Camden County

Identifier
NJS-PLC-00054
Place Type
County or Parish
Description
Camden County is located in Southern New Jersey across the Delaware River from Philadelphia. It was formed from a portion of Gloucester County in 1844. See Gloucester County to learn more about the demographics of this area during the slavery era and to see related events and people.

The earliest municipalities that formed in this area during the colonial era were Gloucester, Waterford, and Newton (which would later break up into Camden, Haddon, and surrounding municipalities). These existed when the area was part of Gloucester County.

The area of present-day Camden County had a considerable concentration of free Black people in the early 19th century, with about 9 out of 10 Black residents being free by the year 1800 (before New Jersey began a state-wide gradual abolition program). In the 1840s, free Black communities of Saddlertown (located in present-day Haddon Township) and Free Haven (now called Lawnside) developed in Camden County. These communities played an important role in the Underground Railroad and served both as stops and, for some people, final destinations in their quest to liberate themselves from slavery. The borough of Lawnside was incorporated in 1926 as the first independent self-governing Black municipality north of the Mason-Dixon line. It remains a majority Black municipality. The Lawnside Historical Society, located inside the historic Peter Mott House, plays a central role in preserving Black history of Camden County.
County (Modern)
Camden County
State or Province
New Jersey
Country
United States of America
Latitude
39.944780
Longitude
-75.119619
References

Peter Mott House, Lawnside Historical Society, https://www.petermotthouse.org/.
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camden_County,_New_Jersey
Related Resource
Peter Mott House, Lawnside Historical Society.
Record Contributor
Jesse Bayker
Linked Places

Camden County was formed in 1844 from a portion of Gloucester County.

Places located in Camden County:
Linked Events

To see all events that occurred in this county, visit the Events browsing page and filter the records by county.
Resource class
Location