Ric Murphy will explore the history of the 20 and odd African captives that arrived in Virginia around 1619 and planted the seeds of the American slave trade. This is the first group of Africans to go on record to be sold as involuntary laborers.

A Boston native, Ric Murphy is an educator, historian, and award-winning author of several books and historical publications. Long before he started writing, Murphy had always heard about his rich family background, which led him to begin as a hobby — genealogical research. His family lineage dates to the earliest colonial periods of Plymouth, Massachusetts, and Jamestown, Virginia. Mr. Murphy’s lineage has been evaluated and accepted by several heredity societies, including the Daughters of the American Revolution; the National Society of the Sons of Colonial New England; the Sons of the American Revolution; the Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War; and the Sons and Daughters of the U. S. Middle Passage.