Bulletin 67, The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries, 1606-1968

in a strait Line to Hudson's River in forty one A group of Congregationalists from Connecticut,
Degrees of Latitude; which said Tract of Land is headed by Robert Treat, founded Newark, first
hereafter to be called by the Name or Names of New calling it Milford. They landed on May 17, 1666,
Ceaserea [Caesarea] or New-Jersey. 'q13 The name and concluded purchase of the land from the Indiarose
in honor of Carteret's defense of the lsle of ans July ll, 1667. In this purchase, the Indians
Jersey (Caesarea) in the English ChannelY promised to deliver land, "which said tract of Land
is bounded and Limited with the bay Eastward, and
4. Early English Settlements (1664-1680)* the great River Pesayak northward, the great Creke
English settlers on Long island petitioned Nicolls, or River in the meadow running to the head of the
now deputy governor of New York, to let them settle Cove, and from thence bareing a West Line for the
in Albania, the name applied by the local English South bounds Wh. said Great Creke is Commonly
to New Jersey. (They were unaware of the Duke's Called and Known by the name Weequachick
grant to Berkeley and Carteret until Philip Carteret [called Bound Creek after 1668], on the West Line
arrived in Aug. 1665.) trs Nicolls agreed and the backwards into the Country to the foot of the great
settlers purchased a tract from the Indians on Oct. Mountaine called Watchung, being as is Judged
98, 1664, bounded as follows: "One parcel of Land about seven or eight miles from Pesayak towne.
bounded on the South By a River commonly called "The said Mountaine, as Wee are Informed, hath
The Raritans River And on the East by the River one branch of Elizabeth Town River running near
wch Parts Staten Island and The Main, and To Rtm the above said foot of the mountaine; the bounds
Northward up after cull Bay. Till we come att the northerly, viz: Pesayak River reached to the Third
first River [Passaic River] 2_ wch setts westward out River above the towne, ye River is called Yauntof
the said Bay aforesaid And To Run west Into the akah, and from thence upon a northwest line to the
Countery Twice the Length as it Is Broad [17 aforesaid mountaine."x_3
miles] 2_from the North to The South of the afore- Since this tract overlapped the Elizabeth-Town
mentioned Boumls...,,23 Philip Carteret, a relative tract, the two communities settled the botlndary
of George, and first New Jersey governor, with thirty between Newark and Elizabeth-Town on May 20,
others from England, settled in the tract about 1668 at Divident Hill, now in Weequahic Park: "It
August 1, 1665 and named it Elizabeth-Town in is Consented unto that the Centre, or place agreed
honor of Lady Elizabeth Carteret, George's wife. s7 upon by the said Agents of the Towns for to Begin
The first legislature met at tile Friends Meeting the Dividing Bounds, is from the Top of a Little
House here on May 26, 1668.sr Thus Elizabeth- round hill, named Divident Hill; and from Thence
Town became the first permanent English settle- to run tip a North West Line, Into the Country. ''174
ment in New Jersey, and the first capital, 50 despite A second revision of the Newark tract boundary
the earlier attempts at settlement along the Dela- occurred in a purchase from the Indians Mar. 13,
ware in the 1640's. 1677/78: "Wereas in the original deed . . . [of July
On May 21, 1666, Governor Carteret set aside the 11,] 1667, it is said to the foot of the Great Mountownships
of Woodbridge and Piscataway on the taine.., it is meant, agreed, and intended that their
part of the Elizabeth-Town tract "between a creek bounds shall reach or goe to the top of the said
or river called Rawawak [Rahway] and Rariton's Great Mountaine...',e09
River", n° although l_oodbridge was formally in- The town of Bergen, formed under the Dutch
corporated in June 1669 and Piscataway was ex- after the 1658 purchase from the Indians, received
tended later. Settlers from Gravesend, Long Island its confirmation charter from the English on Sept.
were granted the land inchuling Middletown and 22, 1668, with bounds as follows: "The bounds and
Shrewsbury on April 8, 1665. This tract, the limits of the aforesaid town and corporation of
"Navesink" or "Monmouth" patent, granted by Bergen is, to begin at the north end thereof, from a
Nicolls, but not purchased from tbe Indians at the place called Mordavis Meadow, lying upon the west
time, inclmled "all that Tract and Part of the main side of Hudson's River; from thence to run upon a
Land, beginning at a certain Place commonly called northwest line, by a three-rail fence, that is now
or known by the Name of Sandy Point, and so run- standing, to a place called Espatin, and from thence
nmg along the Bay West North West, till it comes to to a little creek surrounding north-northwest, till it
the Mouth of the Raritans River, from thence going comes into Hackensack River; containing in breadth
along the said River to the Westermost Part of the from the top of the;hill one and a-half miles, or one
certain Marsh Land, which divides the River into htmdred and twenty chains. From thence it runs
two Parts, anti from that Part to run in a direct along said Hackensack River upon a south-south-
South West Line into the Woods Twelve Miles, and west line, till it comes to the point or neck of land
then to turn away South East and by South, until it that is over against Staten Island and Shooter's
fails into the main Ocean."t_7 Island, in Arthur Cull Bay, containing in length
See Map 3.
7
NEW JERSEY GEOLOGICAL SURVEY