Page:History of West Hoboken NJ.djvu/15

 History of West Hoboken NJ pg 15.jpg

CHAPTER I.

First Owners of West Hoboken.

The Town of West Hoboken is 41 years old having been incorporated as a Township on February 28, 1861. Previous to its being incorporated, it was a part of the Township of North Bergen, which latter Township was at one time a part of the ancient County and Township of Bergen.

The first inhabitants of our town were undoubtedly descendants of the early Dutch settlers of the aforesaid County of Bergen; it is not known exactly at what time the first house was erected within the present limits of West Hoboken. but it is very likely that it was in the last quarter of the 18th century; and when the town began to take on the aspect of a village, quite a number of French people settled here, and to-day some of our oldest inhabitants are numbered among our French population.

Every schoolboy who has commenced his course in history has read of the discovery of our county by Henry Hudson, the commander of the good ship "Half Moon," who sailed into the lower bay and so on up into the beautiful Hudson one bright September day in the year 1609.

The first reference in the annals of New Netherland to the place now called "Hoboken," is found in the journal of Robert Juet, the mate of Hudson's ship, the "Half Moon," under date of October 2, 1609.

More than twenty years passed before another reference is made to the place; then the Director and Council of New Netherlands, in behalf of Michael Pauw, Lord of Achtienhoven, purchased from the native owners (the Indians) the land spoken of by Juet.