Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1966 Historical Geography of Southern New Jersey as Related to Its Colonial Ports. Roger Thomas Trindell Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Trindell, Roger Thomas, "Historical Geography of Southern New Jersey as Related to Its Colonial Ports." (1966). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 1228. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/1228 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This dissertation has been microfilmed exactly as received 67-1195 TRINDELL, Roger Thomas, 1932- HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY AS RELATED TO ITS COLONIAL PORTS. Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, Ph.L., 1966 Geography University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY AS RELATED TO ITS COLONIAL PORTS A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Geography and Anthropology by Roger Thomas Trindell B.A., Montclair State College, 1958 M.A., University of Colorado, 1960 August 1966 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This study could not have been completed without the assistance of a great number of individuals. The librarians of the Library of Congress, University of Pennsylvania, Rutgers University, Pennsylvania Historical Society, New Jersey Historical Society, Trenton State Library, and various county historical society libraries in New Jersey have given freely of their time in the search for materials. Particular mention should be made of Miss Josephine Jacquett, Salem County Historical So­ ciety; Miss Grace Ewing, Cumberland County Historical Society; Mr. Donald A. Sinclair, Curator of the Special Collections, Rutgers University; and Mr. Anthony S. Nicolosi, Assistant Curator of Special Collections, Rut­ gers University. Local historians have also aided, particularly Mr. Joseph G. Hancock of Greenwich, New Jersey. Additional mention must also be made of Mrs. Ellen C. Watson of London, England, professional record agent, for her painstaking and successful search for south Jersey port data in the Public Records Office, London, England. In this quest for quantifiable import-export material, Dr. Lawrence A. Harper, colonial- economic historian, of the University of California, Berkeley,was ex­ tremely helpful and provided the writer with many heretofore-unpublished statistical data relating to the ports. However, interest in this study was directly spurred by Dr. Fred B. Kniffen. To him, especially, do I owe much gratitude for scholarly direction and patient criticism. I am also sincerely grateful to rny wife Danice for her unfailing good nature during the period of research and writing. TABLE OF CONTENTS - - PAGE ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................. ii LIST OF TABLES.................................................... v LIST OF FIGURES................................................... vi LIST OF PLATES.................................................... viii ABSTRACT............ ix INTRODUCTION...................................................... xii CHAPTER I. A VIEW OF THE LAND........................................ 1 The Bay and River......................................... 2 Vegetation Cover.......................................... 8 Soil....................................................... 14 Animal Life................................................ 17 Climate.................................................... 18 Resource Potential................................. ...... 23 II. THE FIRST EUROPEAN SETTLERS.............................. 25 The Dutch.................................................. 25 Settlements........................................... 28 Agriculture........................................... 34 Architecture.......................................... 38 Toponymy.............................................. 47 Summary................................................ 48 The Swedes and Finns...................................... 50 Settlements........................................... 51 Agriculture........................................... 56 Architecture.................. 62 Toponymy............................................... 71 Maritime Activity........ 72 Summary................................................ 76 iii CHAPTER PAGE III. THE ENGLISH COLONIAL LANDSCAPE.......................... 77 Land Division............................................ 78 Settlers and Settlements................................ 85 Roads, Bridges, and Ferries............................. 92 The Use of the Land...................................... 103 Agriculture........................................... 103 Industry.............................................. Ill Houses and Buildings..................................... 116 IV. THE COLONIAL PORTS....................................... 129 Founding of the Ports.................................... 131 The Ports and Their Hinterland.......................... 136 Port Activity: Exports and Imports...................... 139 Trade Triangles.......................................... 159 Port Decline............................................. 167 Geographical Factors................................. 167 Historical Factors.................................... 176 Technological Factors .......................... 182 V. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS................................. 186 BIBLIOGRAPHY...................................................... 191 VITA............................................................... 208 LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE 1. Exports of Wood Products from Salem and Cohansey [Greenwich^ , 1736-1740.................................... 142 2. Total Exports of Selected Wood Products from Salem and Cohansey [Greenwich] (and comparisons), 1768-1772........ 143 3. Food and Livestock Exports from Salem and Cohansey [Green­ wich] , 1768-1772 149 4. Food and Livestock Exports from Salem and Cohansey [Green­ wich J , 1736-1740 150 5. General Imports, Salem and Cohansey [Greenwich! , 1736-1740.................................................... 153 6. General Imports, Salem and Cohansey [Greenwich J , 1768-1772.................................................... 154 7. Salem Imports from Virginia, 1762, 1763, 1764, 1765 and 1768......................................................... 155 8. Salem Exports to Accomac District, Virginia, 1762 and 1766......................................................... 156 9. Port of Origin and Destination of Ships (and their num­ bers) Entering and Clearing Ports of Salem and Cohansey [Greenwich] , 1736-1740.................................... 161 10. Port of Origin and Destination of Ships (and their num­ bers) Entering and Clearing Ports of Salem and Cohansey [GreenwichJ , 1768-1772.................................... 162 11. Population Changes, Southern New Jersey, 1699-1790........ 177 v LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE PAGE 1. The "Old Dutch House," New Castle, Delaware................ 42 2. The Von Steuben House, Bergen County, New Jersey.......... 42 3. Dutch B am Type, Near Pluckamin, New Jersey................ 44 4. Dutch Bergh, Lancaster, Pennsylvania....................... 44 5. Swedish Agricultural Tools.................................. 61 6. Modes of Swedish Log Construction.......................... 65 7. Price's Corner Log Cabin.................................... 66 8. Log Cabin at Salem........................................... 66 9. "Swedish House" at Hancock's Bridge........................ 67 10. Price's Corner Log Cabin, Notching......................... 67 11. Dove-Tail Corner-Notching, Salem Log Cabin................. 69 12. Dove-Tail Corner-Notching, "Swedish House" at Hancock's - Bridge....................................................... 69 13. Swedish-Type Fence........................................... 70 14. The Area Around Salem and Salem Creek, 1842................ 93 15. The Area South of Hancock's Bridge and Alloway Creek, 1842................................................ 94 16. The Area Around Greenwich and the Cohansey River, 1842.... 95 17. The Area South of the Cohansey River and New England Cross Roads, 1842........................................... 96 18. The Area Around the Maurice River, 1842.................... 97 19. "Shore" Side of Meadow Bank, Lower Alloway Creek.......... 109 20. Meadow Side of Banked Land, Lower Alloway Creek............ 109 21. White Cedar Swamp, Dennis Creek, South Dennis.............. 115 vi 22. Nathaniel Chambless House..................................... 117 23. Hancock House.................................. 117 24. Pissant House................................................. 118 25. Thomas Shourds House......................................... 118 26. Dickinson House........................ 120 27. Padgett House................................................. 120 28. Samuel Tyler House............................................ 122 29. Oakford House................................................