190 EARLY HISTORY OF CAPE MAY COUNTY, 



" At a court of the General Quarter Sessions of the Peace, holden 

 at the house of Robert Townsend, on the 2d day of April, 1723 : 



" Justices Fresent— Jacob Spicer, (first), Humphrey Hughes, Ro- 

 bert Townsend, John Hand, Henry Young, William Smith. 



" The county divided into precincts, excepting the Cedar Swamp ; 

 the Lower precinct, being from John Taylor's branch to the middle 

 main branch of Fishing Creek, and so down ye said branch and 

 creek to the mouth thereof." 



"Middle precinct, to be from the aforesaid John Taylor's branch 

 to Thomas Leaming's, and from thence to a creek called Dennis 

 Creek, and so down the said creek to the bay shore, along the bay 

 to Fishing Creek." 



" The Upper precinct, to be the residue of the said county, ex- 

 cepting the Cedar Swamp,* which is to be at the general charge of 

 the county." 



In the year 1826, Dennis township was set off from the Upper 

 township by a line from Ludlam's Run to the county line, near Lud- 

 lam's Bridge. 



Previous to the year 1745, the courts were held for the most part 

 in private dwellings. At this date, however, a new house had been 

 constructed upon the lot still occupied for the purpose, and the first 

 Court held in it ; "On the third Tuesday of May, 1745, the follow- 

 ing officers and jurors were present : 



" Justices Present. — Henry Young, Henry Stites, Ebenezer Swain, 

 Nathaniel Foster — Jacob Hughes, Sheriff; Elijah Hughes, Clerk. 



" Grrand Jurors. — John Leonard, John Scull, Noah Garrison, 

 Peter Corson, Joseph Corson, George Hollingshead, Clement Da- 

 niels, Benjamin Johnson, Jeremiah Hand, Thomas Buck, Joseph 

 Badcock, Isaiah Stites, Joseph Edwards, James Godfrey, Thomas 



* Meaning the Long Bridge road oyer the Cedar Swamp, ao essential to the people at 

 that time as the only road off the Cape, and wa« always a county road until 1790j when the 

 road over Dennis Greek, which is lilcewise a county road, was made where it now exists. 



The toll-bridge over Cedar Swamp Creek, at Petersburgh, was built in 1762, which 

 opened a more direct communication with the upper part of the county. 



