New Jersey Colony

This page tells about the history of the New Jersey Colony.

New Jersey Colony

The New Jersey Colony began as part of the Dutch colony of New Netherland before coming under English control in 1664. Its location between New York and Philadelphia made it an important region for settlement, farming, trade, and transportation.

New Netherland

New Jersey's early colonial history was closely connected to New York. The region was first settled by the Dutch during the early seventeenth century as part of the colony of New Netherland, which included portions of present-day New York and New Jersey. Dutch settlers established farms and trading communities throughout the region. In 1660, the settlement of Bergen was established in what is now northeastern New Jersey and became one of the earliest permanent European settlements in the colony.

Between the Hudson and Delaware Rivers

In 1664, English forces took control of New Netherland from the Dutch. King Charles II had granted the larger region to his brother, James, Duke of York. The Duke of York then granted the lands between the Hudson and Delaware Rivers to two supporters, Sir George Carteret and Lord John Berkeley. The colony was named New Jersey in honor of the English island of Jersey, where Carteret had previously served as governor.

Religious Freedom and Quitrents

Carteret and Berkeley attempted to attract settlers by offering land and promising a degree of religious freedom. In exchange for their land, settlers were expected to pay an annual fee called a quitrent. These payments proved difficult to collect, and ownership of the colony changed over time. New Jersey eventually became divided into East Jersey and West Jersey, with Quaker proprietors becoming especially influential in West Jersey. In 1702, the two regions were reunited as the royal colony of New Jersey.

Why it mattered: New Jersey's location between major colonial centers and its relatively diverse population helped make it an important agricultural and commercial colony in the Middle Colonies.