Author to Talk about Kidnapping, 12 Years a Slave's Solomon Northup, and Anne Northup

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - March 8, 2014 - PRLog -- Fiske has devoted years of research to Northup, and will talk about how he and other black citizens of New York were kidnapped and sold into slavery before the Civil War. Under American slavery, it was not only the slaves who suffered. Free blacks were at risk of having their liberty taken away at any time.

In the 1800s, free blacks were sometimes lured from the safety of their hometowns, abducted, and sold as  slaves. This happened to Northup as well as other black New Yorkers. When taken to a slave state, their chances of returning home were small. But some victims, like Northup, were rescued, and their kidnappers were held accountable for their deeds.

Fiske will also tell of the impact Northup’s kidnapping had on his wife and family. In Solomon’s absence, his family became a one-income household. Fiske’s presentation will describe how his wife, Anne, carried on and saw to the needs of their children. Information on her later life, when she resided in the Glens Falls area, will also be given.

Fiske is a professional librarian and genealogist residing in the history-laden village of Ballston Spa, New York. He has written numerous local history articles and is the author of several books. In 2012 he self-published a book about Solomon Northup, and in 2013 he worked with Clifford Brown and Rachel Seligman to write Solomon Northup: The Complete Story of the Author of Twelve Years a Slave. He also did some research that was utilized in the marketing of the film "12 Years a Slave." For more information, see his web page: http://solomonnorthup.com

The talk will be held March 25, 2014, at 6:30 pm in the Christine L. McDonald Community Room at Crandall Public Library. The library is located at 251 Glen Street in Glens Falls, New York. For more information on the program, call the library at 518-792-6508.