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Sunday, April 28, 2019 ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY WATERTOWN DAILY TIMES

White-child slavery ‘forgotten’ Crowd exceeds


CHILDREN IN 1700s:
Canton resident
hopes at debut
explores history
from own family
brew, cider fest
By KEVIN SHEA ees 21 years of age and older,
By SUSAN MENDE
smende@ogd.com
kshea@wdt.net $3 for attendees between the
POTSDAM — The inaugu- ages of 6 and 20, and free for
CANTON — Richard Hayes ral Brew-Ha-Hops craft brew attendees 5 and younger. The
Phillips said he discovered far event brought in $5,000, all
and cider vendor show drew
more than he expected 15 years of which will go toward “the
an unexpectedly large num-
ago when a relative’s obituary
ber of people, and organizers Foundation of St. Lawrence
prompted him to start delving
of the event are now prepar- NYSARC to support grants
into family history.
Now, he’s passionate about ing for next year’s show. for local people with intellec-
a subject he believes was On April 6, the Pine Street tual disabilities,” according
wrongly ignored in history Arena was filled for a sam- to Mrs. Quinell.
books: the story of thousands pling and tasting of local and “Grants are given as need-
of white children and teenag- regional wines, beers and ed for items not covered by
ers he argues were sold into cheeses. The expectation for entitlements. A few examples
slavery in 17th-century Colo- the event was low, as only include medical items not
nial America, mostly to work three months had been al- covered by Medicaid, trips
in tobacco fields. lotted to setting it up. At the to visit family, vacations, and
“These are kids whose event, St. Lawrence NYSARC playground equipment,” she
tales of suffering have never Foundation Director Mi- wrote.
been told,” Mr. Phillips said. chelle Quinell had said that The event will be held in
“They’ve been forgotten for she hoped to see as many as 2020, around the same time
300 years.” 300 people by the end of the of year, with only a few differ-
Based on archived court day. ences.
and shipping records he found “The Brew-Ha-Hops “We will plan to do it again
in Virginia and Maryland, turned out great and ex- next year and many of the
he believes more than 5,300 ceeded expectations,” Mrs. vendors have already agreed
white children and teenagers Quinell wrote in an email to to return. We are working on
from England, Scotland and the Times. “There were over the details now, but will plan
Ireland were kidnapped in 600 people in attendance and on April again,” Mrs. Quinell
the late 1600s and shipped off the net profit for the day was wrote. “One thing that will
across the Atlantic. Some of over $5,000. We were thrilled be done differently is the
the captured children came with the community support temperature in the space. It
from New England. by attendees, sponsors, and was a lot colder than expect-
“The history books like to the vendors. Several of the ed in the arena. Next year,
call them indentured ser- vendors even sold out of their we will make sure there are
vants. But this is not true. They products.” heating units in the exhibit
had no indentures,” said Mr. The cost was $5 for attend- space.”
Hayes. “I’m descended from
one of these kids.”
By definition, he said an in-
denture is a written contract
where both sides receive a copy.
He claims the children he re-
Malone awards $2.7m
searched were captured, had
no indentures and were mostly
sold to landowners who were
sewer project contract
looking for field workers. NEXT PHASE IN UPGRADE: Approximately half
Those children included his of system to be covered by $19m overall job
ancestor, James Hambleton,
who was 12 years old in 1699 By EJ CONZOLA II mitted a bid for the project.
when he was captured in New econzola@mtelegram.com But Bottar said the costs —
Hampshire and sent to Virgin- CHRISTOPHER LENNEY/WATERTOWN DAILY TIMES MALONE — The Village which involved a $1.8 million
ia, according to court records Richard Hayes Phillips talks April 12 about his latest book on white children sold into slavery in the Board has awarded a contract base bids and nine optional
he found in Virginia. 1700s. In February, he completed a 104-page epic poem, “Lost History of Stolen Children.” add-ons, was very close to
worth roughly $2.7 million for
“Many of these kids were the estimate engineers had
the next phase of an upgrade to
too young legally to sign an calculated.
the village’s sewer system.
indenture. You had to be 14 if THE GIST OF IT Bottar also noted that the
The work will involve relin-
you were a boy and 12 if you cost of the project is included
n WHAT: Richard Hayes Phil- ing sections of sewer mains
were a girl,” he said. “If you ar- in the $19 million figure cited
rived without indentures, the
lips, Canton, has published where possible and digging up
three books, informally and replacing sections where for the total cost of the work.
owner who purchased you was known as the White Slave the condition of the pipes “We’ve been budgeting for
required by law to bring you Trilogy makes it impossible to use “slip this project all along,” he said,
to court and have the county n RESEARCH: He claims his lining,” Taylor Bottar, a repre- noting that the total project
court examine you, adjudge research identifies the names sentative of the Barton & Logu- budget includes a $500,000
your age and sentence you to of more than 5,300 white chil- idice engineering firm, told the contingency cushion to cover
slavery for a number of years. dren and teenagers who were
The younger the child, the lon- board on Monday. unexpected expenses.
captured and forced to work
ger the sentence.” on tobacco fields in Colonial The project is the next The entire project was
Most children became free America phase of the village’s $19 originally expected to cost
around age 22. million upgrade of its sewer $13 million, but trustees vot-
n POEM: He’s also written an
In February, Mr. Phillips epic poem, “Lost History of system, which also involved ed in 2016 to add roughly $6
completed a 104-page epic Stolen Children” CHRISTOPHER LENNEY/WATERTOWN DAILY TIMES substantial work at the million to that total to pay for
poem, “Lost History of Stolen Richard Hayes Phillips points to a passage from his book. wastewater treatment plant. the sewer system upgrades
Children.” A video inspection of the and the installation of an ul-
Earlier this month, the tory. He earned bachelor’s de- America, three books, informally sewer lines conducted in traviolet disinfectant system
67-year-old flew to Dublin, grees in political science and Some black slaves were known as the White Slave 2017 helped pinpoint loca- –– which the state DEC had
hoping to find a publisher in geography from SUNY Pots- freed by their owners and oth- Children Trilogy. The books tions where the underground indicated would become
the United Kingdom or Ire- dam. He said he taught briefly ers freed during the Civil War, were published in paperback pipes — some of which are mandatory in a few years.
land for the lyric, rhyming at SUNY Canton, but decided to but “no one would claim they form by Genealogical Pub- roughly a century old — had The state Environmental
poem which he’s printed in pursue work as a folk musician, were never slaves,” Mr. Phil- lishing Co. and are available collapsed or were so de- Facilities Corp. provided the
booklet form. He is also a folk which allows him to write and lips writes in his 2015 book, directly from Mr. Phillips formed the new slip linings village with a zero-percent in-
musician and plans to create perform original songs. He plays “White Slave Children of in hardbound, cloth-cover could not be used. terest loan, and several grants
folks songs from some of the acoustic guitar, mandolin and Charles County, Maryland: editions. The books are also The upgrades and repairs — including $6 million from
passages. harmonica. The Search for Survivors.” catalogued in the Library of will cover roughly half of the the state Department of Cor-
He acknowledged that some An outdoors enthusiast, he However, Mr. Phillips de- Congress. sewer system. rections and Community Su-
critics object to his using the also spends a portion of the fended his characterization The books identify the The state departments of pervision — that reduced the
word slavery to describe what year maintaining trails for the of white slavery, arguing that names and ages of thousands Environmental Conservation amount of the cost that would
happened to these children Adirondack Trail Improve- he has extensively reviewed of children he claims were and Transportation have ap- fall on village sewer users.
because they were in bondage ment Society. county court records in both sold into slavery. His research proved the latest phase of the After the grants and loans,
for a term of years and not for Melissane Schrems, an as- Virginia and Maryland that included traveling to the Brit- project, Bottar noted. the project was expected to
life. This differed from black sociate history professor at support his claims. The public ish Isles and reviewing ship- Several trustees ques- add about $22.50 per quarter
slaves in America who were St. Lawrence University who court records listed the child’s ping, birthing and baptismal tioned the cost of the work, to a household’s sewer bill.
considered slaves for life and teaches a course on Colonial name, age, date the child ap- records and 17th-century laws noting that only one firm — The budget for the 2019-20
whose children were born into America, said using the word peared in court before a judge in both England and America. Kenyon Pipeline Inspection fiscal year raises sewer rates
slavery as property. slavery to describe white chil- and the name of the owner. The book titles are “Without of Queensbury — had sub- by $4 per quarter.
Mr. Phillips is aware that ar- dren does not accurately re- He also researched shipping Indentures: Index to White
ticles have been published in flect the term as it was legally records stored at the Library Slave Children in Colonial
major newspapers debunking defined in that time period.
that white people from Ire- Slaves, she said, specifically
of Congress that identify the
names of ships and where they
Court Records,” published in
2013, followed by two pub- POLICE BRIEFS
land were ever used as slaves referred to black people of came from. lished in 2015, “White Slave
in America, including a 2017 African descent, while Euro- “These children were trans- Children of Colonial Maryland Police: woman stole DeKalb sex offender cited
article in the New York Times, peans were defined as inden-
“Debunking a Myth: The Irish
ported without indentures, and Virginia: Birth and Ship- $1,280 of energy drinks with failure to register
tured servants, even children without their consent, against ping Records,” and “White
Were Not Slaves, Too.” who lacked signed indentures. their will, which is why they Slave Children of Charles MASSENA — State police CANTON — St. Lawrence
“Some of America’s media “People of African descent on Friday charged Kim Y. County sheriff’s deputies on
were brought to court in the County, Maryland: The Search
giants deny that the Irish were were considered by the legal Franklin, 56, Brooklyn, with Wednesday charged Valerie
first place,” he said. for Survivors.”
ever slaves,” he said. “They system as objects to be owned, two counts of felony fourth- A. Cleveland, 45, of 93 Hitch-
don’t attack my books. They Many of the children were Describing himself as a
and not people. They were poor and captured on city historian, Mr. Phillips said he degree grand larceny. cock Road, DeKalb, with eight
look for inflammatory, over- Troopers charge at 11:40 counts of felony failure to reg-
stated scurrilous web pages not considered people under streets or at shipping docks. feels compelled to share his
the law,” she said. “The white Some were orphaned. research. a.m. on April 5 at BJ’s Whole- ister as a sex offender.
and attack them. Why, I don’t
Europeans were always con- Mr. Phillips cites a 1618 deci- “Everyone I ever heard, and sale, 6100 St. Lawrence Cen- Deputies charge during the
know. But I do know that I
sidered people. That’s a huge sion by the Common Council of everything I ever read, told me tre, Ms. Franklin stole $1,280 month of July, they investigat-
have to knock on the doors of
poetry publishers personally distinction.” London which agreed that 100 that all the slaves were black worth of five-hour energy ed a complaint made by state
so they can meet me and don’t Unlike black slaves, she said “vagrant boys and girls that lie and all the whites subjected drinks. parole officials that Cleveland
think I’m a neo-Confederate indentured servants had the and beg in the streets of the city to forced labor were inden- Ms. Franklin was ar- failed to register eight differ-
and a Nazi and a racist. That’s chance to start a new chapter should be taken up and trans- tured servants, convict labor- raigned in Town Court and ent social media accounts and
not why I did this research.” in their lives after their term as ported to Virginia.” ers or impressed sailors,” he was sent to St. Lawrence email addresses.
A Schenectady native, Mr. a servant expired. “There were kids taken in said, “Everyone was wrong, County jail, Canton, on Cleveland was arraigned at
Phillips earned a Ph.D. in geo- Mr. Phillips emphasized Massachusetts whose fathers Nobody told me about white $1,000 cash bail or $2,000 town court by Justice Michael
morphology, which is the sci- that sharing the story of white were ship carpenters which slavery in Colonial America. bond. R. Morgan and was released
entific study of topographic slavery is not an attempt by explains why they were down If I had trusted the experts, The investigation is ongo- back to the custody of the state
features. He also holds master’s him to downplay the atroci- at the docks,” Mr. Phillips said. the authorities, I would have ing and another arrest is ex- Department of Corrections
degrees in geography and his- ties faced by black slaves in Since 2013, he’s published missed this story altogether.” pected, troopers said. and community supervision.

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