can tell an ample story

This work marks Joseph Lee Boyle's third volume of colonial New England runaways, as identified in contemporary newspaper ads. (The first two volumes covered the period 1704-1754 and 1755-1768, respectively.) The majority of the individuals in this compilation are runaway servants and slaves, but a number are runaway apprentices, both men and women, and military deserters, with horse thieves, counterfeiters, burglars, jail breakers, an occasional murderer, and other lowlifes represented, as well as quite a few allegedly errant spouses. This volume also contains ads for runaways who did not originate in New England but who had connections there. A number of the runaways were skilled, including butchers, bakers, coopers, carpenters, blacksmiths, shoemakers, and tailors, no doubt reflecting the region's more urban economy.

This compilation lists all individuals mentioned. If an individual is listed with more than one name, all the names appear in the index. Mr. Boyle examined thirty newspapers, from New England to Maryland, including The Vermont Journal, The Boston Evening Post, The Boston Gazette, The Connecticut Courant, The Connecticut Journal,The Essex Gazette, The Massachusetts Spy, The New Hampshire Gazette, The Newport Mercury, Pennsylvania Ledger, The New York Journal, The Norwich Packet, and The Maryland Gazette.

Each ad conveys a number of details about the runaway and his/her master, including names and aliases of the runaway, physical description, personality quirks if any, location in New England (including the future states of Vermont and Maine), and where to contact the advertiser. In all, this book contains about 1,200 ads and names over 2,200 persons with connections to colonial New England.