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Monmouth County was first established in
1675, but its boundaries were definitely settled in 1709-10 and
1713-14. Its extreme length is 65 [miles], and extreme breadth 32
miles; it is bounded North by Raritan Bay, East by the Atlantic Ocean,
Southwest by Burlington County, and Northwest by Middlesex and Mercer
Counties. The soil is generally light, and the middle and southern part
mostly covered with pines. The surface is level, excepting in the
township of Middletown. Agriculture is the chief business of the upper
part of the county, and there are many farms under the highest state of
cultivation. Marl abounds in the region, and land, once comparatively
valueless, has been rendered very productive by this manure. Peat,
mixed with a small portion of lime, is growing into use in the western
part of the county for fertilizing the land, and this material,
fortunately, is in most cases found where most required, viz., without
the limits of the marl formation.
In the central and southern portions of the
county, there are few settlements and furnaces scattered among the
pines. Along the sea-coast are several flourishing villages, from which
large quantities of wood and charcoal are exported. From these places
sail many coasting vessels, manned by skillful seamen, unsurpassed by
any in the Union.
This county was originally settled by Dutch,
Scotch, and some New England emigrants, who removed here about the year
1664. Twenty years later, it was the most wealthy county in the
Province, and paid the greatest amount of taxes. In the war of the
revolution, it suffered severely. Its easy access from New York, and
the safe anchorage for vessels within Sandy Hook, rendered it a
favorite resort of the royalists for forage and plunder. Some of its
inhabitants were awed into submission to the crown, and took up arms
against their former neighbors, between whom occurred many sanguinary
conflicts. Within its borders occurred one of the severest battles of
the war.
Monmouth County was divided into 7 townships,
viz: --
| Dover |
Howell |
Shrewsbury |
Upper Freehold |
| Freehold |
Middletown |
Stafford |
Source: Barber,
John W. and Henry Howe. Historical Collections of the State
of New Jersey. New York: S. Tuttle, 1845.
Note: Dover and Stafford became part
of Ocean
County in 1850. [CC]
