East Jersey


The Province of East Jersey, along with the Province of West Jersey, between 1674 and 1702 in accordance with the Quintipartite Deed were two distinct political divisions of the Province of New Jersey, which became the U.S. state of New Jersey. The two provinces were amalgamated in 1702. East Jersey's capital was located at Perth Amboy. Determination of an exact location for a border between West Jersey and East Jersey was often a matter of dispute.
The area comprising East Jersey had been part of New Netherland. Early settlement by the Dutch included Pavonia, Vriessendael and Achter Col These settlements were compromised in Kieft's War and the Peach Tree War. Settlers again returned to the western shores of the Hudson River in the 1660 formation of Bergen, New Netherland, which would become the first permanent European settlement in the territory of the modern state of New Jersey. During the Second Anglo-Dutch War, on August 27, 1664, New Amsterdam surrendered to English forces.
Between 1664 and 1674 most settlement was from other parts of the Americas, especially New England, Long Island, and the West Indies. Elizabethtown and Newark in particular had a strong Puritan character. South of the Raritan River the Monmouth Tract was developed primarily by Quakers from Long Island. In 1675, East Jersey was partitioned into four counties for administrative purposes: Bergen County, Essex County, Middlesex County, and Monmouth County. There were seven established towns: Shrewsbury, Middleton, Piscataway, Woodbridge, Elizabethtown, Newark, and Bergen. In a survey taken in 1684 the population was estimated to be 3500 individuals in about 700 families..
Although a number of the East Jersey proprietors in England were Quakers and the governor through most of the 1680s was the leading Quaker Robert Barclay, the Quaker influence on government was not significant. Even the immigration instigated by Barclay was oriented toward promoting Scottish influence more than Quaker influence. In 1682 Barclay and the other Scottish proprietors began the development of Perth Amboy as the capital of the province. In 1687 James II permitted ships to be cleared at Perth Amboy.
Frequent disputes between the residents and the mostly-absentee proprietors over land ownership and quitrents plagued the province until its surrender to Queen Anne's government in 1702.
DateBoundary NameDescription
1674Original Duke of York Line
Barnegat Bay to Rancocas Creek on the Delaware River just north of present-day Philadelphia.
1676Quintipartite Deed Line

On the north from a point 11deg 40' latitude on the Delaware River extending southward on a straight and direct line to the east side of Little Egg-Harbor.
1687William Emley / John Reid Adjustment Adjusted description on the Delaware fifty minutes more westerly due to magnetic compass variation
1687Keith Line aka Province Line
Stopped by Governor Daniel Coxe of West Jersey and Governor Robert Barclay of East Jersey
1688Coxe-Barclay Line SurveyExtended the Keith Line from the Raritan River along specific properties that defined the eastern boundaries of present- day Morris and Sussex Counties and the northern border of Somerset County
1696Thornton Line SurveyAttempted to correct errors from previous surveys
1702East and West Jersey UnitedViolence became so obsessive, that East and West proprietors gave up their individual governing rights to Queen Anne
1743Lawrence Line Survey
Adopted by NJ supreme court in 1855 as the final arbiter of all land disputes. Today defines boundary for Walpack, Sandyston, Stillwater, Hampton, and Green Townships

Constitution

Governors of East Jersey (1674–1702)

Philip Carteret1674–1682-
Robert Barclay1682–1688-
Edmund Andros1688–1689Governed as the Dominion of New England
Andrew Hamilton1692–1697-
Jeremiah Basse1698–1699-
Andrew Hamilton1699–1702-