The Delaware Indian mission experience in New Jersey began at Crosswicks in 1745 and moved in 1746 to Bethel (modern-day Monroe Township, Middlesex County) and eventually to the Brotherton Reservation by 1760.  This book explores the history of Bethel during the era of the French & Indian War, and the discovery of its location in the heart of New Jersey.

44 pages, maps, pictures, extensive notes.  Soft cover.  

Richard S. Walling;  ISBN 0-9768719-1-2

$5.00 each.  Over 20, $4.00 each.

From Indian Mills to Iron Forges; The Colonial Industries of Spotswood, New Jersey; Including a History of the Leonards, Johnstons & the Forge Company

Spotswood, New Jersey, was a center of iron manufacturing before and during the American Revolution.  What is not well known is that they were built upon the two mills operated by Indian sachem Weequehela, a prominent Delaware leader who was executed for the murder of his neighbor, Capt. John Leonard in 1727.  This book details the life of Weequehela, the arrival of the Leonard family in the area and the eventual transfer of these lands to the Johnstons and the Forge Company by the time of the American Revolution.  The land was confiscated by Patriot authorities as the owners were Loyalists, and the property eventually developed into the famous Spotswood Mills of the early 1800s.

66 pages, extensive illustrations and maps.  Soft cover.

Richard S. Walling;  ISBN 0-9768719-0-4

$10. each.   Over 20, $9.00 each.

Patriots’ Blood; The Indian Company of 1778 & Its Destruction in the Bronx

In 1778 George Washington called for the creation of a special military command of Native Americans to fight alongside the Continental Army.  The Indian Company was formed in 1778 and saw extensive action in the Bronx no-mans land between the two armies.  After almost capturing John Simcoe of the Queens Rangers, the British planned and executed an ambush of the Indian Company, known as the Stockbridge Indian Massacre.  This book examines the cultural ties amongst the Algonquian Indians of the northeast, their military service prior to 1778 and the formation of the Indian Company.  The fateful day of August 31, 1778 is described by eyewitness accounts, and the location of the skirmish site and burial ground is presented.  Appendices include the identification of over six hundred Native American soldiers of the Revolution.

61 pages, Foreword  by Colin Calloway; extensive illustrations with maps.  Soft cover.

Richard S. Walling;  ISBN  0-9768719-2-0

$10. each.  Over 20, $9.00 each.

Men of Color at the Battle of Monmouth;  the role of African Americans & Native Americans at Monmouth

An award-winning account of the role of African Americans & Native Americans at the largest battle of the American Revolution.  Among the 12,000 Continental soldiers who fought at Monmouth on June 28, 1778 were more than eight hundred men of color, who served in completely integrated units in the cause of American freedom.  This book looks at the role of these men and the research necessary to identify the more than two hundred who are positively identified.  “This is an impressive piece of detective work and a valuable contribution to historical scholarship.  I am glad to have it on my shelf,”  Dr. James M. McPherson, Pulitzer-winning author & Professor of History, Princeton University.

40 pages with illustrations.  Richard S. Walling;  ISBN 0-944413-29-3

$6.00 each.  Over 20, $5.00 each.

The author is a noted historian of colonial and ethnic history centering on the American Revolution and minority involvement in that war.  He has been a featured speaker at symposiums sponsored by the National Park Service, the Council on America’s Military Past, the New Jersey Historical Commission, the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center and the New York State Department of Education.

For ordering information, please contact AmericanIndianResearch@hotmail.com