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History
This is a brief early history of New Jersey's PISCATAWAY TOWNSHIP

In 1666, the first appointed Govenor of New Jersey Philip Carteret, granted 13 new settlers from Massachusetts a 100 square mile lot of land that was later founded as the townships of Woodbridge and Piscataway. After this original purchase, more settlers from the Piscatqua River area of New Hampshire also moved to the the area. Coming from a lumbering, shipbuilding and fishing backround, these settlers, consisting of mostly Baptists and Quakers, were comfortable with their new surroundings, and lookimg forward to starting a new life away from political and religious persecution in the north. They were also enterprising and pioneering families who were already experienced in wilderness settlement. Before the original settlers, there were pioneer scouts who surveyed theses new lands and waterways. The town name of Piscataway came from these early pioneers who orriginaly came from the town of Piscataqua. During the original land purchase, the pioneers had signed 12 Articles of Agreement with Governor Carteret, which served as the legal basis for the government of Piscataway and Woodbridge and which shaped the democratic development of self-government. In short, these articles were mainly designed to provide liberty and land ownership for new families and to allow them to establish their own government representatives and religious freedoms.

After a few line and boundry changes, Piscataway and its out plantations was reported to total 40,000 acres, with 66 square miles of land in 1685. The Lenni Lenape Indians were natives to the entire Piscataway area, but were quitely displaced to smaller areas as settler numbers increased. The Indians had established defined trails that the settlers used to travel through the wilderness area and branch out to new lands. Over time some these primitive trails became the main routes of travel from town to town and eventually to the roads we know today. The trails along the Raritan river were named after a local Indian tribe called the Raritangs.

Some of the original family setller names and accomplishments:

HULL FAMILY - Reverend Joseph Hull (1594-1665) and his three sons, HOPEWELL HULL (1636- 1693) and CAPTAIN BENJAMIN HULL (1639-1713).

MARTIN FAMILY - Luther Martin (1744-1826), was a great lawyer and statesman; he was a delegate to the Continental Congress and a member of the Federal Constitutional Convention.

GILMAN FAMILY - Nicholas Gilman from New Hampshire was a signer of the Constitution in 1787.

DUNN FAMILY - HUGH DUNN was most instrumental in organizing the Baptist Church of Piscataway in 1689. In 1670, he married Elizabeth and had nine children; three of which became land owners themselves in Piscataway.

DENNIS FAMILY - Samuel Dennis was the President or Judge of the first Middlesex County Court held in Piscataway in 1683.

SMITH FAMILY - In addition to the founder JOHN SMITH, Richard Smith is listed as a freeholder in 1689, as well as Thomas Smith in 1688 and William Smith in 1748. Samuel Smith was Town Clerk in the aely 1800's.