The Township Act of 1798 ("An Act incorporating the Inhabitants of Townships, designating their Powers, and regulating their Meetings", PL 1798, p. 289) is an
Act passed by
New Jersey Legislature
The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and ...
on February 21, 1798, that formally incorporated 104 municipalities in 13 counties in
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
. It set standards on format for government of townships. The act was largely replaced by subsequent laws.
Township government
The Act created towns with a
direct democracy
Direct democracy or pure democracy is a form of democracy in which the Election#Electorate, electorate directly decides on policy initiatives, without legislator, elected representatives as proxies, as opposed to the representative democracy m ...
form that resembled the early New England town meeting. At the annual town meeting, people were able to vote if they met all of the following criteria
* white male
* over the age of 21
* citizens of New Jersey
* residents of the town for at least 6 months
* and for at least a year paid
** taxes on an owned house or
** $5 in taxes on a rented house
The Act explicitly allowed the town meetings to manage the town by improving common land, pass municipal laws and ordinances, and to maintain the roads. The people also elected officials for one year: a clerk, tax collector, at least three "freeholders", and a judge.
Original townships and counties
In the following list, the 104 original incorporated townships are provided, along with the original 13 counties which they were part of in 1798. 88 of the original townships still survive. Some of the townships are now in different counties. The number in the brackets indicate the year the township was originally founded or of its earliest mention.
Bergen County
*
Bergen
Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo.
By May 20 ...
(1661; defunct)
*
Franklin (1771; defunct; now
Wyckoff, New Jersey)
*
Hackensack (1693; defunct. see modern
Hackensack)
*
Harrington (1775; defunct. original town broke into pieces;
succeeded by
Northvale)
*
New Barbadoes (1693; defunct. became modern day
Hackensack, which is the county seat)
*
Pompton (1797; defunct)
*
Saddle River (1716)
Burlington County
*
Burlington (1677; county seat)
*
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...
(1688; now
Maple Shade; was also known as Cropwell)
*
Chesterfield (1688)
*
Evesham (1688)
*
Little Egg Harbour (1740; now part of
Ocean County)
*
Mansfield
Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of the Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area and the second largest settlement in Nottinghamshire (following the city ...
(1688)
*
New Hanover (1723)
*
Northampton
Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...
(1688)
*
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...
(1688)
*
Springfield (1688)
*
Willingborough (1688)
Cape May County
*
Lower (1723)
*
Middle (1723; county seat)
*
Upper (1723)
Cumberland County
*
Deerfield (1748)
*
Downe (1772)
*
Fairfield (1697)
*
Greenwich
Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...
(1748)
*
Hopewell (1748)
*
Maurice River (1748)
*
Stoe Creek (1708)
Essex County
*
Acquakcanonk (1693; defunct with the creation of
Clifton in
Passaic County)
*
Caldwell (1798; now
Fairfield)
*
Elizabeth (1693; defunct; successor Elizabeth Township made county seat
Union County)
*
Newark (1693; county seat)
*
Springfield (1794; now part of
Union County)
*
Westfield (1794; now
Union County)
Gloucester County
*
Deptford
Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a Ford (crossing), ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century ...
(1695)
*
Egg-Harbour (1693; now part of
Atlantic County)
*
Galloway
Galloway ( ; ; ) is a region in southwestern Scotland comprising the counties of Scotland, historic counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is administered as part of the council areas of Scotland, council area of Dumfries and Gallow ...
(1774; now part of
Atlantic County)
*
Gloucester
Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...
(1695; now part of
Camden County)
*
Gloucestertown (1695; defunct)
*
Greenwich
Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...
(1695)
*
Newton (1695; defunct)
*
Waterford
Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...
(1695)
*
Weymouth (1798)
*
Woolwich (1767)
Hunterdon County
*
Alexandria
Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...
(1765)
*
Amwell (1708; defunct and split as of 1846)
*
Bethlehem
Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...
(1730)
*
Hopewell (1700)
*
Kingwood (1749)
*
Lebanon
Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
(1731)
*
Maidenhead
Maidenhead is a market town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire, England. It lies on the southwestern bank of the River Thames, which at this point forms the border with Buckinghamshire. In the 2021 Census, ...
(1697; now
Lawrence Township in
Mercer County)
*
Readington (1730)
*
Tewksbury (1755)
*
Trenton (1719; state capitol and county seat of
Mercer County)
Middlesex County
*
East Windsor (1797; now part of
Mercer County)
*
North Brunswick (1779)
*
Perth Amboy (1693)
*
Piscataway (1666)
*
South Amboy (1782)
*
South Brunswick (1779)
*
West Windsor (1797; now part of
Mercer County)
*
Woodbridge (1669)
Monmouth County
*
Dover
Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...
(1768; renamed Toms River; county seat of now
Ocean County)
*
Freehold (1693; defunct; split)
*
Middletown (1693)
*
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...
(1693)
*
Stafford
Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, England. It is located about south of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Wolverhampton, and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 71,673 at the 2021–2022 United Kingd ...
(1750; now part of
Ocean County)
*
Upper Freehold (1731)
Morris County
*
Hanover
Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
(1720)
*
Mendham (1749)
*
Morris (1740; county seat)
*
Pequanack (1720)
*
Roxbury (1740)
*
Washington (1798)
Salem County
*
Elsinboro (1701)
*
Lower Alloway's Creek (1767)
* Lower Penn's Neck (1792) (now
Pennsville Township, New Jersey
Pennsville Township is a township in Salem County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is named for William Penn. It is the westernmost town in New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 12,684, ...
)
*
Mannington (1701)
*
Pilesgrove (1701)
*
Pittsgrove (1769)
*
Salem (1798; county seat)
*
Upper Alloway's Creek (1767)
* Upper Penn's Neck (1721; now
Carneys Point Township, New Jersey
Carneys Point Township is a township in Salem County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 8,637, an increase of 588 (+7.3%) from the 2010 census count of 8,049, which in turn r ...
)
Somerset County
*
Bedminster (1749)
*
Bernards (1760)
*
Bridgewater (1749)
*
Franklin (1798)
*
Hillsborough (1771)
*
Montgomery (1798)
Sussex County
*
Byram (1798)
*
Frankford (1797)
*
Greenwich
Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...
(1738; now part of
Warren County)
*
Hardwick (1750; now part of
Warren County)
*
Hardyston (1762)
*
Independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...
(1782; now part of
Warren County)
*
Knowlton (1763; now part of
Warren County)
*
Mansfield
Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of the Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area and the second largest settlement in Nottinghamshire (following the city ...
(1754; now part of
Warren County)
*
Montague (1759)
*
Newton (1751)
*
Oxford
Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town.
The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
(1754; now part of
Warren County)
*
Sandyston (1762)
*
Vernon (1793)
*
Walpack (1731)
*
Wantage
Wantage () is a historic market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire, England. Although within the boundaries of the Historic counties of England, historic county of Berkshire, it has been a ...
(1754)
Changes since 1798
New counties and towns
Since the act was passed, eight additional counties were created:
Atlantic County in 1837,
Camden County in 1837,
Hudson County
Hudson County is a List of counties in New Jersey, county in the U.S. state of New Jersey, its smallest and most densely populated. Lying in the northeast of the state and on the west bank of the North River (Hudson River), Hudson River, the No ...
in 1840,
Mercer County in 1838,
Ocean County in 1850,
Passaic County 1837,
Union County in 1857, and
Warren County in 1824, for a total 21 counties.
Laws
The Township Act of 1899 provided sweeping changes. The town meeting, a staple of towns for the past 101 years, was eliminated in favor of consolidating in the hands of a greatly strengthened township committee, which were given policy-making power. The only provision left unchanged was regarding money. The people of a town keep the power to determine the direction of the power of the money, albeit through a ballot box instead of through a town meeting.
The original provisions of the Township Act of 1798 have largely been replaced by several acts in the 20th century. Most of the modern New Jersey towns are incorporated under the 1911
Walsh Act,
1923 Municipal Manager Law
The 1923 Municipal Manager Law was the last type of reformed municipal government the state of New Jersey introduced in the Progressive Era. The law introduced to New Jersey the council–manager form of government first developed in Sumter, So ...
and the 1950
Faulkner Act.
References
{{Reflist
Legal history of New Jersey
Local government in New Jersey
1798 in American law
1798 in New Jersey
New Jersey statutes