Due to the storm forecast, the annual reunion of The Slocums of New Jersey has been rescheduled.
The annual family reunion will take place Sunday, Oct. 11, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the Ocean Place Resort in Long Branch. All interested parties are welcome to attend. Attendees can bring records and share valuable information with other family members. The reunion was originally slated for Oct. 4.
The Slocums were early settlers of Long Branch in 1668. Two Slocum brothers, John and Nathaniel, of Rhode Island Colony, were among five men claiming property rights in 1668. Landing at a place near what is now Broadway, the Native Americans offered the men a challenge of a wresting match. If the settlers beat their champion, they could have “all the property they could walk around from sunrise to sunset.” John Slocum was selected to wrestle and won the match, so the settlers claimed their ground.
John Slocum married a widow from Rhode Island Colony, but had no children. His younger brother, Nathaniel, married another Rhode Island bride and sired the Slocum family line that still remains in Monmouth County today. Much of the land that Long Branch is located on was a part of the original Slocum homestead, including the area of the town hall.
A Dutch lunch will be available from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m., and a buffet that ends at noon will also be available. Reservations are not required.
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/SlocumsOfNewJerseyAndRelatedFamilies.