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From Historic Roadsides of New Jersey by The Society of Colonial Wars in the State of New Jersey, 1928
Edited by GET NJ, COPYRIGHT 2002
NEW JERSEY, containing a total area of eight thousand two
hundred and twenty-four square miles, has an extreme length north
and south of one hundred and sixty-six miles and an extreme width east
and west of fifty-seven miles. Within this small area has been crowded
some of the most important events in the history of our land. It is,
therefore, fitting to note something of the history of the State.
The first authenticated visit of any European to what is now the
State of New Jersey was made under French authority by daVerazano,
a Florentine, who, in the Spring of 1524, dropped anchor within Sandy
Hook. In 1614, Cornelius Jacobsen Mey, explored the lower Delaware.
In 1623 Mey built Fort Nassau on the eastern bank of the Delaware
River near the present site of Gloucester City. In 1631 Godyn and
Blommaert secured a patent from Peter Minuit, authorizing the
planning of a settlement near Cape May. In 1633 a trading but was
established at Paulus Hook, near the present site of Jersey City and
another trading post was later established on the west bank of the
Hudson on the site of Hoboken.
In 1641 a Colony from New Haven attempted a settlement on
Salem Creek, but Swedes and Dutch united and jointly attacked and
burned the place. About 1643 the Swedes constructed a triangular fort
called Elfsborg, on the eastern bank of the Delaware, near the present
town of Salem. The Fort, because of the great number of mosquitoes,
was abandoned and called in derision, the "Mosquito Fort."
In 1655 Peter Stuyvesant put an end to Swedish rule in New Jersey
and retained control until 1664, when Sir Robert Carr, in command of
the British, took possession of the settlements on the Delaware. While
the expedition of Nicholls and Carr was still at sea, the Duke of York
granted to Lord John Berkley and Sir George Carteret that part of the
New Netherland between the Hudson and Delaware Rivers. To this
tract, the name Nova Caesarea or New Jersey was given in honor of Carteret,
who, in 1649, had defended the Isle of Jersey.
The settlements in the Colony were Bergen on the west shore of
Newark Bay and the settlements of the Swedes and Dutch in
Gloucester and Burlington Counties. At Long Point on the Delaware,
now the site of Burlington, there were three Dutch families. In 1665,
Philip Carteret arrived at Elizabeth town, commissioned as Governor
of the Province. Shrewsbury and Middletown claiming to hold under
grants from Governor Nicholls, refused to take part in the Colonial
Assembly and their delegates were expelled. The first Colonial
Assembly was held May 26, 1668, at Elizabeth.
March 18, 1673, Lord Berkley sold his interest to John Fenwick, a
former Major in the Parliamentary Army and to Edward Byllynge, both
of whom were Quakers. The original line between the portion of the
Province held by Carteret and that sold to Fenwick and Byllynge was
drawn from Barnegat Creek to Rankokuskill, a small stream south of
Burlington. Fenwick and Byllynge, having disagreed, referred their
matter to William Penn for arbitration. He awarded to Byllynge nine,
tenths of the territory and to Fenwick one-tenth. Subsequently
Byllynge assigned his nine-tenths in trust for creditors to William Penn,
Gawen Lawrie and Lucas, who latter acquired the share of Fenwick as
well. In 1675 Fenwick came to Salem in the Ship Griffin of London.
In 1676 the interest of Carteret, Penn, Lawrie, Lucas and Byllynge were
determined by a line drawn from Little Egg Harbor on the Atlantic to a
point on the Delaware River 41° 40' north latitude, and that portion
east of the line or East Jersey was assigned to Carteret, the west or West
Jersey to the Quaker Associates.
In August, 1677, the Ship Kent arrived, bringing two hundred and
thirty Quakers from London and Yorkshire, who founded a settlement
first called New Beverley, but finally
Burlington. In 1678 the Ship Shieldfrom Hull brought further
Colonists.
The years 1678 to 1680 were taken up with quarrels between Sir
Edmund Andros, Governor of New York, and Carteret. In 1681 the
controversy was referred to Sir William Jones in England for
adjudication, who decided against Andros. In November of the same
year, Samuel Jennings, Governor, convened the West Jersey Assembly at
Burlington. In February, 1682, Penn and his followers purchased East
Jersey for the sum of thirty-four hundred pounds and the Duke of York
issued a patent in March, 1683.
In 1682 the Colony of East Jersey was divided into four Counties,
Bergen, Essex, Middlesex and Monmouth. It continued to grow under
the various Colonial Governors Rudyard, Lawrie and Lord Neill
Campbell, until 1702, when Lord Cornbury became Governor. The
seven years of his administration were marked by strife and confusion.
He was succeeded by John, Lord Lovelace, and he in turn by Robert
Hunter, Governor for nine years, for whom Hunterdon County is named.
William Burnet, son of Bishop Burnet, served from 1719 to 1726; John
Montgomerie, five years, 1726 to 1731; Lewis Morris, 1738 to 1746; and
Jonathan Belcher, 1747 to 1757. William Franklin, the last Royal
Governor of New Jersey, administered the affairs of the Province from
1762 to 1776. On the 26th of May, 1776, the second Provincial Congress met at Burlington, Trenton, and New Brunswick. By its orders
Governor Franklin was arrested and deported, remaining a prisoner for
two years. William Livingston became Governor in 1776 and held the
office till 1790.
On September 20, 1777, the Legislature of the Colony struck out the
word "Colony" and substituted the word "State" in its organic law. In
1786 it sent delegates to the Annapolis Convention and later to the
Constitutional Convention. The Federal Constitution was ratified by
unanimous vote December 18, 1787.
GOVERNORS OF NEW JERSEY
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