I have mentioned several times that Chief
Parroo in the late 1600's lived in Orange Park. I'm certain that
he walked the old Indian trail past my house in Vailsburg many times.
I believe that when Newark was settled there were only around two
thousand Indians in New Jersey. In 1758 the "first" Indian
reservation in the United States was established in New Jersey.
Around 200 Indians moved to this reservation located in Indian Mills
which is in Burlington County. It was a 3,004 acres which is a little
bit bigger than South Mountain Reservation in Essex County.
These Indians stayed there until 1801 and then they moved to other
States.
In the late 1970's I attended a symposium on the Lenni Lenape
Indians at Seton Hall University. I met a very lovely Native American
by the name of Nora Thompson Dean. She lived with remnants of her
people in Oklahoma. She was a full blooded Lenni Lenape and the
last to be fluent in their language. I took the above picture of
her more than 25 years ago.
Click here to read a letter that she sent me 20 years ago pertaining
to making me a pair of moccasins. She never made me those moccasins
because shortly after writing this letter she died.
This Thanksgiving when we enjoy the day with our family let us
not forget "The Old Newarkers'
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