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The Ramapo Mountain People
Northwest of Manhattan where the New York-New Jersey boundary crosses the tree-covered ridges and hollows ridges and hollows of the Ramapo Mountains there is a group of about 1,500 racially mixed people who have long been referred to by journalists and historians as the "Jackson Whites."In a study combining tee disciplines of anthropology, sociology, folklore, and history, David Cohen found that the old stories about these people were legends, not history.He found no reliable evidence that their ancestors were Tuscarora Indians, Hessian deserters from the British army, escaped slaves, and British and West Indian prostitutes imported by a sea captain named Jackson for the pleasure of British soldiers occupying Manhattan during the War for Independence.David Cohen lived among the Ramapo Mountain People for a year, conducting genealogical research into church records, deeds, wills, and inventories in county courthouses and libraries. He established that their ancestors included free black landowners in New York City and mulattoes with some Dutch ancestry who were among the first pioneers to settle in the Hackensack River Valley of New Jersey.In describing his findings and his experiences, Professor Cohen shows how their racially mixed ancestry, their special family and kinship system, and their intergroup attitudes and folkways distinguish and socially isolate these people as a separate racial group today, despite modern communications and transportation and their proximity to New York City.
285 pages, Hardcover
First published October 28, 1974
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About the author
David Steven Cohen
10 books1 followerDavid Steven Cohen is Senior Research Associate and Director of the Ethnic History Program at the New Jersey Historical Commission. He holds a Ph.D. in American Civilization from the University of Pennsylvania.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 11, 2021
Like 90% of the people who read this book, I grew up in the Ramapo Mountain area. The other 10% are anthropology students. When I was a kid in the 80s and 90s the term Jackson Whites was often bandied about. Usually in a derogatory manner. The Jackson Whites or perhaps Jacks and Whites (was never really sure which) were rumors with references mostly to in-breeding and, if I recall correctly, webbed hands and feet...probably because of the in-breeding. I can still picture one girl down the street from me screaming about the Jackson Whites and uncontrollably cackling. Obviously, these were the well-informed thoughts and opinions of the middle-school kids.
Fast forward 20-30 years and I haven't thought of the term Jackson Whites in a loooooong time. No contact with the rumors having moved (slightly) out of the area. So, it's a Friday late morning and I'm heading for family vacation in upstate NY later that afternoon. I pop over to the library to return a book on tape I just finished. While there, I decide to check out if they have any books on Upstate NY. As I'm scanning the local titles, the Ramapo Mountain People is starring me in the face. Holy crap...there's a book about this? I had no idea. So, despite picking up another book two days earlier, I'm checking it out and already a few pages in before we back the family cruiser out of the driveway.
So...Ramapo Mountain People (RMP). This is a scholarly journey, not a novel or even a historical look per se. The book is literally an analysis of the people, their history, their folk tales, legends, etc. for the author's doctoral dissertation. But, like the mysteries of many remote or secluded people, the RMP spawn some fascination in people's minds and Dave Cohen's review clearly had enough interest to publish as a book. The book is basically split into three sections: A review of the history of the RMP, details of the three main populations of RMP and a review of the beliefs and folklore of the RMP.
Some Spoilers below....
The first section is the real meat of why I picked up this book...and I suspect others as well. This lays out the (disputed) legend of the Jackson Whites, primarily the oral history of the people passed down form generation to generation which has essentially created a series of different versions of the story. But most of the legends include the source of the RMP to include early dutch settlers, Hessian defectors from the British army, migrating Tuscarora indians moving from the American South to upstate NY and a group of British Revolutionary conscripted "camp followers" who were turned loose when the British abandoned NYC during the war. Due to the isolation of the Ramapo Mountain valleys it was a place to hide and many never left the seclusion...for generations. This last group is also where the term Jackson Whites came from...the legend goes that the "camp followers" were gathered by a general Jackson of the British Army and mostly consisted of white women conscripted (against their will) from the UK. But, due to a ship sinking, he also conscripted some black women from the Caribbean who were sarcastically known as the Jackson “Whites.” Note this is just one of a theory of the term....but where most of the legends center around. But all of this, per Cohen's research, is false. The truth is the main families that make up the RMP were mixed race descendants who migrated from New York City in the 1600's, bought farms along the Hackensack River in Bergen County in the 1700's. Over a generation or two the land was divvied up amongst more decendents to smaller and smaller farms, and the Van Dunk's, Mann's and De Groat's moved up to the mountains to gain more land. There may be some Hessian, Indian or other blood mixed in as those passing through stayed in Ramapo's, but this is where the core came from...and stayed.
In all this, Cohen doesn't directly reference the notion of in-breeding that was the core of my childhood understanding. But he also references the seclusion of the mountain valleys, the small amount of families and close interactions to imply that this existed on some level. Maybe not Alabama sleeping with your sister, but British Royalty cousins marrying.
Some of this section was positively mind-blowing. One...for me was that my early impressions of the legend when I was young assumed that the Jackson Whites were, well, white. I never expected that the they wouldn't be. Again, the naivity of a middle school kid laughing along to things he clearly didn't understand. Also, of significance to me that non-white early Americans would be landowners, even as early as the 1700s and in the North. I just sort of expected the early farmers around Bergen county were White. Again, the product of primarily white education system. Along this same line, the amount of names that were dropped in the sale/purchase records that ring true in the name of towns, streets, etc. in the area that I grew up. Lastly, that the term Jackson Whites was deemed derogatory to the RMP themselves (some also dislike the RMP term). This is a little more obvious, but I never thought of it.
In discussing the book with my family, my Mother, a teacher in my town's school system indicated that some of the Mtn People lived in a section of my town (I'm not from one of the town's mentioned)...also mind-blowing.
The second section went into details of the three main RMP neighborhoods: Mahwah, Ringwood and Hillburn. This was little too detailed for me, but some of the stories - especially the tale of the school bus route in Mahwah and the How-To homes in Ringwood were intriguing.
The last section detailed the RMP's view into race, religion and folklore, including a detailed review of some of the tall-tales and home remedies passed down through the generations by the RMP. In particular, I found the tall-tales to be amusing. Of note here is the RMP's own views on race. Despite the interpretation of Cohen on their ancestry, the RMP do not consider themselves black in any way shape or form and find the impression offensive.
Okay...nuts and bolts. As indicated this is a scholarly review of the RMP and a great detailed look into their culture and lifestyle. The ability to erradicate my misconceptions is marvelous and the goal of the exercise for Mr. Cohen. Beyond this, the pictures provided assist in visualizing the RMP of the middle of the 20th century. The picture on the cover above (not the version I read) reflects Uncle Charlie - described as "jaunty" which is absolutely perfect.
Thinking about the study by Cohen, I can't help but wonder about a follow-up. Its been fifty years since he spent time with the RMP. As the world has grown smaller due to technology, the isolation of the RMP likely has fractured quite a bit. Is there more separation from their close-knit communities? Are there more marriages from outside the circle? Have more RMP moved out of the defined communities? Are the folklore, stories, herbal remedies been lost to time? Do the communities even still exist?
I do know that over the last fifty years the RMP have been acknowledged as a native american tribe and got into a dust-up (with Trump I believe) about the desire to build a casino. There is a "native american" store now listed on Google Maps in the Mahwah section of the RMP community. In addition, from looking at Zillow, properties in the Mahwah section are estimated at over $500k, average for the town as a whole, but high when considering the derogatory light the RMP were considered a few decades ago. Ringwood homes, built through the How-To program are listed around $200k...also normal-ish for Ringwood. More telling, numerous sales have occurred in both neighborhoods over the last few years. I would not expect the tight-knit communities that Cohen met with to see so many sales. I'd expect more family pass-offs, generations living in the same neighborhood, etc. Doesn't mean the sales weren't within the RMP families, but it raises the question about whether the community is as isolated as it was in the past.
Also, with the prevalence of genetic testing and Ancestry.com/ 23 and me type items, can theories like Cohen's or the JW's legends be confirmed/debunked with the use of technology. Cohen indicated in his research that there were missing records from about thirty years of the census. Could these be resolved?
The jist is...would love to see a follow-up fifty years later. Is the world short one more isolated population? What remnants exist still? I need more...
General take...a bit slow in the middle, but loved the legends and history at the beginning. ...And frankly, I loved the gain of the knowledge and righting of misconceptions. I want more...
Fast forward 20-30 years and I haven't thought of the term Jackson Whites in a loooooong time. No contact with the rumors having moved (slightly) out of the area. So, it's a Friday late morning and I'm heading for family vacation in upstate NY later that afternoon. I pop over to the library to return a book on tape I just finished. While there, I decide to check out if they have any books on Upstate NY. As I'm scanning the local titles, the Ramapo Mountain People is starring me in the face. Holy crap...there's a book about this? I had no idea. So, despite picking up another book two days earlier, I'm checking it out and already a few pages in before we back the family cruiser out of the driveway.
So...Ramapo Mountain People (RMP). This is a scholarly journey, not a novel or even a historical look per se. The book is literally an analysis of the people, their history, their folk tales, legends, etc. for the author's doctoral dissertation. But, like the mysteries of many remote or secluded people, the RMP spawn some fascination in people's minds and Dave Cohen's review clearly had enough interest to publish as a book. The book is basically split into three sections: A review of the history of the RMP, details of the three main populations of RMP and a review of the beliefs and folklore of the RMP.
Some Spoilers below....
The first section is the real meat of why I picked up this book...and I suspect others as well. This lays out the (disputed) legend of the Jackson Whites, primarily the oral history of the people passed down form generation to generation which has essentially created a series of different versions of the story. But most of the legends include the source of the RMP to include early dutch settlers, Hessian defectors from the British army, migrating Tuscarora indians moving from the American South to upstate NY and a group of British Revolutionary conscripted "camp followers" who were turned loose when the British abandoned NYC during the war. Due to the isolation of the Ramapo Mountain valleys it was a place to hide and many never left the seclusion...for generations. This last group is also where the term Jackson Whites came from...the legend goes that the "camp followers" were gathered by a general Jackson of the British Army and mostly consisted of white women conscripted (against their will) from the UK. But, due to a ship sinking, he also conscripted some black women from the Caribbean who were sarcastically known as the Jackson “Whites.” Note this is just one of a theory of the term....but where most of the legends center around. But all of this, per Cohen's research, is false. The truth is the main families that make up the RMP were mixed race descendants who migrated from New York City in the 1600's, bought farms along the Hackensack River in Bergen County in the 1700's. Over a generation or two the land was divvied up amongst more decendents to smaller and smaller farms, and the Van Dunk's, Mann's and De Groat's moved up to the mountains to gain more land. There may be some Hessian, Indian or other blood mixed in as those passing through stayed in Ramapo's, but this is where the core came from...and stayed.
In all this, Cohen doesn't directly reference the notion of in-breeding that was the core of my childhood understanding. But he also references the seclusion of the mountain valleys, the small amount of families and close interactions to imply that this existed on some level. Maybe not Alabama sleeping with your sister, but British Royalty cousins marrying.
Some of this section was positively mind-blowing. One...for me was that my early impressions of the legend when I was young assumed that the Jackson Whites were, well, white. I never expected that the they wouldn't be. Again, the naivity of a middle school kid laughing along to things he clearly didn't understand. Also, of significance to me that non-white early Americans would be landowners, even as early as the 1700s and in the North. I just sort of expected the early farmers around Bergen county were White. Again, the product of primarily white education system. Along this same line, the amount of names that were dropped in the sale/purchase records that ring true in the name of towns, streets, etc. in the area that I grew up. Lastly, that the term Jackson Whites was deemed derogatory to the RMP themselves (some also dislike the RMP term). This is a little more obvious, but I never thought of it.
In discussing the book with my family, my Mother, a teacher in my town's school system indicated that some of the Mtn People lived in a section of my town (I'm not from one of the town's mentioned)...also mind-blowing.
The second section went into details of the three main RMP neighborhoods: Mahwah, Ringwood and Hillburn. This was little too detailed for me, but some of the stories - especially the tale of the school bus route in Mahwah and the How-To homes in Ringwood were intriguing.
The last section detailed the RMP's view into race, religion and folklore, including a detailed review of some of the tall-tales and home remedies passed down through the generations by the RMP. In particular, I found the tall-tales to be amusing. Of note here is the RMP's own views on race. Despite the interpretation of Cohen on their ancestry, the RMP do not consider themselves black in any way shape or form and find the impression offensive.
Okay...nuts and bolts. As indicated this is a scholarly review of the RMP and a great detailed look into their culture and lifestyle. The ability to erradicate my misconceptions is marvelous and the goal of the exercise for Mr. Cohen. Beyond this, the pictures provided assist in visualizing the RMP of the middle of the 20th century. The picture on the cover above (not the version I read) reflects Uncle Charlie - described as "jaunty" which is absolutely perfect.
Thinking about the study by Cohen, I can't help but wonder about a follow-up. Its been fifty years since he spent time with the RMP. As the world has grown smaller due to technology, the isolation of the RMP likely has fractured quite a bit. Is there more separation from their close-knit communities? Are there more marriages from outside the circle? Have more RMP moved out of the defined communities? Are the folklore, stories, herbal remedies been lost to time? Do the communities even still exist?
I do know that over the last fifty years the RMP have been acknowledged as a native american tribe and got into a dust-up (with Trump I believe) about the desire to build a casino. There is a "native american" store now listed on Google Maps in the Mahwah section of the RMP community. In addition, from looking at Zillow, properties in the Mahwah section are estimated at over $500k, average for the town as a whole, but high when considering the derogatory light the RMP were considered a few decades ago. Ringwood homes, built through the How-To program are listed around $200k...also normal-ish for Ringwood. More telling, numerous sales have occurred in both neighborhoods over the last few years. I would not expect the tight-knit communities that Cohen met with to see so many sales. I'd expect more family pass-offs, generations living in the same neighborhood, etc. Doesn't mean the sales weren't within the RMP families, but it raises the question about whether the community is as isolated as it was in the past.
Also, with the prevalence of genetic testing and Ancestry.com/ 23 and me type items, can theories like Cohen's or the JW's legends be confirmed/debunked with the use of technology. Cohen indicated in his research that there were missing records from about thirty years of the census. Could these be resolved?
The jist is...would love to see a follow-up fifty years later. Is the world short one more isolated population? What remnants exist still? I need more...
General take...a bit slow in the middle, but loved the legends and history at the beginning. ...And frankly, I loved the gain of the knowledge and righting of misconceptions. I want more...
January 19, 2026
Picked up on a whim from my local library, interested to read about a small local ethnic group I wasn’t familiar with. I found the beginning and end of this book to be quite interesting, focusing on beliefs, folklore, family structure and origins. The middle sections focusing on more anthropological and in the weeds details were a tad too clinical and list driven for my liking. Some interesting stuff but I don’t care to read a whole page of who bought land from who, the names of every family in a town, or stuff like that.
Seven
Seven
August 29, 2019
This is much better than Storms' book Origin of the Jackson-Whites of the Ramapo Mountains - Paperbound and helps to clear up some misconceptions about the so-called Ramapo Mountain People. Admittedly I only read Chapters 1, 2, 5 and the epilogue, while skimming the rest.
July 16, 2007
Jamie picked this book up from a display at the library, thinking I might like it due to my obsession with the Lenni Lenape Indians, Colonial Bergen County, etc. It was the author's dissertation, and mostly reads like one, but is still very interesting, despite its age (pub. in 1974).
July 12, 2012
Very interesting, as I grew up in this area and these people were always a mystery. Very concentrated on geneology so far. I read bits at a time between other books so may take me awhile to finish. lol
Read
July 31, 2013I read this book many years ago since I grew up in Ramapo. I found it very interesting.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews