English Neighborhood
Encyclopedia
The English Neighborhood was the colonial-era name for the towns in eastern Bergen County, New Jersey
, along the Hudson Palisades between the North River (Hudson River) and the Hackensack River
, particularly around its main tributary, Overpeck Creek
. The region had been part of the Dutch
New Netherland
colony of Bergen
, whose main town was located at Bergen Square
in today's Jersey City
. The name speaks to the geography of the region, bergen being the Dutch word for hiils. Earlier attempts at settlement at Achter Col (behind the ridge) and Vriessendael had been compromised in conflicts with the precolonial population, phratries
of the Lenape
known by their exonyms, the Hackensack
and the Tappan
.
After the surrender of Fort Amsterdam
at the tip of Manhattan
and annexation of the entire Dutch province by the British
in 1664, northeastern New Jersey
became part of the proprietary colony of East Jersey
. In order to encourage settlement the land was quickly divided and flurry of land titles were given or confirmed by the new government. While many were awarded to the existing New Netherlander
population, many were given to migrating English
and Huguenot
settlers, some who may have come from Europe, many who made their way from New England
, Long Island
, or the West Indies. On June 10, 1669, Samuel Edsall, received a patent "for land betw. Hudson R. and Overpeck's", which encompassed much of the area. By 1675 it was being called the English Neighborhood. Born in Reading, England about 1630, Edsall had come
to New Amsterdam
at the age of eighteen, where he was listed among
the new arrivals as "a bever maker," or hatter. His industry, and
possibly his marriage with Jannetje Wessels, qualified him as a small burgher and property owner. BHe took up residence on Bergen Neck
, learned the Lenape
language, and acted as interpreter for the Robert Treat
's purcvhase of the Newark Tract. After the British takeover he was able to purchase of a tract of nearly two thousand acres, with a frontage of almost two and a half miles on the Hudson, extending northward
from Bulls Ferry
and stretching back to Overpeck Creek and the
Hackensack River, siting own farm near what is now Palisades Park. From time to time he sold or leased other parts of the estate.
In 1683, administrative districts in the form of counties were established, with Bergen County encompassing the land between the aforementioned rivers from Bergen Point in the south to the newly created and ambiguous state line
with New York
. In 1693, the county was divided into two townships, separated at the current Hudson
-Bergen
line, with Hackensack Township to the north and Bergen Township
to the south. In 1710, the nearby village of Hackensack
became the county seat
.
Prior to the American Revolutionary War
, a liberty pole
was erected at a major crossroads, but the English Neighborhood was soon occupied by the British Army
after George Washington's retreat from Fort Lee, which had crossed the area.The Continental Army maintained a presence in the area to observe the movement of the British in New York
. Its position between the two armies led to many foraging parties and skirmishes. sometimes called the Forage War
. Major John André
, executed for his collusion with Benedict Arnold
, mentions the English Neighborhood in his poem The Cow Chase, in which he muses on the foiling of Anthony Wayne
's attempt to secure cows from Bergen.
On March 22, 1871, Hackensack Township was subdivided into three new Townships, each stretching from the Hudson River on the east to the Hackensack River in the west. The southernmost portion, the English Neighborhood, became Ridgefield Township
. In 1878, the New Jersey Legislature
provided for the formation of a borough within a township not exceeding four square miles. The passage of a revised Borough Act
resulted in a series of subdivisions creating new boroughs. Municipalities created from Ridgefield Township (or portions thereof) were Bogota
(1894), Leonia
(1894), Undercliff
(1894; renamed "Edgewater" in 1899), Fairview
(1894), Teaneck (part)
(1895), Cliffside Park
(1895), Englewood (part)
(1895), Palisades Park
(1899). The creation of Fort Lee, New Jersey
on April 18, 1904 put an end to Ridgefield Township.
The area underwent significant growth as its villages expanded and agricultural land was developed as suburbs, spurred by expansion of the railway system in the late 19th century. The Erie Railroad
ran trains to its Hudson waterfront Pavonia Terminal
(later via the Susquehanna Transfer
with connecting bus service to Manhattan
via the Lincoln Tunnel
). The last train on the Northern Branch
from the terminal to the area was #1205 at 6:35 p.m. on Friday, December 12, 1958. There are proposals to restore service with extension of a Hudson Bergen Light Rail line known as the Northern Branch Corridor Project.
Though the term English Neighborhood is no longer widely used there are still places which continue to bear the name. The Dutch Reformed Church in the English Neighborhood
in Ridgefield
was built in 1793 by a congregation established in 1770.
In Fairview, the English Neighborhood Park
and the English Neighborhood Public School
are still used describe places in part of the borough. The Union School of the English Neighborhood, moved from its original location, is a landmark
in Englewood
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
, along the Hudson Palisades between the North River (Hudson River) and the Hackensack River
Hackensack River
The Hackensack River is a river, approximately 45 miles long, in the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, emptying into Newark Bay, a back chamber of New York Harbor. The watershed of the river includes part of the suburban area outside New York City just west of the lower Hudson River,...
, particularly around its main tributary, Overpeck Creek
Overpeck Creek
Overpeck Creek is a tributary of the Hackensack River, approximately 8 miles long, in Bergen County in northern New Jersey in the United States. The upper creek flows through suburban communities west of New York City...
. The region had been part of the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
New Netherland
New Netherland
New Netherland, or Nieuw-Nederland in Dutch, was the 17th-century colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the East Coast of North America. The claimed territories were the lands from the Delmarva Peninsula to extreme southwestern Cape Cod...
colony of Bergen
Bergen, New Netherland
Bergen was a part of the 17th century province of New Netherland, in the area in northeastern New Jersey along the Hudson and Hackensack Rivers that would become contemporary Hudson and Bergen Counties...
, whose main town was located at Bergen Square
Bergen Square
Bergen Square, at the intersection of Bergen Avenue and Academy Street in Jersey City, is in the southwestern part of the much larger Journal Square district...
in today's Jersey City
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
. The name speaks to the geography of the region, bergen being the Dutch word for hiils. Earlier attempts at settlement at Achter Col (behind the ridge) and Vriessendael had been compromised in conflicts with the precolonial population, phratries
Phratry
In ancient Greece, a phratry ατρία, "brotherhood", "kinfolk", derived from φρατήρ meaning "brother") was a social division of the Greek tribe...
of the Lenape
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
known by their exonyms, the Hackensack
Hackensack (Native Americans)
Hackensack was the exonym given to a band of Lenape, a Native American people is a European derivation of the Lenape word for what is now the region of northeastern New Jersey along the Hudson and Hackensack Rivers.-Territory and Society:...
and the Tappan
Tappan (Native Americans)
The Tappan were a Lenape people who inhabited the region radiating from Hudson Palisades and New York – New Jersey Highlands in at the time of European colonialization in the 17th century....
.
After the surrender of Fort Amsterdam
Fort Amsterdam
For the historic fort on the island of Saint Martin, see Fort Amsterdam Fort Amsterdam was a fort on the southern tip of Manhattan that was the administrative headquarters for the Dutch and then British rule of New York from...
at the tip of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and annexation of the entire Dutch province by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1664, northeastern New Jersey
Gateway Region
The Gateway Region is located in the northeastern part of State of New Jersey in the United States of America. The area encompasses Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Passaic, Union and Middlesex counties...
became part of the proprietary colony of East Jersey
East Jersey
The Province of East Jersey and the Province of West Jersey were two distinct, separately governed parts of the Province of New Jersey that existed as separate provinces for 28 years, between 1674 and 1702. East Jersey's capital was located at Perth Amboy...
. In order to encourage settlement the land was quickly divided and flurry of land titles were given or confirmed by the new government. While many were awarded to the existing New Netherlander
New Netherlander
New Netherlanders were residents of New Netherland, the seventeenth century colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the northeastern coast of North America, centered around the Hudson River and New York Bay, and at the end of the colony in the Delaware Valley.The...
population, many were given to migrating English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
and Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
settlers, some who may have come from Europe, many who made their way from New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, or the West Indies. On June 10, 1669, Samuel Edsall, received a patent "for land betw. Hudson R. and Overpeck's", which encompassed much of the area. By 1675 it was being called the English Neighborhood. Born in Reading, England about 1630, Edsall had come
to New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam was a 17th-century Dutch colonial settlement that served as the capital of New Netherland. It later became New York City....
at the age of eighteen, where he was listed among
the new arrivals as "a bever maker," or hatter. His industry, and
possibly his marriage with Jannetje Wessels, qualified him as a small burgher and property owner. BHe took up residence on Bergen Neck
Bergen Neck
Bergen Neck is a name for the peninsula between the Upper New York Bay and the Newark Bay in the Hudson County, New Jersey municipalities of Bayonne and Jersey City...
, learned the Lenape
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
language, and acted as interpreter for the Robert Treat
Robert Treat
Robert Treat was an American colonial leader, militia officer and governor of Connecticut between 1683 and 1698....
's purcvhase of the Newark Tract. After the British takeover he was able to purchase of a tract of nearly two thousand acres, with a frontage of almost two and a half miles on the Hudson, extending northward
from Bulls Ferry
Bulls Ferry
Bulls Ferry is the area along the Hudson River in the North HudsonCounty, New Jersey municipalities of West New York, Guttenberg, and North Bergen....
and stretching back to Overpeck Creek and the
Hackensack River, siting own farm near what is now Palisades Park. From time to time he sold or leased other parts of the estate.
In 1683, administrative districts in the form of counties were established, with Bergen County encompassing the land between the aforementioned rivers from Bergen Point in the south to the newly created and ambiguous state line
New York – New Jersey Line War
The New York – New Jersey Line War refers to a series of skirmishes and raids that took place for over half a century between 1701 and 1765 at the disputed border between two American colonies, the Province of New York and the Province of New Jersey.Border wars were not unusual in the early days...
with New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. In 1693, the county was divided into two townships, separated at the current Hudson
Hudson County, New Jersey
Hudson County is the smallest county in New Jersey and one of the most densely populated in United States. It takes its name from the Hudson River, which creates part of its eastern border. Part of the New York metropolitan area, its county seat and largest city is Jersey City.- Municipalities...
-Bergen
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
line, with Hackensack Township to the north and Bergen Township
Bergen Township, Bergen County, New Jersey (Historical 1693)
Bergen Township was a township that existed in the U.S. state of New Jersey, from 1661 to 1862, first as part of New Netherland, then as part Bergen County, and later as part of Hudson County...
to the south. In 1710, the nearby village of Hackensack
Hackensack, New Jersey
Hackensack is a city in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States and the county seat of Bergen County. Although informally called Hackensack, it was officially named New Barbadoes Township until 1921. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 43,010....
became the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
.
Prior to the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, a liberty pole
Liberty pole
A liberty pole is a tall wooden pole, often used as a type of flagstaff, planted in the ground, which may be surmounted by an ensign or a liberty cap. They are associated with the Atlantic Revolutions of the late 18th century.-American Revolution:...
was erected at a major crossroads, but the English Neighborhood was soon occupied by the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
after George Washington's retreat from Fort Lee, which had crossed the area.The Continental Army maintained a presence in the area to observe the movement of the British in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Its position between the two armies led to many foraging parties and skirmishes. sometimes called the Forage War
Forage War
The Forage War was a partisan campaign consisting of numerous small skirmishes that took place in New Jersey during the American Revolutionary War between January and March 1777, following the battles of Trenton and Princeton...
. Major John André
John André
John André was a British army officer hanged as a spy during the American War of Independence. This was due to an incident in which he attempted to assist Benedict Arnold's attempted surrender of the fort at West Point, New York to the British.-Early life:André was born on May 2, 1750 in London to...
, executed for his collusion with Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold V was a general during the American Revolutionary War. He began the war in the Continental Army but later defected to the British Army. While a general on the American side, he obtained command of the fort at West Point, New York, and plotted to surrender it to the British forces...
, mentions the English Neighborhood in his poem The Cow Chase, in which he muses on the foiling of Anthony Wayne
Anthony Wayne
Anthony Wayne was a United States Army general and statesman. Wayne adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his military exploits and fiery personality quickly earned him a promotion to the rank of brigadier general and the sobriquet of Mad Anthony.-Early...
's attempt to secure cows from Bergen.
On March 22, 1871, Hackensack Township was subdivided into three new Townships, each stretching from the Hudson River on the east to the Hackensack River in the west. The southernmost portion, the English Neighborhood, became Ridgefield Township
Ridgefield Township, Bergen County, New Jersey (Historical)
Ridgefield Township was a township that existed in Bergen County, New Jersey. The township was created in 1871, when Hackensack Township was trisected to form Palisades Township in the northernmost third, Englewood Township in the central strip and Ridgefield Township encompassing the southernmost...
. In 1878, the New Jersey Legislature
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 the Senate...
provided for the formation of a borough within a township not exceeding four square miles. The passage of a revised Borough Act
Borough (New Jersey)
A borough in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government....
resulted in a series of subdivisions creating new boroughs. Municipalities created from Ridgefield Township (or portions thereof) were Bogota
Bogota, New Jersey
As of the 2010 Census, Bogota had a population of 8,187. The median age was 38.6. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 61.0% White, 9.4% Black or African American, 0.8% Native American, 9.8% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander, 14.8% some other race and 4.1% reporting...
(1894), Leonia
Leonia, New Jersey
Leonia is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,937. It is located near the western approach to the George Washington Bridge....
(1894), Undercliff
Edgewater, New Jersey
Edgewater is a borough located along the Hudson River in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 census, the borough had a population of 11,513...
(1894; renamed "Edgewater" in 1899), Fairview
Fairview, Bergen County, New Jersey
Fairview is a borough located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough had a total population of 13,835....
(1894), Teaneck (part)
Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, and a suburb in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 39,776, making it the second-most populous among the 70 municipalities in Bergen County....
(1895), Cliffside Park
Cliffside Park, New Jersey
Cliffside Park is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 23,594....
(1895), Englewood (part)
Englewood, New Jersey
Englewood is a city located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 27,147.Englewood was incorporated as a city by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from portions of Ridgefield Township and the remaining portions of...
(1895), Palisades Park
Palisades Park, New Jersey
Palisades Park is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 19,622....
(1899). The creation of Fort Lee, New Jersey
Fort Lee, New Jersey
Fort Lee is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 35,345. Located atop the Hudson Palisades, the borough is the western terminus of the George Washington Bridge...
on April 18, 1904 put an end to Ridgefield Township.
The area underwent significant growth as its villages expanded and agricultural land was developed as suburbs, spurred by expansion of the railway system in the late 19th century. The Erie Railroad
Erie Railroad
The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in New York State, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, originally connecting New York City with Lake Erie...
ran trains to its Hudson waterfront Pavonia Terminal
Pavonia Terminal
Pavonia Terminal was the Erie Railroad terminal on the Hudson River situated on the landfilled Harsimus Cove in Jersey City, New Jersey.-History:The Erie began developing the waterfront site in 1856.The intermodal complex was built between 1886 and 1889...
(later via the Susquehanna Transfer
Susquehanna Transfer (NYS&W station)
Susquehanna Transfer was a passenger station on the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway, located in North Bergen, New Jersey at the Route 495 overpass...
with connecting bus service to Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
via the Lincoln Tunnel
Lincoln Tunnel
The Lincoln Tunnel is a long tunnel under the Hudson River, connecting Weehawken, New Jersey and the borough of Manhattan in New York City.-History:...
). The last train on the Northern Branch
Northern Branch
The Northern Branch Corridor Project is a proposed 11-mile long rail line that would offer a mass transit rail option to residents of eastern Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, that has been unavailable for decades since passenger rail service ended on the Northern Branch in 1966 and the...
from the terminal to the area was #1205 at 6:35 p.m. on Friday, December 12, 1958. There are proposals to restore service with extension of a Hudson Bergen Light Rail line known as the Northern Branch Corridor Project.
Though the term English Neighborhood is no longer widely used there are still places which continue to bear the name. The Dutch Reformed Church in the English Neighborhood
Dutch Reformed Church in the English Neighborhood
Dutch Reformed Church in the English Neighborhood is a historic church at 1040 Edgewater Avenue in Ridgefield, New Jersey...
in Ridgefield
Ridgefield, New Jersey
There were 4,020 households out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.7% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.2% were non-families. 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone...
was built in 1793 by a congregation established in 1770.
In Fairview, the English Neighborhood Park
and the English Neighborhood Public School
are still used describe places in part of the borough. The Union School of the English Neighborhood, moved from its original location, is a landmark
in Englewood
Englewood, New Jersey
Englewood is a city located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 27,147.Englewood was incorporated as a city by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from portions of Ridgefield Township and the remaining portions of...
See also
- Bergen, New NetherlandBergen, New NetherlandBergen was a part of the 17th century province of New Netherland, in the area in northeastern New Jersey along the Hudson and Hackensack Rivers that would become contemporary Hudson and Bergen Counties...
- CommunipawCommunipawCommunipaw is a section of Jersey City, New Jersey west of Liberty State Park and east of Bergen Hill, and site of one the earliest European settlements in North America. It gives its name to the historic avenue which runs from its eastern end near LSP Station through the neighborhoods of...
- HarsimusHarsimusHarsimus is a neighborhood within Downtown Jersey City. The neighborhood stretches from the Harsimus Stem Embankment in the north to Christopher Columbus Drive in the south between Coles Street and Grove Street or more broadly, to Marin Boulevard...
- Elizabethtown TractElizabethtown TractThe Elizabethtown Tract was a property that was purchased on October 28, 1664, by John Baily, Daniel Denton and Luke Watson from the Native Americans that is in the area of present-day Elizabeth, New Jersey....
- Horseneck TractHorseneck TractThe Horseneck Tract was an area in present-day Essex County, New Jersey, United States, that consisted of what are now the municipalities of Caldwell, West Caldwell, North Caldwell, Fairfield, Verona, Cedar Grove, Essex Fells, Roseland, and portions of Livingston and West Orange.On May 1, 1701...
- New Bridge LandingNew Bridge LandingNew Bridge was a prosperous mill hamlet, centered upon a bridge strategically placed at the narrows of the Hackensack River. In the American Revolution New Bridge Landing was the site of a pivotal bridge crossing the Hackensack River, where General George Washington led his troops in retreat from...
- Concession and AgreementConcession and AgreementConcession and Agreement was a document that provided religious freedom in the colony of New Jersey. It was issued as a proclamation for the structure of the government for the colony written in 1665 by the two proprietors, Lord John Berkeley and Sir George Carteret.The document promised religious...
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Bergen County, New Jersey
- Congregation Adas Emuno (New Jersey)Congregation Adas Emuno (New Jersey)Congregation Adas Emuno is a Reform synagogue in Leonia, New Jersey.The congregation was founded in 1871 and erected a synagogue building in 1883 in Hoboken, New Jersey. The small building in a mix of Gothic and Romanesque styles, is now the oldest synagogue building still standing in New Jersey...
- Others group of artistsOthers group of artistsOthers was a group of avant-garde artists in New York formed after the outbreak of World War I. Poet Alfred Kreymborg and artist Man Ray founded the group, centered an artist colony called Grantwood, just outside Ridgefield, New Jersey...