Woolwich
- Identifier
- NJS-PLC-00445
- Place Type
- City, Town, or Village
- Description
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Woolwich is a township in Gloucester County, New Jersey. It was formed by royal charter in 1767 from parts of Greenwich Township. Originally, Woolwich was much larger than it is today and took up about a third of the area of modern-day Gloucester County. The township's territory started at the Delaware River, between the Salem County line and Repaupo Creek (i.e., the area of modern-day Logan), and stretched in a long, thin strip for about 29 miles inland, terminating at the line that serves as the Gloucester County–Atlantic County boundary today. That is to say, the original territory of Woolwich included not only modern-day Woolwich, but also these modern-day municipalities: Logan, Swedesboro, South Harrison, a portion of Harrison that lies south of the Raccoon Creek, Elk, Newfield, and about half of modern Franklin. Researchers of slavery in those municipalities may find relevant information filed under Woolwich, since this entire area was Woolwich for much of the slavery era.
The township began to splinter in the 19th century. Half of Woolwich broke off in 1820 to form the new Franklin Township. Sections that later became parts of Harrison and South Harrison broke off in 1844. The territory that lies along the Delaware River broke off in 1877 to form West Woolwich and was promptly renamed Logan the following year. In 1902, Swedesboro formed its own small municipality, with Woolwich Township surrounding it like a donut (although the name Swedesboro was long associated with this area prior to the split). With the incorporation of Swedesboro, Woolwich acquired its modern shape. - Locality
- Woolwich
- County (Modern)
- Gloucester County
- State or Province
- New Jersey
- Country
- United States of America
- Latitude
- 39.738189081056696
- Longitude
- -75.32541645651655
- References
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John P. Snyder, The Story of New Jersey’s Civil Boundaries, 1606–1968 (Trenton, Bureau of Geology and Topography, 1969; New Jersey Geological Survey, 2004), p. 142.
- Record Contributor
- Kemy Rodriguez
- Linked Places
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Woolwich was previously associated with:
Places formed from a portion of Woolwich or formerly associated with this place:
- Linked Persons
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To filter persons by location and other criteria, visit the Persons browsing page.
Persons of African descent linked to Woolwich:
- Frank (b. 1819) {son of Nancy}
- Ishmael
- Lydia Bradley (b. ca. 1783)
- Marinda Duffield (b. ca. 1784)
- Nancy
White persons linked to Woolwich:
- Linked Events
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Event location is Woolwich:
- Resource class
- Location