New Jersey Colony Facts: Here's All You Need To Know!

Have you ever visited the New Jersey colony?

If you have, you must have been intrigued by the rich history and the amazing things that the New Jersey colony is known for. One of the 13 original colonies, New Jersey is an interesting place to visit.

New Jersey, the royal colony, one of the 13 colonies in North America, is located in the northeast of the United States. This colony was mostly inhabited by Dutch settlers before the English arrived.

New Jersey became a colony in 1664 when King Charles II granted it to his brother, the Duke of York. It was named after the Island of Jersey, located on the English channel.

New Jersey was one of the last colonies to be established before independence which included East Jersey and West Jersey.

The biggest city in New Jersey state is now Newark. New Jersey state has the eastern goldfinch as its state bird and common blue violet as its State Flower.

Read some more amazing New Jersey Colony Facts about its rich heritage, culture, and history here.

History Of The New Jersey Colony

The colonies were originally divided into three regions - New England, Middle Colonies, and Southern Colonies. The colony of New Jersey was one of the Middle Colonies, along with York Colony, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and the Maryland Colony. Learn more about the Jersey colony's history.

The first-ever explorer to land on the New Jersey shore was John Cabot.

It was then a part of New Netherland, a colony established along the Hudson River.

The Dutch West India Company, in 1624, established the colony of New Netherland, which included all of today's New York City and parts of Long Island, Connecticut, and New Jersey.

This Dutch settlement grew on the southern tip of Manhattan island, a part which was later christened New Amsterdam.

Michael Pauw was given a patroonship by the Dutch West India Company in New Jersey.

Pauw named it Pavonia.

At the present Delaware river, a Swedish colony was established in 1640, which marked the beginning of the first permanent European settlement of Bergen.

This colony was originally named the Isle of Jersey, after a British island in Europe. It had been ruled by the Swedish and Dutch before 1664, when it surrendered to England for good measure.

Both of them combined to form one royal colony of New Jersey in 1702, with Edward Hyde as the first governor.

The lands between the Delaware and Connecticut rivers were granted to the Duke of York by King Charles II.

The Duke then granted this land to Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret, who were his friends.

The New Jersey colony was established by the British Government in 1664 by Sir George Carteret and Lord Berkeley.

It is also believed that the name New Jersey came from Carteret's birthplace, the Isle of Jersey.

The New Jersey colonies were divisions of two different entities, East Jersey and West Jersey. They had their own governments from 1664 to 1702 respectively with a series of constitutions that governed them until this time period ended in 1701 when they united as one colony again to maintain peace within the region during British Rule.

When New Jersey separated from the government of New York, they adopted a new governor to lead them- Lewis Morris.

From August 31, 1776, to his death in 1790, William Livingston was the first royal governor of the State of New Jersey.

Trenton and Princeton were known as the major towns in the New Jersey colony.

On July 2, 1776, the first constitution was adopted in New Jersey, after the beginning of the great American revolution.

The complete collage of the government was avoided by including the right to vote for women and blacks making it more democratic compared to others.

On December 18, 1783, the New Jersey colony became the third U.S. state from the original 13 New England colonies.

New Jersey- a state in the United States of America is located on the eastern coast of the country, bordering Pennsylvania and Delaware to its west and New York to its north.

Queen's College, founded in 1766 and now known as Rutgers was the first college to be established in the colony.

In 1790, the first official capital of New Jersey state was declared Trenton.

The colonies of New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania had the same founder.
The New Jersey colony is known for a lot of incredible things since the colony's foundation.

What was the New Jersey colony known for?

Find out what those wonderful things are here.

Agricultural land, coal, Iron ore, Forests with timber, and furs were the natural resources of the New Jersey colony.

Indigo, wheat, rice, some other grains, and livestock were hugely exported from this colony.

The iron ore found here was once used for manufacturing tools, nails, and kettles that were then exported to England.

It was called 'The Breadbasket Colony' because its wheat production made up most of Europe's grain and flour supply at that time.

Most farms in the New Jersey colony included a house with a barn on its side and large fields around.

This colony was also known for its rich culture and peaceful co-existence with the local Lenni-Lenape (Indians).

Family, religion, and inherited family business or occupation were the essence of life in Colonial New Jersey.

Along with the large agricultural produce, the people here consumed fish, some birds like turkeys, geese, quails, chickens, and woodcock.

Some colonists also brought animal meat like pork, beef, and mutton to the menu.

What was the role of the New Jersey colony in the American Civil War?

The New Jersey colony was a hotspot for agriculture, and it's no surprise that this led to its iconic status during America's Civil War- it came to be known as the Garden State. The location of this colony made it an epicenter during the American revolution.

The people of New Jersey made equipment and provided a source of troops to the leaders of the Union during the Civil War.

They supported the motion for independence and the Declaration of Independence was signed by Abraham Clark, Richard Stockton, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, and John Witherspoon.

John Witherspoon was made the president of the College of New Jersey, which made him quite an influence on the founders of the Continental Congress.

The Battle of Trenton, George Washington's most famous victory, was also in this colony.

This and the Battle of Princeton made General William Howe retreat his troops from New Jersey.

William Franklin, the son of Benjamin Franklin, was a staunch loyalist and the governor of the royal colony during the American Revolution.

The Battle of Trenton, the Battle of Princeton, and the Battle of Monmouth were a few of the major battles that were fought in the New Jersey territory during the American Revolution.