Amwell was a township that existed in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, from 1708 to 1846. It was a large area of about 200 square miles that included the present-day East Amwell Township, West Amwell Township, Delaware Township, Raritan Township, Readington Township, and portions of Clinton, Lebanon, and Tewksbury Townships.
Atlantic County was formed from a portion of Gloucester County in 1837. County records related to this area during the era of slavery would be found under Gloucester County records.
The Barron Estate was the home of the Barron family in Woodbridge, New Jersey, located near the First Presbyterian Church. The estate included the historical Barron House, located at 574 Rahway Avenue, which was built in 1803 for Joseph Barron, deacon of the First Presbyterian Church.
Several historical markers were erected by the Woodbridge Township Historic Preservation Commission on the property.
The following is the text of the Barron House historical marker:
"Home of Deacon Joseph Barron,
First Presbyterian Church.
One of many handsome colonial homes, it
remained in the Barron family, donors
of the money and land to build the
Barron Library
Circa 1803"
The following is the text of the Barron Estate historical marker:
"The Barron name is an important one in Woodbridge, as the family was one of the first to settle here in the late 17th century. The Barron family, noted patriots and philanthropists, made many contributions to the town. The Barron estate encompassed the land opposite First Presbyterian Church and continued west onto the property through which Barron Avenue runs. Two of the original structures built by the Barron family still stand: the Barron House and the Barron Library.
The Barron House at 574 Rahway Avenue was built in 1803 by Joseph Barron, a deacon of First Presbyterian Church, and his sons, John and Thomas. John managed a farm on the family estate and established a cabinet factory in Woodbridge. Thomas Barron held a partnership in a trading house in the West Indies trade. Upon his death, he bequeathed $50,000 for the establishment of a library.
The Barron Library at 582 Rahway Avenue was built in 1877 on land donated from the family estate by Thomas’ nephew, Civil War physician John C. Barron. It was the first free public library in Middlesex County. Constructed by renowned architect J. Clevland Cady in beautiful Romanesque Revival-style, the building is a supreme example of Victorian-era architecture and is listed on both the State and National Register of Historic Places. Since 1977 it has housed the Barron Arts Center.
More information visit www.wthpc.org Woodbridge Township Historic Preservation Commission."
Bonhamtown is a historical community in present-day Edison Township, Middlesex County, NJ. During the era of slavery, the village of Bonhamtown was part of Woodbridge Township (Edison Township did not yet exist as it would be formed after the Civil War from portions of Woodbridge and Piscataway townships). Documents related to slavery in the historical community of Bonhamtown would be found among Woodbridge records.
Today, Borno is a state in northeastern Nigeria. Historically, Bornu Empire stretched beyond this region and included parts of present-day Chad, Niger, Sudan, and Cameroon.
Bound Brook is a borough in Somerset County, NJ, located along the Raritan River. The community gets its name from the Bound Brook waterway, a tributary to the Raritan River. The community was first incorporated in 1869, from portions of Bridgewater Township. During the era of slavery in New Jersey, present-day Bound Brook borough was part of Bridgewater Township. For this reason, records related to slavery in this community may be found among Bridgewater Township records.
Bridgetown is the historical name of an area in present-day Rahway, New Jersey. It was originally a part of Woodbridge Township in Middlesex County. In the mid-19th century, this area was annexed to Rahway city and was transferred to Union County.
It is not to be confused with Bridgeton in Cumberland County, which was also known as Bridgetown in the past.
Bridgewater Township is located in Somerset County, NJ. The township was originally created by Royal charter in 1749. Several communities broke off from Bridgewater in the 19th century and formed separate municipalities: Warren Township (1806), Branchburg Township (1845), Somerville (1863), Raritan (1868), and Bound Brook (1869).
Burlington County is located in South Jersey and is the largest county in the state. It was one of the earliest counties established during the colonial era, and it was originally the seat of government for the Province of West Jersey in the 17th century.
Burlington is a city on the banks of the Delaware River in Burlington County, New Jersey. It was first incorporated in 1693 and was originally the county seat of Burlington County before 1796, when the county seat moved to Mount Holly.
Camden County was formed from a portion of Gloucester County in 1844. County records related to this area during the era of slavery would be found under Gloucester County records.
Located on the Delaware River across from Philadelphia, Camden is the location of Rutgers University's campus in South Jersey, which was established in the 20th century.
In the 18th century, Cooper's Ferry (located in present-day Camden) served as the main receiving port where captive Africans who had survived the Middle Passage were sold into slavery in South Jersey.
Cayuga County is located in the Finger Lakes region of New York near Lake Ontario. The county was formed in 1799. It was originally much larger than the present-day area known as Cayuga County and included the present-day areas of Seneca County and Tompkins County. Seneca County and Tompkins County were formed from portions of Cayuga County in the early 19th century.
Charleston is the capital of West Virginia. Records created prior to the Civil War will refer to "Charleston, Virginia," because this was before West Virginia broke off to form a separate state.
Cranbury is a township in Middlesex County, NJ. It was incorporated as a separate municipality in 1872 from portions of the surrounding townships, but the name Cranbury was in use earlier and sometimes appears on documents from the early 19th century. During the era of slavery in New Jersey, records related to the present-day area of Cranbury could also be found under South Brunswick Township or South Amboy Township.
East Brunswick is a township in Middlesex County, New Jersey. It was established in 1860 from portions of North Brunswick. Records documenting slavery in this area would be found under North Brunswick.
East Windsor is a township located in present-day Mercer County (which was formed in 1838 from portions of Burlington County, Hunterdon County, and Middlesex County). Prior to 1838, East Windsor and neighboring West Windsor were part of Middlesex County. For this reason, many documents related to slavery in East Windsor and West Windsor can be found among Middlesex County records.
Easton is a city in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, located on the the Delaware River. It borders Warren County, New Jersey (with the Delaware River serving as the border).
Edison is a township in Middlesex County, NJ. This township was originally called Raritan Township when it was formed in 1870 from portions of Piscataway and Woodbridge townships; the name was changed to Edison in 1954. This township did not exist as a separate municipality during the slavery era. Documents related to slavery in this area would be found among Woodbridge and Piscataway records.
Egg Harbor is a township located in Atlantic County. It takes its name from the Great Egg Harbor River which enters the Atlantic Ocean at Great Egg Harbor Bay. In the 18th century, the township was much larger and was originally called Great Egg-Harbour. It was then part of Gloucester County (Atlantic County was not formed until 1837). The township became smaller over time as portions were broken off to form many new municipalities in the 19th century (including present-day Atlantic City).
Elizabeth was originally called Elizabethtown. It was founded by English settlers in 1664.
During the era of slavery, Elizabethtown was part of Essex County. For this reason, documents related to slavery in the area can be found in the records of the Essex County Clerk.
Union County was formed in 1857 from portions of Essex County that included Elizabeth and the surrounding area.
Gloucester County is located in Southern New Jersey on the Delaware River. It is one of the original counties created in New Jersey during the colonial era, and it was originally much larger than it is today. A portion of Gloucester County was separated to form Atlantic County in 1837, and another portion was separated to form Camden County in 1844. Due to this history, documents related to slavery in present-day Camden and Atlantic Counties can be found among Gloucester County records.
Hallett's Cove is the historical name of present-day Astoria neighborhood in Queens, New York. It was named for an early New Netherland settler William Hallett who established his home there.
Hillsborough is a township in Somerset County, New Jersey, originally incorporated in 1771. The present-day boroughs of Millstone was originally part of Hillsborough and broke off into a separate municipality in 1892. Likewise, the borough of Manville was part of Hillsborough and separated in 1929.
Hopewell Township is located in Mercer County, NJ. Prior to the creation of Mercer County in 1838, Hopewell was part of Hunterdon County. Thus records documenting slavery in the area typically refer to Hopewell, Hunterdon County. Present-day municipalities of Pennington Borough and Hopewell Borough used to be part of Hopewell Township until the 1890s.
Jérémie is a commune and capital city of the Grand'Anse department in Haiti. It was established during the French colonial era, when the country was known as Saint-Domingue.
Mapletown (or Mapleton) was a historical hamlet in South Brunswick Township near the Millstone River, established in the 18th century as a farming community. Present-day Mapleton Road and Mapleton Preserve in South Brunswick get their names from this community.
Matawan is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey. During the era of slavery, this area was known as Middletown Point. The name shifted from Middletown Point to Matawan in the 1850s.
Mercer County was formed in 1838 from portions of surrounding counties. Records related to slavery in the area of present-day Mercer County can be found in the archives of the surrounding counties. For example, records related to births of enslaved children and manumissions in the townships of West Windsor and East Windsor (which are currently in Mercer County) can be found among the records of the Middlesex County Clerk.
Middlebrook is an unincorporated historical community located within present-day Bound Brook and Bridgewater in Somerset County. It gets its name from the Middle Brook waterway, a tributary of the Raritan River.
Mill Hill is a historic neighborhood in the downtown area of Trenton, Mercer County, NJ. The neighborhood was not yet part of the city of Trenton until 1851. Historical records from the early 19th century typically refer to "Mill-Hill, near Trenton."
Millstone is a borough located along the Millstone River in Somerset County, New Jersey. In the 18th century, the community was known as Somerset Courthouse and was part of Hillsborough Township. The separate borough of Millstone was formed from a portion of Hillsborough Township in 1894.
Not to be confused with Millstone Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey.
Milltown is a borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, located along Lawrence Brook (a tributary to the Raritan River). Milltown was incorporated in the late 19th century. During the era of slavery, this area was part of North Brunswick Township. For this reason, records documenting slavery in this area would be found under North Brunswick.
Montgomery County is located in upstate New York along the Mohawk River. It was established in 1772 as Tryon County and was renamed Montgomery County in 1784 for American Revolutionary General Richard Montgomery.
Montgomery Township is located in Somerset County, New Jersey. It was originally known as the Western Precinct of Somerset County, and its borders extended to Nassau Street in present-day Princeton. The township was incorporated in 1798. Portions of the township were broken off to form parts of present-day Princeton in 1813 and in 1838. Thus some early 19th-century records that list "Montgomery Township" as the location are actually referring to places in present-day Princeton.
Morganza is a village in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana. It takes its name from the Morganza Plantation, which was established in the antebellum period by Charles Morgan who migrated from South Amboy, NJ, to Louisiana.
The City of New Brunswick is the original location of Queen's College, which was chartered in 1766 and renamed Rutgers in 1825. Today, New Brunswick is home to the largest campus of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.
The city was formed by royal charter in 1730. From its founding up until the 1850s, the city straddled the border between Somerset County and Middlesex County, and portions of the city were considered to be in different townships and in different counties. The county border ran down the road known today as Albany Street in New Brunswick. The area around present-day College Avenue was considered to be Somerset County, and some documents related to slavery in this ares will be found among Somerset County records. The area of the city that was in Middlesex County (including downtown and the present-day Douglass Campus of Rutgers University) was considered to be part of North Brunswick Township, and early 19th century records often refer to this area as "the City of New Brunswick in the Township of North Brunswick."
The Penitentiary House in Trenton was erected in 1798 as the first jail in New Jersey. It was the third correctional facility established in the United States (following the jails in Philadelphia and New York). Today the historic Penitentiary House remains part of the New Jersey State Prison complex, an active men's correctional facility. The complex also includes the Fortress Penitentiary, which was completed in 1836, and the contemporary prison facility that was added in 1982.
Largest city in the United States. Established by the Dutch West India Company in 1624 as New Amsterdam on an island known to the indigenous Lenape inhabitants as Mannahatta. Renamed New York under British rule in 1664. Capital of the United States from 1785 to 1790. Historically, New York City encompassed only Manhattan Island (New York County), and records referring to New York City in the 18th and 19th centuries refer only to Manhattan locations. The city was consolidated with Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island in 1898.
North Branch is an unincorporated community in Somerset County, NJ. The North Branch Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, includes the 18th century Jacob Ten Eyck house and other examples of 18th and 19th century agricultural architecture.
North Brunswick is a township in Middlesex County, New Jersey. In the late 18th century, the area was known as "North Ward of New Brunswick" or "Northward of New Brunswick." North Brunswick Township was incorporated in 1798. The township was originally about three times larger than it is today. A large portion of the City of New Brunswick (including downtown and the present-day Douglass Campus of Rutgers University) was considered to lie within the borders of North Brunswick Township until the 1850s. Since the middle of the 19th century, several additional municipalities were formed from portions of the North Brunswick Township reducing its size.
The following modern-day municipalities were part of North Brunswick Township during the era of slavery: East Brunswick, South River, and Milltown. For this reason, documents related to slavery in these locations may be found among North Brunswick records.
Prospect House is a historic mansion at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey, which serves as a private dining club for faculty and staff. The mansion was erected in 1851 by Thomas Potter when he inherited the Prospect Farm from his father John Potter. The land that once comprised Prospect Farm makes up a significant portion of the Princeton University campus today.
The Potter family had relocated from Georgia to Princeton and purchased Prospect Farm in 1824. The Potters drew immense wealth from the vast plantations they owned in South Carolina and Georgia where hundreds of enslaved people toiled, and they continued investing in Southern plantations after moving to Prospect Farm.
Since the 18th century, Prospect operated as an active farm, with multiple generations of enslaved African Americans held in bondage there. Archival documents, some of which have been described by the Princeton & Slavery Project, confirm the presence of enslaved laborers at Prospect Farm while it was operated by the Morgan family. Accounting records of Col. George Morgan, who bought the farm in 1779, enumerate multiple transactions related to enslaved laborers on his farm. Morgan's records are held by Princeton University Archives and discussed in the "Prospect Farm" story on the Princeton & Slavery website.
Prospect Farm changed hands in 1804 when John I. Craig purchased it from the Morgans. John I. Craig was also an enslaver. During the time when he lived at Prospect Farm, he held in bondage a woman named Esther and her children. Esther gave birth to daughters Elizabeth (1805) and Maria (1807) at Prospect Farm. The birth records for Elizabeth and Maria are found among Middlesex County records for West Windsor Township, which are held by Rutgers Special Collections and University Archives and have been digitized by the Scarlet and Black Research Center (historically this section of Princeton was part of West Windsor, and West Windsor was in turn part of Middlesex County before the creation of Mercer County).
Rahway is a city in Union County, New Jersey. In the early 19th century, a substantial portion of present-day Rahway was in Middlesex County, in the township of Woodbridge. That section of Rahway was transferred to Union County in 1860.
Rocky Hill is the name of a small borough in Somerset County, located near the Millstone River. The borough was incorporated in 1889 from portions of Montgomery Township. The borough is named for the Rocky Hill Ridge, and the surrounding area has been known as Rocky Hill since the colonial era.
The town of Rosendale, NY, gets its name from a 17th century stone house known as Rosendale, which was expanded into a mansion known as Hardenbergh Hall in the 18th century. This was the home of the Hardenbergh family and the place of birth of Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh, the first president of Rutgers.
