Cumberland County was created on 1683 and was formed from Salem County. The County was named for William Augustus, Earl of Cumberland. The County Seat is Bridgeton. The Colonial Legislature, at a session held January 30, 1748, passed an Act erecting the east side of Salem County into a new county to be called Cumberland. It was so named by Governor Jonathan Belcher in honor of his patron, William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, brother of the king and the victor over "Bonnie Prince Charles", (Stuart) the Young Pretender to the throne of England whose hopes were quenched at the bloody Battle of Culloden Moor.
The Act establishing the new county divided it into six townships: Greenwich, Hopewell, Stow Creek, Deerfield, Fairfield, and Maurice River. The Legislature ordered the Freeholders to meet first at Cohansey Bridge, which is now Bridgeton, to arrange for the taking of a poll to determine the location of the county seat. The first court was held at Greenwich. In December of the same year, 1748, Cohansey Bridge (now Bridgeton) was chosen as the seat of county government. The selection was compromise, Greenwich, Fairfield and Deerfield contending for the honor, the convenience and the practical advantage from a business standpoint. See also County History for more historical details.
Cumberland County Cities Include Bridgeton, Millville, Vineland. Townships Include Commercial, Deerfield, Downe, Fairfield, Greenwich, Hopewell, Lawrence, Maurice River, Stow Creek, Upper Deerfield. Boroughs Include Shiloh. Communities Include Cedarville, Delmont, Dorchester, Fairton, Fortescue, Laurel Lake, Mauricetown, Port Elizabeth, Port Norris, Rosenhayn, Seabrook Farms.
PLEASE READ!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information.
* The date the earliest land deed was recorded appears in the second column. Where two years appear, the first refers to mortgages, the second to deeds.
** Where two years are given, the first is the date when orphans' court minutes begin, the second when surrogates' records and files begin
All Departments below are in the Cumberland County Courthouse, Broad & Fayette Streets, Bridgeton, NJ 08302; (856) 451-8000 , unless otherwise noted below. The Official County website is located at http://www.co.cumberland.nj.us/. NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.
Cumberland County Clerk has Land Records & Marriage Records from 1783/1728* and is located at the address above. Phone Number: (856) 453-4860 Fax: (856) 455-1410 New Jersey county clerks are responsible for land records, including deeds and mortgages, naturalizations, marriages (usually 1795-1840s), and various county court records. A few original county justice of the peace dockets are at the New Jersey State Archives. Estate matters are handled in the surrogate's and orphans' courts.
Cumberland County Surrogate Court / Orphan's Court has Probate Records from 1783/1804** and is located at the courthouse. Phone Number: Phone: (856) 453-4800 Fax: (856) 451-7356 By virtue of laws enacted since 1844, the responsibilities of the County Surrogate have been expanded. The County Surrogate now has two major functions:
As Judge and Clerk of the County Surrogate's Court, the Surrogate is responsible for settling the estate of every county resident who dies individually owning any assets in New Jersey--whether or not that resident dies leaving a will. Therefore, the Surrogate reviews and probates wills and appoints Executors, Administrators and guardians of minors. In addition, the Surrogate administers and invests monies (now more than $30 million in Bergen County) primarily for minor children who receive judgments in the courts in Bergen County; and
As Deputy Clerk of the Superior Court, Chancery Division, Probate Part, the Surrogate dockets, reviews and schedules all actions pertaining to will contests, estate matters, accountings, mental incompetencies, guardianships of incompetents and all adoptions occurring in Bergen County. In addition, all documents involved in all County Surrogate Court matters are recorded, stored and maintained by the County Surrogate's Court.
Below is a list of online resources for Cumberland County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Cumberland County Court Records by clicking the link below:
New Jersey Immigration & Emigration Records - Immigration records help the family historian to understand the movements of their ancestry as they relocated to different parts of the world.
Click Here to Search New Jersey Birth, Marriage & Death Records! - Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.
New Jersey State Department of Health and Senior Services, State Registrar Search Unit, PO Box 370, Trenton, NJ 08625-0370; (609) 292-4087, Fax: (609) 392-4292. It can take up to 4 months to get a vital record from New Jersey.
Vital records from May 1848 - May 1878 may be obtained from the State Archives. The Archives also holds microfilm copies of births from 1878-1923, marriages from 1879-1940 and deaths from 1878-1940. These materials are available for in-person use only.
Birth, Marriage & Death Certificates:
Cost: Initial search and one certified copy or certification of the record or No Record Statement is $25.00 per certificate.
Additional copies of the same record ordered at the same time are $2 are per copy
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Make Check or Money Order payable to Treasurer, State of New Jersey. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep $25.00 for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
Dates: from 1878 to the present
Processing Time: 14-16 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
Divorce Certificates: Divorce records for 1900-1989 are kept by the Records Information Center of the State Superior Court. For records after 1989 contact the NJ County Court that issued the divorce decree.New Jersey divorce decrees are available through the Superior Court of New Jersey Records Center. For more information on obtaining a certified copy of a divorce decree, call the Records Center at: 609-777-0092
Cost: Include a fee of $10.00 per 10 year search per last name with request. Make check or money order payable to Clerk of the Superior Court.
Superior Court of NJ, Public Information Ctr, 171 Jersey Street, CN 967, Trenton, NJ 08625-0967
Order Online: You can also order Order Electronically and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering below
Below is a list of online resources for Cumberland County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Cumberland County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE - Search over 82 million death records and get genealogical information crucial to your family research. New content added weekly! Most comprehensive SSDI site online!
Research Death records In The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of historical New Jersey newspaper articles about deaths. Search for local articles about an old family friend that died many years ago or a celebrity that committed suicide. Historical newspapers contain a wealth of information about the deceased.
New Jersey Marriages, 1684-1895: This database update adds marriage records for Salem County, in addition to records for Warren County, Atlantic, Bergen, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Sussex, Hunterdon, and Somerset counties.
New Jersey Marriages, Colonial Era, 1665-1800: In addition to the 45,000 names in this database, included is an historical introduction on the early marriage laws of New Jersey ,and the precedents on which they were founded.
Below is a list of online resources for Cumberland County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Cumberland County Census Records by clicking the link below:
New Jersey Census, 1772-1890: This collection contains the following indexes: 1772-1822 Tax Lists Index; 1800 Cumberland County Federal Census Index; 1824-1832 Bergen County - Paterson City; 1830 Federal Census Index; 1840 Federal Census Index; 1840 Pensioners List; 1850 Federal Census Index; 1850 Slave Schedule; 1860 Federal Census Index; 1870 Federal Census Index; 1890 Veterans Schedule; Early Census Index.
Genealogy Atlas has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for Ohio and other states.
You can view rotating animated maps for New Jersey showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps
You can view rotating animated maps for New Jersey showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries.
Below is a list of online resources for Cumberland County Maps. Email us with websites containing Cumberland County Maps by clicking the link below:
Click Here to Search New Jersey Military Records! - Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.
The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design.
Below is a list of online resources for Cumberland County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Cumberland County Military Records by clicking the link below:
New Jersey Pensioners, 1835: This database identifies thousands of New Jersey soldiers who were covered under various pension acts in the early 1800s.
Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 from the State of New Jersey (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication M246 include muster rolls, payrolls, strength returns, and other miscellaneous personnel, pay, and supply records of American Army units, 1775-83.
Southern Claims Commission from the State of New Jersey (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents In the 1870s, southerners claimed compensation from the U.S. government for items used by the Union Army, ranging from corn and horses, to trees and church buildings.
Because New Jersey's pre-1830 federal censuses have not survived, tax records are quite an important substitute for placing persons and families prior to that time. Tax lists arranged by township are available for 1773-1822. The originals, at the New Jersey State Archives, show heads of households, landowners, and single adult males, with information about their property that was taxable, including land, horses, cattle, slaves, and mills. Only about half of the 1773-4 lists are extant, and for some places, such as Sussex County, coverage is very slight. Microfilms of these records are at the state archives, the New Jersey Historical Society, Rutgers University, and the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society. The 1784 tax lists for thirty-eight municipalities (predominantly in southern New Jersey) are the only ones to indicate the size of a household, with a column for number of whites and a column for number of slaves.
Later tax records are found in the counties starting about 1869-70. Tax lists for some extinct New Jersey municipalities are at the state archives.
Below is a list of online resources for Cumberland County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Cumberland County Tax Records by clicking the link below:
The Repositories
in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical
and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical
Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly,
quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies
should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are
usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived
materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be
more generalized and over look the smaller details that local
societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to
look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy
section and may have some resources that are not located at
archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums
in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years
gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All
these places are vitally important to the family genealogist
and must not be passed over.
Below is a list of online resources for Cumberland County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Cumberland County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
Department of State Division of Archives and Records Management
Bureau of Archives and Records Preservation State Library Bldg, 185 West State Street, CN-307, Trenton, NJ 08625-0307 The New Jersey State Archives has many of the basic research materials for the state, such as federal and state census records; probate, land, and court records; newspapers; and vital records.
New Jersey State Library, State Library Building, 185 West State Street, CN-520, Trenton, NJ 08625-0520
Genealogical Society of New Jersey,
PO Box 1476, Trenton NJ 08607-1476
The Genealogical Society of New Jersey has published The Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey since 1925. The society houses its collection of genealogical materials, including cemetery transcriptions, family Bibles (over 4,800), military records, notes of genealogists, and so forth, in the A. S. Alexander Library at Rutgers University.
New Jersey Newspapers & Periodicals Records - Newspapers and periodicals are the diaries of local communities. They are excellent sources of family history details - often recorded nowhere else. Look for obituaries, marriages, legal notices, and more found in our Historical Newspaper Archives.
Click Here to Search New Jersey Obituary Records! - This database is a compilation of obituaries published in U.S. newspapers, collected from various online sources. Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.
The important work of grave marker transcribing has been the goal of the Genealogical Society of New Jersey, which was originally formed by "Tombstone Hounds." Their core collection is at Rutgers University, where there is a card index by county and name of the cemetery as well as a "master index" arranged alphabetically by surname but only for selected cemeteries. Many of the society's transcriptions have been published in their journal, The Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey. Another large collection of cemetery records is that gathered by the New Jersey DAR chapters, with copies deposited at the New Jersey State Library and the New Jersey Historical Society. Both these places have other cemetery records, as do the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania and the New York Public Library. Some individual books of cemetery inscriptions have been published, and some are found in The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record.
Below is a list of online resources for Cumberland County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Cumberland County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
Find Obituaries in The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of New Jersey obituaries to help you research your family history. Search for a New Jersey newspaper obituary about your ancestor or a celebrity. Begin your search today and find death notices and funeral announcements printed in newspapers from Indiana.
Click Here to Search New Jersey Family Tree Records! - The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.
When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Cumberland County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Cumberland County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
Genealogy Encyclopedia: General Abbreviations, Early Illnesses, Nickname Meanings, Worldwide Epidemics, Early Occupations, Common Terms, Censuses Explained, Free Genealogical Forms
Nichols and Related Families of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virgina.
New Jersey Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
The area that now is Cumberland County, at the time of the first European settlements in the 17th century, was inhabited by a small number of Lenni Lenape Indians who migrated from place to place. Their names remain in the Manumuskin and Menantico Creeks, and their artifacts have been excavated locally for centuries. No conflict is recorded between Indians and Europeans here. By 1700 almost all had left the area.
By the fourth decade of the 17th century Swedes had moved along the banks of the Delaware Bay and the Delaware River -- a few of them on the east side. Family names such as Hendrickson, Errickson and Peterson still survive from these Swedish settlers. At least one log cabin built by these people in Lower Hopewell Township remains and may be seen on the grounds of the Gibbon House Museum in Greenwich.
The Swedes were conquered by the Dutch in 1654. No Dutch buildings survive, although family names such as Vanaman, Conover and Polhamus, of Dutch derivation still exist in Cumberland County.
Meaningful permanent settlement in what is now called Cumberland County dates from 1675 when John Fenwick purchased his tenth of West New Jersey from Lord John Berkeley. Fenwick established the town of Salem that same year, and in his will dated 1683, called for a second town to be built on the Cohansey Creek. Quakers came from Salem first, but were soon followed by Calvinists from New England and Long Island, naming the village Greenwich for the Connecticut community.
Immediately then, there were Quakers and the New Englanders who were Presbyterians and Baptists. By 1720 the Baptists had subdivided into a Seventh Day group as well as those who continued to observe the First Day as their Sabbath. Great religious diversity among such small numbers, and absolute religious tolerance were ever the rule. Baptists tended to buy lands in Hopewell Township, while the Presbyterians came first to Fairfield and then moved out to purchase new lands in Greenwich and Deerfield Townships. Quakers remained in Greenwich for the most part. Log Meeting Houses, which were later replaced by more substantial buildings were built by the Quakers in Greenwich, by the Baptists in two locations in Hopewell, and by the Presbyterians in Greenwich, Fairfield and Deerfield.
Early Settlers in Cumberland County
Who the first white settlers were in the limits of Cumberland County is not known. It has been said that some of the Swedes, who made a settlement farther up the Delaware in 1638, established themselves on the banks of Maurice River previous to any other white settlers in the county, but no evidence has been found to sustain this opinion, although it is not improbable that such was the case. Gabriel Thomas, a Friend, in a book published in London in 1698, speaks of Prince Maurice River, "where the Swedes used to kill the geese in great numbers for their feathers only, leaving their carcasses behind them." How long a time previous to the publication of the book is not known, but it implies that there were some Swedish settlers there previous to its publication. Whether the first settlers or not, the descendants of many of the Swedes are quite numerous to the present time.
About the time John Purple bought the land where Port Elizabeth stands, around 1720, settlers are known to have come, and from that time continued to come, so that about 1743 two acres of land were purchased, most probably from John Hoffman, a short distance above Spring Garden Ferry, and a Swedish church erected for the use of the brethren, and dedicated to the worship of God by Abraham Reincke, Owen Rice, Matthew Rentz, and Pastor Lawrence T. Nyber, on December 18, 1746. The church was used as such previous to its dedication, the first sermon being preached in it on June 27 1745, and Jeremiah, infant son of Lars and Susan Peterson, was baptized immediately after that. The following are the names of persons who resided in Maurice River and were attached to the brethren: Samuel Cobb and wife, Catherine, Paul Camp, Nicholas Hopman and wife, John Hopman and wife, Peter Hopman and wife, Frederic Hopman and wife, Joseph Jones, Abrham Jones and wife, Eric Kyn and wife, ----- Lommus, Peter Mosslander, Margaret -----, a widow, Stephen Mullicas and wife, Eric Mullicas and wife, Lucas Peterson and wife, Aaron Peterson, Thomas Peterson, Gabriel Powell, ----- Purple, Shiloh, an Indian, Samuel Van Immen and wife, David Van Immen, Peter Van Immen and Gabriel Van Immen.
Cumberland County is Born
The Colonial Legislature, at a session held January 30, 1748, passed an Act erecting the east side of Salem County into a new county to be called Cumberland. It was so named by Governor Jonathan Belcher in honor of his patron, William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, brother of the king and the victor over "Bonnie Prince Charles", (Stuart) the Young Pretender to the throne of England whose hopes were quenched at the bloody Battle of Culloden Moor.
The Act establishing the new county divided it into six townships: Greenwich, Hopewell, Stow Creek, Deerfield, Fairfield, and Maurice River. The Legislature ordered the Freeholders to meet first at Cohansey Bridge, which is now Bridgeton, to arrange for the taking of a poll to determine the location of the county seat. The first court was held at Greenwich. In December of the same year, 1748, Cohansey Bridge (now Bridgeton) was chosen as the seat of county government. The selection was compromise, Greenwich, Fairfield and Deerfield contending for the honor, the convenience and the practical advantage from a business standpoint.
In 1752, Cumberland County's first court house, (Cumberland has had four) was built in the center of what is now West Broad Street, east of the line of Franklin Street. During the next 15 years, Cumberland County developed rapidly and, at the same time, dissatisfaction over Colonial rule was increasing, a feeling that brought about eventual separation from the British Crown. In 1772, Cumberland first elected two representatives to the Colonial Legislature. Theretofore, Salem and Cumberland had been jointly represented. Downe Township was established. It was given the maiden name of Governor William Franklin's wife, Elizabeth Downes, whose name was misspelled in the printed legislation and has been misspelled ever since.
Cumberland County in the Revolution
Patriot sentiment predominated though it was by no means unanimous in Cumberland County. Clear lines began to be drawn after the Boston Tea Party of December 1773. By December of the following year (1774) Greenwich was ready for its own "Tea Party" (its own reaction to British tea). The boxes stored in the town for later shipment to Philadelphia, were seized and burned on Market Square. This was the only act of violence against British authority in New Jersey prior to the Revolution.Potters Tavern in Bridgeton
Philip Vickers Fithian, Greenwich resident, College of New Jersey graduate, and would-be Presbyterian minister, kept a journal from 1766 to 1776, which narrated those stormy days. He witnessed a similar tea burning in the town of Annapolis, Maryland, though he never admitted being one of the Greenwich tea burners.
During the winter of 1775-1776, after hostilities had begun in Massachusetts, the "Plain Dealer", a hand written news sheet appeared in Potter's Tavern, Bridgeton (pictured at right), submitted by the young lawyers of the county seat. Among the articles of local news and gossip were several stories, serious and comic, which dealt with the choices Americans had to make of loyalty to Britain, adherence to the Patriot cause, or neutrality.
Greenwich Tea Burning: 1774
Liberty was not cradled in Philadelphia alone. The spirit was also alive in the inhabitants of Cumberland County when they destroyed a cargo of tea in 1774.
Tea Party DrawingForty miles from Philadelphia, was (and still is) the little town of Greenwich, the principal settlement of Cumberland County. It was founded in 1675 by John Fenwick and is older than Philadelphia, not founded until 1682. The hand of time has hardly touched Greenwich. It is much the same today as it was three hundred years ago, when the British flag flew high over it. Today you will still find there a wide street, which they still call "Ye Greate Street." It was laid out in 1684 and its course has never been changed.
The Cohansey creek is a navigable stream of some size running through the county of Cumberland, and emptying into the Delaware Bay. In the Autumn of 1774 the quiet inhabitants along the banks of the creek were startled by the appearance of a British brig, called the "Greyhound", which, sailing about four miles up the stream stopped at the village of Greenwich, being the first landing from its mouth. She was laden with a cargo of tea, sent out by the East India Tea Company, under the impression, doubtless, that the conservative feelings and principles of the people of New Jersey would induce them to submit quietly to a small tax. The result showed that the temper of the people was little understood by the East India Tea Company.
Having found an English sympathizer, a Tory, as they were called, one Dan Bowen, the Greyhound's crew secretly stored the cargo of tea in the cellar of his house. However, this unusual procedure was noted by the citizens who immediately appointed a temporary committee of five to look after the matter until a county committee might be appointed.
A general committee of thirty-five was later appointed, with representatives from Greenwich, Deerfield, Jericho, Shiloh, Bridgeton, Fairfield and perhaps other places.
News of the Boston Tea Party had already reached Greenwich and the defiant example was regarded by many of the local settlers as worthy of their own contempt for the British. Fate now presented them with a ready-made opportunity to duplicate the act.
On the evening of Thursday, December 22, 1774, a company of about forty young Whigs, disguised as Indians, entered the cellar of Bowen's house, took possession of the whole cargo, conveyed the tea chests from the cellar into an adjoining field, and piling them together, burnt them in one general conflagration.
Thus, the patriots of Cumberland County living in Greenwich expressed their discontent by reacting to oppressive governmental measures. They had clearly taken a stand for independence and democracy.
Greenwich had been granted the distinction of being one of the five tea-party towns in America, the others being Charleston, Annapolis, Princeton, and Boston. In 1908 this monument was erected in the old market place on Ye Greate Street to commemorate the burning of a cargo of British tea December 22, 1774.
The Plain Dealer
The Plain Dealer, the first newspaper established in New Jersey expressly for the purpose of supporting the sometimes faltering drive for American liberty, is one of the literary-political landmarks of the American Revolutionary period. The distinguished historian, John T. Cunningham, said that the fact that the Plain Dealer appeared every Tuesday morning probably made it New Jersey's first regular "Newspaper."
Potter's Tavern, where the Plain Dealer was published is one of New Jersey's most significant historical shrines.
The editor of the Plain Dealer was Ebenezer Elmer, age 23, a native of Fairfield, a tea burner and a young physician who later distinguished himself as a soldier, a statesman and a public benefactor. He was the last survivor of Washington's officers of the Jersey Continental Line. He was also the last original member of the New Jersey Society of the Cincinnati and at his death was the president of that mutual aid organization formed by the officers of Washington's army when his troops were disbanded.
Containing clear and persuasive argument in favor of Liberty from British domination, the Plain Dealer successfully served to crystallize sentiment in Cumberland County in favor of armed resistance. This accomplished, the editor and the contributors went off to war.
The tavern bore the name of its licensed keeper, Mine Host Matthew Potter. He was a brother of David Potter, who was later a Colonel in the Militia. Matthew's place of entertainment was a gathering spot for the local firebrands. The fact that he gave a home to the Plain Dealer placed him in personal danger in the Revolutionary period. The silhouette on the cover of this booklet is the only likeness of Ebenezer Elmer so far identified.
The original manuscript of the Plain Dealer was in the hands of Bridgeton owners who held it by inheritance. In the 1930's it found its way into the streams of trade finally coming to rest in the Rare Book Collection of Rutgers, The State University.
Cumberland County Liberty Bell
* The bell, in the key of F, was made in Bridgewater, England before 1776.
* This bell has been used in many ways in Bridgeton and once in Philadelphia.
* Called people together for important news and meetings when hanging in the Court House that was built in 1760-61.
* Rang for liberty when the Declaration of Independence was signed.
* Used as a warning signal during the War of 1812.
* Was a fireman's bell.
* Was a school bell for the West Jersey Academy and later at the old Bridgeton High School.
* Rang for the 200th Anniversary of the founding of Cumberland County in 1948.
* Was on exhibit in Philadelphia during the 150th Anniversary of Independence. While there, it rang for the closing time.
Cumberland County Courthouse History
The Cumberland County Courthouse stands at the corner of Broad and Fayette Streets in Bridgeton, the county seat. This structure and those which precede it have stood on this spot - or just a stone's throw away - for more than 200 years. From the time the first frame building was constructed in 1752 until the present date, the Court House has represented the hub of the county. The agencies which it houses have carried on their prescribed duties, expanding in direct ratio to the growing state and nation of which it is a part. It has seen its sons march away, first to secure liberty, then to preserve it. Its very activities have reflected the effects on its people of boom times and depressions.
The title of the Court House quite properly designates the building as a hall of justice, yet it has embraced with its walls and nearby such a multitude of departmental service functions quite apart from the operation of the courts, that it must also be regarded as the seat of the Cumberland County government.
The Cumberland County Courthouse stands at the corner of Broad and Fayette Streets in 
direct ratio to the growing state and nation of which it is a part. It has seen its sons march away, first to secure liberty, then to preserve it. Its very activities have reflected the effects on its people of boom times and depressions.