Smooth Tongued and Deceitful: White New Jersey Runaways, 1767-1783, (Paperback)

Colonial-era runaway servants from New Jersey are identified in this book, the second on New Jersey runaways by author Joseph Lee Boyle. Runaway servants were not an uncommon phenomenon in the 18th century. One source estimates that between 20-25% of indentured servants fled their masters. Although we will never know precisely how many New Jersey indentured servants and other runaways fled their masters, Mr. Boyle has transcribed from New England and Mid-Atlantic newspapers over a thousand ads for missing persons, referencing more than 3,000 persons with New Jersey connections.