Marlboro Township is a township in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is located within the Raritan Valley region and is a part of the New York metropolitan area.Tarabour, Brooke. "New Jersey-Bound: The Staten Island Migration", The New York Times, January 10, 1993. Accessed June 10, 2022.Garbarine, Brooke. "If You're Thinking of Living in:; Marlboro", The New York Times, July 12, 1987. Accessed June 13, 2022. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 41,502, an increase of 1,311 (+3.3%) from the 2010 census count of 40,191, which in turn reflected an increase of 5,449 (+16.3%) from the 33,423 counted in the 2000 census.Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023.

Marlboro Township was formed by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 17, 1848, from portions of Freehold Township.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 182. Accessed May 30, 2024. The township was named for the marl beds found in the area.Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed August 30, 2015.

History

Historical timeline

Lenni Lenape The Lenni Lenape Native Americans were the first known organized inhabitants of this area, having settled here about one thousand years ago and forming an agricultural society, occupying small villages that dotted what was to become Marlboro Township.Lazaretto: Time Line , Lazaretto Quarantine Station. Accessed August 30, 2015. Their villages were known to be in the Wickatunk and Crawford's Corner sections of the township.William S. Hornor, This Old Monmouth of Ours, published 1932, Page 190

In 1600, the Delaware / Lenape Native American population in the surrounding area may have numbered as many as 20,000.Winson, Terrie. , Reading Area Community College, March 2002, backed up by the Internet Archive as of December 11, 2008. Accessed July 16, 2015.Native Americans, Penn Treaty Museum. Accessed July 16, 2015. Several wars, at least 14 separate epidemics (yellow fever, smallpox, influenza, encephalitis lethargica, etc.) and disastrous over-harvesting of the animal populations reduced their population to around 4,000 by the year 1700. Since the Lenape people, like all Native Americans, had no immunity to European diseases, when the populations contacted the epidemics, they frequently proved fatal."The Lenapes: A study of Hudson Valley Indians", Welcome to Marist Country, backed up by the Internet Archive as of January 27, 2012. Accessed July 16, 2015. Some Lenape starved to death as a result of animal over-harvesting, while others were forced to trade their land for goods such as clothing and food. They were eventually moved to reservations set up by the US Government. They were first moved to the only Indian Reservation in New Jersey, the Brotherton Reservation in Burlington County, New Jersey (1758–1802).Thomas, JD. "The Colonies' First and New Jersey's Only Indian Reservation", Accessible Archives, August 29, 2013. Accessed July 16, 2015. Those who remained survived through attempting to adapt to the dominant culture, becoming farmers and tradesmen. As the Lenni Lenape population declined, and the European population increased, the history of the area was increasingly defined by the new European inhabitants and the Lenape Native American tribes played an increasingly secondary role.

Dutch arrival

Within a period of 112 years, 1497–1609, four European explorers claimed this land for their sponsors: John Cabot, 1497, for England; Giovanni de Verrazano, 1524, for France; Estevan Gomez, 1525, for Spain, Henry Hudson, 1609, for Holland. After the Dutch arrival to the region in the 1620s, the Lenape were successful in restricting Dutch settlement to Pavonia in present-day Jersey City along the Hudson River until the 1660s and the Swedish settlement to New Sweden (1655 – The Dutch defeat the Swedes on the Delaware). The Dutch established a garrison at Bergen allowing settlement of areas within the province of New Netherland. For 50 years, 1614–1664, the Monmouth County area came under the influence of the Dutch, but it was not settled until after English rule in 1664.

The initial European proprietors of the area purchased the land from the Lenni Lenape leader or Sakamaker.Marlboro Municipal Records , Monmouth County, New Jersey. Accessed June 29, 2011. The chief of the Unami, or Turtle clan, was traditionally the great chief of all the Lenni Lenape. One of the sons of the leader, was Weequehelanation.txt History of The Lenape Nation, University of Nevada, Reno, backed up by the Internet Archive as of January 16, 2010. Accessed April 20, 2012. who negotiated the sale of several of the initial tracts of land to the first farmers. An early deed refers to "the chief sachems or leaders of Toponemus."

On April 2, 1664, the English appointed Richard Nicolls to serve as the Deputy Governor of New York and New Jersey. One year later, April 8, 1665, Nicolls issued "The Monmouth Patent" to twelve men who had come from Western Long Island and New England seeking permanent stability for religious and civil freedom as well as the prospect of improving their estates. Nicolls was unaware that in June, 1664, James had given a lease and release for New Jersey to Lord John Berkeley and Sir George Carteret, thus invalidating the grant to the Monmouth Patentees.History of Colts Neck , Colts Neck Township. Accessed December 4, 2016. The rule at the time was that land should be purchased from the Patent.

However, in the time between 1685 and the early 18th century, the patent was ignored and land was gradually purchased from the Lenni Lenape causing confusion and disputes over ownership. Following the initial sale of land, the history of the township starts about 1685, when the land was first settled by European farmers from Scotland, England and the Netherlands. The Scottish exiles and early Dutch settlers lived on isolated clearings carved out of the forest."Early Dutch Settlers: Cornelius Couwenhoven of Pleasant Valley", The Daily Register, May 18, 1898. Accessed January 24, 2025, via Newspapers.com. The lingua franca or common language spoken in the area was likely, overwhelmingly Dutch. However, this was one of many languages spoken with the culture very steeped in New Netherlander. The official documentation at the time is frequently found to be in the Dutch language. The documents of the time also suggest that money transactions used the British shilling. The English and Scotch settlers were Quakers. After initial European contact, the Lenape population sharply declined.

The first settlers of the area were led by missionary George Keith. They were Quakers. The Quakers established a town called Topanemus and nearby a meetinghouse and a cemetery on what is now Topanemus RoadReligious Society Of Friends (Quakers) ub 1692. Freehold Township website. Accessed April 5, 2006. and held the first meeting on October 10, 1702.St. Peter's Episcopal Church History . Freehold Township website. Accessed April 5, 2006. The first leader of the church was Rev. George Keith who received a large grant of land in the area due to his position as Surveyor-General.Metzgar, Dick. "Pastor proud of church's involvement in community; Work continuing on St. Peter's restoration", News Transcript, October 4, 2000. Accessed January 20, 2018. Among the first listed communicants of the new church were Garret and Jan Schenck. The church later changed its affiliation to the Episcopal faith and became St. Peter's Episcopal Church, which is now located in Freehold."Monmouth County" from Historic Roadsides of New Jersey, Get NJ. Accessed December 4, 2016. The old burial ground still remains on Topanemus Road. In 1692 those of the Presbyterian Faith built a church and burial ground on what is now Gordons Corner Road. The church eventually moved to Tennent where it became known as the Old Tennent Church and played a role in the American Revolutionary War. The old Scots Cemetery still remains at its original site.

Marl's discovery The township of Marlboro is named for the prevalence of marl,Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed July 16, 2015. which was first discovered in the area east of the village in 1768. Marl was used extensively on farms and spread during the winter months to be tilled into the soil in the spring.History of Monmouth County, New Jersey, 1664-1920, Volume 3 - Published 1922 The "Marl Pits" are clearly reflected on maps from 1889 shown as a dirt road off of Hudson Street heading towards the current location of the township soccer fields.Wolverton's Atlas of Monmouth County NJ - Published by Chester Wolverton 243 Broadway - New York 1889 Farmers used marl to improve the soil in the days before commercial fertilizers and there was a heavy demand for it. Marlboro Township's first industry was the export of the material, used primarily as fertilizer. In 1853, the Marl was harvested and transported to other parts of the state and to the Keyport docks via the Freehold Marl Company Railroad (now the Henry Hudson Trail).The Freehold and Jamesburg Agricultural Railroad, New Jersey Railroad Information. Accessed August 29, 2015.Outline Map of New Jersey The marl was then sent to New York and other parts of the country via ship.Glickson, Grant. "If You're Thinking of Living in: Marlboro", The New York Times, August 22, 1993. Accessed April 20, 2012. "Settled by the Dutch in the late 1600s, Marlboro got its name from marl, a mixture of clay and shells, discovered on a farm shortly before the Revolutionary War. The material, used primarily as fertilizer, was shipped throughout the state and by boat to New York." Prior to the finding of Marl, the area was known as 'Bucktown' for John Buck who owned a tavern in the area.History of Monmouth County, New Jersey, 1664-1920, Volume 2 - Page 463 - Published 1922

Revolutionary War