The First Meeting

West Windsor's First Town Meeting

View down Village Road West in the early 1900s. The leftmost building is Jacob Bergen's inn. It was moved to 212-214 South Mill Road between 1912 and 1930.

Historical Overview

West Windsor Township held its meeting on April 8, 1797 - shortly after it was created by an act of state legislature on February 9, 1797.[1] The April meeting was held at an inn owned by Jacob G. Bergen in the historic West Windsor community of Dutch Neck.[2] Bergen was a veteran of the American Revolution[3] and owner of several inns in central New Jersey and Philadelphia.[4],[5] His Dutch Neck establishment sat at the crossroads of present-day South Mill Road and Village Roads East and West, across the road from the the “Neck Meeting House” - the predecessor to the current Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church.[6]

Both inns and churches played important and parallel roles in colonial America. Churches were the centers of spiritual life, uniting parishioners together under one roof for common religious and social activities. Similarly, taverns brought West Windsor community members together – albeit for food, drink, socialization, and politics. There is little reason to think that the Dutch Neck inn – now situated at 212-214 South Mill Road and long since converted to a private residence[7],[8] – was any different.

The April meeting had only one order of business: electing the very first township representatives.

One of these original positions was the Clerk (still around today) – responsible for clerical duties such as record-keeping and taking minutes. The (Township) Committee - a legislative body - also existed, and was a predecessor of the present-day Town Council. The (Tax) Collector and (Tax) Assessor still serve West Windsor and help fund the municipality’s operations.[9]

A colleague of theirs was the “Commissioner of Appeal” – handing tax disputes. The Freeholder regularly appears in the township minutes until the early 1900s,[10] but of course is still around today. Finally, the Moderator and Judge of Elections is no longer around, but the position’s name should provide sufficient explanation as to what its responsibilities were.[11]

Also familiar to us is the Constable. In rural West Windsor, this position was a relatively dull one - theft of farm animals and equipment, public drunkenness, and “rowdyism” were the most common recognized crimes in the township during its early years. This office was dissolved by referendum in 1939[12] but was reinstated eleven years later.[13]

Photocopy of the first town meeting minutes - April 8, 1797. Click to download.

It’s worth noting that just two positions – Commissioners for Laying Roads and Overseer of the Highways - comprised about half (11) of the total number of individuals (23) listed in these minutes[14] - and for a good reason: roads were critical to colonial life and required significant labor and financial investment.

One final position is worth exploring: that of Overseer of the Poor. The Overseer was responsible for a colonial form of welfare. They were in charge of "Indentures," wherein destitute locals - virtually all of them children - would be sent to live with and work for another local, in return for food, shelter, and sometimes education.[15] This position existed in various forms until well into the second half of the 20th century.[16]

West Windsor's government has significantly evolved since its founding on April 8, 1797, but it is still a continuity of the same township government founded all those generations ago...

The current Municipal Building in 1996.

Text of the First Town Meeting Minutes

“At a Town Meeting held at the House of Jacob G. Bergen’s on Monday the 8th Day of April 1797 – The following officers were elected for the ensuing year for the Township of West Windsor -

Moderator and Judge of Elections – Court Voorhies Sr.
Clerk – George G. Bergen
Commissioners for Laying Roads – John Tindall and Thomas Clark / Sworn
Freeholders – Ezekiel Smith and Joseph Olden
Committee – Garret Schenck and John Tindall
Assessor – William Tindall
Collector – Abel Slayback
Commissioners of Appeal – John Schenck, Court Voorhies, and John Bergen
Constable – Jacob Skilman
Overseers of the Highways – Ezekiel Anderson, Ezekiel Rodgers, John Davis, James Hilyard, Joseph Stout, Thomas Olden Sr., James McGalyard, Jacob Hawk, Daniel Mershon”[17]

Bibliography

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.
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.
Dobbett, Frederick Burford. Ms. The New Jersey Society of the Sons of the American Revolution - Application for Membership, 1922. Membership application for Frederick Burford Cobbett - great-great grandson of Jacob G. Bergen, who is listed as a Lieutenant in Somerset and Princeton. Examined and approved in 1922. National Number: 37355. State Number: 2708.
Bergen, Jacob G. Ms. Tavern License Request - 1787 - Jacob G. Bergen. Princeton, 1787. Application to the Middlesex County Court of Common Pleas “having for many years kept a public house at the place where he now lives” in Princeton. Located in the New Jersey State Archive’s Manuscripts Room - Middlesex County Tavern License collection (1758-1826)
Bergen, Jacob G. New Jersey Gazette. February 20, 1782. Notice that Jacob G. Bergen “...has removed from Princeton, New Jersey, to Philadelphia, in Third street, between Arch and Market Streets, to the sign of the Bunch of Grapes, where he intends to keep a tavern, or house of public entertainment, for all those who please to favour him with their custom, and as he has been in the same business for a number of years in Princeton and Trenton ... he hopes the continuance of (former customers’) former favours in this place.”
Bergen, Jacob G. Ms. Tavern License Request - 1802 - Jacob G. Bergen. West Windsor, 2803 Application to the Middlesex County Court of Common Pleas “having or many years kept a public house at the place where he now lives” at the “Neck Meeting House” in West Windsor. Located in the New Jersey State Archives
View down Village Road West - from Danser Family. Photograph. West Windsor, n.d. West Windsor History Museum. Donated by the Danser family. Shows the old Bergen inn sitting next to the old Town Hall, which West Windsor Township Committee meeting minutes shows was built in 1912. This demonstrates that the old inn still existed at its original location at least as recently as 1912, if not more recently.
"ESRI ArcGIS Map Viewer - NJ 1930 Black & White Imagery,” n.d. Online interactive map viewer published by ESRI. One layer shows NJ 1930 black & white imagery - including in West Windsor. Accessed via the url: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/ mapviewer/index.html?layers=4e7de8d868c248f99c3fddc5bf8c0386. Interactive map shows that the old Bergen/Dutch Neck inn had been relocated to its present position at 212-214 South Mill Road by 1930.
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.
“West Windsor Township Meeting Minutes, 1909-1931.” West Windsor Township, n.d. Accessed March 26, 2022. “Freeholder” disappears as a township position after 1918. Minutes located in the Municipal Center
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.
"West Windsor Township Committee Meeting Minutes - January 17, 1939.” West Windsor Township, New Jersey: West Windsor Township Municipal Building, January 17, 1939. Records the abolishing of a township police officer by referendum premised on the fact that State Troopers already served the township. Minutes located in the Municipal Center.
"West Windsor Township Committee Meeting Minutes - March 13, 1950.” West Windsor Township, New Jersey: West Windsor Township Municipal Building, March 13, 1950. Records the appointment of Frank L. Chamberlin as township Constable for a three-year term. Minutes located in the Municipal Center.
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.
"Overseers of the Poor, 1754-1911.” Monmouth County, NJ Clerk. Monmouth County. Accessed March 26, 2022. https://www.monmouthcountyclerk.com/archives/ record-groups/county-clerk-records/overseers-of-the-poor-1754-1911/
“West Windsor Township Meeting Minutes, 1797-2012.,” n.d. Original Township Committee meeting minute database located in the Municipal Center. Minutes collectively tell of the roles of various township officers as well as town development. Several thousand pages.
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.