Morris Canal and Banking Company

Content Note

The title paper files are one of the most valuable series of records in the Morris Canal collection.  The series contains original deeds, agreements, and occasionally maps, for most of the properties owned by the company.  Files also contain numerous other legal documents relating to the history of the canal, such as:  the boat loan file (including the bill of sale of the company's boats to Richard Lewis, 1849); the original field books used for the maps/field notes/estimates and appraisals books, 1828-1834; lawsuits and agreements of the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company as lessees of the canal; and the Sommer Agreement of 1922.

In addition to the miscellaneous documents and field books referred to above, box 1 also contains files for lands in Jersey City and at various reservoirs.  Boxes 2 through 9 contain files for tracts 76 to 1512, covering Kearny to Phillipsburg, Cranberry Reservoir, Lake Hopatcong, Bear Swamp, Green Pond, and Greenwood Lake (Long Pond).  Box 10 contains cancelled leases, agreements, policies, and memoranda, mostly for lake properties retained by the state.  The original inventory for the series is attached to this guide.

NOTE:  Researchers should also consult the following series:  Abstracts of Deeds, 1886; Abstracts of Titles, 1923; Agreements and Leases Notebooks, 1923-1930s; Maps, Field Notes, Estimates and Appraisals, 1828-1834; Records of Sales of Canal Lands by the State of New Jersey, 1845-1960s; Transit Books, 1885-1899; General Correspondence Files, ca. 1840-1974 (folders #52 and #156 in particular); and the Map Collection.

225 West State Street
P.O. Box 307
Trenton, NJ 08625-0307
609.292.6260 (general information)
609.633.8334 (administrative office)
609.292.9105 (fax)