The Genealogical Society of Salem County will host a presentation on "The New Haven Colony" by presented Rich Guido. This presentation on the New Haven Colony in Salem County is based on Rich Guido's latest research exploring the little-known 1640s settlement of New Haven colonists along Varken’s Kill, today’s Salem River, marking it as the earliest confirmed English presence in Salem County. Drawing on colonial correspondence, court testimonies, and Swedish and Dutch records, Rich’s research highlights how New Haven settlers attempted to establish a trading and agricultural outpost amid intense rivalry with New Netherland and New Sweden. The settlement’s rise, conflict, and mysterious disappearance reveal the fragile nature of early colonial expansion in the Delaware Valley and challenge long-held assumptions about the region’s earliest English history.
Rich Guido graduated from Rowan University in 2012 and in the same year, he began working for the Salem County Historical Society. During his tenure he has served in a wide range of roles including museum operations, administration, education, and library and archival work. He currently serves as the Society’s Executive Director and Librarian, where he oversees the organization’s operations, museum and library collections and public programming. His areas of historical interest include the Colonial and Revolutionary periods of American history, with a particular focus on Salem County and the greater Delaware Valley. This program is free and open to the public.