Cumberland County

Identifier
NJS-PLC-00142
Place Type
County or Parish
Alternate Name
Cohansey
Description
Cumberland County is located in Southern New Jersey on the Delaware Bay. The county seat is Bridgeton, located on the Cohansey River. European settlement in the area started in the late 17th century, when this territory was known as the Cohansey area of Salem County. In 1697, while the area was still part of Salem County, it was split into two large townships: Cohansey and Fairfield. In 1748, the eastern portion of Salem County broke off to form the new Cumberland County and was divided into six precincts: Greenwich, Stow Creek, Hopewell, Deerfield, Fairfield, and Maurice.

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

In 1800, among New Jersey's 13 counties, Cumberland had the 2nd lowest overall population (9,529). It also had the 2nd lowest Black population in the state, numbering 346 Black residents, who made up only 3.6% of the county total. The majority of the Black residents were free, with 78.3% of Black people being free and the remaining 21.7% still living in slavery. Cumberland's free Black population numbered 271 (representing 2.8% of the county population), and enslaved population was 75 (representing 0.8% of the county population, and ranking the 2nd lowest in the state after Gloucester).
County (Modern)
Cumberland County
State or Province
New Jersey
Country
United States of America
Region
Delaware Bay
Latitude
39.427906
Longitude
-75.239263
References

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), https://www.state.nj.us/dep/njgs/enviroed/oldpubs/bulletin67.pdf. Pages 119-123.
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumberland_County%2C_New_Jersey
Record Contributor
Jesse Bayker
Linked Places

Cumberland County was formed in 1748 from a portion of Salem County.

Places located in Cumberland County:

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

To filter persons by location and other criteria, visit the Persons browsing page.

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.

White persons linked to Cumberland 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