All,
A little background on the West Jersey Society.
The West Jersey Society (not the West Jersey Proprietors) started out as a group of 48 individuals mostly from London who in 1691/92 organized to form a joint stock company that acquired and sold land in what is now New Jersey. This occurred mostly in northern NJ along with Cape May and Cumberland County here in the south. According to a publication in the “Jerseyman” from 1895, their object was “Carrying on trade in America as for the promoting & carrying on of several other useful and necessary designs for mutual advantage.” Basically, they were land speculators trying to make money any way they could. And Relayer from this site told me they were involved with some unethical surveying and attempted to rig at least one election. They were still operating in 1895 when the “Jerseyman” publication was written, but I don’t know when the society ended.
In any event, what is important is they did survey work, and obviously that interests me, and I was quite happy when I acquired the below B&W photo. It shows the remains of a West Jersey Society stone with the “CIE” of “Society” still intact, along with the word “Beginning”. I would assume this was the Point of Beginning for the survey of a particular tract of land they acquired.
So this morning we headed out following a hand drawn map that came with it. I had aerial photo’s with me which allowed me to figure the best way to access it, and sure enough it was still there. Surrounded by briers, but still physically in the exact same condition it was when the above photo was taken years ago.
Notice the tree size behind it and compare it with the above photo.
Guy
A little background on the West Jersey Society.
The West Jersey Society (not the West Jersey Proprietors) started out as a group of 48 individuals mostly from London who in 1691/92 organized to form a joint stock company that acquired and sold land in what is now New Jersey. This occurred mostly in northern NJ along with Cape May and Cumberland County here in the south. According to a publication in the “Jerseyman” from 1895, their object was “Carrying on trade in America as for the promoting & carrying on of several other useful and necessary designs for mutual advantage.” Basically, they were land speculators trying to make money any way they could. And Relayer from this site told me they were involved with some unethical surveying and attempted to rig at least one election. They were still operating in 1895 when the “Jerseyman” publication was written, but I don’t know when the society ended.
In any event, what is important is they did survey work, and obviously that interests me, and I was quite happy when I acquired the below B&W photo. It shows the remains of a West Jersey Society stone with the “CIE” of “Society” still intact, along with the word “Beginning”. I would assume this was the Point of Beginning for the survey of a particular tract of land they acquired.
So this morning we headed out following a hand drawn map that came with it. I had aerial photo’s with me which allowed me to figure the best way to access it, and sure enough it was still there. Surrounded by briers, but still physically in the exact same condition it was when the above photo was taken years ago.
Notice the tree size behind it and compare it with the above photo.
Guy
