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87-669: Explored to The Narrows by Giovanni da Verrazzano , sailing on a French expedition in 1524, the area was visited by Spanish and English seafarers during the next century. It was again visited in 1609 by the Englishman Henry Hudson , who had been commissioned by the Dutch East India Company to find a navigable passage to Asia. During this journey his ship, the Halve Maen (Half Moon), laid anchor at Sandy Hook , Harsimus Cove, and Weehawken Cove , and other places along

174-452: A block house at the town gates, was required to garrison English soldiers. New Netherland was quickly divvied up, the lands west of the newly named city of New York becoming part of proprietary colony of East Jersey ; Staten Island 's status would be determined 10 years later. By-passing Bergen, the English chose as its capital a site close to Arthur Kill , naming it Elizabethtown , after

261-536: A burgemeester of Amsterdam and a director of the company, purchased two tracts from the native population at Hopoghan Hackingh ( Castle Point ) and at Ashasimus ( Harsimus ), though the patroonship likely included the entire peninsula between the Hudson and Hackensack Rivers, and possibly his holdings on Staten Eylandt ( Staten Island ). It was given the Latinized form of his surname (which means "peacock"), Pavonia . It

348-524: A barrel of beer. These transactions, dated July 12, 1630, and November 22, 1630, represent the earliest known conveyance for the area. It is said that the three were part of the same band who had sold Manhattan Island to Peter Minuit then "sold" this land, to which they had retired after that sale in 1626. On August 10, 1630, Pauw obtained a deed for Staten Island , leading some historians to consider Staten Island to be part of Pavonia. The area encompassed by Pauw's holdings on Bergen Neck likely included

435-453: A design by Jacques Cortelyou , Surveyor General of New Amsterdam: 800 feet (240 m) on each side, to be surrounded by wooden palisade. In September 1661, a court of justice was granted to Bergen, partially removing it from the jurisdiction of New Amsterdam , under which it had previously fallen. This act established the oldest autonomous municipality in New Jersey . Bergen is also home to

522-467: A fatal confrontation. That incident, and another on Staten Island involving the theft of pigs, led to rising tensions between the natives and settlers. Willem Kieft was appointed Director of New Netherland by the Dutch West India Company in 1639, with one of his orders to increase profits from pelts for the fur trade at Achter Kol and its port at Pavonia. Kieft attempted to levy a tax on

609-757: A foothold on the west bank of what had been named the North River across from New Amsterdam and were important trading-posts for the settlers and indigenous people, who dealt in valuable beaver pelts, and they were early attempts at populating the newly claimed territory. Relations between the Netherlanders and the Lenape were tenuous. Trade agreements, land ownership, familial and societal structures were misunderstood and misconstrued by both parties. Language differences most likely did not help matters. These conflicts led to rising tensions and eventually an incident that started

696-472: A historic site dedicated to the preservation of colonial architecture and history. While they did intermarry with new immigrants, the New Netherlanders retained much of their language, religion, and tradition. When writing in the early 19th century, Washington Irving often referred (comically) to the west bank of the Hudson, particularly Communipaw, as being the stronghold of Dutch culture. Jersey Dutch

783-624: A land owned by Nicolas Verlet at Hobuk ( Hoboken ), and in 1669 for a large tract (of 2260 acres) at Achinigeu-hach (or "Ackingsah-sack") ( Hackensack River / Overpeck Creek ) given earlier to Sarah Kiersted in gratitude for her work as emissary and interpreter by Oratam . The treaty proved to be ineffective, fighting continued (as the Third Anglo-Dutch War ), and in August 1673 the Dutch "recaptured" New Netherland. In November of that year an assembly

870-552: A land patent of 169 acres at Awiehaken ( Weehawken ). It was incidents further afield that led to the area becoming more seriously settled. In 1654, the Dutch Republic lost their colony in northern Brazil known as New Holland to the Portuguese . Many of its residents emigrated to New Netherland. It was in that year that a series of land patents were made at Communipaw and Harsimus extending to Achter Col, as well as farther south along

957-503: A large land grant (including much of contemporary Bergen and Passaic Counties), where he wished to establish a colony called Achter Kol ( Bogota ) The site chosen was "five or six hundred paces" from the Hackensack village on Tantaqua ( Overpeck Creek ). An absentee landlord, he contracted the construction of a "boerderij" (house with attached barn). The crew hired to build it soon engaged the Hackensack, who they had supplied with alcohol, in

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1044-399: A patroon was expected to establish a settlement of at least fifty families within four years of the original grant. These first settlers were relieved of the duty of public taxes for ten years, but were required to pay the patroon in money, goods, or services in kind. A patent for the west bank of the North River was given to Michael Pauw , a burgermeester of Amsterdam and a director of

1131-466: A peach from a settler's orchard on Manhattan Island, but may have been in response to the Dutch attack on New Sweden , the Lenape's trading partner on the Delaware River . During 1658, wishing to further formalize agreements with the Lenape, Stuyvesant agreed to "re-purchase" the area "by the great rock above Wiehacken," then taking in the sweep of land on the peninsula west of the Hudson and east of

1218-429: A prominent role in the development of Jersey City . Abraham Isaacsen Verplanck received a land patent for Paulus Hook on May 1, 1638. A small farm went up at Kewan Punt . The leasehold of Aert Van Putten at Hobuk (Hoboken) was the site of North America's first brewery. Another patroonship was established farther up the river at Vriessendael . Although the settlements were small, they were strategic in that they were

1305-580: A series of raids and reprisals, known as Kieft's War . Willem Kieft arrived in New Netherland in 1639 to take up his appointment as Director of New Netherland , with a directive to increase profits from the port at Pavonia. His solution was to attempt to exact tribute from the Indians with claims that the money would buy them protection from rival groups. It was not uncommon among the native population to do so, but in this case his demands were ignored. At

1392-617: A village; the town was officially settled in 1660. There are various opinions as to the origin of the name given by the European settlers. Some say that it was named after any of number of towns in the Netherlands or the city in Norway Others believe it comes from the word bergen , which in the Germanic languages of northern Europe means hills, and could describe a most distinct geological feature of

1479-506: Is said it was sold to him by the Manhattans after they had retreated there after the sale of their home island to Peter Minuit some years before. Initially, a small hut and ferry landing were built at Arresick, called Powles Hoek ( Paulus Hook ), but Pauw failed to fulfill the other conditions set forth by the company (which included populating the area with at least fifty adults), and was later required to sell his interests back to it. In 1633,

1566-527: Is widely used, not only for the county itself but also in Bergen Point , Bergen Hill , Bergen Arches , Bergenline Avenue , Bergenfield , among many others. The patroonship of Pavonia lends its name to an avenue and PATH station in Jersey City, while the mascot of Saint Peter's College is a peacock. The concept of religious freedom (as well as the recognition of private property) is often considered to be

1653-675: The Articles of Capitulation , Stuyvesant and his council secured the principle of tolerance in Article VIII, which assured New Netherlanders that they "shall keep and enjoy the liberty of their consciences" in religion under English rule. The capture of the city was one out of a series of attacks on Dutch colonies that resulted in the Second Anglo-Dutch War between England and the Dutch Republic . The village, which had begun construction of

1740-467: The British naval and land forces under commanding General William Howe (1729–1814), in their campaign to take New York City and destroy the colonial American patriots' year-old rebellion , had already landed on nearby undefended Staten Island the previous month of early July 1776, undertook an amphibious operation moving northeast across The Narrows and New York Bay and landed south of and near

1827-520: The Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions , the Dutch West India Company started to grant the title of patroon and land patents to some of its invested members. The deeded tracts spanned 16 miles (26 km) in length on one side of a major river, or 8 miles (13 km) if spanning both sides. The title came with powerful rights and privileges, including creating civil and criminal courts , appointing local officials, and holding land in perpetuity. In return,

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1914-451: The Dutch West India Company . Pavonia is the Latinized form of Pauw's surname, which means "peacock". As was required, Pauw purchased the land from the indigenous population, although the concept of ownership differed significantly for the parties involved. Three Lenape "sold" the land for 80 fathoms (146 m) of wampum (shell beads strung together), 20 fathoms (37 m) of cloth, 12 kettles, six guns, two blankets, one double kettle, and half

2001-731: The Hackensack River extending down to the Kill Van Kull in Bayonne . A mural that adorns the atrium of the Hudson County Courthouse depicts this transaction: On January 30, 1658, the Peninsula between the Hudson and Hackensack rivers south from Weehawken was finally purchased from the Indians and granted to the inhabitants of Bergen in the Year 1661 . A new village at today's Bergen Square

2088-564: The Hudson Valley . By 1617 a factorij , or trading post, was established at Communipaw . Initially, these posts were set up for fur trade with the indigenous population. At that time the area was inhabited by bands of Algonquian language speaking peoples, known collectively as Lenni Lenape and later called the Delawares . Early maps show it to be the territory of the Sangicans. Later,

2175-582: The Third Anglo-Dutch War , and control of New Netherland, including Bergen, was conclusively relinquished to the English. On March 7, 1683, East Jersey was divided into four counties: Essex , Middlesex , Monmouth and Bergen , which kept the name given by the New Netherlanders . Bergen ran from Bergen Point ( Bayonne ) between the North and Hackensack Rivers to ambiguous New York-New Jersey state line (see seal of Bergen County ), its administrative seat at

2262-682: The Watchung Mountains ridge to the area around Bound Brook, New Jersey , and then on into the Atlantic via the Raritan Bay . A build-up of water in the Upper New York Bay allowed the river to eventually break through to form current The Narrows less than 12,000 to 13,000 years ago as it exists today. The first recorded European entrance into The Narrows off the East Coast of North America ,

2349-472: The longest suspension bridge in the world at the time, it is still the longest suspension bridge existing in the United States (by length of the main span). Notes Bibliography Pavonia, New Netherland Pavonia was the first European settlement on the west bank of the North River (Hudson River) that was part of the seventeenth-century province of New Netherland in what would become

2436-408: The "behind the ridge", in this case Bergen Neck . The appeal of Achter Kol would have been great: Close to Fort Amsterdam , the tidal flats were similar to those of Lowlands , while the riparian lands surrounding them were abundant with beavers, whose pelts represented the potential for great profit. The river valleys to the north would allow access to the interior. The term Achter Col was used by

2523-741: The 250th anniversary of its founding, sits on the grounds of the longest continuously used school site in New Jersey, which had also been established by them. The square, with a geometry typical of small towns in the Lowlands , was the first in North America that would become known as a "Philadelphia" square. There are many buildings throughout the region built in the Bergen Dutch. and Dutch Colonial styles, including numerous farm houses and Dutch Reformed Churches. The still-intact Sip Manor, originally built at

2610-546: The Bergen's inhabitants, and hence was chosen as the county seat . The Town of Bergen was given a Royal Charter on January 4, 1714. Bergen County was split into three parts when, by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798, 104 newly formed townships were created throughout the state. As originally constituted, Bergen Township began at Bergen Point and included the area between Hudson's River to

2697-514: The British. For the next ten years it was traded at the negotiating table and, for a short period, recaptured. The Dutch Empire finally relinquished control with the Treaty of Westminster during 1675. Bergen's charter was renewed by the government of East Jersey and the area retained its Dutch character for years. Although the entire region was originally Pavonia, the name now tends to be associated with

Bergen, New Netherland - Misplaced Pages Continue

2784-721: The Director General and Council of New Netherland for land on the Westside of the North River from the great Clip above Wiehacken to above the Island Sikakes, thence to the Kill van Col, so along to Constable's Hoeck, thence again to the Clip above Wiceacken. This purchase paved the way for the founding of the village at Bergen ( Bergen Square ). Permission was granted by Stuyvesant to the establish

2871-556: The Dutch when the tribe would not surrender the murderer. At Achter Kol , in revenge for a theft, a Dutchman was shot with arrows while roofing a new house. Kieft decided, against the advice of the council of Twelve Men , to punish the Indians who had taken refuge among the Netherlanders (their presumed allies), when fleeing raiding Mahican from the north, by attacking Pavonia and Corlear's Hook . The initial strike which he ordered on February 25, 1643, and took place at Communipaw ,

2958-478: The Hackensack and Passaic rivers, and portions of contemporary Passaic County . In September 1840, Hudson County was created by separation from Bergen County and annexation of New Barbadoes Neck . The place chosen for the county line atop the Palisades was the original northern border for Bergen Township. On April 10, 1843, by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature , Bergen Township was split in two, leading to

3045-666: The New Netherlanders to retain their language, religion, traditions, and local political power. During negotiations for The Treaty of Breda , English commissioners' offers to return New Netherland in exchange for sugar factories on the coast of Suriname were refused. Upon its signing on July 31, 1667, English possession and rule were formalized. In 1668, they granted a charter for the "Towne and Corporation of Bergen". The English also recorded many land purchases and transfers to both Dutch and English-speaking settlers, including those at Minkaque and Ramapo ( Bayonne ). During this period they also confirmed previous patents and deeds, in 1665 for

3132-419: The New Netherlanders, and later the English colonials, to describe the entire region around Newark Bay and the waters that flow in and out of it. Its name eventually evolved to Arthur Kill , given to the channel that separates Staten Island from the mainland. The Kill Van Kull is the channel from the ridge or mountain pass behind it. In 1642, Myndert Myndertsen, who bore the title Heer van Nederhorst, received

3219-634: The Tappan but was ignored. The payment of tribute was common among the tribes, and the British had forced upon it the Pequots . In February 1643, the Mahicans attacked Wappinger encampments in order to collect overdue payment. At first they fled to New Amsterdam , but after 14 days, fearing for their safety they scattered themselves among the Hackensack and Tappan at Communipaw and to Corlears Hook . Kieft ordered they be attacked on February 25, 1643. The initial strike

3306-587: The Towne of Bergen. Ten years later, in October 1693, the counties were re-aligned and Bergen grew to include more territories west of the Hackensack, though not the Lenape/Netherlander trading post that would grow into the city of the same name. In 1702, East Jersey and West Jersey were united as a royal, rather than proprietary colony. New Jersey and New York shared one governor, the first being Lord Cornbury . It

3393-628: The WIC commissioned a house to be built for an appointed superintendent, Jan Everts Bout (aka Jan de Lacher), at Communipaw . Another homestead was built at Ahasimus by his replacement, Hendrick Van Vorst , in 1634. Abraham Isaac Planck (aka Verplank) received a land patent for Paulus Hook on May 1, 1638. In 1640, David Pietersen de Vries bought from the Tappan a tract of about 500 acres (2.0 km) and established Vriessendael ( Edgewater ), about an hour's walk north of Communipaw. In 1643, Hoebuk ( Hoboken ),

3480-405: The attacks, but the natives were kept too spread apart to mount more effective strikes. Finally a truce was agreed upon during August 1645, in part brokered by the Hackensack sachem , Oratam . Kieft was recalled to the Netherlands to answer for his conduct in 1647, but he died in a shipwreck before his version of events could be told. The war was extremely bloody in proportion to the population at

3567-481: The bay at Minkakwa and Pamrapo . In 1655, the settlers again came in fatal conflict with the native population in the Peach War . According to popular belief, it started when a young Lenape girl was shot by a Dutchman as she attempted to pluck fruit from a peach tree in an orchard on Manhattan. Her murder elicited calls for revenge from the native population, who did a house-to-house search of New Amsterdam. Not finding

Bergen, New Netherland - Misplaced Pages Continue

3654-524: The charter for "Towne of Bergen" in 1668, the northern border of the town was determined by landmarks that no longer exist. Hackensack Township included those lands east of the river of the same name, north of the contemporary Hudson-Bergen line, and the area became known as the English Neighborhood . The present-day city of Hackensack , was part of New Barbadoes Township , which ran northward from Newark Bay , including New Barbadoes Neck between

3741-844: The city. Pavonia Avenue is a street interrupted in sections as it runs east-west in Pavonia Newport , at Hamilton Park , in Journal Square , and in the Marion Section . Pavonia Court, at the Newark Bay in Bayonne has its name from the Pavonia Yacht Club established during 1859 on the New York Bay . There is also a Pavonia Avenue in Kearny. Saint Peter's College , located on land that was part of

3828-402: The condition of establishing a community of at least 50 permanent settlers and was required to re-sell his speculative acquisition back to the company. They commissioned construction of a homestead at Gemoenepaen for their representative Jan Evertsen Bout during 1633. During 1634 a homestead was built at Ahasimus for Cornelis Hendriksen Van Vorst (Voorst) , whose later descendants would play

3915-629: The decisive New York and New Jersey campaign of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). The Staten Island Tunnel , carrying the New York City Subway system line under and across The Narrows, was partially built during the 1920s but was never completed. The subsequent prominent landmark of a suspension-style span Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge was completed across The Narrows four decades later in November 1964. Designated then as

4002-557: The east and the Hackensack River to the west, north to the present-day Hudson-Bergen line. Why this particular point was chosen is not clear, as there is no clear geological or topographical feature indicating a natural separation. It may have been the place where the Lenape sub groups-the Hackensack and the Tappan-saw the extent of their territories. It may have also been the border between the patroonships of Pavonia and Vriessendael, and corresponds to Stuyvesant's re-purchase. As described in

4089-455: The eight miles (13 km) of shore line on each of the Hudson and Hackensack Rivers from Bergen Point to today's Bergen County line. His agent set up a small factorij and ferry slip at Arresick on the tidal island that stills bears his anglicized name, Paulus Hook . He operated an intermittent ferry and traded with the local Lenape population. By 1630 a plantation worked by African slaves had been set up. Pauw, however, failed to fulfill

4176-586: The entire estuary was essential to their diet. The trapping of beaver and rodents for pelts played a crucial role in their interaction with the Swannukens or Salt Water People , who procured the land from them through "purchases" that were misconstrued by both parties. A basic misconception was that while Europeans thought they were buying land in perpetuity, the Lenape believed they were entering into defense alliances with farming, hunting, and fishing rights. The Tappan and Hackensack had early and frequent contact with

4263-559: The existing population were bands of seasonally migrational Algonquian people, the Lenape . The area that would become Bergen was the territory of Unami , or Turtle Clan, called the Hackensack Indians and the Tappan . While the Hackensack tended to camp on the tidal lands ( Upper New York Bay and Meadowlands ), the Tappan moved in the highlands ( North Hudson to Palisades Interstate Park ). Other closely related peoples circulated in

4350-675: The former Jersey City area of the Horseshoe encompassing Harsimus Cove , Hamilton Park , and WALDO-Powerhouse . Since the 1980s the former site of the Erie Railroad 's Hudson waterfront Pavonia Terminal and the Pavonia Ferry has been redeveloped as Newport . The PATH rapid transit system's Newport Station , formerly called Pavonia, and the Hudson Bergen Light Rail Pavonia-Newport station are in this section of

4437-639: The group of seasonally migrational people who circulated in the region were to become known by the exonym , Hackensack . They, along with the Tappan , the Wappinger , the Raritan , the Canarsee , and other groups would be known to future settlers as "the River Indians". Further explorations and settlement led to the establishment of Fort Amsterdam at the southern tip of the island of Manhattan in 1625. In 1629, with

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4524-476: The incorporation of Township of North Bergen . Bergenline Avenue , running from the Jersey City border to Nungessers at Fairview through the North Hudson communities, likely takes its name from this division. The original grid laid out for Bergen in 1661 can still be seen at Bergen Square , in the immediate vicinity of which are Old Bergen Church and cemeteries founded by the first settlers and their descendants. A statue of Peter Stuyvesant, commemorating

4611-423: The local population, was able to negotiate temporarily holding off attacks at his farm and the Achter Kol Colony, from which settlers were evacuated. In August 1643, Oratam (representing his people and other groups), agreed to a truce with the New Netherlanders . The peace did not hold and for the next two years the whole of the province was at war. It was not until August 30, 1645 that a treaty to cease hostilities

4698-416: The longest continuously used school site and Christian congregation in the state . Within its jurisdiction fell the communities at Pavonia, Communipaw, Hoebuck, and Achter Col. In December of the same year, a charter for ferry between Bergen (at Communipaw) and Manhattan was granted. In February 1663, an ordinance regarding a common well was effected. The settlers were sluggish building a palisade to protect

4785-407: The most enduring legacies of New Netherland. Both the Articles of Transfer (outlining the terms of surrender to the English), and the Concession and Agreement provided for the right to worship as one wished, and were incorporated into subsequent city, state, and national constitutions in the United States. Many words , including the most American Yankee , and the tradition of Santa Claus come from

4872-454: The perpetrator, they prepared to leave, but were attacked. At the time, Stuyvesant and his troops were on an expedition to the Zuydt Rivier ( Delaware River ), where they had forced the colony of New Sweden to submit to the rule of his government. Several hundred Lenape attacked Pavonia and Staten Island, killing 40 settlers. One hundred hostages were taken and held at Paulus Hook. When later ransomed they returned to New Amsterdam, and once again

4959-422: The population to a military defense. The indifferent response from the West India Company to previous requests for protection against "the deplorable and tragic massacres" by the natives had gone unheeded. Hence a lack of weapons, gunpowder, reinforcements and ships made New Amsterdam defenseless. Stuyvesant made the best of a bad situation and successfully negotiated good terms from his "too powerful enemies." In

5046-402: The present Hudson County, New Jersey . The first European to record exploration of the area was Robert Juet, first mate of Henry Hudson , an English sea captain commissioned by the Dutch East India Company . Their ship, the Halve Maen ( Half Moon ), ventured in the Kill van Kull and Newark Bay and anchored at Weehawken Cove during 1609, while exploring the Upper New York Bay and

5133-451: The principal channel by which the Hudson River flowing south from upstate New York and the New England regions, empties into the Atlantic Ocean . It has long been considered to be the maritime "gateway" to New York City and the Northeastern United States on the East Coast of North America , and historically has been one of the most important entrances into the seaport harbors of the Port of New York and New Jersey . The Narrows

5220-416: The region, The Palisades . Yet another interpretation is that it comes from the Dutch word bergen , meaning to save or to recover , prompted by the settlers' return after they had fled attacks by the native population. Concerted efforts were made to ensure the success of the new settlement, situated atop the hill west of Communipaw, which was made "distinct and separate" village. It was laid out following

5307-437: The region: the Acquackanonk , the Manhattan , the Raritan , the Haverstraw , the Rockaway , and the Wecquaesgeek . Some were later called Delaware Indians (after Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr ). Their larger communities were palisaded villages where they practiced companion planting (of the three sisters ) to supplement foraging , hunting , and fishing . Shellfishing in the vast oyster beds spread throughout

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5394-405: The river which now bears his name. At the time of his exploration the shoreline was considerably different from today, consisting of huge tidal marshes and oyster beds. Several other expeditions to the coast of North America were made between 1610 and 1614; surveys and charts from them were incorporated in a map made by Adriaen Block which named New Netherland for the first time. At the time

5481-426: The same time participate in a society which supersedes civic boundaries. The Narrows 40°36′48″N 74°02′53″W  /  40.61333°N 74.04806°W  / 40.61333; -74.04806 The Narrows is the tidal strait separating the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York City . It connects the Upper New York Bay and Lower New York Bay (of larger New York Bay ) and forms

5568-445: The settlements on the west shore of the Noort Rivier were evacuated. Responding to lobbying by those who wished to return to their land west of the North River and to re-establish their claim there, Stuyvesant, on January 10, 1658 "re-purchased" most of the land that would become Bergen Township . The conveyance (as translated from the Dutch) read: Therinques, Wappapen, Saghkow, Kagkennip, Bomokan, Memewockan, Sames, Wewenatokee, to

5655-469: The settlements were small, they were strategic trading posts with a good harbor and foothold on the west bank of what had been named the Noort Rivier ( Hudson River ). Place naming in 17th century Europe was frequently influenced by location in reference to other places, shape, age, topography, or geographic features. Such was the case with Achter Kol ( Meadowlands / Newark Bay ). "Achter", meaning behind, and "kol", meaning ridge or pass, can be translated as

5742-410: The settlers of New Netherland. Like The Netherlands, Northeastern New Jersey is considered to be "diverse" and "tolerant", a place where many people from different ethnic, economic, and religious backgrounds interact on a daily basis while still maintaining their distinct identities. The concept of "home rule" allows citizens and residents to have direct influence on their immediate neighborhoods, and at

5829-433: The settlers, and their sagamore , Oratam , negotiated many agreements and treaties with them. In 1621, the Dutch West India Company (WIC) was founded to exploit trade in the Western Hemisphere , and by 1625 had established a colony at New Amsterdam ( Lower Manhattan ). In the hope of encouraging settlement the company, in 1629, started to offer vast land grants and the feudal title of patroon . In 1630, Michiel Pauw ,

5916-417: The situation remained relatively peaceful until 1655, when Pavonia and Staten Island were attacked by a united band of approximately five hundred Lenape. 50 settlers were killed. Over one hundred were taken hostage and held at Paulus Hook until their release could be negotiated. This incident is known as the Peach War , and is said to have been precipitated by the killing of a young Lenape woman who had stolen

6003-403: The southern tip of Manhattan , under the condition that a garrison be built. Located atop Bergen Hill , it was part of the original patroonship, close to the southern end of the Hudson Palisades . It was the first self-governing European settlement in what would become the state of New Jersey. During 1664, Fort Amsterdam and, by extension, all of New Netherland was peacefully surrendered to

6090-517: The surrounding areas, to an extent not seen before. On October 1, 1643, a force of united "tribes" attacked the homesteads at Pavonia, most of which were burned to the ground. Many settlers were killed and those who survived were ordered to the relative safety of New Amsterdam. Pavonia was evacuated. For the next two years during what became known as Kieft's War the united tribes harassed settlers all across New Netherland, killing sporadically and suddenly. The sparse European forces were helpless to stop

6177-438: The time, the settlers in New Amsterdam were in intermittent conflict with their native Raritan and Wappinger neighbors. On Staten Island , Dutch soldiers routed an encampment in retaliation for the theft of pigs, later discovered to have been stolen by other settlers. The death of a Dutch wheelwright , Claes Swits, at the hands of a Weckquaesgeek (Wappinger on the east side of the Hudson River) particularly angered many of

6264-516: The time: more than 1,600 natives were killed at a time when the European population of New Amsterdam was only 250. The uneasy truce with the Lenape allowed for further settlement, including Constable Hook (1646) and Awiehawken (1647). Kieft's successor was Peter Stuyvesant . During 1653 Pavonia became part of the newly formed Commonality of New Amsterdam . In late 1654 a series of grants were made for tracts "achter de Kol" or Achter Col at Pamrapo , Minkakwa , and Kewan . The colony grew and

6351-415: The village and in November 1663 an ordinance was passed to see it completed. so that farmers and fishermen could retreat if threatened by attack. Though not attacked, Bergen was threatened. On August 27, 1664, four English frigates entered the Upper New York Bay , demanding surrender of the fort at New Amsterdam, and by extension, all of New Netherland. After some days, Stuyvesant acquiesced, unable to rouse

6438-580: The village of Brooklyn on the South Shore at the western end of Long Island . There they soon routed General George Washington 's dug-in defending Continental Army by a long sweeping end-run flank attack at the famous Battle of Long Island (a.k.a. the Battle of Brooklyn ) of August 27, 1776, before they made their escape, evacuating at night by barge / rowboats across the East River back to Manhattan , during

6525-486: The village of Bergen, was moved in the 1920s to Westfield, NJ . The oldest standing building in Hudson is the 1690 Newkirk House on Summit Avenue . Another colonial home (c 1742) was built by one of the region's first families, the Van Vorsts , on land that had been part of Pavonia (now Jersey City Heights ). The Steuben House (1752) is a noted example of Bergen Dutch sandstone architecture, located at New Bridge Landing ,

6612-546: The wife of its proprietor, Sir George Carteret . On October 28, 1664, the Elizabethtown Tract , taking in lands southwest of Achter Col, was purchased from three Raritan. An assembly was held in 1668, attended by representatives of Bergen. Soon after, the Concession and Agreement was issued providing religious freedom and recognition of private property in the colony. For those living in Bergen and surrounding areas life

6699-684: Was a massacre: 129 Dutch soldiers killed 120 Indians, including women and children. Historians differ on whether or not the massacre was Kieft's idea. This is sometimes referred to as the Pavonia Massacre. The same night also saw a similar if smaller attack in Manhattan, the Massacre at Corlears Hook . The Native Americans call it "The Slaughter of the Innocents". This attack united the Algonquian peoples in

6786-521: Was a slaughter: 129 Dutch soldiers killed approximately 120 people (including women and children): eighty at Pavonia and thirty at Corlear's Hook ( Lower East Side ). Overcoming their other rivalries in face of a common enemy, the indigenous populations united and retaliated in October of the same year, attacking the plantations at Pavonia, with survivors fleeing to the fort at the tip of Manhattan. The brewery at Hoebuk survived, its roof not being made of thatch. De Vries, with interest in and better contact with

6873-509: Was a variant of the Dutch language spoken in and around Bergen and Passaic counties until the early 20th century. The region abounds in place names often taken from Dutch surnames or geographical references, with Paulus Hook a combination of both. Lenape phrases, transformed through Dutch and English are still in use, such as Hoboken, Hackensack, Paramus , Secaucus , and Wyckoff . Kill Van Kull retains its purely Dutch name. The name Bergen

6960-432: Was finally concluded. Pieter Stuyvesant was selected to replace Kieft as Director-General of New Netherland and arrived on May 11, 1647. Further colonization of the area proceeded slowly. In 1646, a land patent at Konstapel's Hoeck ( Constable Hook ) was granted to New Amsterdam's chief constable, Jacob Jacobsen Roy, who declined to settle. A year later, Maryn Andriansen, who had led the attack at Corlear's Hook, received

7047-425: Was founded by settlers who wished to return to the west bank of the Hudson giving it the name Bergen , which would refer to its situation. The word berg taken from the Dutch means hill, while bergen means place of safety. Its semi-independent government was granted on September 5, 1661, by Stuyvesant, as part of his efforts re-gain a foothold on the North River 's western shore and expand beyond New Amsterdam on

7134-581: Was held at Elzabethtown enacting "Laws and Ordinances" for towns in Achter Col. On December 18, 1673, "Freedoms and Exemptions" were granted to towns in Achter Col. News that New Amsterdam had been "re-taken" did not arrive in Holland until January 1674, at which point negotiations for The Treaty of Westminster were well advanced. Its ratification by the States-General of the Netherlands on March 5, 1674 ended

7221-577: Was in 1524 by the Italian Florentine explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano (1485–1528), who was in the employ of and sailing for the Kingdom of France and its monarch, King Francis I , who set anchor off-shore in the strait and was greeted by a group of Lenape natives, who paddled out to meet him onboard his new strange huge sailing vessel in the strait. Two and a half centuries later, in July and August 1776,

7308-407: Was leased by Aert Van Putten, where he built North America's first brewery. These homesteads grew into small, mostly agricultural, communities as the land around them was sold or leased and " bouweries " (home farms) and " plantages " (outlying fields) were developed. Trade between the indigenous and settling populations consisted mostly of wampum , European manufactured goods, and beaver pelts. Though

7395-642: Was most likely formed after deposition of the Harbor Hill Moraine about 18,000 years prior to the end of the last prehistoric ice age . Previously, Staten Island and Long Island / ( Brooklyn ) were connected and the Hudson River emptied into the Atlantic Ocean through the Raritan River , taking then a more westerly course through parts of present-day northern New Jersey , along the eastern side of

7482-407: Was not much changed under English rule, though they were required to pledge loyalty to the new government. English speaking settlers, mostly from New England and Long Island , came to the province, concentrating on the Elizabethtown Tract and Newark Tract , and to the north at the English Neighborhood . The wide waterways that separated them geographically mirrored the cultural divide and allowed

7569-409: Was not until 1738, when New Jersey petitioned the crown for a distinct administration from New York, that it was granted its own governor. In 1710, Bergen County, by royal decree of Queen Anne of Great Britain was enlarged to include what had been a part of Essex County. The village of Hackensack (in the newly formed New Barbados Township ) was seen as being more easily reached by the majority of

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