Somerset County

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Identifier
NJS-PLC-00027
Place Type
County or Parish
Description
Somerset County is located in the central part of New Jersey, and its county seat is Somerville. It was one of the earliest counties formed during the colonial era in 1688. It later increased in size by annexing a section of Essex County in 1741. In 1838, Somerset County's southern section around the area of Princeton was taken to form a part of the new Mercer County when that county was first created. Additionally, a section of the City of New Brunswick (west of Albany Street) used to be in Somerset County until 1850. Due to this history, Somerset County slavery records include documents related to New Brunswick (which is now fully in Middlesex County) and Princeton (which is now in Mercer County).

County demographics from the 1800 U.S. census, when slavery in New Jersey reached its peak:

In 1800, Somerset had 2,038 Black residents and was second only to Bergen County in key categories related to Black people and enslavement: second highest percentage of Black residents (15.9%), second largest number of enslaved persons (1,863), second highest enslaved population percentage (14.5% of the total population), and second highest rate of enslavement for Black residents (91.4% of Black residents living in slavery). Somerset had 175 free Black residents (8.6% of the Black population or 1.4% of the total population of the county). The total population of the county was 12,815, ranking 10th among New Jersey's 13 counties by population.
County (Modern)
Somerset County
State or Province
New Jersey
Country
United States of America
Latitude
40.568148
Longitude
-74.609858
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somerset_County,_New_Jersey
Record Contributor
Jesse Bayker
Linked Places

Somerset County was formed in 1688 from portions of Middlesex County and Essex County.

Places located in Somerset County:

Places that were historically in Somerset County, but are now associated with a different county:

Places formed from a portion of Somerset County or formerly associated with this place:
Linked Persons

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Note that only persons whose town or village is uncertain will show up on this list for the county. Check the place records for specific communities within the county to find out who lived there.

Persons of African descent linked to Somerset County:

White persons linked to Somerset County:
Linked Events

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Resource class
Location