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The origin of old Gloucester County
of which Atlantic County was formerly a part,
"the only County in New Jersey that can
trace its existence from a direct and positive
compact between its inhabitants," dates
from 1686. (1)
After much friction as to who was to govern
this area of West Jersey; the proprietors
and the inhabitants of the area met at Arwames
of Gloucester and adopted on May 26, 1686,
a county constitution. This compact of the
people was confirmed by the legislature some
eight years later, in 1694. (2)
Gloucester County did not extend originally
to the Atlantic Ocean, for in 1694 a law was
passed reads: "forasmuch as there are
families settled upon Egg Harbor, and of right
ought to be under some jurisdiction be it
enacted by the authority aforesaid that the
inhabitants of the said Egg Harbor shall and
do belong to the jurisdiction of Gloucester."
(3)
Cape May County seems to have assumed jurisdiction
over Egg Harbor Township as organized prior
to 1710, although without legislative authority.
On March 20, 1693, court sitting at Coxe
Hall appointed John Somers supervisor of roads
and constable of Egg Harbor Township. (4)
The proper status of Egg Harbor was definitely
settled by a second enactment on January 21,
1709/10 which determined the boundaries of
Gloucester County. (5)
Egg Harbor Township, formerly called GREAT
EGG HARBOR, is the township in Atlantic County.
It formerly comprised all that portion of
old Gloucester County lying southeast of the
old Deptford Township included all of what
is now Atlantic County. (6)
From it have been taken the various municipalities,
which comprise Atlantic County, starting with
Galloway Township in 1773, which cut off from
the northeastern portion nearly all that land
northeast of the Camden and Atlantic Railroad.
Then Weymouth Township in 1798, which took
that portion between the Tuckahoe River and
the Great Egg Harbor River. Then Mullica Township
was formed from Galloway in 1838, and since
the Cities and Boroughs along the beach and
Shore Road, leaving the Township at the present
time the strip of marsh land between Absecon
Beach and the Shore and from the northwest
boundaries of the Shore Road Municipalities
to Hamilton Township, between the Great Egg
Harbor River and Galloway Township. (7)
On February 7, 1837, an act was passed creating
Atlantic County by the Legislature, from the
southeasterly part of old Gloucester County.
The new county was made up of the following
Townships: Egg Harbor, Weymouth, Hamilton
and Galloway with a total acreage of 388,000
Acres. (8)
Egg Harbor Township since 1837, has been
further divided by the setting off of the
following municipalities:
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Atlantic City
Absecon (part)
South Atlantic City (Margate City)
Somers Point
Pleasantville
Linwood
Longport
Brigantine
Ventnor
Northfield (subsequent to census of
1910) (9)
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March 3, 1854
1872
1885
1886
1888
1889
1898
1903
1905
1905
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In 1964,Egg Harbor Township has an acreage
of 41,600 and a population of some 6,000 persons.
The towns of Egg Harbor Township in this year
are:
Bargaintown, the seat of the township government
English Creek
Scullville
Steelmanville
McKee City
Cardiff
Farmington
West Atlantic City
A brief sketch and maps and pictures of these
towns appear on the following pages of this
book.
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G L O U C E S T E
R C O U N T Y A
R E A
| Source |
Unit |
Date
|
Acreage |
Sq.
Miles |
| Hall's History
Hall's History
Township Engineer
Office
|
Atlantic Co
Egg Harbor Twp
Egg Harbor Twp **
|
1837
1837
1964
|
388,000
85,000
41,600
|
606.2
132.8
65.0
|
** West Atlantic City
with 4.7 square miles or 3080 Acres
included in this figure.
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Footnotes:
Gloucester County:
|
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
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Heston's
Annals Vol 1, page 97, published 1904
The people who settled about Newton, Gloucester,
Red Bank and Egg Harbor. Newton is near
the present Collingswood.
Ibid page 100
John Somers 1640-1739 (c)
Ibid page 251 and the map on page this
book.
Early History of Atlantic County, published
by the Atlantic County Historical Society,
1915. page 86
Ibid page 86
Daily Union History of Atlantic County,
published 1900. page 22
Egg Harbor
Galloway
Hamilton
Weymouth
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85,000 Acres
147,000 Acres
106,000 Acres
50,000 Acres |
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| 9. |
Heston's
Annals Vol 1, page 254 |
Reference
Road Map of Atlantic County 1959.
Road Map of Gloucester County 1960.
Road and Historical Map of Camden County 1960.
New Jersey, reduced from T. C. Gordon's Map
by H. S. Tanner 1840.
Rutgers University Library, New Brunswick,
N. J.
Joseph Henry Bennett
March 1964
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