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Archiver > NJHUNTER > 1999-05 > 0926907209


From: <>
Subject: [NJHUNTER-L] N.J. Northwestern Counties
Date: Sun, 16 May 1999 22:13:29 EDT


This article from the newspaper is just the first 7 paragraphs of the story,
and the rest deals with the stage lines and mostly railroads, but I thought
that the information from this news article would be interesting to the
researchers that have ancestors from these counties in New Jersey.
Joyce in N.J.

>From the Hunterdon Co. Democrat of Flemington, N.J. 5/6/99:

"HUNTERDON WAS A COUNTY EVEN BEFORE THE REVOLUTION"

"The 'Hunter' in Hunterdon County comes from the name of royal Governor
Robert Hunter, who signed an act establishing the county on March 19, 1714.
Hunterdon was carved out of old Burlington County and included much of
today's Warren, Morris and Sussex counties, plus a portion of what is now
Mercer County.

"Trenton was the first county seat, until citizens tired of traveling that
far for official business and decided in 1790 to transfer the county seat to
Flemington. Lambertville later made a bid for the honor but failed.

"Morris County was taken out of Hunterdon in 1739, and then Sussex out of
Morris in 1753, Warren became a separate entity in 1824.

"The three northwestern counties of New Jersey---Hunterdon, Warren and
Sussex---still share much in common. They still support agriculture, as
they did in colonial times and during the Revolution, when the farms of West
Jersey were a breadbasket for American armies.

"Rivermen from Hunterdon and nearby gathered the boats used by Washinton in
his surprise Christmas attack on Trenton, hiding the boats not far below
Lambertville.

"Mines and forges in both Hunterdon and Warren produced ammunition for the
Revolutionary forces. Pittstown was a key supply center during the war, and
the northwestern counties sent many militiamen to join the Revolutionary
forces.

"After the Revolution, Hunterdon County ranked as the largest and most
popluous county in New Jersey."

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