Several years ago, there was a fascinating show on the History Channel called 'How The States Got Their Shape.' The show described how the borders of each state were established, how they changed over the years, and a lot of the idiosyncrasies involved in defining the states as we know them today.
So recently I wondered how Evesham got its shape. Here is my attempt to decipher that. I'm sure some corrections may be needed, as there are probably some people more versed in our township's history waiting to tell their story, so please feel free to email me or comment on the post when this gets posted to Facebook. Some of the descriptions I've included from the original text not so much to help understand where the borders of Evesham are, but to document the process and language used to establish borders 300+ years ago.
(One of the first things I learned was that the town was originally named Eversham. I wanted to mention this in the beginning, so you don't think there are multiple misspellings below.)
Trying to read through ownership records of New Jersey from the 1600s is difficult - the documents are a convoluted jumbled mess of Dutch and English claims, English grants to noblemen who subsequently went bankrupt and competing claims to the same lands, not to mention the fact that the English language used back then is substantially different than what we use today.
After originally settling in the area in 1672, a group of four Quakers (including William Penn) wished to establish a Quaker colony in the western portion of New Jersey, and on July 1, 1676, the division of New Jersey into East Jersey and West Jersey was established. The final border, known as the Keith Line after surveyor George Keith, was not officially agreed upon until 1702 and that border still serves as much of the border today, separating Burlington County from Ocean, Mercer and Monmouth Counties.
After establishing West Jersey, the land was subdivided into 'Tenths'. While nominally 10% of the land, these were not divided equally. A group known as the 'London Friends [Quakers]' chose to settle near Burlington (town) in the Second Tenth, otherwise known as the London Tenth.
Burlington County was formed from the 1st and 2nd Tenths. Except for the town of Burlington established in 1677, the new townships of Burlington County were set up as 'Constablries'. Eversham was established on November 6, 1688. Seven other Constablries were established: Chester, Chesterfield, Mansfield, Northampton, Nottingham, Springfield and Wellingborrow
There are debates as to whether the town was named after the town of Evesham in England or after one of the early settlers Thomas Eves - unfortunately the true story may be lost to history.
Update 8/27/2018 - According to an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer on December 17, 1989, it is both. The township "is named after Evesham Borough in England and an early settler, Thomas Eves."
The official proclamation establishing Eversham set the boundaries:
An agreement on December 14, 1709 set the border between Eversham and Northampton, the Constablry just to the northeast of Eversham.
Sometime prior to 1795, the 'r' was dropped from the name, though I have not been able to determine when or why.
Sources:
The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries 1606-1968 by John F Snyder
The Burlington Court Book of West New Jersey 1680-1709
http://www.westjerseyhistory.org
A History of Evesham Township, Maurice W. Horner
http://mapmaker.rutgers.edu/MAPS.html
New Jersey Postal History Society - http://njpostalhistory.org/media/archive/163-aug06njph.pdf
http://www.medfordtownship.com/filestorage/229/briefhistory.pdf
Related: Evesham and the Dukes of Hazzard Rules
So recently I wondered how Evesham got its shape. Here is my attempt to decipher that. I'm sure some corrections may be needed, as there are probably some people more versed in our township's history waiting to tell their story, so please feel free to email me or comment on the post when this gets posted to Facebook. Some of the descriptions I've included from the original text not so much to help understand where the borders of Evesham are, but to document the process and language used to establish borders 300+ years ago.
(One of the first things I learned was that the town was originally named Eversham. I wanted to mention this in the beginning, so you don't think there are multiple misspellings below.)
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| Southern Jersey, including Eversham, in 1700 |
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| Northern Jersey in 1700. Note that northwest New Jersey was 'provisionally' part of Burlington County |
Trying to read through ownership records of New Jersey from the 1600s is difficult - the documents are a convoluted jumbled mess of Dutch and English claims, English grants to noblemen who subsequently went bankrupt and competing claims to the same lands, not to mention the fact that the English language used back then is substantially different than what we use today.
After originally settling in the area in 1672, a group of four Quakers (including William Penn) wished to establish a Quaker colony in the western portion of New Jersey, and on July 1, 1676, the division of New Jersey into East Jersey and West Jersey was established. The final border, known as the Keith Line after surveyor George Keith, was not officially agreed upon until 1702 and that border still serves as much of the border today, separating Burlington County from Ocean, Mercer and Monmouth Counties.
Burlington County was formed from the 1st and 2nd Tenths. Except for the town of Burlington established in 1677, the new townships of Burlington County were set up as 'Constablries'. Eversham was established on November 6, 1688. Seven other Constablries were established: Chester, Chesterfield, Mansfield, Northampton, Nottingham, Springfield and Wellingborrow
There are debates as to whether the town was named after the town of Evesham in England or after one of the early settlers Thomas Eves - unfortunately the true story may be lost to history.
Update 8/27/2018 - According to an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer on December 17, 1989, it is both. The township "is named after Evesham Borough in England and an early settler, Thomas Eves."
The official proclamation establishing Eversham set the boundaries:
The Constablry of Eversham, from the Kings Highway that Leads to Salem to the Indian Lyne, and soe along the Indian Lyne to the Easterly Branch of the Northampton River [multiple sics]An agreement on December 29th, 1696 set the boundary between Eversham and Chester, the Constablry just to the northwest of Everham (see 1st map above). Reference points were established by saying things as specific as "Widdow [sic] Eltons land to be in Evesham".
An agreement on December 14, 1709 set the border between Eversham and Northampton, the Constablry just to the northeast of Eversham.
Sometime prior to 1795, the 'r' was dropped from the name, though I have not been able to determine when or why.
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| The original Eversham included the entirety of this map |
- 2/21/1798 The township was incorporated as Evesham Township.
- 11/19/1802 Portions of Evesham were split off to form Washington Township.
- 2/4/1847 Portions of Evesham were used to form Medford, which was known as Upper Evesham until 1874. (I have also see this date listed as 3/1/1847). Subsequently, some of that portion of Medford was split off in 1852 to form Shamong and in 1860 to form Lumberton
- 3/7/1872 Portions of Evesham were used to form Mount Laurel (Prior to this, the area was known alternately as Lower Evesham, Evan's Mount, Mount Tray or Evesham Mount.)
At this point, the borders of Evesham were pretty much set as they are today.
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| By 1795, Eversham was renamed Evesham |
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| Southern New Jersey in 1826 |
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| Evesham in 1872. The Little Egg Harbor River on the southern border is now called the Mullica River |
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| South Jersey in 1900 |
Sources:
The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries 1606-1968 by John F Snyder
The Burlington Court Book of West New Jersey 1680-1709
http://www.westjerseyhistory.org
A History of Evesham Township, Maurice W. Horner
http://mapmaker.rutgers.edu/MAPS.html
New Jersey Postal History Society - http://njpostalhistory.org/media/archive/163-aug06njph.pdf
http://www.medfordtownship.com/filestorage/229/briefhistory.pdf
Related: Evesham and the Dukes of Hazzard Rules
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