John Anderson, Author at

Independent Historian

John Anderson has a degree in history and political science from Northern Arizona University. He has spoken before the New Jersey Historical Society Highlands Iron Ore Conference on the maritime history of the North Jersey Highlands as well as other topics. He has presented maritime history topics before a wide range of community audiences. He has authored a diverse range of articles anchored in maritime affairs and history. Anderson is currently working on research to determine the maritime aspects of the North Branch of the Rancocas Creek and possible connections to the Delaware River and other Mid-Atlantic inland rivers and waters. His specific interest is focused on determining how the region’s maritime history folds into New Jersey’s Burlington County, Westhampton Township’s Timbuctoo Village landing and adjacent Farmstead sites that date back to 1756. Material collected and documented is to be used in support of establishing a New Jersey State canoe trail that incorporates historical sites along the lower reaches of the Rancocas Creek.

The Tryal Slave Ship Rebellion, 1805

The Tryal Rebellion of 1805 is a little known account of a shipboard slave uprising in the South Pacific off the coast of Chile. In 1803 a number of West African Muslims were purchased by the Spanish in what is now Senegal and put on … Read MoreThe Tryal Slave Ship Rebellion, 1805

Cyrus Tiffany (1738-1818)

It is presumed that Silas or Cyrus Tiffany, an African American, was the son of Nathan Tiffany and Sarah Harvey and was born in 1738. Little is known of Cyrus Tiffany’s early life. Historic references show that Tiffany was a Revolutionary War Fifer, perhaps as … Read MoreCyrus Tiffany (1738-1818)

Christiana Riot of 1851

After the passage of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law, open skirmishes took place between Southern slave catchers and Northern abolitionists who despised slavery and what they saw as its encroachments on the liberty and freedom of residents of the free states. Armed altercations and confrontations … Read MoreChristiana Riot of 1851

British Corps of Colonial Marines (1808-1810, 1814-1816)

During the first two decades of the 19th Century, escaped American slaves formed a military cadre called Britain’s Royal Navy Corps of Colonial Marines. After the War of 1812 these former soldiers established Trinidad’s “Merikin” communities. These black marines in the British Navy were first organized in 1808 to … Read MoreBritish Corps of Colonial Marines (1808-1810, 1814-1816)

Henry “Box” Brown (1816-1889)

To escape enslavement on a plantation near Richmond, Virginia, Henry “Box” Brown in 1849 exploited maritime elements of the Underground Railroad. Brown’s moniker “Box” was a result of his squeezing himself into a box and having himself shipped 250 miles from Richmond, Virginia to Philadelphia, … Read MoreHenry “Box” Brown (1816-1889)