NJDARM: Archives Collection Guides: Cumberland County, Court of Common Pleas, Partitions of Land, 1806-1929

Record Group:	Cumberland County
Subgroup:	Court of Common Pleas
Series:	Partitions of Land, 1806-1929
Accession #:	1985.008, 1990.084
Series #:	CCUCP004
Guide Date:	rev. 7/2003 [LB]
Volume:	1.75 c.f. [4 boxes]

Content Note | Contents

Legislative History

"An Act for the more easy partition of lands held by Coparceners, Joint-Tenants, and Tenants in Common," (1789) required one Justice of the State Supreme Court, or three judges of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas of the County, to appoint three disinterested commissioners to determine a partition of land. The commissioners were obliged to survey the land and make an impartial division. The division was then submitted, in writing, along with the field book and map, which specified the bounds and numbers of the lots, to the County Clerk. The act also required that notice be given, in the form of an advertisement, to alert the occupants as to where the balloting, which would determine the allotment of land, would be held. If no objective partition could be achieved, the commissioners were to arrange for the sale of the land at a public auction to the highest bidder ("An Act for the more easy partition of lands," 1846).

Similarly, if disputes arose over current boundaries (for establishment of boundaries see: "An Act for the Limitation of Suits respecting Titles to Lands," 1787) an application was filed with the Court of Common Pleas, and three disinterested commissioners were appointed to survey the land and settle the conflict ("An Act for regulating and ascertaining the lines between adjoining lands of different owners," 1882).

In 1846, "An Act making lands liable to be sold for the payment of debts," allowed Orphans' Court to order the seizure and/or selling of the land in order to settle financial obligations. The act required the Court to sell only the amount of land necessary for payment and to order a just and equal distribution of the surplus land.

"An Act concerning the proof of descent and succession to real estate in cases of intestacy" (1880) permitted heirs to petition the Orphans' Court to grant them inheritance by furnishing relevant information (the fact of death, place of last residence, and number, ages, residences, and relationships of other heirs) to the Court as proof of identity. However, if any claim was disputed, according to "An Act to compel the determination of claims to Real Estate...and to quiet the title to the same" (1870 and 1896), the claim must be tried in Chancery Court to settle the title of lands.

Content Note

This series contains the applications and documentation concerning land partitions filed with the Cumberland County Clerk's Office between 1806 and 1929. Many of these documents include: the commissioners' reports and fees, maps, land descriptions, and records from both the Cumberland County Court of Common Pleas and the Chancery Court of New Jersey. In addition, the series also contains a draft of an act permitting the erection of various water-works in Fairfield Township.

The files within this series are arranged in chronological order. The names of the petitioners and the location of the land in question are supplied to provide further distinction.

Contents

Box 1
1.	"An Act to enable the Owners and Possessors of Marsh, Swamp, and Cripple, lying above the Fast Sanding on Nantucket Creek, in the Townships of Fairfield and Downs, in the County of Cumberland, to erect a Bank, Dam, and other Water-Works, and effectually to drain and improve the same:" Nantucket Creek, Fairfield/Downe Twps. [Draft, no date; 1 item].
2.	Partition: land of William Moore, Henry Hampton, Daniel Blizzard, and heirs of Charles Ladew at Turkey Point, 1806 [8 items].
3.	Ichabod and Isaac Bishop: land at Fairfield Twp., 1806 [1 item].
4.	Partition: land of James Diamont, Abigail Lummis, Hannah Eldridge, heirs of Sarah Westcott, Ruth Harris, Lois Brewster, and Mary Mead at Bean Swamp, 1809 [5 items].
5.	Thomas, Dubois: land of Jonathan Foster, 1816 [1 item].
6.	Samuel Bishop: land at Mist Creek, Maurice River Twp., 1823 [1 item].
7.	Albert Hawkins: land at Downe Twp., 1824 [1 item].
8.	John F. Bower: land at Downe/Millville Twps., 1828 [5 items].
9.	James Hood: land at Grist Mill, Hopewell Twp., 1831 [4 items].
10.	Thomas P. Buck: land at Deerfield Twp., 1835 [6 items].
11.	Philips Creek Bank Company: land at Greenwich Twp., 1837 [1 item].
12.	George Lawrence vs. William Bright: land at Downe Twp., 1840-1845 [19 items].
13.	Samuel R. Brick vs. Joseph Smith: land at Bridgeton Twp., 1841 [2 items].
14.	John Cheesman vs. Benjamin Dare: no location, 1841 [2 items].
15.	Lewis McBride vs. William S. Paulin: land at Hopewell Twp., 1842 [4 items].
16.	William M. and Eleanor Bower, and Mary Pew: land of John Code, Bridgeton Twp., 1844 [3 items].
17.	George B. Cooper and Charles Townsend: land at Smithy (Heisters) Mill, Maurice River Twp., 1847 [1 item].
18.	John Hoover: land of Jacob Hoover at Millville Twp., 1847-1848 [5 items].
19.	Joseph Bingham: land at Maurice River Twp., 1850 [1 item].
20.	Joshua Brick: land of William Rogers, Elkinton Farm, Maurice River Twp., 1850 [5 items].
21.	Cumberland Mail Company: land at Stoe Creek Twp., 1850 [2 items].
22.	Upper Meadow Company of Mauricetown: land at Mauricetown, Downe Twp., 1851 [3 items].
23.	Joseph and Mary Ann Frerich, and Warner K. and Elizabeth Heston: land of Rachel Clunndee, Bridgeton Twp., 1851-1852 [ 4 items].
24.	Joseph and Mariah Woodruff: land of Nathan Coombs, Bridgeton Twp., 1852-1853 [2 items].
25.	Robert Parvin: land at Woodlands, Deerfield Twp., 1853 [2 items].
26.	Thomas N. Almond: land at Cohansey Twp., 1854 [1 item].
27.	Jones Island Meadow Company: land at Jones Island Meadow, Fairfield Twp., 1854 [3 items].
28.	Ethan and Elizabeth Lore: land of William Chann, New Port, 1854-1855 [8 items].
29.	George S. and Lydia A. (late Maghew) Compton: land of Ezekial Mayhew, Downe Twp., 1860 [2 items].
30.	A. E. Hughes: land at Pearl Street, Bridgeton Twp., 1861-1862 [3 items].
31.	Peter Camblos: land at Downe Twp., 1862 [1 item].
32.	John Boggs, Major Henderson, and Francis Lee: land of Sarah Lore, Maurice River Twp., 1865 [1 item].
33.	Jacob Bryant: land at Greenwich Twp., 1867 [1 item].
34.	John Lore: land at Downe [Commercial ?] Twp., 1867 [7 items; oversized].
35.	Maurice River Bridge Company: land at Maurice River Twp., 1868 [4 items; oversized].
36.	Stetsen S. Bacon: land of William Bacon, Downe Twp., 1868-1869 [10 items].
37.	Thomas B. Woods vs. Thomas and Adeline Sinnickson, Warren and Vashli Wood, and Henry C. and Lucy Clark: land of John S. Wood, Stoe Creek Twp., 1871 [1 item; oversized]. [Acc. #1985.008]
38.	Elihu R. Peterson: land of Err Peterson, Fairfield Twp., 1873 [10 items].
39.	Maria L. Seymore: land at Greenwich Twp., 1873 [1 item].
40.	Caleb Henry Sheppard: land of Caleb Sheppard, Greenwich Twp., 1874 [2 items].
41.	Richard J. Bonham: land of John S. Bacon, Greenwich Twp., 1874-1881 [18 items].
42.	John Hepner: land of Elizabeth Hepner, Deerfield Twp., 1876 [11 items].
43.	John Cleaver: land at Bridgeton Twp., 1877 [13 items].
44.	Hannah A. Richardson: land of Asa Banatt, Hopewell Twp., 1877 [3 items].
45.	Norton P. Lore Jr.: land of Lucy Bacon, Mauricetown, Commercial Twp., 1877-1878 [16 items].
46.	Hannah A. Richardson: land of Ruth B. Banatt, Hopewell Twp., 1877-1879 [4 items].
47.	Absalom Lord: land of Joseph Lord, Maurice River Twp., 1878-1879 [16 items].
Box 2
1.	George Hesmer: land at Deerfield Twp., 1879 [12 items ].
2.	Alphonso Woodruff, Mark Lopes, and Samuel Peacock: land of George Hepner, 1879 [3 items].
3.	Elias Doughty: land of David C. Woods, Millville Twp., 1879-1880 [5 items].
4.	Elizabeth Eaton: land at Downe Twp., 1881 [12 items].
5.	Daniel B. Mayhew: land of Isaac Mayhew, 1881 [8 items].
6.	Charles E. Elmer: land at Greenwich Twp., 1882 [1 item].
7.	Henry K. and Samuel G. Garrison: land at Millville Twp., 1884-1885 [11 items].
8.	Lawrence Harris: land of Susan H. Carl, Bridgeton Twp., 1884-1889 [14 items].
9.	John Burt: land of Gideon Heaton, Downe/Commercial Twp., 1886 [8 items].
10.	Clement L. Compton: land at Maurice River Twp., 1890-1891 [4 items].
11.	Thomas Shropshire: land at Commercial Twp., 1893-1894 [11 items].
12.	Catharine Steller: land at Deerfield/Bridgeton Twp., 1893-1894 [10 items].
13.	Minerva D. Biggs: land of Luke West, Millville Twp., 1894 [3 items].
14.	Belle Evans Compton: land at Commercial Twp., 1894 [9 items].
15.	James Buckaloo: land at Commercial Twp, 1895 [7 items].
16.	Samuel Woolford: land at Millville Twp., 1895 [9 items].
17.	Emma A. Compton: land of Samuel Compton, Commercial Twp., 1896 [15 items].
18.	Henry Berry: land of Henry Berry, Commercial Twp., 1897 [9 items].
19.	Rose Cohen: land at Bridgeton Twp., 1897 [13 items].
20.	Joseph G. Edwards: land at Millville Twp., 1899 [12 items].
21.	William Lee: land at Fairfield Twp., 1900-1901 [11 items].
22.	John W., Joseph, and Alexander Sye: land at Greenwich Twp., 1900 [13 items].
23.	Mary R. Leeds: land of Edmund D. Ayers, First Ward, Bridgeton Twp., 1902-1905 [24 items; oversized].
Box 3
1.	Harry Singer and Abraham Goldman: land at Deerfield Twp., 1903 [12 items].
2.	Benjamin F. Page: land at Downe Twp., 1904 [21 items; oversized].
3.	Rebecca S. Harris: land of Ellen Sharp, Maurice River Twp., 1904-1905 [12 items].
4.	Thomas H. Carlisle: land of Daniel G. Carlisle, Leesburg, Maurice River Twp., 1908 [12 items; oversized].
5.	George B. Fleetwood: land of George F. Fleetwood, Dividing Creek, Downe Twp., 1908 [10 items].
6.	Sarah B. Vannaman: land of Frazier G. Lore, Downe Twp., 1909 [17 items].
7.	Royal P. Tuller/South Jersey Improvement Company vs. Stacy W. Newcomb: lands of James D. Newcomb, "Pane Tract," Landis Twp., 1911 [12 items].
8.	Jane B. Terry: land of Susan Bevan, Deerfield Twp., 1912 [15 items].
9.	Jacob King: land of Lewis King, Millville Twp., 1913-1918 [16 items].
10.	Harry M. Seeley: land at Greenwich Twp., 1916-1917 [14 items].
11.	Florence L. Stiles, Ida Miller Murphy, Lizzie C. Hackney, Emily Buckson, Lottie D. Moore, Monroe O. Wallen, Ella M. Taylor, A. Gertrude Hawn, and Robert E. Wallen: land of William A. Bennett, Fairfield Twp., 1918-1921 19 items].
12.	Benjamin F. Richman: land at First Ward, Bridgeton Twp., 1920 [16 items].
Box 4
1.	Roscoe C. Davis: land of Morris Davis, First Ward, Bridgeton Twp., 1921 [7 items].
2.	Ella Hickman: land of William McKee, Bridgeton Twp., 1923 [19 items; oversized].
3.	Christopher Coombs: land of Jacob Coombs, Fairfield Twp., 1924 [15 items].
4.	John T. and James O. Lore: land at Fortescue Creek, Downe Twp., 1924 [5 items].
5.	John Camphire: land of Mary and Amanda Camphire, Hopewell Twp., 1926 [19 items].
6.	Michael McGrath: land at Deerfield, 1926 [2 items].
7.	William S. Davis: land of Emaline Somers, Bridgeton Twp., 1929 [13 items].

Created November 2004

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