New Jersey before 1699

New Netherland and Beyond
Delaware River Settlements 1637-1682

New Jersey was first settled by the Swedes, and was formerly a part of New Netherland, which was divided into Nova Caesarea, or New Jersey, and New York in 1664, when it was conquered by the English. It has its name from the Island of New Jersey, the residence of the family of Sir George Carteret, to whom this territory was granted. Philip Carteret was appointed governor in 1665 and took possession of Elizabethtown, the capital, then consisting of four families, just settled in the wilderness. In 1672 he was driven from his government by insurgents who refused the payment of rents under the pretense that they held their possessions by Indian grants and not from the proprietors. In 1673 the Dutch retook New Netherlands, but in the following year it was restored by treaty to the English.

In 1676 New Jersey was divided into East and West Jersey. The government of the latter was retained as a dependency of New York, and a confusion of jurisdiction commenced, which long distracted the people, and which at length terminated in the annihilation of the authority of the proprietors. West Jersey was reinstated in its former privileges in 1680. Sir George Carteret, in 1682, transferred his rights in East Jersey to William Penn. At this time there were supposed to be in the province about seven hundred families. In 1688 the Jerseys were added to the jurisdiction of New England. They were united under one government in 1702 and received the single name of New Jersey.