Hunterdon County was originally a part of Burlington County, West Jersey. It was set off from Burlington County by an enactment of the General Assembly passed on March 11, 1714. Hunterdon County was originally defined as the lands and upper parts of the western division of the province of New Jersey, lying northwards of the brook called Assunpink.
From 1714 until 1739 when Morris County was erected from its territory, Hunterdon County embraced a vast territory - nearly four times its present area- reaching from the Assunpink, to the boundary line between the provinces of New York and New Jersey. Its original territory included all, or nearly all, of the present counties of Mercer, Hunterdon, Morris, Warren, and Sussex.
The county was named in honor of General Robert Hunter, who was Governor-General of the provinces of New York and New Jersey at the time that Hunterdon County was formed.
The original county seat was Trenton, but was moved to Flemington in 1785.
(Old) Amwell Township: Formed by Royal Charter in Burlington County, June 1708. Readington Township: Formed by Royal Charter as Reading Township, July 1730. Incorporated as Readington Township, February 1798.
Delaware Township: April 1838 Borough of Stockton: April 1898 Lebanon Township: First mentioned in references on October 1731; however, the exact date or circumstance of incorporation are unknown.
Tewksbury Township: First town meeting, March 1755. Formed by charter on an uncertain date. Incorporated February 1798. Tewksbury Township was transferred to Somerset County in 1844 and returned to Hunterdon County in 1845.
Clinton Township: April 1841 Town of Clinton: April 1865. Also included portions of Franklin and Union Townships.
High Bridge Township (Borough): March 1871; reorganized as a borough February 1898 with parts of the township going to Clinton and Lebanon Townships.
Lebanon Borough: March 1926 Borough of Hampton (Junction): Formed February 1895 as Junction Borough; renamed as Hampton Borough, February 1909.
Borough of Glen Gardner: March 1919. Borough of Califon: April 1918 Raritan Township: April 1838 Borough of Flemington: Formed as a town in March 1870; became Flemington Village, June 1894 and the Borough of Flemington, April 1910.
East Amwell Township: April 1846 West Amwell Township: April 1846 City of Lambertville: Formed as a town in March 1849; became a city, March 1872. Undesignated Areas Bethlehem Township: Existed in 1730, details uncertain Kingwood Township: 1749. Exact date is uncertain. Franklin Township: April 1845 Borough of Frenchtown: April 1867 Alexandria Township: Formed by Royal Charter March 1765; incorporated February 1798.
Holland Township: April 1874; restored to Alexandria Township March 1878; reformed March 1879
Borough of Milford: April 1911 Union Township: February 1853 Borough of Bloomsbury: March 1905 Morris County: erected from Hunterdon in 1739 Maidenhead Township: set off to Mercer County 1838 Hopewell Township: set off to Mercer County 1838 Trenton Township: set off to Mercer County 1838 Trenton City: set off to Mercer County 1838 Ewing Township: set off to Mercer County 1838
The information on this page was compiled from:
- Some Records of Old Hunterdon County, 1701-1838
Phyllis B. D'Autrechy, Trenton, NJ 1979- Northwestern New Jersey - A History of Somerset, Morris, Hunterdon, Warren and Sussex Counties
A. Van Doren Honeyman, Editor, New York, 1927
This page maintained by Al Sinclair
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This page last modified on July 15, 2002© 1998-2002 Al Sinclair