Histo ry of H U DSO N C O U NTY

a n d af i‘ ne

O L D VI LLAGE of B ERGEN

$ ‘ llB E I N G a érief account o f the foundation an dgrowt/z o fwh at is n OwJ E RS E Y C I T Y an d o fth e many advantage; n o w Offe r e d the i n hab i tan ts th e r e o fin the newly constructedbuilding o fthe TR U ST CO M PAN Y ofN EW J E R S E Y

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le TRUST C O MPANY n Ew JERSEY

e se C it N . . J r y y , J R U M P A o N E W R Copy r igb t 1 9 2 1 by tb e T S T C O N Y f J E SEY

‘ ’ ‘ ’ Den noa S n mw d and Trinted b ARTLETT O RR PRESS gzo York g , g y B , N Too O ld Village of B e rge n

d H ist o ry of Fi rst Se ttl e me n t in N e w J e rse y

H E N the first representatives of the Amsterdam Licensed TradingWe s t I ndia Company built four houses on Island in 1 6 1 0 6 2 I I , one could hardly consider the territory h cro wded . T ose ancestors of New York and

N ew e rs e h J y , owever, had more spacious ideas — than are held by their apartment dwelling descendants . The charter of the Dutch East I ndia Company, which had granted the trading monopoly to its West I ndia Company, designated “ N e wN e the rland as co mp ris ing the unoccupied region between ” Virginia and Canada — a little tract that must forever inspire pained admiration in modern real estate dealers . I t was

o n bounded approximately the south by the South River, as the Dutch called the stream that the English afterward re christened the Delaware . And because the Delaware was 60 South River, the river explored by Henry Hudson in I 9 , which first was called Mauritius River in honor of Maurice

o f h ofNassau , Prince O range , came to be referred to as Nort

River, which explains why we today call it or

North River, just as the words happen .

Henry , we may suspect, always had remained a little disappointed , if not indignant, about that river . He had no 6 The HI S TORY o fH U D S ON COU N TY

lc Commg oft be W/zite filer:

o f genuine interest in rivers . He was one the many dreamers who for two centuries had been butting against the coast line , hoping for that rainbow thing , a passage to the golden East

- I ndies . But the steady minded Dutch traders who followed f him thought very well o it . They saw it as a perfect water h highway to the fur country , giving t em almost direct access ' - o fie rin s to the fur trading I ndian tribes of Canada , whose g passed from hand to hand down to Albany, while all along the banks could be gathered the almost equally rich tribute from the fur lands of Adirondacks and Catskills .

Its . beauty, too , was loved by the Dutch Dutch commercial instinct, Dutch thrift, never made the Dutchmen dull to the

‘ clifls good art of living . They loved the straight wild of the - Palisades . They loved the squall darkened broad reach h h $ S t at t ey named the Tappan e e . They loved the weet and o fthe OLD VILLAGE o fB E RGE N 7

om the M a b H w a e H s t rt me Fr ur l y o rd Pyl , ud on Couny Cou Ho tranquility of the vastly stretching sea meadows at its mouth , where flowed the rivers Hackensack and Passaic, the deep

o f sound the Kill von Kull , and many pleasant little streams that have been filled in long ago and are covered now by streets and towns . o u t They looked from their , and despite

o f e all ample Manhattan Island north them , the western shor — invited prettily . I ts river mouths and undul ating sea grass plains and shining sleepy coves reminded them Of home . Men who had come so far were not men to sit down and sink root in one little spot . The performances of Captains Hen drick Christeen and Adrien Blok are recommended earnestly to the attention o fthose who imagine that the Dutchman is a large body that moves slowly . Adrien Blok sailed from

1 6 1 . Holland in 1 6 1 4 . He arrived at Manhattan Island in 4 8 The HI STORY o fHUD S ON COUNTY

1 His ship was destroyed there by fire in 1 6 4. and he built hims an f n elf o the r in I 6 I 4 . Their handfu l o me built those four houses , and for good measure a fort, , on the land above what later was known as Castle Garden , and

S o f now is the ite the Aquarium . They sailed up the North

o n River and established a trading post, Fort O range , an island below Albany . They sailed through Hell Gate , which even now is no place for timid navigators , though it is not

- the one tenth as dangerous as it was then . They explored whole great Long Island Sound to Cape C o d. They looked thoroughly into that tract which afterward became the Rhode

Island Plantations . They investigated the Connecticut River . And they started the opening up OfN e wJ e rs e y by establishing atrading post on the we s t side ofthe North Rive ro p p o s ite lo we r n Manhattan , followi g it some years later with a small redoubt . They might have left records as romantic as the narrative of Captain John Smith , for they explored and traded every where , from Cape Cod to the Delaware . But they were not f o . men the pen We are not sure even of their exact names . The few scattered records refer with generous freedom to

C hris tae n Adrien Blok , Adrian Block , H endrik , Hendrick

r h n n C h is tian s e and Hendrick C ris ta s e . The best people in h t at time were more than liberal in spelling, and many of the most important o fiicialdocuments have a sprightly way of f ifle re n giving two or more quite d t spellings to the same name .

All around the handful of Europeans were I ndians . Sea coast I ndians came in canoes through the marsh thorough fares and from the high lands beyond the Raritan . Warrior

I ndians came down the river in war canoes from their forests , and o fthe OLD VI L LAGE o fB E RGE N 9

E — From an Old Print W E E ?

’ o s M 111 ate ear w hat 15 now t he e o mo t St eet and Ra oa A v e e Pri r , loc d n Corn r f Fre n r ilr d nu where they were well accustomed to contest the hunting rights

Fo r with other tribes . a long time there was little strife between them and the Dutch . The men of Holland were sharp traders , but they were n o t robbers o r tyrants . From the very first they

o f s o h purchased instead taking , and , t ough Indian wars finally

no t came into even their quiet history, they were wars caused by attempt to snatch lands o r other possessions from their savage neighbors .

They left the I ndians to live their own free life , and the

z red men were well satisfied to exchange their furs , mai e and tobacco for the strange and tempting goods that had been brought across the great salt water . The Dutchmen smoked v their long pipes in peace , culti ated tulips in the alien soil , drank their aromatic Hollands in taverns that were Holland I O The HI S TORY o fHUD S ON COUNTY

I n the old Dutch Days transplanted, and walked forth in untroubled dignity with enormous guns to shoot the wild fowl whose wraithlike flights filled that sky which n o w is filled by wraiths Of sm o ke from

Sandy Hook to the Highlands o fthe Hudson . During the next few years the silence o ftheir bay was bro ken

an no n h at rare intervals by a c s o t below the narrows . Then all New Amsterdam gathered at the Battery and watched fo r wide — a S sails over a wide ship hip almost as wide as long , but in all dimensi o ns so small that we o ftoday would think it no small

o n o f adventure to make a mere coasting voyage her . Out the ship would come arrivals from Holland in wide breeches and

n f. noble Dutch hats , solid as the Dutch ation itsel The passenger lists Of these occasional ships could find

o o n o f i ro m small scraps paper, yet the p oneers plainly felt

o f that there was too much pressure population , for only a few and o fthe OLD VILLAGE o fB E RGE N I I

m the Illuralb How a e H so o t t Ho se Fro y rd Py l , ud n C uny Cour u years afte rAdrie n Blok built the first four dwellings some New

Amsterdammers moved over the river . They selected a lovely

o n - wooded ridge that looked down a green , water cut foreland

te m tin lacro s s f and p g y at the little Dutch houses o Manhattan . U nfortunately these settlers did not leave a precise record , for they did n o t realiz e that they were making history by establishing the first settlement in . Therefore we “ know only that sometime between I 6 I 7 and I 6 20 settlements were made at Bergen , in the vicinity of the Esopus I ndians and at Schenectady . We cannot even be sure that these first “ ” settlers in New Jersey were Dutch . I t is believed , says “ another historian , that the first European settlement within the limits o fNew Jersey was made at Bergen about 1 6 1 8 by a number o f Danes and Norwegians who accompanied the

Dutch to the . 1 2 The HI STORY o fHUD S ON COU NTY

Various chronicles allege that the name “ Bergen was intended by these people o fScandinavian stock to perpetuate the name ofthe Old city ofBergen in Norway . O thers maintain that it was to recall Bergen o p $ oom in Holland But the “ “ ” “ o r word bergen also means hills mountains , and thus would have been an obvious title for the Dutch to give the

o f - ridge . M ost of the names early land holders as recorded in

o f the deeds the succeeding epoch seem indubitably Dutch . The Amsterdam Licensed Trading West I ndia Company did not succeed in extending the coloni z ation of the new

01d Octago nal Church

Corner and o fthe OLD VILLAGE o fB E RGE N 1 3

o ff c untry very largely , and really energetic e orts were lacking 6 2 till I I , when powerful and rich H ollanders formed the great

- Dutch We s t In dia Company . It was O fthe semi governmental

form then common in companies for undertakings over seas , and thus had the wealth and power o fthe States - General o f

Holland behind it . The Licensed Company was taken over

o f by it, and ships were sent to all parts the coast from Cape 1 6 2 Cod to the Delaware . By 3, there were settlements on

Long I sland and at Fort Orange , near Albany, while New Amsterdam o n Manhattan Island gained rapidly increasing f importance as headquarters for the Company and its O ficers . 6 2 I n I 9 , the Company granted the famous charters to men who to would undertake found settlements , and who bore the

title of . These charters conferred exclusive property “ in large tracts o fland $sixteen miles along a river and as far back as the situation o fthe occupiers would permit )With ex

i ne u r tensive manorial and s e g alrights . I n return the Patroon

lan d ro vide bound himselfto place at least fifty settlers on the , p

each with a stocked farm , and furnish a pastor and a school

master . The emigrants were bound to cultivate the land fo r

at least ten years , bring all their grain to be ground at the ’ o ff Patro n s mill , and O er him first opportunity to purchase

their crops .

o f Various directors the West I ndia Company , among

Go o d n Blo e mart Re ns e lae r Pauuw them y , , Van and , obtained and h to l charters as , sent s ips with agents select and

and make settlements . The land granted to Pau uw was Staten I sland and a large tract along the North River shore opposite “ Ahars im s . o u Manhattan Island This holding al ng the river, 1 4 The HI ST ORY o fHUD S ON COUNTY

Arre sin ck i M i and , extending along the R ver aur tius and I sland M anhatta o n the east side and the island H o b o can ” hackin h o n g the north became the Patroonship of Pavonia . The name is said to have been based o n the Latin equivalent

aau n . Pau u w for the Dutch word p , meaning peacock Michael ,

o r - Pauw as some records have it, was a burgher of Amster

o f htie nh v n Ob o can dam and Baron Ac o e in South Holland . H “ ” hackin h whichwas fo r g , I ndian the place ofthe tobacco pipe , H o e b u ck S O later became known as , and is referred to even in

Revolutionary annals . Today it is H oboken , and the tidal

streams that made it an island have been long covered by streets . ’ P au u w s After a few years , the Company sought to revoke Patroonship o n the ground o fno n-fu lfilme nt o fcontract; but they evidently found him a bird rather tougher than a mere

S o u t peacock , for the records how that they had to buy him ,

flo rin s o r paying him , about We find what look like echoes o fthat o ld dispute when we search through

o f the meager history the period ; such laudatory remarks , for “ B o u e rie s o n instance , as that the and Plantations the west ” o f side the river were in prosperous condition , and such “ pessimistic reports as in I 633 there were only two houses in

o n e C o mmu ni au late r Pavonia, at p , occupied by Jan Evertsen ’ who Pauu w s Bout $ had come over as representative), and one Ahasimu s at , occupied by Cornelis Van Vorst, who was suc

cessor to Bout .

o f 1 6 I n that same year 33, Michael Paulus erected a hut on a shore front o fsand hills as a government trading post where the I ndians could bring their product by canoe . The place became known as Paulus H oeck . Some records give this and o fthe O LD VILLAGE o fB E RGE N I 5

a 0 .

O l l

’ Van Wa enen s e r ss A a em St eet w est o a . S g Cid r P e $ c d y r , f qu re)

’ P au laz P au lu s e n . Fo r trader s name as , others call him a time “ o f the Dutch name the Hoeck was lost entirely , having “ ’ ” been changed by ready spellers to Powles s Hook . Then

o f the original name came back , and that part the shore was s o known long after Jersey City was made into a municipality .

i o fPatro o n a o e ck With the elim nation Pa uw, Paulus H was 1 6 8 to leased in 3 Abraham Isaacsen Verplanck . The sand

6 fo r , hills covered about 5 acres , and they became popular tobacco planting . I n the past generati o ns there has been s o 1 6 The HI STORY o fHUDS ON COUNTY

’ much filling in o fshore front that the site o fPaulus trading post is more than a thousand feet inland .

B o u t the — o fC o mmu ni au Jan Evertsen , lone house holder p , got a lease of C o mmu nip au from the Dutch West I ndia a 8 1 6 . Company in the s me year, 3 His yearly rental was set “ o f I 2 as one quarter his crops , two tuns of strong beer and capons . Presumably the New Amsterdam representatives o f o the Company knew what to d with the two last items . I n

1 6 1 H o b o can—hackin h o r H o e b u ck was Ae rt 4 , g , , leased to “ Te u nis e n P fo r o f the Van utten twelve years , for a rental ” fourth sheafwith which God Almighty shall favor the field .

B o u e rie These , and a in the Greenville section occupied by

Straatmake r Dirck , were apparently the only notable settle ments then existing in the large tract that afterward became the township o fBergen . The conveyances o f the lands that had belonged to the Patroonship o f Pavonia were made by Director - General

William Kieft . I t is a melancholy duty to say that William Kieft lacked that equable disposition which so distinguished

z most of his fellow colonists . His eal for the interests of the Dutch West I ndia Company was perhaps Sincere but certainly

S O o f injudicious . When he went far as to demand tribute

z mai e , furs and other supplies from the I ndians , with threats offorce ifthey refused , they responded in their own injudicious r way by capturing o killing cattle . The peaceful intercourse

o f o n i f. n the past ceased , and mischief followed misch e Fi ally Kieft ordered an attack o n an I ndian encampment behind

C o mmu ni au , or rather p , as it was called till was well into the Nineteenth Century . The order obeyed with and o fthe OLD VILLAGE o fB E RGE N I 7

“ unhappy punctuality . According to the records , eighty

o n 2 1 6 soldiers the night of February 7 , 43, under Sergeant ” Rodolph attacked the sleeping I ndians and massacred all .

From the Raritan to the Connecticut, red runners carried the

o f s o s o news . There came an uprising tribes sudden and terrible that almost over night the whole territory was swept “ clear of white men , not a house was left standing and all ” B o u e rie s were devastated . The settlers who succeeded in escaping made their miserable “ way into New Amsterdam with the plaint : Every place is

abandoned . We wretched people must Skulk with wives and

little ones that are still left, in poverty together by and around ” the Fort at New Amsterdam . What happened thereafter stands as a good memorial to

the sober sense and the stout intelligence of these Dutchmen .

o f I n their misery , with the fruits years of hard toil gone as

in a whirlwind , they might have been excused for giving way

to rage and hate . They might, as did many other pioneers

In S i i fo r o f m lar circumstances elsewhere , have cried a war

no t . extermination . They did These H olland men ran true

o f h to the Holland history straight thinking . T ey complained to the States - General against the Director- General $o r Gover m ffi nor, to use a common ter for his o ce) and demanded his

removal . and Holland was far away , Kieft did not lack friends ,

o governments move slowly . S it was 1 64 6 before there was

a decision ; but when it came , it was the best that could have fo r 1 6 come , the man who arrived in 47 to govern the Colony

u ho t- was Petr s Stuyvesant Petrus the headed , Petrus the 1 8 The HI S TORY o fHUDS ON COUNTY

- hot hearted , Petrus who in his person exemplified in dramatic degree all that obstinacy side by side with tolerance , that

e ace fu lwa s courage mingled with liking for p y , that shrewdness grained with a deep honesty that has made the small Dutch nation a power in the world to be reckoned with, both in peace and war . — The great Petrus Stuyvesant and he was indeed o ne o f the greatest o fthe men who had come into the New World up to that time— was emphatically a ifi no p c cis t . But he knew when to

fight and when not to fight . Little by little he restored something of

o ld the good relations , until settlers

again dared to enter New Jersey . For ten years they planted and 1 traded in peace . Then in 6 54 the killing o f an I ndian girl on Man

hattan Island caused another war . 9 The I ndians brought it home to

New Amsterdam itself. O n the New Pet ru s Stuyv esant Jersey side they swept the country “ o ne P a almost as before . Not white person remained in

B o u e rie s vonia . Twenty were destroyed and three hundred families were collected in the Fort on Manhattan Island . Governor Stuyvesant had been away o n a little war against the Swedes who had settled along the South River $Delaware) in defiance o fDutch claims . He returned quickly and again conciliated the I ndians , even agreeing to pay ransom for their prisoners whom they held at . Gradually peace

20 The HI ST ORY o fHUD S ON COUNTY

There Came a n Upri sing $f Tribes

om the L ett b T e H s o t o t se . H Fr un e y C . Turn r, ud on C uny C ur ou

“ N e the rlandt . I t is described as beginning from the Great Klip above Wie hachan and from there right through the land above the island Sikake s and therefro m thence to the Kill vo n C 011 , and so along to the Constable Hoeck , and from the C o nstable H o eck again to the aforesaid Klip above

Wie hachan .

“ “ The word Klip was Dutch for cliff. I t is hardly necessary to explain what plac es were meant by Wie hachan k k and Si a e s . Merely as a matter o fsuperfluous accuracy we mentio n apologetically that they were Weehawken and

Secaucus . Secaucus was scarcely an island . I t was a strip of

firm land surrounded by tidal marsh . For some reason it was “ highly priz ed by planters . Its name was I ndian for place ” o r of snakes and it and Snake Hill Rattlesnake Hill , appear frequently in subsequent land transfers . and o fthe OLD VIL LAGE o fB E RGE N 2 1

P ay t ng fo r t he L a nd

r m the L ette b T r ez s t t o se F o un y C. . Tu n , Hud on Couny Cour H u

Fo r the territory thus sold , which included all the land between the North and Hackensack Rivers and the Kill von “ 8 0 Ofwam u m 20 Kull , the I ndians received fathoms p , fathoms 1 2 1 6 2 of cloth , brass kettles , double brass kettle , guns ,

- blanke ts and o ne o f . , half barrel strong beer I t does not seem 8 0 much ; but wampum was good I ndian money , and fathoms 8 0 8 0 no t is 4 feet, and 4 feet of good money would seem h insignificant even today . O ne wonders , owever, how the “ ” tribes divided the o ne double brass kettle and who drank 1 20 the beer . I n 9 , this territory was assessed for taxes on a valuation of I t seems to have been o n e o f those excellent transactions that permanently satisfied both parties to the bargain . t he Despite the purchase, the concentration orders and

o f 6 1 66 0 remission taxes remained in force , and on August I , , 2 2 The HI S TORY o fHUD S ON COUNTY a petition for farming rights was granted to several families o n condition that, first, a spot must be selected which could be defended easily ; second , each settler to whom land was given free must begin to build his house within six weeks

his o ne after drawing lot ; third, there must be at least soldier

to enlisted from each house, able to bear arms defend the village . I n November o fthe same year the Village o fBergen was “ fo u n de d b e rmis sio n o fP e te rS tu ve s ant Dire cto r- y p y , General , ” the and Council of New Netherland, and thus Bergen , “ ” $described as being in the new maiz e land ) besides being the earliest settlement in New Jersey also holds the honor o f being the first permanent settlement in New Jersey . The site o f the original village is marked by the present

Bergen Square and the four blocks surrounding it, the bound aries being Newkirk and Vroom Streets north and south ,

Tu e rs Avenue east and Van Re yp e n Street west . There were two cross roads , and they are still represented today by exist ing streets . The present Bergen Avenue was the road to

vo n to the Kill Kull and also Bergen Woods , now known as

North Hudson . Academy Street o f today was then the

Communipaw road . From their height the inhabitants looked over island-dotted and stream—divided meadows o ftall s ea

in ithwil swarm w d i . grass , g fowl and rich w th fish Those bright, unstained expanses gave them mighty crops o fsalt hay for no trouble save that of harvesting it . They were crops that could not fail so long as the tides ran . Everywhere the salt tides were ’ h z the Dutc man s friend . He utili ed high flood to bring craft

hi o r close to s farms for easy loading unloading . H e used the and o fthe OLD VILLAGE o fB E RGE N 23

to N e wAms te r am ebb help him to the bay and so to market at d .

to . v H e used the flood help him home again I ndeed , his ery land—roads were tidal ; for the lower reaches to Paulus Hook

s e a - and other shores were often under in the full moon tides .

o f V o f I n the center the illage, which was in the form a

8 00 o n its square feet long each Side , founders established 1 6 0 2 2 a vacant space, recorded as being by 5 feet . I n great ’ part this remains as today s Bergen Square . Around the whole

was o f village a palisade strong logs , with openings at the ’ two . cross roads Daniel Van Winkle, Bergen s accomplished

Tu e rs o n historian , says that Avenue and Idaho Avenues the

o n east and west, and Newkirk and Vroom Streets the north

o f and south , mark the line these palisades . I n the evening, o r o f when there were rumors I ndian trouble , the cattle were driven in and the openings barred by heavy gate s . The farms expanded throughout the surrounding country, and were “ ” n called B u yte ntu y . th 1 6 6 1 — O n September 5 , , the Director General and Council , in response to a petition by the inhabitants , granted the “ town an I nferior Court o fjustice with the privilege of appeal

- o f to the Director General and Council New Netherland , to

o f be by their Honors finally disposed , this Court to consist o fo ne Schout who shall convene the appointed Schepens and

at the . preside meetings By this O rdinance , Bergen became the

abli h n first civic government to be e s t s e di the Colony . The first man Schout was Tie l Van Vleck . The Schepens were Michael

Sme e man St nme ts . Jansen $Vreeland), H arman and Caspar y The creation o fthis Court gave Bergen the dignity o fseat o f fo r government for all the surrounding country, the grant 24 The HI STORY o fHUD S ON COUNTY

“ o f1 6 60 had conveyed to the inhabitants the lands with the meadows thereto annexed situated on the west side o f the

North River in Pavonia, in the same manner as the same was ” by us purchased o f the I ndians . Thus the freeholders Of

o f Bergen held all what is now known as Hudson County .

The Schout and the Schepens soon had their hands full . The placid Dutchman had a placid way Ofinsisting stubbornly

Se o h h E e te 1 c nd C urc , r c d 773 B e rgen A v enu e and Vroom St?ect and o fthe O L D VILLAGE o fB E RGE N 2 5

o f o n his rights . O ne their first cases was that of William Jensen o r Jansen to whom they had granted the right to

Operate a ferry between Bergen and the Island of Manhattan ,

at fixed rates for daytime and fair weather, while in stormy “ weather o r at night the rates were to be as the parties might

agree . We may guess that there were deep arguments between the ferryman and the passengers as to exactly what

n o t constituted stormy weather . That the parties did man age to “ agree ” is shown by his strenuous complaint to the

Schout and Schepens that the people ferried themselves over,

much to his loss and discomfort . The people , however, made s o plain that they did not intend to let the ferryman monopoli z e a little thing like the North River that the Court formally decreed that each one had the right to keep and use “ his o wn boat or schuyt . Most numerous of all were the disputes over land bounda n ries . The governme t grants were beautifully vague , and

o f ffi some the cases must have made the O cial heads ache , as ’ Pie te rs e n s for instance , in the case of title such as Claus , which called fo r 1 38 acres bounded west by the Bergen Road ” o r and north by Nicholas the baker, the town lot deeded to “ Adrien Post as being on the corner by the northwest gate ” o n in Bergen , and a garden the northwest side of the town .

There were other famous cases that shook the community .

Their records have , unhappily , been lost, but their tenor is $illustrated by the appeals that came before the Council in after years . O ne was the great hog case which Captain John Berry

o n carried indignantly to the Council appeal against the Schout, “ complaining that the Schout and Schepens had institu ted 2 6 The HI STORY o fHUD S ON COUNTY actions against him for carrying O ff some hogs as if he had ” obtained them in a scandalous manner, by stealing whereas he had simply taken his o wn hogs from an enclosure where they were being withheld from his possessi o n . The Schout informed the Council that the Captain had no t been charged “ with stealing but simply with inconsiderate rem o val o fthe ” hogs . The Captain , thus pressed , acknowledged that per “ haps he had rashly removed the said hogs . The Director t General and Council , after deep delibera ion , solemnly cleared

o f o f Captain Berry the suspicion theft, but found that he “ ” had gone too far i n inconsiderate removal o f the hogs and fined him o ne hundred guilders . The surrounding little settlements also did no t always agree with the Schout and Schepens . The latter had to com plain i n 1 6 74 to the General Council that the inhabitants o f

o f Ge mo e ne a Min a hu e the dependent hamlets p , g g and ” “ P e mre p o gh had refused to carry o u t an agreement res p e cting the making and maintaining o f a certain common i fence to separate the heifers from the m lk cows , and that they also refused to pay their quota fo r support o f the

Precentor and the Scho o lmaster . The men o fthe three hamlets were s o indignant that they

o f almost issued a Declaration I ndependence . There were great ferriages to the Fort at Manhattan to fight it o u t . The

Council debated and decreed . So fierce became the contest that arbitrators were appointed and greater debates ensued .

f Ge mo e ne a o o . The arbitrators met the fate all arbitrat rs p ,

Min a hu e Pe mre o h no t g g and p g did like their decision , and Lo u re no therefore unanimously called it no decision at all .

2 8 The HI S TORY o fH U D S O N CO U N TY

The Coming ofthe E flgII S/I

that they made . The inhabitants remained Dutch in every fla thing save the g that flew over them , and they accepted that emblem philosophically , holding fast to their ways , their trade and their lands , and letting emblems be emblems . The new rulers were more concerned with keeping the Colony than h o ld o r with changing it . T ey confirmed all the grants , most o fthem .

At first the New Jersey territory was called Nova Cesarea , but the name New Jersey soon became the common one . 2 2 1 6 6 8 I n a charter granted on September , , by Sir Philip

Carteret, brother of Sir George and Governor of the new “ he the the province , confirmed original grants to Towne and the F re e ho lde rs o fBergen and to the Villages and Plantations ” thereunto belonging . The township was estimated in this 1 deed as comprising acres , which was probably a mere and o fth e OLD VILLAGE o fB E RGE N 2 9

om t he M a b H w ar H so t t s Fr ur l y o d Pyle, ud n Couny Cour Hou e

h to o guess since it seems to ave been little by half. I t was about sixteen miles long and four miles wide “ including the

Ahassimu s Minkac u e said Towne of Bergen , Communipaw, , q , P e mb re o ck o n and p , bounded the east, south and west by

New York and Newark Bays and the . By the conditions of the charter the freeholders were bound “ to pay to the Lords Proprietors and their successors o n every twenty—fifth day o f March fifteen pounds as quit rent forever . The boundaries fixed in this charter remained unchanged till the Act o fLegislature that in 1 8 43 constituted a new County o fHudson . Among other confirmations o f previous grants we find a “ n ri n record o fa deed to Laurence. A d e s s e of the land in the

Minkac u e the o f tract called q under jurisdiction Bergen , north

o f Gilb e rts e n o f Strae tmake r east Lubert , southwest Derrick , 30 The HI S TORY o fHUD S ON COUNTY comprising fifty Dutch Morgen $a Dutch land measurement) ” o fo n e acre and for a quit rent penny English for each , a con “ firmatio n of patent to Isaacsen Planck for a neck of land ” Are s s e chho nk fAha im o s u s . called Paulus Hook or , west 0 I 6 O n July 3 , 73, during the second war between England

N ewYo rk re - and Holland , a Dutch fleet took , and christened it New O range . Aside from changing the name and calling

to on all the inhabitants swear allegiance, which they did with cheerful good will , things remained as they had been ; and when the peace of 1 6 74 definitely turned over New Netherland to

u n ru fHe d England , the colonists changed flags again and remained Dutch . The record of the Oath of Allegiance to the “ Dutch government enumerates 7 8 inhabitants o fBergen and f o 6 . dependencies , whom 9 appeared at drum beat A report “ ” o f 1 6 8 0 describes Bergen as a compact town containing about 40 families .

Gradually, to be sure, English people came in . New York was growing into a great town , and it drew merchants and adventurers from all parts , becoming indeed so metropolitan that even the p1rates o f the seven seas esteemed it as an

o n excellent market for their plunder . But the western bank of the river the o ld habits of Holland remained s o fixed that we still find characteristic Dutch traits , Dutch architecture, even Dutch customs from the Hudson to the Ramap o s . 1 6 8 2 I n , the Province of New Jersey was divided into four — Counties Bergen , Essex, Middlesex and Monmouth ; and

1 6 . 1 1 in 93 each County was divided into townships I n 7 4 , “ an Act gave a new charter to The I nhabitants o fthe Town ” o fBergen . and o fthe O LD VILLAGE o fB E RGE N I

With the growth of populati on Paulus Hook became an important place . The Van Vorst family had acquired it in 1 6 6 9 , and it remained in their possession till well into the

Nineteenth Century . I t was the natural terminus for ferries to New York and stage lines had been established early . By

1 6 . 7 4 , Paulus H ook was more than a mere ferry landing I t

o f was the terminus the stage routes from Philadelphia . I n the N ew Yo rk M ercury o f that year we find the announce “ ment that Sovereign Syb randt informs the Public he has fitted up and completed in the neatest Manner a new and genteel stage Waggon which is to perform two Stages in every week from Philadelphia to New York , from Philadelphia to

Trenton , from Trenton to Brunswick and from Brunswick ’ ’ to the said Syb randt s H ouse and from said Syb randt s House by the new and lately established Post Road $o n Bergen which is now generally resorted to by the Populace , who prefer a Passage by said Place, before the Danger of crossing the Bay) to Powles ’ s H ook opposite to New York where it discharges the Passengers . Each single person only paying at the Rate o fTwo Pence Half- Penny per mile from said ’ ’ Powles s H ook to said Syb randt s House and at the rate Of — b ran t . AS S Two Pence per Mile after N . B . said y d now dwells in the H ouse known by the Sign of the Roebuck which H ouse he has now finished in a genteel Manner and

o f has laid in a choice Assortment Wines and other Liquors , where Gentlemen Passengers and others may at all Times be assured o fmeeting with the best o fEntertainment . Michael Cornelison also operated a stage line to and from

to o n Philadelphia and a ferry New York . H e had a tavern 32 The HI S TORY o fHUD S ON CO U NTY

st Vo a e the e mo t 1 8 0 Fir y g of Cl r n , 7

om the L ette b T e H s t o t H se Fr un y C. . Turn r, ud on Couny C ur ou

Paulus H ook , and he was firm with passengers . They had to arrive from New York the day before . Between sunset and

o fli ciall sunrise Cornelison considered the river y closed .

Paulus Hook also had a race track . I t was established in 1 76 9 by Cornelius Van Vorst and it was pounded democratic ally by the hoofs o fblooded horses belonging to New York sports and by the larger hoofs of the corpulent steeds belong

. 1 1 ing to the country side There was a noble race in 7 7 , “ fo rThirt round the course at Powles Hook , a match y Dollars between Booby , Mug and $ uicksilver, to run twice around ” to a heat, to carry catch riders . I n the Bergen woods , the gentry had regular fox hunts on horseback in English style . No greater things excited these peaceful people till the time of the Revolution . Then , though that country was spared

S any great battles , it had its hare of marches and counter marches , skirmishes and alarms . I t was a raiding ground , for and o fthe O L D VI L LAGE o f. B E RG E N 33

Washingt o n an d His Ofi cers

m t he L ette b T e so t t se Fro un y C. . Turn r, Hud n Coun y Cour Hou

it was rich in fat cattle and plentiful farm produce , and as

‘ l - s u fle re d a ways in war, the non belligerent population all the hardships without any of the glory . I t appears humorous now to read the wail of certain burghers who were stopped by a raiding party on their way home from church and stripped of their breeches ; but undoubtedly it seemed a bitter thing to the owners . There were more serious things , too , and in plenty . There were sudden raids at night, with burnings and killings , or at the least with plundering that left homesteads stripped bare of cattle and goods . After Long Island was evacuated by Washington ’ s troops

N e w o f and it was decided impossible to hold York , much the artillery and stores and many wo unded were taken to the N e w

Jersey shore for transpo rtation to Newark . An account dated “ 1 : Paulus Hook , September 5, says Last night the

e rs ie s h sick were ordered to Newark in the J , but most of t em 34 The HI S TORY o fH U D S O N CO U N TY

H o e b u ck could be got no further than this place and , and as

o n e o f h there is but house at each t ese places , many were obliged to lie in the open , whose distress when I walked out at daybreak gave me a livelier idea of the horror o fwar than

. 8 . anything I ever met with before About a m , 3 large ships came to sail and made towards the Hook . They raked the place with grape and killed one horse . O n the night of the 1 th 7 , the garrison tried to burn the ships which had anchored h 3 miles above . They grappled t e Renown o f 50 guns but

Du ki . c n k failed . She cannonaded us again later Colonel y c this morning retired to Bergen leaving Colonel Durkee on the ’ Hook with 300 men . After three days cannonading by ships , the Americans withdrew and thereafter the British held

Paulus Hook . Bergen remained the headquarters Of the

American forces till it too was evacuated . The British were not permitted to hold even the Hook undisturbed . American parties made daring raids again and again , the most famous of these being known as the Battle of

. o fAu u s t 1 1 Paulus Hook O n the night g 9 , 779 , Maj or Lee $the celebrated Light Horse H arry o fRevolutionary annals) brought his men across the Hackensack and through enemy h swam s fallin territory along a perilous causeway t rough the p , g o n the British so suddenly and fiercely that he was able to carry back with him 7 offi cers and 1 00 privates .

N ew York Gaz ett e 2 8 1 8 0 $ The loyalist of August , 7 , said

General Washington , the Marquis de la Fayette , Generals Greene and Wayne with many other Ofli ce rs and a large body of Rebels have been in the vicinity of Bergen for some days past . They have taken all the forage from the I nhabitants of

36 The HI S TORY o fHUD SON CO U NTY

was particularly martial about it, and it was this journal that delighted its readers with a succession of verses called “ The ” Cow Chace in which the Revolutionary Generals were agree

t as . ably pic ured rustics , drunkards and dunces “ The Cow C hace ” based on a raid by General Anthony Wayne on a Britis h block house at Bull ’ s Ferry near

was o flice r Hoboken , the work of a young British named

Major Andre . If he was a little crude in literary etiquette

as and a very poor poet indeed , he knew how to die a brave and honest gentleman . H e is said to have given the last canto of his epic to the editor o f the R oy alGaz ette on the day before he left New York for his disastrous conference with

Benedict Arnold at West Point . The final verses appeared in the edition that was published on the very morning when

o was the gay , gallant y ung fellow captured

Tet B ergen co ws stillruminate

Unconscious in the s tall

What mighty means were us ed to get

t ma And los e he fter a ll.

zit sic

” ’ And no w I ve clos d my ep ic s train 1 tremble as I s how it ,

L es t this same warrior-dro o er Wa ne , y ,

Should ever catch the oet p . ’ The N in e te e n th an a Twe n tie th C e n tu rie s

H E first important changes in Bergen and its surrounding territory were brought by the

development of transportation , and this de ve lo p me n t was due chiefly to the rapidly growing business between New York and

Philadelphia . Stage route terminals on the North River meant short ferriage as against the bay ferriage involved in the alternative New Brunswick —Amboy —Staten

o f Island route . The thoughtful ferrymen Paulus Hook

a ve r did not permit the public to remain blind to it . Their d “ tis e me nts are full of humane warnings against the Dangers ” of the Bay .

the I t was not a trifling consideration in days before steam , when even the river ferriage was an adventure . The first river ff ferries were rowing ski s or, more Simply , canoes of hollowed

is soft wood logs . The river was no more tranquil than it now

its was and width far greater, for today there are parts on both shores where more than a thousand feet have been filled in . 1 8 6 As late as I , the mail was carried across in rowboats , and we ’ have a dramatic narrative o f a twenty —four hours battle to

- rescue a mail carrier and his negro boatman from the ice pack .

s o Another narrative , not so well authenticated , but pleasing

is his that it ought to be true , that of a Dutch planter and wife “ who were in mid -stream when a large fis h leaped into their ' s kifl and knocked a hole into it . With admirable intelligence the honestly built wife sat on the critical spot and by virtue of 38 The HI STORY o fHUD S ON COUNTY

B e rge n in 1 8 41

’ her many and vast petticoats defeated the river s passionate attempt to Sink them . ’ trafii c As increased , rowboats were supplemented , though not driven out , by sailing craft of a type known as periagua a word presenting such diffi culties to the casual spellers o fthe time that nearly every reference in early print enriches us with ” ” ff u r T a di erent version from peraga to p e ttia g e . hey were

o fwhite - o f built wood , modeled largely on the plan the dug o u t , and in time were made large enough to carry horses and

i carr ages . “ Early in 1 8 00 the ferrymen installed horse boats pro

e lle - p d by horse driven machinery . They held their own for “ many years after the Albany Gaz ette announced that The North River Steam Boat $Robert Fulton ’ s “ Clermont will leave Paulus H ook on the 4th o fSeptember at nine ’ acco mo O clock in the evening . Provisions , good berths , and

is dations are furnished . The charge for each passenger as and o fth e O L D VILLAGE o fB E RGE N 39

’ 1 P o k e e sie follows ; Newburgh , fare $3, time 4 hours ; p , fare 1 20 $4 , time 7 hours ; Esopus , fare $ 5, time hours ; Hudson , ”

0 6 . fare time 3 hours ; Albany , fare $ 7 , time 3 hours 1 8 0 John Stevens who had bought Hoboken in 4 , installed 1 i the first steam ferry in the world in 1 8 1 . I t made ts trial tri in S e te mb e ran d p p ran between Hoboken and Barclay Street ,

was New York , but before long the horse boat reinstated . Similar lack of success attended the installation of the steam ferries “ Jersey ” and “ York ” built by Robert Fulton for the York and Jersey Steam Boat Ferry Company and put into

1 1 ha Operation in 8 2 . Although an enthusiastic account d it “ ” 1 that we crossed the river in 4 minutes in this safe machine , cynics alleged that , the safe machines more often needed an “ ” hour, and that when the York and the Jersey met in mid stream there was time for painfully long contemplation before they succeeded in passing .

. 8 0 These ferries were not small Their length was feet, ” only 2 0 less than that ofthe Clermont which was considered

One of t he E a rly Steam Ferrtes 40 The HI S TORY o fH U D S O N CO U N TY

A St bbo m et t Steam 1 8 0 u rn Co p i or of , 3

a great vessel . There were two hulls braced with the paddle h 0 w eel suspended between , and with a deck over all 3 feet

s at was h wide . The passengers in the open , but there a old for refuge in bad weather . 1 8 1 6 I n , the company had succeeded in earning only one dividend $of five per cent), which explains why Philip Howe “ who leased the West Hoboken or We e hawk ferry in 1 8 2 1 contented himself with two sailboats and a horse boat . John Stevens also adhered to sail and horse after abandoning his first h t 1 8 2 2 . steam erry , and did not try steam again till By t at

ho we ve r it . time , , had become practical The Canal Street ferry “ 1 8 2 had boat Pioneer, which went into commission in 3, a ’ ladies cabin warmed with open fireplaces and was lavis hly decorated . lti s trans o ratio n diflicu e . I n land p , steam met similar I n ’ 1 8 0 h 3 , Peter Cooper s locomotive Tom T umb , with Peter and o fthe O L D VILLAGE o fB E RGE N 4 1

One t he First St eam ra s 1 8 1 of T in , 3

h h was Cooper imself in c arge , sadly defeated by a stubbornly unprogressive stage proprietor who raced it with a single horse hitched to the same kind of coach that was drawn by the loco motive . All the stage companies in the land spread the glad h h h news . T ey also told wit infinite j oy ho w t e foolish and heinously dangerous locomotives showered passengers with flaming wood embers so that they had to protect themselves h h h $ h wit oisted umbrellas w ich , alas caug t fire themselves . h h T erefore thoug optimists went on laying rails , the stage business continued to prosper s o healthily that in 1 832 at least twenty stage lines were crossing Bergen in all directions . I n that year the Paterson and Hudson Railroad completed its tracks and began operation with a rolling stock of “ three splendid and commodious cars each capable ofaccommodating h ” 0 . 3 passengers , drawn by fleet and gentle orses Locomotives

the were introduced a little later , but with excellent caution 42 The HI S TORY o fH U D S O N COU N TY

“ company announced that the steam and horse cars are s o in te rmixe d that passengers may make their selection 8: the timid ” o f can avail themselves the latter twice a day . This is the road that was absorbed by the Erie Railroad and served as its - 1 1 route to tide water till the Erie Tunnel was pierced in 8 6 . The main stage route to Philadelphia in early 1 8 00 is s u p posed to have been about along the present line of Grand ,

Warren , York and Van Vorst Streets , crossing a marsh at Mill ’ Creek , following a road to old Prior s Mill , and connecting

O ld with the Old Mill Road . An Eighteenth Century plank “ causeway over the meadows to N e wark that trembled under foot was replaced about this time by the Newark Turnpike .

The h It had dangers of its own . records S ow that the great f cedar swamps o n both sides had to be burned O fl to drive out robbers . 1 8 1 By 3, four stage lines were in hot competition for the ” - “ - New York Philadelphia business . The title stage waggon in became too tame for these fervid rivals , and one of them “ ” hin vented the title o f mac e . Mightily stirred by this poetic “ h ” imagery , another named his stages flying mac ines . From

s o as - that day long a stage survived , every self respecting stage driver referred to himself as operating a flying machine .

The fastest flying machine of I 8 1 3 left New York at I p . m . and did not fly into Philadelphia till 6 a . m . next day . I n I 8 2 0 the disintegration of Bergen Township began with re - the incorporation of the City of Jersey , incorporated in

1 2 as o u 8 9 Jersey City . Except for a moderate increase in p p

the te rito r h diHe re n t lation , y in t at period was little from its aspect and manner in the old days . There were comparatively

44 The HI S TORY o fHUD S ON COUNTY

’ - the race track and ferries . NorthernJersey City s water front ’ o b o ke s was practically empty save for a ferry house . H n Elysian Fields held unmarred the beauty which had won the high ffi sounding title , and a single little tavern su ced to entertain holiday makers there . The placid population made barely enough employment for the single Court at Hackensack and f for a few local Dutch justices o the peace . I t was a happy land that made no history .

Steam was wi nning , however, and soon its early demands gave a great impetus to the mechanical hand- crafts that it was 00 destined to destroy . Jersey City , which had only about 3 th e 1 8 20 inhabitants at time of its incorporation in , is credited in a record O f1 8 4 5 with having 4000 population at that date . Among its larger industries were the works o fthe American

Pottery Company , the Jersey City Glass Company employing about a hundred men , a famous fireworks establishment, a candle factory and many shops owned by individual me ’ hani s c c . There were two foundries . O ne was Fulton s at the

The Mo ntto r 1 8 2 , 6 and o fthe OLD VILLAGE o fB E RGE N 45

o f corner Morgan and Greene Streets , and it was at this foundry that some o f the first ironclads fo r the Civil War were fabricated later .

Fulton also had a dry dock . I t appears to have had ample 1 8 - business , for by 4 5 the water front business had become “ ffi o f su cient to justify the building a vessel , the Dudley S .

fo r Gregory , constructed at Burlington expressly Jersey City

. o f trade Two years later, Jersey City celebrated the docking “ its first Cunarder, the Hibernia . Bergen adhered to its agriculture and other Old ways longer than the surrounding communities . Its inhabitants looked ’ serenely down o n Jersey City s accumulating factory chimneys and saw its increasing bustle and wealth without apparent desire to emulate it . Years after gas had made the streets

- below their height look like far trailed strings Of beads , they remained content with candles and sperm whale Oil , and as late as 1 8 58 there were only 6 0 gas consumers o n the whole ridge . o Bit by bit its less restful c nstituent parts broke away , much as the offspring of the go o d Old burghers themselves was l 1 o d . 8 breaking away from the good customs I n 37 , Bergen County ’ s opulent girth was sharply reduced by taking away P 1 8 0 enough to make assaic County . I n 4 another legal opera

o o f tion set ffthe County Hudson . Bergen Township was like a fine Dutch cheese exposed to busy mice . I t was nibbled at i trafl'ic i . 1 8 1 u from all s des I n 4 , two years after f ll ra l had been opened between New York and Philadelphia by the New

Jersey Railroad and Transportation Company , Van Vorst

1 8 2 o f? T o wnship was nibbled o ff. Another nibble in 4 bit the 46 The HI STORY o fHUD S ON COUNTY

m n ld B e S a e 1 8 2 . o a O t rgen qu r , 5 $Fr Prin ) part north of the Pennsylvania Railroad , and made North Bergen from which Hudson City and Hoboken were set o ff 1 8 0 before 6 . By the time Bayonne and Greenville had been

o u t o f cut Bergen , it was in much the same condition as the Old families whose ancestral plantations had been reduced by s u c i ce s s ve to . street encroachments mere town lots When , in I 8 6 8 , a new charter was given to the City of Bergen , its area had decreased in inverse ratio to its wealth and real estate

. o n 1 1 8 0 valuations Finally , March 7, 7 , popular vote con solidated Bergen , Hudson and Jersey City into the Greater

Jersey City . The T ru st C o m an p y of N e w J e rs e y

H ILE workmen were excavating at Sip and Bergen Avenues for the foundation of the new eleven - story building of the Trust o f Company New Jersey , they unearthed

. was an ancient well I t 4 5 feet deep , reach

ing down to a subterranean stream . The hollow logs that formed it fell apart as soon as they were

. Vo rs ts handled At such wells the early Van , Van Hornes , Van Winkles and others drew the water for the houses within O ld the palisades ; and it was such a well , with troughs for

was o f cattle around it, that dug in the center Bergen Square

Old Dutch Well 48 The HI STORY o fHUDS ON COUNT Y

by order of the Schout and Schepens of Bergen , ratified by

he t 1 6 6 2 . Council at New Amsterdam on February 9 , If these men o f 1 6 60 had returned to Bergen a hundred years later they would have found no marvelous changes . Even in 1 8 60 they would have found much that was u h

as changed , despite steamships and railroads , streets lit with g , and busy factories . All local transport still was done with h horses , there were enough cattle , s eep , pigs and goats at large

- the to keep a pound keeper fully occupied , salt meadows were

s e a fis h s e a lively with flights of duck and snipe , and and turtle still were being taken in the Hackensack and Passaic Rivers , the Kill von Kull , and in Newark and New York Bays . It was left for the period within our o wn generation to change the world s o colossally that today those Dutch ance s tors would indeed imagine themselves to be among sorcery

flas hwhe re and witchcraft . Automobiles they plodded behind

o n oxen and fat slow horses . Where the Old windmill Paulus

Hook ground corn less than a hundred years ago , there stand and float implements o f commerce whose use they could not comprehend . Their descendants are shot in electric trains under that North River which they ferried with labor and fear .

z o f Most ama ing all , however, would be the tall buildings ; and it would be almost impossible for them to believe that the vastly reared piles Of marble and granite are no t palaces of i e their High Might n sses the States General of rich Holland , but simply the modern successors o ftheir little trading posts under trees where , with scales held in the hand , they weighed furs in exchange for wampum . and o fthe OLD VILLAGE o fB E RGE N 9

They would not know what to make of a modern banking tu insti tion with mighty steel vaults ; for wampum , the cur re n c o f s ea was y shells , the leading medium of the New o f Netherlands during more a century , and what little gold “ ” they possessed was banked in hiding places under the floors or in the gardens . The sea-shell currency was known by the I ndian names of

r wampum o seawant . The first Dutch arrivals found it in

u s e general among the savages , and adopted it partly from choice , but largely from necessity . Dutch currency was not only scarce and precious , but it was unknown to the I ndians , and thus it occurred naturally that the financial system o fthe new colony established itself o n a S hell basis instead of a gold basis .

o f i The shells were a spec al kind and occurred in two colors ,

z black and white . The I ndians pri ed the black shells at a ratio

To i about double that o fthe white . the Dutch traders t seemed immensely like making money by magic to Obtain valuable furs for common shells ; but as commerce grew, it happened inevitably that wampum could not be confined to trading with the I ndians , and it had to be accepted by the Dutch in dealings among themselves . Soon the “ easy money revenged itself as easy money always has done . Wampum was held to be worth a stiver for three black Shells or for six white ones , and as twenty stivers equaled a guilder $about 40 cents) it encouraged many finan ciers to engage in the business of fishing industriously fo r the

- precious shell fis h . There was no law to forbid anybody from thus operating a submarine mint ; and even if we repudiate 50 The HI S TORY o fHUD S ON COUNTY

Washington I rving’ s libelous insinuation that Director General Kieft gave grants to his friends to rake and scrape

- every Shell bed from the Delaware to Cape Cod , it remains undeniable that the wampum financial system became fright fully inflated . 1 6 0 I n 9 there must have been almost a wampum panic , for “ the Council issued a Proclamation : Whereas with Great Con cern we have observed both Now and for a Long Time past

u the Depreciation and Corr ption of the loose seawant, where by occasion is given fo r repeated Complaints from the I n habitants that they can not go with such seawant to the Market,

fo r nor yet procure themselves any Commodity , not even a White Loaf, we ordain that no loose seawant shall be a Legal Tender except the same be strung on one string : that s ix white or three black shall pass for one stiver ; and of base

h fo r seawant, shall pass eig t white and four black one stiver .

The Old and N ew H s t t H ses e se Ctt ud on Couny Cour ou , j r y y

The HI S TORY o fH U D S ON COU N TY 53 of this great change and growth than is presented in the records o f the Trust Company o f New Jersey . I t is only

-five twenty years ago since four men , schoolmates in their

h r. youth , A . P . H examer, H enry Me l , John Mehl , J , and

ffi o f Sc William C . Heppenheimer met in the o ce Russ H ep ’ p e n he ime r and organiz ed the People s Safe Deposit and Trust

o f 1 8 6 Company . That was in the spring 9 , and a bank was established at the corner o f Hutton Street and Central

O flice Avenue, Jersey City, as Main , with a branch in the

U . tu Town of nion The ven re was a success from its inception , as is evidenced by the first statement issued by the bank , cover

1 1 8 6 : ing the nine months ending December 3 , 9 54 The HI STORY o fHUD S ON COUNTY

o f 1 8 In the spring the year 99 , the same group of business men concluded to organi z e a trust company i n the city o f ’ o f Hoboken , operating as a branch the People s Safe Deposit and Trust Company of Jersey City . They were met by the

o f 1 8 law 9 9 , then on its final passage in the Legislature , pre venting the operation ofbranches which theretofore had been

z permissible . Nothing daunted , they organi ed the Trust

Company of New Jersey in Hoboken , which also was suc ce s s fu lfrom the start . 1 0 2 I n 9 , the Bergen Lafayette Trust Company was

o f 1 1 founded in the Bergen Section Jersey City , and in 9 I , the Carteret Trust Company was organiz ed and located in Journal

Square at the Summit Avenue tube station , Jersey City . Both these companies were founded by the same men as the other two , and were similarly successful . 1 1 o f I n 9 3, the Legislature of the state New Jersey passed an act permitting the consolidation oftrust companies and their h f operation as branches wit o ne main o fice . I n accordance

o n 2 o th 1 1 with this act, the day of September, 9 3, the People ’ s Safe Deposit and Trust Company with its branch in U the 8e r the Town of nion , Bergen Lafayette T ust Company, and the Carteret Trust Company all went out of existence and

o f were taken over by the Trust Company New Jersey , with

ffi ins titu H o b o k e n as the main o ce . Since that date the other tions have been operated as branches under the names o f ’ B ranch To wn U People s Safe Deposit , of nion Branch , Bergen

St . Lafayette Branch , and Carteret Branch The followi ng gentlemen formed the Board of Directors of the consolidation which had thus become the Trust and o fthe O L D VI L L AGE o fB E RGE N 55

e w e rs e . . . Company ofN J y F E Armbruster, George A Berger,

in lte r iar o t . C o e r Wa . B d . Ernest , Chas A pp g , M Dear, Robert

De b a he r a an o hn . c F R , Lawrence g , J Ferguson , Louis Formon ,

G ro fl . Ephraim D e ,Joseph Harrison , Edward V Hartford ,

Ernest J . H eppenheimer, Robert E . Jennings , Anthony R . in Lan r e . . d Kuser, John P , Edward P Meany , Walter

r . Meixner , Wm . L . Pyle, John T . Rowland , J . , C Howard

E dw. . . Slater, H Schmidt, Edward J Schroeder , Emil Schumann and J . Hollis Wells . The assets of the combined institutions at the date o ftheir 2 0 1 1 consolidation on September , 9 3, were

0 1 2 1 O n June 3 , 9 , the total resources of the Company were $3 -43 With the completion o fthe new building at Bergen and Sip

was o fDire c Avenues , Jersey City , it decided by the Board ffi f tors to move the main o ce there . The Hoboken o fice thus becomes the Hoboken branch , continuing the same line of business as heretofore . v e es e se t ce B B e and A , N e w $ Warn Ofi uilding , erg n nu j r y Ciy The N e w B u ildin g of t he T ru s t C o mp an y of N e w J e rse y

O WE R I N G from the crest of , with command of View that includes the whole

panorama of the Island of M anhattan , the

Hudson River, the great harbor, and New

Jersey inland to Newark and the Oranges , stands the new building of the Trust C o m pany of New Jersey . Located o n the southwest corner of Bergen and Sip Ave h nues , Jersey City , it has a situation t at not only gives it the utmost convenience of access from New York and all sur rounding suburbs and towns , but that also makes it central to all the business activities of this industrial and commercial

New Jersey territory .

Past its doors go the principal trolley lines , as well as j itney and bus lines that radiate through Hudson County I t is o n the lines of the Hudson and Manhattan River Tube

o f . trains , and branch the Pennsylvania Railroad Throughout its design and construction there has been a consistently executed plan for combining the most complete modern utility and comfort with the greatest beauty attainable in these tall structures which so admirably lend themselves 8: ff . to splendid e ects Its architects , Clinton Russell , have

o f made it a perfect expression the I talian Renaissance style, attaining height and magnitude with effortless grace . 5 8 The HI S TORY o fHUD S ON COUNTY

The B a nking Room

The building is of eleven stories and basement . Of these,

s e t the basement, besides accommodating a part aside for the mechanical plant that serves the building, contains the fully equipped large safe deposit and storage vaults o fthe Trust

Company of New Jersey . The banking room o fthe Main O ffice o fthe Trust Com

is ffi pany on the first floor, the entrance to the o ces being on Bergen Avenue and the entrance to the bank being on n the corner . These premises are designed not o ly to give customers all modern banking conveniences , but to provide them with surroundings that s hall satisfy a high sense O f

he beauty . T decorative scheme is in the rich I talian marble

as B o tticini known , and the accompanying details are worked out in bronz e and mahogany as the appropriate metals and

B E R G E N AVEN U E

a oo a th to e t h o s siv N ew Ma O ce B ut/di n Typic l Fl r Pl n , Four T n Flo r inclu e, in fi g qf The Tru st Compa ny of N ew J er sey The T RUST C O M PANY of N EW J E RSEY

B E RGE N AN D SI P AVE N U E S $JO U R N A L S $ UAR E)

ers e it y y C y , M y .

Re o u c e u n e 0 1 2 1 s r s , J 3 , 9

HO B OKEN BRANC H

2 and 1 Hudson Place Hoboken 1 4 ,

PE O PLE ’ S SAFE DE POSIT BRAN C H

C entralAvenue and B owers S treet ers e C it , j y y

BERG EN AND LAFAYETTE BRANC H

o ticello Aven e and B rinhe rho Street ers e C i t M n u fi , j y y

T O WN O F UNIO N BRAN C H

B r n/ine Avenue and Hackensack P lanh Road Town o Union e ge , f ,

O F F I C E R S

W a C He en e e r Pres ident illi m . pp h im ,

MAIN OFFIC E

— n e E wa Mea i st Vi s t E wi H . S tratfo Se eta a d eas d rd P . ny, F r ce pre iden d n rd , cr ry Tr ur r

- Wi iam Ve it A ss sta t as e alt Me ix e S x th Vi s e t C . W er n r, i ce pre id n ll , i n Tre ur r

r m t o e e C . e e o H nry P l y, C p r ll r

PEO PLE’ S SAFE DEPO SIT BRA N CH BERGEN AND LAFAYETTE BRAN C H

o se h a riso o rt h V e- esi e t m uste h V - s e t , F. E . A b J p H n F u ic pr d n r r r, T ird ice pre id n r Mi u h A ss st a t as e o h . J n T n g , i n Tre ur r u e e H ube rti A ss sta t eas E g n , i n Tr urer HO BO K EN BRAN C H TO WN O F UNIO N BRAN CH A e Se o Vi e- es e t e o e . B G rg erg r , c nd c pr id n LOUiS o mo F ” ’ n , ifi F r Edward A O To o le u o h Sieve t A ssista t as e Ass sta nt S eta and Ass sta t reas e R d lp r , n Tre ur r i ecr ry i n T ur r D I R E C TO R S

A mb ust h Vi e- es e t F E . . r r er T ird c pr id n

eo Se o V - es e t G rge A . B erger c nd ice pr id n

Ernes t Biardo t Retire d

ha i D D S s A o . . . C . . C pp nger

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’ R o be t R Debache r es e t Wm Schim er {9 m a r . Pr id n . p Co p ny

h a a es e t a a I W ks J o n J . F g n Pr id n F g n ron or

o h e uso es e t e s 85 So n J n F rg n Pr id n F. F rgu on

Lo uis Fo rmo n Fji ih Vice-preside nt

Ephraim De Gro ff Physician

J o se ph H arriso n Fou rt h Vice-president

E wa V artfo es e t E w a V Ha t o I nc d rd . H rd Pr id n d rd . rf rd, .

E ne st e e h e ime es e t o o a L t e I s a m a r J . H pp n r Pr id n C l ni l fi n ur nce Co p ny

Wm e h e ime es e t C . H . ppen r Pr id n

Ro be E e n i s a ta st rt . J n ng C pi li d m A tho R . K us s e t S th e se Gas E t an a t o o a n ny er, Pre id n ou J r y , lec ric Tr c i n C p ny

o h P Landrine Ha r w a e J n . d r

E wa P M a st V e- e s e t d rd . e ny Fir ic pr id n

’ He nry Mehl Treasurer john M ehl {9 Compa ny

Walte r Meixner Six th Vice-president

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‘ m L e P h s a W . . Pyl y ici n

h wland r A h te t o Ro . J n T . , J rc i c

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dw chmi hm t e e Ice om a E . . S t E H S H H d . . c id ygi n C p ny

E war Sch o e e E w a S h e e Lam W ks d d J . r d r d rd c ro d r p or Emil S c human n Real E state

Ho is We s to CT R ssel J . ll ll Clin n u l F unctions of The T RU ST C O M PANY O F N E WJ E RSEY

T HI S C O M PAN Y transacts a general Trust Company and

Banking business , and

e c e ve Sav n De o t an d a n te re t t e re o n at the R i s i gs p si s , p ys i s h ,

nn rate o f4 p e r c e nt p er a um .

e ce ve de o t b e c t to c e c k as in a b ank a ab e at R i s p si s su j h , , p y l

t o r t ro the c e arin o e a o w n n te re t t e re o n sigh h ugh l g h us , ll i g i s h at the rate o f 2 p er ce n t ; als o issue s c e rtific ate s o f dep o sits

be arin g in tere st .

L n d o n n a ro d e cur t e s m ey o pp ve s i y .

Act as r te e n de r an o rt a e o r de e d o f tru t o r fo r s T us u y m g g s , any individu al who de sire s to pro vide fo r m e mb e rs o f his

fa i o r Ot r m ly h e s .

Act as x e c to r r te e Ad n trato r G ard an e c e ve r s E u , T us , mi is , u i , R i ,

C A n e e o r e trar o tte e . mmi , ssig R gis

Ac t as F c a o r ran fe r A ent fo r an State n c a t o r s is l T s g y , mu i ip li y

co r o rat o n p i .

Ac ce t e c r t e fo r afe ke e n re tt n nte re t and d v p s s u i i s s pi g , mi i g i s i i

den ds to the de o to r p si .

Ac ts as Age n t in this State fo r c o rpo ratio n s o rgan iz e d u nde r

the aw o f he Stat fN e r l s t e O e w J s ey .

en t Saf D o t Va t fro u w ard R s e e p si ul s m 3; p .

This Company makes a specialty of the accounts of per sons who , through lack of experience , desire assistance and advice in the management of their investments .