Old map of NJ from 1795

Saw this posted online and thought some people here would be interested. There's a high-resolution image here: https://i.imgur.com/nNdGKHC.jpg

njguy ✉
Dec '19

Very cool!

Luca ✉
Dec '19

Yes, very cool. I love old maps. Here's a great site for them.

https://mapmaker.rutgers.edu/MAPS.html

Calico696 ✉
Dec '19

I don't think there was a Hackettstown till the 1800's...I thought it had another name and was part of Independence

Bug3
Dec '19

Also from wikipedia

It is believed that Hackettstown was named after Samuel Hackett, an early settler and large landowner. Hackett is said to have "contributed liberally to the liquid refreshments on the christening of a new hotel, in order to secure the name which, before this, had been Helms' Mills or Musconetcong".

Bug3
Dec '19

There's a lot of different spellings on this map (Hakensak) and I've seen the town called Helms' Mills or Musconetcong in older materials.

I also feel like I've seen references to it called Hackettstown in the 1776 area, as George Washington has visited a few times while in Morristown. Here's one source having the name in 1780
https://www.revolutionarywarnewjersey.com/new_jersey_revolutionary_war_sites/towns/hackettstown_nj_revolutionary_war_sites.htm

and original source: https://books.google.com/books?id=xew9AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA47&lpg=PA47&dq=martha+washington+%22hackettstown%22&source=bl&ots=a7pyPvBPE9&sig=ACfU3U0CeEI3OrQcSULYK227QwNf4IK0kw&hl=en&ppis=_e&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj-27DUnbPmAhXo01kKHVazA3IQ6AEwBnoECAgQAQ#v=onepage&q=martha%20washington%20%22hackettstown%22&f=false

Another from 1781 https://books.google.com/books?id=bgQpAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA28&lpg=PA28&dq=martha+washington+%22hackettstown%22&source=bl&ots=LZ8NJOAi3W&sig=ACfU3U2LWoIlBdkh_4Uh9zCM8fOcUdh9CQ&hl=en&ppis=_e&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj-27DUnbPmAhXo01kKHVazA3IQ6AEwBXoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q=martha%20washington%20%22hackettstown%22&f=false

Another fun one on here is Budd's Valley, which seems to be near where Point Mountain would be today.

alpha1beta ✉
Dec '19

alpha1beta

I think you missed my point. The first and second, as well as the third, describes visits in "Hackettstown" in the 1700's, but writing about it in the mid to late 1800's (1848 & 1890) when the spellings were more formalized and were written about by authors who interviewed people who lived there or wrote about previously written interviews, as the compilation in 1890 seems to be.

Even mapmakers, though skilled at the drawing of maps were not immune to writing out place names in a more easily pronounceable fashion, whether that be due to their own lack of spelling acumen or to make it easier for the reader, one can't always be sure. Of course many spellings existed because people themselves weren't all that literate to begin with back in the 1700's. The point is, they got their point across, even when they wrote about "Suckysunny" or "Percypenny", etc. Of course some names just receded to become neighborhood names or abandoned names on maps with no real community anymore or they were renamed, either in honor of someone, something, or to avoid possible political or public repercussions, such as "German Valley" or "New Germantown".

I may have to research the location of "Kemble" however, since that may be misplaced, as in Mt. Kemble Road South of Morristown and I don't recall ever having heard of anything named that in this area. I could be wrong on that point, but it could also be a purposeful error from an earlier map, since the "Mt. Kemble" area and the Peter Kemble house was important to the Revolution, having hosted two Generals there:

https://www.revolutionarywarnewjersey.com/new_jersey_revolutionary_war_sites/towns/harding_township_nj_revolutionary_war_sites.htm

"Budd's Valley" may also be misplaced and quite likely may belong further to the Northeast or so, by where Budd Lake would be. The Budd family was a large land owning family at one time and there are quite a few buried in the Hackettstown Union Cemetery. Of course since Hackettstown was named after Judge Hackett, rather than any of the Ayers family remains a mystery to this day apparently, though the article referenced stated it's said that he bought a lot of folks drinks at the local tavern to influence them. "Hackettstown" does have a better ring to it to me than "Ayerstown" does anyway. That may have ended up being written as "Airstown" or "Ayrstown" in places. You never know.

Phil D. ✉
Dec '19

alpha1beta

Nice link, thanks. I have some of Ray Lemasters books and in fact was just talking to him today about some nice collections of lovely postcards that were donated that he's selling to benefit the Hackettstown Historical Society. As you can see from the article, there's a reason why I mentioned the Ayers family.

From the article you posted "After his death on September 20, 1766, much of his land was sold at sheriff's sale. It is on these deeds dated 1767 that the location of the land is referred to as "Hackettstown". That being John Hackett, Samuel's father. It's likely due to his status at the time, they may have decided to name the town after him when he died and people bought up the land he'd owned. That makes more realistic sense than the 10 year old Samuel supposedly bribing people with drink, lol.

It's somewhat like the supposed "Old Mine Road" and the ridiculous legend that grew out about it as propagated by the couple of books that were written about it. If you read the book "The Preston Letters" and several others, the whole legend completely falls apart. If you visit the mine workings, and have any kind of geology knowledge, etc. you quickly realize that there's no way a fortune in Copper ore was ever pulled from that area, nor was a road built during the time that area was mainly controlled by rather hostile Native Americans to bring this supposedly rich ore to NY State and thereupon to the Netherlands.

Phil D. ✉
Dec '19

Some of those old maps go for crazy money...if you find one - get it checked out.

Even the old Service/Gas Station maps they use to give out back in the 40's to 70's are worth 20 to 100 bucks now.

ru ✉
Dec '19

Thanks for the old mine road stuff. Had read much but not that. Was this the first toll road in America? On the other side, there's 611 running from Scranton through Stroudsburg and then down the river to become Broad Street in Phili. Now that's a road!!

Some more fun with maps: you can start on Warren County on this one: https://library.princeton.edu/njmaps/counties/warren.html The 1871 F.W. Beers is always a great one in that it includes homes from that time…..including mine! Generally the best one for 1870.

Or check this one out, back to 1795… http://alabamamaps.ua.edu/historicalmaps/
Just to check out what’s out there in the 1800’s: https://www.mapsofthepast.com/old-new-jersey-state-maps.html

And finally, Library of Congress starting in 1639 with great names like: Pascaert van Nieuw Nederlandt Virginia, ende Nieuw-Engelandt verthonendt alles wat van die landin by See, oft by land is ondect oft Bekent. Sure, easy for you to say :>)

Think I answered my “hostiles” question --- Wolf Clan of the Lennie Lapdancer tribe. Yes, somewhat hostile yet tame by Iroquois standards. Fiercest of the Lenape, a tribe known as “old women” by the Iroquois. Amazingly, I think we bought most of the land vs. taking it.

Mt. Bethel was a thriving community in the late 1700’s; Dr. Cummins had convinced James Egbert to come; he built a tannery and the church and the town was known under his name for a while. What I don’t know is what else was happening way up there. I used to think mining, but not sure at all. So what was there and where did it go? Think the main road might have been Jackson Valley Road through what they called the Timberswamp, a glacier boulder strewn area.

I believe, could be wrong, that Belvidere is there because of free land and was named because it’s a pretty name. Spelled wrong, the word belvedere means “beautiful view.” Not sure Belvidere has many views…. For some time we were known as the greenest place in NJ. Can't spell, but very green.

Where did the first area settlers come from? Dutch, Scot, Irish, Welsh, most got here from Kingston over the Old Mine Road. Our area, being rocky and hilly was settled later than other areas. Indians used to call the area: "good place for an ambush." Basically, folks settled on the minisink (river’s edge) and then expanded out over the flat lands (Newton) first. Minisink means: used to be freakin water here." Some came from Phili, but far less from the East. Go West, but avoid that green area of ambush :>) Hey, why walk up a hill when you can walk around.

Of the names: Vliet of revolutionary times was a famous family, like the Cummins and other names. Daniel Vliet was a major, owned over 600 acres, bought from Hackett, His history has basically vanished. Danville is now Great Meadows; all that remains is Danville Mountain. Still can’t figure out why on this one but now you know where the name came from.

Next: check out the Great Meadows church. Might have been the earliest beginnings of the Me Too movement. So cool. And how about that Cummins taking a knife for the revolution. Stories coming.....

strangerdanger ✉
Dec '19

After Old Mine Road, the next technology to follow the Kingston path was the D&H Canal, or Delaware and Hudson. From Kingston to Honesdale PA it went to carry the coal from the Scranton hills. At the time in the mid 1800's, we were still cutting down all the trees from NJ, PA, and NY and floating em down the Delaware. Trouble was floating coal across at the same time and neither the log rafts or the coal barges turned well.

So, they built the Roebling (of Brooklyn Bridge fame) Bridge which was really an aqueduct to carry the coal barges over the timber rafts on the river. It's really cool, looks like the Brooklyn except no towers. Instead the cables drop to the river and back up. Revolutionary for the time, Roebling was a maverick architect so the design is just that. The bridge is the width of a canal boat with a path for the mules n men. You can drive it and walk it today. It's pretty cool. At the head end of the canal, Honesdale was a profitable village at the head end where miners and villagers enjoyed the cash flow. It is a as good a Mayberry town, perhaps except for Belvidere, you will ever see around and if you didn't know about the canal, you would say WTF is this doing here? I mean it defines nowhere.

He built the bridge to last hundreds of years and, of course, 50 years later the trains made it a piece of history. So they turned it into a walking, then auto bridge. You can follow the canal route from Kingston, there are "canal was here" signs everywhere, and nothing else. Did it, felt it, it was boring, but if you are ever coming down the NY Thruway and looking for diversion.....Still want to return to Honesdale, looks quaint. The bridge is excellent; tend to go up every three years or so ---- fall is best. The bridge masters house just has to been haunted as it was located next to the pond where boats waited to cross with much gambling, bawdy places, drinking and violence ensuing. Just hast to be ghostly...….

As a perk for a bridge visit, there's the Zane Grey museum nearby. Yeah, he lived in PA.....

strangerdanger ✉
Dec '19