Genealogical Data, The Salem Tenth in West New Jersey

By: H. Stanley Craig, Pub. 1926, reprinted 2022, 100 pages, Index, ISBN #978-1-63914-038-1.

The Salem Tenth encompassed approximately 350 square miles in the Southwestern part of the state which includes present day Salem and Cumberland Counties. It was founded by a Quaker named John Fenwick in 1665. This was the first English settlement established in west portion of the state of New Jersey following the English defeat of the Dutch in 1664. It had become the first Quaker colony in North America, predating any settlements in Philadelphia. In 1665, John Fenwick was involved in a financial dispute when acquiring these lands from Lord Berkeley. Lord Berkeley had also sold lands to Edward Billinge in New Jersey. The final outcome of the dispute was that for financial considerations Fenwick was granted a tenth of West Jersey.