Release of Book, Black Minqua: The Life and Times of Henry Green

I am pleased to announce the release of my third book, Black Minqua: The Life and Times of Henry Green. Black Minqua refers to the Minqua who resided by the Susquehanna River in Southeastern Pennsylvania. My Maternal ancestors were some of the mixed raced negro/indians in the Pequea Valley of Pennsylvania.

In my research I located documents showing that as far back as the late 1600's my ancestors were in the region. There are original warrants and patents signed by the sons of William Penn, Thomas, John, and Richard Penn. In 1737 Thomas Penn, by then deceased, left a Will naming his wife as Executor of his estate and his children, including my direct Ancestor, Tom Green Junior. 

In 1792, an article ran about what was then the Welsh Mountains, stating that Tom Green, A Burly Negro was the Leader of the Mountains, and of Green's Banditti. This then, was the first mention that the Greens were Negro. From that point until the 1900's numerous articles were Written about the Greens on the Welsh Mountain. The Reading Eagle, New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Gazette, Wide World Magazine, wrote articles about this Band of Thieves. There was so much negative information that I felt compelled to find and write a different perspective.

I documented my ancestors as Landowners who were Self-sufficient Merchants. As people of color, they were under constant threat from the surrounding White Community. Benjamin Green fought in the War of 1812. My Great-Great Grandfather and several of his brothers were in the United States Colored Troops. Henry Green gained notoriety for his participation in the Christiana Resistance, an incident in which a white slave owner was killed. He and other Free Blacks belonged to an organization in which they swore to give their lives to assist fleeing slaves.

Frederick Douglass speeches and personal appearance in the community, inspired them to form the organization. On 9/11/1851, they were faced with Edward Gorsuch a slave-owner from Maryland who, with a Federal Marshall and posse showed up at the door of William Parker. That was the last day of Gorsuch's life, and the next day 38 blacks from the community were arrested. The trial of the century took place the next year, in the Federal Courts (the men were charged with treason). Contrary to popular opinion there was as much racism in the north as the south, but it manifested itself differently.

This is a book that should be read not just as a story about Henry Green, but for it's historical content.

We will be hosting a Welsh Mountain Family Gathering on August 4, 2012, an event that has not taken place in over 100 years. We will be gathering at the Welsh Mountain Community Center in New Holland Pennsylvania.

Black Minqua

The documents attached are:

1.Picture of Welsh Mountain School Children

2. Thomas Senior and Joseph Green Land Warrant (Joseph Green was son of Thomas)

3. Picture of Samuel Green, a brother to Great-Great Grandfather, Henry Green