West Windsor's Predecessors

West Windsor Township formed in 1797, and its borders have been well-established for generations. However, what existed here before West Windsor? From the Ice age until the late 1700s, several different entities, of increasingly shrinking size, governed the area. Read on to learn more!

Lenapehoking

The first humans to settle the West Windsor area arrived here around 12,000 years ago. They were the "Leni Lenape" - an indigenous society that emigrated to North America's eastern coast after the retreat of the vast glacial sheets of the last Ice Age. They had crossed the continent from its Pacific coast, and the Atlantic coast was their last frontier.[1]

On the East Coast, the Lenape lived in a territory they called the "Lenapehoking." This region stretched from western Connecticut all the way town to eastern Maryland. It also encompassed all of New Jersey and portions of New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland (see the adjacent map).[2]

The Lenape were not one big unified tribe; rather, within the Lenapehoking were numerous autonomous sub-tribes, each with their own unique cultures and histories.[3] The sub-tribe in the West Windsor area were called the "Assunpinks" - a name meaning a "rocky, watery place."[4] You may recognize their most obvious legacy here: the Assunpink Creek, running through southern West Windsor. Click here for a more in-depth look at the Lenape and their relationship to New Jersey and West Windsor.

The Lenape did not have property lines as we see them today, nor did they recognize individual land ownership. Rather, they maintained a general tribal territory cooperatively and dwelt in the same general region for much of their history. Thus, West Windsor's earliest "predecessor" was not a well-defined legal entity - rather, it was a general territory, into which European colonists settled in the 1600s. Over time, European pressures drove most (but not all) of the Lenape out of the state; they likely left the West Windsor area by the early 1700s (if not earlier).[5] To learn more about this, click here.

The Lenapehoking. Click to enlarge/download.

New Netherland and New Jersey

Around 1524, amid an era in which several "Old World" countries were beginning to stake claims to immense swaths of the "New World," Giovanni de Verrazano became the first European to explore New Jersey.[6] However, it was not until the early 1600s that permanent European settlement took hold in the Lenapehoking. In the 1610s, Dutch settlers established trading outposts in New York. And around 1624, they formally organized "New Netherland" as a Dutch colony. Its territorial claims stretched from Massachusetts down to Delaware. As this vast region included virtually all of New Jersey, it, of course, encompassed the land that would become West Windsor many generations later.[7]

However, there is no evidence that any colonist ever settled in the West Windsor area during New Netherland's existence. Instead, in 1664, the colony dissolved when England annexed the region in a bloodless takeover. On August 27 of that year, English frigates sailed into the harbor of New Amsterdam (the capital of New Netherland, centered on present-day southern Manhattan). They demanded New Netherland's surrender, and the colony's director-general, Peter Stuyvesant, acquiesced.[8]

The month prior, on June 24, 1664, James, Duke of York, had granted Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret, ownership of all land between the Delaware and Hudson Rivers. The charter referred to these lands as “New Jersey” in honor of Carteret's defense of the English Channel island of Jersey during the English Civil War. This was the first-ever mention of the term "New Jersey." It also set the stage for a regional surge in colonial acquisition and settlement.[9]

General "New Netherland" territory. From the National Parks Service (click image to visit source).

A Tale of Two Jerseys

Within the next few decades, many thousands of Europeans arrived in the Province of New Jersey, seeking wealth and freedom.[10] During this time, a "Proprietorship" of wealthy land-owners collaboratively governed the colony. Individuals as notable as William Penn - famed Quaker and founder of Pennsylvania - were granted millions of acres of land to settle or sell.[11]

In 1676, a document called the "Quinpartite Deed" split New Jersey into two halves: "East Jersey" and "West Jersey."[12] Each half had its own constitution and governors, and distinct cultures. West Jersey, adjacent to Pennsylvania, had a larger concentration of Quaker settlers and landowners (including William Penn), whereas East Jersey was generally more secular.[13],[14]

Almost immediately after the division, disputes arose as to exactly where the division line was between the two Jerseys. The first attempt at a resolution was the "Keith Line" (AKA the "Provinice Line"), surveyed by George Keith in 1687.[15] It was soon partly altered by the "Coxe-Barclay" Line to form the official boundary (see adjacent map).[16] Two other lines - the Thorton Line of 1696[17] and Lawrence Line of 1743[18] - were also proposed, but both had virtually no relevance to the future West Windsor region. 

The area that would eventually become West Windsor sat within East Jersey but also at its border with West Jersey, along the Keith Line/Province Line. In fact, to this day, large portions of both Quakerbridge Road and Province Line Road follow the old Keith Line.[19] This location yielded a mixture of colonial religions - Quaker, Presbyterian, Baptist, and more - as well as nationalities - most notably English and Dutch.[20] Even after East and West Jersey forever reunited into a whole New Jersey in 1702,[21] these influences persisted for generations.

The Keith Line & Coxe-Barclay Line, 1687.

Counties, Towns, & Local Acquisition

As New Jersey became increasingly colonized through the late 1600s, the need to establish counties and townships grew apparent. In 1683, the General Assembly of East Jersey, located at “Elizebeth-Town” (Elizabeth) formed the counties of Bergen, Essex, Middlesex, and Monmouth.[22] It was Middlesex County that contained all of present-day West Windsor until Mercer County's formation in 1838.[23] On October 31, 1693, Middlesex County further divided into Woodbridge, Perth Amboy, and Piscataway townships.[24] Piscataway thereafter included land south of the Raritan River – including all of present-day West Windsor.[25]

The 1690s also marked the start of individual land acquisition in the present-day West Windsor area. The earliest known purchase was by William Watson in or before 1690.[26] By the year 1700, several others had bought immense swaths of land as well. The largest tracts, of several thousand acres each, were owned by William Penn[27] and an English goldsmith named David Lyell.[28] Collectively, they owned the vast majority of the land that would later become West Windsor.[29],[30],[31] The old division line between their two gargantuan estates was, in the 1860s, formally surveyed as a farm lane and named "Penn-Lyle Road."[32],[33],[34]

Most of these 1690s-era landowning families (including the Penns and Lyells) likely never set foot in the future West Windsor area, let alone settle here. However, a few of them did in the 1690s - notably the Groomes,[35] Bainbridges,[36] and possibly the Tindalls.[37] Despite this, colonial settlement was sparse for the next few decades. In fact, it was not until the 1730s that the future West Windsor area began to see its first large wave of colonial settlement.

West Windsor's 1690s/early 1700s landowners.

Windsor Township

In 1723/4, New Brunswick Township was formed,[38] and in December 1730, the City of New Brunswick was chartered. This stripped all land south of the Raritan River from Piscataway Township. However, the same 1730 charter that created New Brunswick city failed to account for the territory south of the Millstone River, leaving much of Middlesex County an ungoverned orphan.[39]

An entirely new municipality, called "New Windsor," arose in this political vacuum.[40] It was presumably named after the royal town of Windsor, England and formally incorporated in 1751 as "Windsor Township." It encompassed all of present-day West Windsor, East Windsor, Robbinsville, and Hightstown; all of Princeton southeast of Nassau and Stockton Streets; and slivers of Millstone and Monroe Townships (see adjacent map). However, of course, in the mid-1700s, none of those municipalities existed; instead, there was only Windsor Township.[41]

The 1730s marked a period of rapid local settlement. Numerous families, predominantly of Dutch and English descent, were attracted by the region's fertile soil and waterways. They transformed the previously forested and meadowed land into vast swaths of farmland, stretching to the horizon in every direction. They built houses, mills, churches, burial grounds, barns, and other structures. Some of these still exist, and a handful belong to West Windsor's "100 Club." They also surveyed dirt farm lanes to connect early villages like Hightstown and Princeton, alongside smaller hamlets such as Clarksville, Dutch Neck, Edinburg, Grovers Mill, and Penns Neck. For many generations thereafter, agriculture dominated the area's identity. This only changed in the mid-late 20th century, when suburban and commercial developments began to replace most of the old farmland and redefine the region.

Windsor Township as it existed shortly before dissolving in 1797.

A Tale of Two Windsors

However, by the 1790s, a conflict had formed between the western and eastern halves of the town over the maintenance of roads—then dusty, rutted lanes that needed frequent upkeep and depleted municipal coffers. Also at the time, Windsor Township residents often identified with Princeton in the northwest and Hightstown in the southeast, depending on which one was closer to them. Whatever the reason, a movement grew to split the township. Within a few years, Windsor was no more. ​By an act of state legislature finalized on February 9, 1797, Windsor split into two halves – East Windsor and West Windsor.[42] West Windsor Township held its first formal meeting on April 8, 1797.[43] To learn more, click here.

For the next several decades, West Windsor retained all of Princeton up to Nassau Street – including the Princeton Battlefield, Nassau Hall, the Stony Brook Meeting House, and many other historic sites. Even though Princeton Borough was created in 1813,[44] it wouldn't become a fully-independent municipality for many more years.[45]

Middlesex County retained West Windsor until Mercer County’s formation on February 22, 1838.[46] Five days later, a supplementary act annexed a 0.7-acre tract from West Windsor, including the Princeton University campus, to Princeton Township (see adjacent map).[47] And a final land transfer in 1853 similarly ceded the rest of all remaining land, west of the Delaware and Raritan Canal, from West Windsor to Princeton.[48]

​West Windsor’s borders have remained virtually unchanged ever since.

Windsor Township as it existed shortly before dissolving in 1797.

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Bibliography

1.  Kraft, Herbert C. The Lenape-Delaware Indian Heritage: 10,000 B.C.- A.D. 2000. Stanhope, N.J.?: Lenape Books, 2001.
2. Soderlund, Jean R. Lenape Country Delaware Valley Society before William Penn. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc, 2016.
3. Ibid.
4. ​"Welcome to the Lenape Talking Dictionary.” The Lenape Talking Dictionary | Home. Lenape Language Preservation Project. Accessed February 27, 2022. https://www. talk-lenape.org/.
5. Soderlund, Jean R. Lenape Country Delaware Valley Society before William Penn. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc, 2016.
6. Ibid.
7. Ibid.
8. Ibid.
9. James. “Release of James, Duke of York to John Lord Berkeley, and Sir George Carteret, Original Proprietors of the Colony of New Jersey, June 24, 1664.” England:  England, June 24, 1664.
10. Soderlund, Jean R. Lenape Country Delaware Valley Society before William Penn. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc, 2016.
11. Csebestyen. “A Short History of New Jersey.” The Official Web Site for The State of New Jersey | A Short History of New Jersey. Accessed February 27, 2022. https:// www.nj.gov/nj/about/history/short_history.html.
12. Snyder, John Parr. The Story of New Jersey’s Civil Boundaries, 1606-1968. Trenton: New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection, Division of Water Resources, Geological Survey, 1969.
13. Soderlund, Jean R. Lenape Country Delaware Valley Society before William Penn. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc, 2016.
14. “Using the Records of the East and West Jersey Proprietors.” New Jersey State Archives. Accessed March 25, 2022. https://www.nj.gov/state/archives/pdf/propri
    etors.pdf. Page 3 - “Part II - Important Events in New Jersey’s Proprietary History”
15. Snyder, John Parr. The Story of New Jersey’s Civil Boundaries, 1606-1968. Trenton: New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection, Division of Water Resources, Geological Survey, 1969.
16. Ibid.
17. Ibid.
18. Ibid.
19. Ibid.
20. Soderlund, Jean R. Lenape Country Delaware Valley Society before William Penn. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc, 2016.
21. Snyder, John Parr. The Story of New Jersey’s Civil Boundaries, 1606-1968. Trenton: New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection, Division of Water Resources, Geological Survey, 1969.
22. Ibid.
23. Ibid.
24. Ibid.
25. Ibid.
26. Ms. Survey for John Johnston by the Proprietors of East New Jersey. New Jersey State Archives, 1690. Mentions that John Johnston had sold the surveyed property to William Watson by the time of the survey (1690).
27. Hamilton, Andrew, John Barclay, David Mundie, Thomas Warne, John Reid, George Willocks, and William Penn. Ms. Indenture. New Jersey State Archives, 1693. Conveyance of Penns Neck tract to William Penn from the Proprietors of East New Jersey - May 16, 1693 (Bears date May 16, 1692 due to Julian/Gregorian Calendar Differences). In New Jersey State Archives: E (EJ): Folio 45 (SSTSE023)
28. Hamilton, Andrew, George Clarke, and David Lyell. Indenture. New Jersey State Archives, 1697. Conveyance of 4,700 acres (as written in the deed) from Andrew 
    Hamilton via Executor George Clarke to David Lyell. Found in New Jersey State Archives Early Land Records - F (EJ): Folio 717 (SSTSE023)
29. Hamilton, Andrew, John Barclay, David Mundie, Thomas Warne, John Reid, George Willocks, and William Penn. Ms. Indenture. New Jersey State Archives, 1693. Conveyance of Penns Neck tract to William Penn from the Proprietors of East New Jersey - May 16, 1693 (Bears date May 16, 1692 due to Julian/Gregorian Calendar Differences). In New Jersey State Archives: E (EJ): Folio 45 (SSTSE023)
30. Hamilton, Andrew, George Clarke, and David Lyell. Indenture. New Jersey State Archives, 1697. Conveyance of 4,700 acres (as written in the deed) from Andrew 
    Hamilton via Executor George Clarke to David Lyell. Found in New Jersey State Archives Early Land Records - F (EJ): Folio 717 (SSTSE023)
31.  Lyell, David, Hapuhacquona, Tolomhon, and Mahlon Stacy. Ms. Indenture. New Jersey State Archives , 1702/3. Sale of land south of the Assunpink Creek from Indians Hapuhaquona and Tolomhon to David Lyell. Dated January 15, 1702 in Julian calendar (1703 in Gregorian calendar).
32. Lake, D J, and S N Beers. Map of the Vicinity of Philadelphia and Trenton from Actual Surveys By D.J. Lake and S. N. Beers. Assisted by F. Beers, L. B. Lake and D. G. Beers. Philadelphia, PA: C.K. Stone and A. Pomeroy, 1860. https://dspace.njstatelib.org/xmlui/handle/10929/34112?show=full.
33. “West Windsor Township.” Map. 1875 Historical Atlas of Mercer County, New Jersey - Map of West Windsor. Philadelphia, PA: Everts & Stuart, 1875. https://www.loc.gov/item/2010587333/.
34. Meeting Minutes of West Windsor Township Committee - March 23, 1867. West Windsor, 1867. Mentioned a “New Road leading from J. Adams to W. Walton’s.” 
    This aligns with the 1860 and 1875 maps of West Windsor Township as being Penn-Lyle Road.
35. Bainbridge, John, Groome, Peter. “Indenture.” New Jersey, 1696. Located in the New Jersey State Archives, East Jersey Deed Book C, Page 162.
36. Ibid.
37. Tindall, Thomas. “Will of Thomas Tindall.” Trenton, New Jersey: New Jersey State Archives, July 18, 1713. Located in New Jersey State Archives. Proved October 18, 1714 (Lib. I, p. 487). Estate inventoried October 13, 1714; made by William Budd and Robert Chapman.
38. Snyder, John Parr. The Story of New Jersey’s Civil Boundaries, 1606-1968. Trenton: New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection, Division of Water Resources, Geological Survey, 1969.
39. Craig, Robert W. “Historical Society News - East Windsor at Two Hundred and Twenty - Winter 2016/17,” n.d.
40. Ibid.
41. Belcher, J. Ms. New Jersey State Archives, 1751. Royal Patent for Windsor Township, Recorded 23 March 1750/1 - Written March 9, 1751.
42. “An Act for Dividing the Township of Windsor in the County of Middlesex into Two Separate Townships. New Jersey State Archives, 1797. February 9, 1797. This split Windsor Township into West Windsor and East Windsor.
43. Ms. West Windsor Township Meeting Minutes - April 8, 1797. West Windsor, 1797. West Windsor Township’s first township meeting - held at the house of Jacob G. Bergen on April 8, 1797 and involved the election of West Windsor’s first town officers. Minutes located in the Municipal Center.
44. “Mercer County Historic Sites Survey: West Windsor Township, Mercer County, NJ.” Princeton, 1988. Conducted by Kinsey & Hand Associates. Sub-passage in question is titled “History of the Development of West Windsor Township” by Robert W. Craig.
45. “Supplement to An Act to Erect Parts of the Counties of Hunterdon, Burlington, and Middlesex into a New County, to Be Called the County of Mercer.,” 1838. Annexed a chunk of West Windsor to the newly-created Princeton Township.
46. “An Act to Erect Parts of the Counties of Hunterdon, Burlington, and Middlesex into a New County, to Be Called the County of Mercer.,” 1838.
47. “Supplement to An Act to Erect Parts of the Counties of Hunterdon, Burlington, and Middlesex into a New County, to Be Called the County of Mercer.,” 1838. Annexed a chunk of West Windsor to the newly-created Princeton Township.
    
48. “An Act to Annex a Part of the Township of West Windsor, in the County of Mercer, to the Township of Princeton, in the Said County.,” March 9, 1853. Annexed all land remaining in West Windsor west of the Delaware & Raritan Canal to Princeton Township.