Jack, The children here in Monmouth County learn about Penelope Stout in school - third grade - at least at my son's school. (My son is now 21 - things could have changed). Penelope is considered The First Lady of Monmouth. Most kids (and adults) if asked would have no idea who she is. Write to the following and request (free) "Monmouth a Page in History" and "Monmouth our Indian Heritage" both of which have a page on Penelope: Department of Public Information/Tourism Hall of Records Annex Post Office Box 1255 Freehold, New Jersey 07728-1255 To get a feel of life in early Monmouth County read "Slavery and Freedom in the Rural North, African Americans in Monmouth County, New Jersey 1665-1865", By Graham Russell Hodges. Madison House published book in 1997. This book is well documented and shows another side of life in Monmouth County, NJ. Page 13 - Richard Stout did enumerate the adult salves in Monmouth. Stout's total of 536 included 158 blacks in Freehold, 165 in Middletown, 97 in Shrewsbury, 9 in Dover and 4 in Stafford. Stout counted only adult's males and females, omitting slaves under the age of sixteen or those unable to work, which customarily meant anybody above forty years of age. Page 105 - Another family's escape removed the hardship of separate owners. Aaron Jones, forty-two, escaped from Hendrick Smock in 1777 along with his wife, Sarah, forty-two, and their son, Isaac, both enslaved by Richard Stout of Monmouth. Another GREAT book is "The Island at the Center of the World," by Russell Shorto published March 2004. "The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan & the forgotten colony that shaped America." Happy hunting, Kathie In a message dated 6/6/2005 8:00:37 AM Eastern Standard Time, STOUT-D-request@rootsweb.com writes: > I have been upset with the way our schools now deal with history. So I have > decided to send some letters to my Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren on > their heritage this is the first letter I intend to send and would like you > feedback on it. > Thank you; > Jack > > TO: My Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren; > > > This is the story of Penelope, in the mid 1600s a ship came ashore at what > is now Monmouth, New Jersey. Among the passengers of this ship was a young > Dutchman and his bride, Penelope Van Princes. The shipwrecked company now lost > were looking for New Amsterdam. Hardly had they started there journey when > they were attacked by a band of hostile Indians, the young husband was killed > along with others. Penelope was wounded, stripped, unconscious and near death. > When Penelope recovered conscious she was horribly mangled, her head was > severely wounded, one arm mangled and forever disabled and her body ripped open > that she had to keep her entrails in by constant pressure using her one good > hand. She wandered about for quite some time, stilling the pangs of hunger by > chewing pieces of fungus , bark and berries. She found refuge in a hollowed > out tree. At this time, she was found by an elderly Indian who became a good > Samaritan. He built some sort of shelter under a tree and he began! > the slow process of cleaning her wounds and nursing her back to health. Her > wounds were so terrible that fifty years later there grizzled cicatrices > still stood out from her abdomen in ridges of an inch high, to the marvel of her > grandchildren who were permitted to pass their hands over these great scars. > >