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===Establishment of Sussex County===
===Establishment of Sussex County===
[[Image:Wpdms_east_west_new_jersey.png|thumbnail|right|225px|The original provinces of West and East New Jersey are shown in yellow and green respectively. The Keith Line (1687) is shown in red, and the Coxe and Barclay Line (1688) is shown in orange]]
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Under the 1664 deed from [[Charles II of England]] to his brother [[James II of England|Duke of York]], and the subsequent deed from that granted New Jersey to [[Lord Berkeley]] and [[George Carteret]], New Jersey's northern border was drawn from a line at 41 degrees North Latitude on the [[Hudson River]] to a point at 41 40' North on the [[Delaware River]]. This line which granted New Jersey a significant swath of land in present day [[Orange County, New York|Orange]] and [[Sullivan County, New York|Sullivan Counties]] in [[New York]].
Under the 1664 deed from [[Charles II of England]] to his brother [[James II of England|Duke of York]], and the subsequent deed from that granted New Jersey to [[Lord Berkeley]] and [[George Carteret]], New Jersey's northern border was drawn from a line at 41 degrees North Latitude on the [[Hudson River]] to a point at 41 40' North on the [[Delaware River]]. This line which granted New Jersey a significant swath of land in present day [[Orange County, New York|Orange]] and [[Sullivan County, New York|Sullivan Counties]] in [[New York]].


With the boundary between the Provinces of [[East Jersey]] and [[West Jersey]] undefined, the land area that became Sussex County was first, briefly, under the auspices of [[Essex County, New Jersey|Essex County]] when it was established in [[1682]]. After the settling of the border with the [[Keith Line]] (1683) and the subsequent [[Coxe-Barclay Line]] (1687), this area was under the control of the West Jersey Proprietors and given to Burlington County when it was established in [[1696]]. Burlington County ceded all the lands north of the [[Assunpink Creek]] to [[Hunterdon County, New Jersey|Hunterdon County]] in 1711. In 1739, Hunterdon County cede the land north of the [[Muscontecong River]]—comprising the present-day Morris, Sussex and Warren Counties—to form [[Morris County]].
With the boundary between the Provinces of [[East Jersey]] and [[West Jersey]] undefined, the land area that became Sussex County was first, briefly, under the auspices of [[Essex County, New Jersey|Essex County]] when it was established in [[1682]]. After the settling of the border with the [[Keith Line]] (1687) and the subsequent [[Coxe-Barclay Line]] (1688), this area was under the control of the West Jersey Proprietors and given to [[Burlington County, New Jersey|Burlington County]] when it was established in [[1696]]. Burlington County ceded all the lands north of the [[Assunpink Creek]] to [[Hunterdon County, New Jersey|Hunterdon County]] in 1711. In 1739, Hunterdon County cede the land north of the [[Muscontecong River]]—comprising the present-day Morris, Sussex and Warren Counties—to form [[Morris County]].


In the years following the creation of Morris County, the area North and West of the [[Musconetcong River]] was settled by several hundred persons. Given the lack of roads and the long, arduous journey to attend to the courts, government and other business at [[Morristown, New Jersey|Morristown]], the county's seat, the residents of this area petitioned the provincial government to erect a new county. On [[8 June]] [[1753]], Royal Governor Jonathan Belcher and his Council ordered the creation of the County of Sussex.
In the years following the creation of Morris County, the area north and west of the [[Musconetcong River]] grew in population to several hundred settlers. Given the lack of roads and the long, arduous journey to attend to the courts, government and other business at [[Morristown, New Jersey|Morristown]], the county's seat, the residents of this area petitioned the provincial government to erect a new county. On [[8 June]] [[1753]], Royal Governor Jonathan Belcher and his Council ordered the creation of the County of Sussex.


At this time, Sussex County consisted of four municipalities that were founded before the establishment of the county: [[Walpack Township, New Jersey|Walpack]] (1731), [[Newtown Township|Newtown]] (1751), [[Hardwick Township, New Jersey|Hardwick]] (1751) and [[Greenwich Township, New Jersey|Greenwich Townships]] (1738). These townships would, over the next two hundred years, be carved into the twenty-four municipalities that comprise present-day Sussex County, and the twenty-two in present-day Warren County.
At this time, Sussex County consisted of four municipalities that were founded before the establishment of the county: [[Walpack Township, New Jersey|Walpack]] (1731), [[Newtown Township|Newtown]] (1751), [[Hardwick Township, New Jersey|Hardwick]] (1751) and [[Greenwich Township, New Jersey|Greenwich Townships]] (1738). These townships would, over the next two hundred years, be carved into the twenty-four municipalities that comprise present-day Sussex County, and the twenty-two in present-day Warren County.

Revision as of 18:54, 16 December 2006

Sussex County
County
Official seal of Sussex County
Seal
Map of New Jersey highlighting Sussex County
Location within the U.S. state of New Jersey
Map of the United States highlighting New Jersey
New Jersey's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 41°08′N 74°41′W / 41.14°N 74.69°W / 41.14; -74.69
Country United States
State New Jersey
Founded8 June 1753
SeatNewton
Population
 (2000)
 • Total
144,166
Websitewww.sussex.nj.us

The County of Sussex (also known as Sussex County) is a the northernmost county in the State of New Jersey. Even though it was founded on 8 June 1753 by an order of Jonathan Belcher (1689-1757), Royal Governor of New Jersey (1747-1757) and his council, the European exploration and settlement of this area began in the last decade of the seventeenth century.

As of the 2000 Federal decennial census, 144,166 persons resided in Sussex County. Though chiefly a mix of rural and lightly developed suburban areas, Sussex County is part of the New York Metropolitan Area and given that an estimated sixty percent of the population in the workforce travels outside of the county for their employment, it is considered to be a bedroom community.

The county seat of Sussex County is the Town of Newton6. Sussex County is the fourth largest county in New Jersey in terms of area, and is also the 91st richest county in the United States with its per capita income being $26,992.

History

Origin of the county's name

Sussex County was named by Royal Governor Jonathan Belcher (1689-1757) for Sussex in England which was the ancestral seat of His Grace, Thomas Pelham-Holles, first Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and first Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne (1693-1768), who at the time was the Secretary of State for the Northern Department, and later the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1754-1756, 1757-1762). Pelham-Holles, whose office oversaw British affairs in North America, was Governor Belcher's political superior. During his term as Governor of New Jersey (1747-1757), Belcher named many municipalities in honour of important British political figures, most of whom were superior to him in rank or precedence. It is believed that he did so in order to curry political favor and regain a level of standing that was diminished from his scandalous removal from the Governorship of Massachusetts in 1741.

Sussex, in England, was notable historically as one of the seven kingdoms of the Heptarchy (A.D. 500–850), which were later unified under Egbert of Wessex (c. 770–839) into the Kingdom of England.

Native American inhabitants

Exploration and settlement

Establishment of Sussex County

The original provinces of West and East New Jersey are shown in yellow and green respectively. The Keith Line (1687) is shown in red, and the Coxe and Barclay Line (1688) is shown in orange

Under the 1664 deed from Charles II of England to his brother Duke of York, and the subsequent deed from that granted New Jersey to Lord Berkeley and George Carteret, New Jersey's northern border was drawn from a line at 41 degrees North Latitude on the Hudson River to a point at 41 40' North on the Delaware River. This line which granted New Jersey a significant swath of land in present day Orange and Sullivan Counties in New York.

With the boundary between the Provinces of East Jersey and West Jersey undefined, the land area that became Sussex County was first, briefly, under the auspices of Essex County when it was established in 1682. After the settling of the border with the Keith Line (1687) and the subsequent Coxe-Barclay Line (1688), this area was under the control of the West Jersey Proprietors and given to Burlington County when it was established in 1696. Burlington County ceded all the lands north of the Assunpink Creek to Hunterdon County in 1711. In 1739, Hunterdon County cede the land north of the Muscontecong River—comprising the present-day Morris, Sussex and Warren Counties—to form Morris County.

In the years following the creation of Morris County, the area north and west of the Musconetcong River grew in population to several hundred settlers. Given the lack of roads and the long, arduous journey to attend to the courts, government and other business at Morristown, the county's seat, the residents of this area petitioned the provincial government to erect a new county. On 8 June 1753, Royal Governor Jonathan Belcher and his Council ordered the creation of the County of Sussex.

At this time, Sussex County consisted of four municipalities that were founded before the establishment of the county: Walpack (1731), Newtown (1751), Hardwick (1751) and Greenwich Townships (1738). These townships would, over the next two hundred years, be carved into the twenty-four municipalities that comprise present-day Sussex County, and the twenty-two in present-day Warren County.

In 1824, heeding the petitions of the southern residents of Sussex County, the State Legislature ordered a line drawn across the county from the mouth of the Flat Brook (where it enters the Delaware River) in Walpack Township, through the village of Yellow Frame in then Hardwick Township to a point on the county's eastern boundary, the Musconetcong River. The lands south of this line were ceded on 20 November 1824 to form Warren County, named for American Revolutionary War hero, Doctor Joseph Warren (1741-1775) who died leading American troops at the Battle of Bunker Hill on 17 June 1775.

The colonial period

Iron mining and forges

Industry

More cows than people

Transformation to "bedroom community"

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,388 km² (536 mi²). 1,350 km² (521 mi²) of it is land and 38 km² (15 mi²) of it (2.75%) is water. High Point in this county is also the highest elevation in the state at 1,803 feet (549.5 m) above sea level. The county's lowest elevation is approximately 300 feet (90 m) above sea level along the Delaware River near Flatbrookville.

Much of the county is hilly, as the part of New Jersey most solidly within the Appalachian Mountains. However, the Great Valley of the Appalachians takes in a good deal of the eastern half of the county, allowing for land more amenable to agriculture.

Adjacent Counties

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 144,166 people, 50,831 households, and 38,784 families residing in the county. The population density was 107/km² (277/mi²). There were 56,528 housing units at an average density of 42/km² (108/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.97% White, 2.24% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 1.71% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.74% from other races, and 1.14% from two or more races. 4.84% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 50,831 households out of which 39.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.00% were married couples living together, 8.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.70% were non-families. 18.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.24.

In the county the population was spread out with 27.90% under the age of 18, 6.20% from 18 to 24, 31.50% from 25 to 44, 25.30% from 45 to 64, and 9.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $67,266, and the median income for a family was $73,335. Males had a median income of $50,395 versus $33,750 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,992. About 2.80% of families and 4.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.10% of those under age 18 and 5.40% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Sussex County is governed by a five-member Board of Chosen Freeholders. The members are elected at large to serve three-year terms, with the three-year term of office starting on January 1.

The Freeholder Board is the center of legislative and administrative responsibility and, as such, performs a dual role. As legislators they draw up and adopt a budget, and in the role of administrators they are responsible for spending the funds they have appropriated.

As of 2005, Sussex County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Gary R. Chiusano (term ends December 31, 2008), Freeholder Deputy Director Harold J. Wirths (2007), Steven V. Oroho (2007), Glen Vetrano (2006) and Susan M. Zellman (2006). [1]

Municipalities

The following are Sussex County's 24 incorporated municipalities. Census-designated places — which are unincorporated areas in the County used by the Census Bureau for reporting and tracking purposes — are listed under their parent municipality (or municipalities):

Index map of Sussex County municipalities (click to see index key)

Crime

Heroin use has been on the rise and shows no signs of improvement despite efforts of law enforcement and community groups working to fight the problem.[2].

Radio Broadcasting

Clear Channel Radio owns a cluster of 4 stations in the area.

  • 102.3 WSUS FM - Franklin. Format: Adult Contemporary
  • 103.7 WNNJ FM - Newton. Format: Classic Rock
  • 1360 WNNJ AM - Newton. Format: Oldies
  • 106.3 WHCY FM - Blairstown. Format: Hot Adult Contemporary (Not located in Sussex County.)


Notable people in or from Sussex County

Politics, military and public service

Arts, Letters, and Entertainment

Science, technology and medicine

Business

Sports

Miscellaneous

Education

Transportation

Sussex County is served by a number of roads connecting it to the rest of the state and to both Pennsylvania and New York. Interstate 80 passes through the extreme southern tip of Sussex County. Interstate 84 passes just yards north of Sussex County, but never enters New Jersey.

New Jersey's Route 15, Route 23,Route 94, Route 181, Route 183, and Route 284 pass through the County, as does U.S. Route 206

Sports

Augusta is the site of Skylands Park, a minor league baseball stadium, home of the Sussex Skyhawks. The Skyhawks play in the Can-Am League. Skylands Park was the former home of the New Jersey Cardinals (from 1994-2005), but the Cardinals moved to State College, Pennsylvania making room for the Skyhawks.

The Sussex County Interscholastic League, or SCIL, is the high school athletic league for most high schools in the county.

References and other resources

Citations

  1. ^ Sussex County Board of chosen Freeholders, accessed May 22, 2006
  2. ^ The Human Cost of Heroin, New Jersey Herald, May 7, 2006

Books and printed materials

  • Armstrong, William C. Pioneer Families of Northwestern New Jersey (Lambertville, New Jersey: Hunterdon House, 1979).
  • Cawley, James S. and Cawley, Margaret. Exploring the Little Rivers of New Jersey (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1942, 1961, 1971, 1993). ISBN 0813506840
  • Chambers, Theodore Frelinghuysen. The Early Germans of New Jersey: Their History, Churches, and Genealogies (Dover, New Jersey, Dover Printing Company, 1895), passim.
  • Cummings, Warren D. Sussex County: A History (Newton, New Jersey: Newton Rotary Club, 1964). NO ISBN
  • Cunningham, John T. Railroad Wonder: The Lackawanna Cut-Off (Newark, New Jersey: Newark Sunday News, 1961). NO ISBN
  • Documents Relating to the Colonial, Revolutionary and Post-Revolutionary History of the State of New Jersey [Title Varies]. Archives of the State of New Jersey, 1st-2nd series. 47 volumes. (Newark, New Jersey: 1880-1949). NO ISBN
  • Honeyman, A. Van Doren (ed.). Northwestern New Jersey--A History of Somerset, Morris, Hunterdon, Warren, and Sussex Counties Volume 1. (Lewis Historical Publishing Co., New York, 1927). NO ISBN
  • Schaeffer, Casper M.D. (and Johnson, William M.). Memoirs and Reminiscences: Together with Sketches of the Early History of Sussex County, New Jersey. (Hackensack, New Jersey: Privately Printed, 1907). NO ISBN
  • Schrabisch, Max. Indian habitations in Sussex County, New Jersey Geological Survey of New Jersey, Bulletin No. 13. (Union Hill, New Jersey: Dispatch Printing Company, 1915). NO ISBN
  • Schrabisch, Max. Archaeology of Warren and Hunterdon counties Geological Survey of New Jersey, Bulletin No. 18. (Trenton, N.J., MacCrellish and Quigley co., state printers, 1917). NO ISBN
  • Snell, James P. History of Sussex and Warren Counties, New Jersey, With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers. (Philadelphia: Everts & Peck, 1881). NO ISBN
  • Stickney, Charles E. Old Sussex County families of the Minisink Region from articles in the Wantage Recorder (compiled by Virginia Alleman Brown) (Washington, N.J. : Genealogical Researchers, 1988)
  • Thieme, Christopher D., On Crossroads and Signposts: An Etymology of Place Names in Sussex and Warren Counties, New Jersey. (New York: Newcastle Press, 2006). ISBN Pending

Maps and atlases

  • Map of Jonathan Hampton (1758) in the collection of the New Jersey Historical Society, Newark, New Jersey.
  • Hopkins, Griffith Morgan. Map of Sussex County, New Jersey. (1860) [Reprinted by the Sussex County Historical Society: Netcong, New Jersey: Esposito (Jostens), 2004.]
  • Beers, Frederick W. County Atlas of Warren, New Jersey: From actual surveys by and under the direction of F. W. Beers (New York: F.W. Beers & Co. 1874). [Reprinted by Warren County Historical Society: Harmony, New Jersey: Harmony Press, 1994].
  • Hagstrom Morris/Sussex/Warren counties atlas (Maspeth, New York: Hagstrom Map Company, Inc. 2004).

County Government


Education


History and Tourism


News and Media




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