The village and county were named for Lewis Morris, the first and then sitting royal governor of a united colony of New Jersey. The town's central location and road connections led to its selection as the seat of the new Morris County shortly after its separation from Hunterdon County on March 15, 1739. Morristown was settled around 1715 by English Presbyterians from Southold, New York on Long Island and New Haven, Connecticut as the village of New Hanover. It became part of the Dutch colony of New Netherland, but the English seized control of the region in 1664, which was granted to Sir George Carteret and John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton, as the Province of New Jersey. The first European settlements in this portion of New Jersey were established by the Swedes and Dutch in the early 17th century, when a significant trade in furs existed between the natives and the Europeans at temporary posts. The area was inhabited by the Lenni Lenape Native Americans for up to 6,000 years prior to exploration of Europeans. census, the town's population was 18,411, reflecting a decline of 133 (−0.7%) from the 18,544 counted in the 2000 census, which had in turn increased by 2,355 (+14.5%) from the 16,189 counted in the 1990 census. Morristown was incorporated as a town by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 6, 1865, within Morris Township, and it was formally set off from the township in 1895. The county, and ultimately Morristown itself, was named for the popular Governor of the Province, Lewis Morris, who championed land ownership rights for colonists. Morris County was created on March 15, 1739, from portions of Hunterdon County. Today this history is visible in a variety of locations throughout the town that collectively make up Morristown National Historical Park.Īccording to British colonial records, the first permanent European settlement at Morristown occurred in 1715, when a settlement was founded as New Hanover by colonists from New York and Connecticut. Morristown has been called "the military capital of the American Revolution" because of its strategic role in the war for independence from Great Britain. Morristown ( / ˈ m ɒr ɪ s t aʊ n/) is a town and the county seat of Morris County, New Jersey.
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