New Jersey Boundary Document An inventory of the item at Syracuse University

Document relating to the dispute which arose from an ambiguity concerning that portion of land between New York and New Jersey extending from the Hudson River to the Delaware River.

Language:

English

Repository:

Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries
222 Waverly Avenue
Syracuse, NY 13244-2010
https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center

Biographical History

In 1664, the Duke of York released to Lord Berkley and Sir George Carteret:

…all that tract of land adjacent to New England, and lying and being to the westward of Long Island, and [Manhattan] Island and bounded on the east part by the main sea, and part by Hudson's river, and hath upon the west Delaware bay or river, and extendeth southward to the main ocean as far as Cape May at the mouth of the Delaware bay; and to the northward as far as the northermost branch of the said bay or river of Delaware, which is forty-one degrees and forty minutes of latitude, and crosseth over thence in a strait line to Hudson's river in forty-one degrees of latitude; which said tract of land is hereafter to be called by the name or names of New Caeserea or New Jersey…

Although both New York and New Jersey acknowledged the prescribed borders, settlers in the region still infringed on each colony's border rights. The boundary dispute continued throughout the colonial period. Around 1743, Governor George Clinton of New York requested a court trial, led by James De Lancey, to review the boundary claims. Still, the question remained unresolved even after this point.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

Dating from circa 1743, the New Jersey Boundary Document consists of 29 leaves which relate to the dispute which arose from an ambiguity concerning that portion of land between New York and New Jersey which extends from the Hudson to the Delaware Rivers. The document summarizes the border claims from 1642-1742. Also included is a photocopy of Appendix 8 of a published report of the Commissioners on the Boundary Line Between the States of New York and New Jersey (Albany: 1884).

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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