FOREWORD
HUDSON COUNTY is the smallest in area and the latest in forma- 4 ¢ ii tion of such political divisions in the State of New Jersey. Because of its location it has become the greatest in importance and only the second in point of population and production. It stands at the gateway of the Nation and is the terminus of nearly all of its principal railroads, and hence the distributing station of its varied productions. The purpose of this, work is to present, in a general way, a complete his- tory of the county, and in order to do this it has been necessary to treat of the municipalities within its borders as individual entities.
The whole territory of the county is covered completely by thirteen dis- tinct and separate municipalities, each of which is under the control of its individual government. In order to secure the most reliable description of this whole territory, each of these sections was assigned to one possessing an intimate knowledge of its local history, thus assuring a degree of accuracy throughout the whole work and at the same time furnishing, in fact, a true narrative of the settlement, growth and development of the whole county. The peculiar existing situation necessitates oftentimes, a duplication of oficial duties and useless expenditures, consequently a strong sentiment in favor of the consolidation of these different municipalities under one govern- ment, that would function for the whole county, has grown up, an instance of which is shown in the recent election, whereby two of the present distinct communities (West Hoboken and the Town of Union) become one munici- pality—a result that foreshadows the erection of a city on the west side of the Hudson that may in time, with the neighboring communities, rival its opulent and progressive neighbor on the east.
D. V. W.
