1855 – The Breakup of Elizabethtown: Birth of Elizabeth and Its Neighbors
What we now call the City of Elizabeth was once known as Elizabethtown—a vast township established in 1664. As the population surged and communities matured, Elizabethtown’s original footprint began to fragment. These breakups reflected both demographic growth and evolving civic needs. Over time, several neighboring towns sprang from this original settlement, marking major moments of local self-determination and identity formation.

The final transformation came on March 13, 1855, when the City of Elizabeth was officially created, absorbing both Elizabeth Township and Elizabeth Borough. This moment dissolved Elizabethtown as a governmental entity, formally setting the stage for the Elizabeth we know today.

Yet the story of division began much earlier. Key municipalities carved from Elizabethtown include:

Westfield Township – Created January 27, 1794

Springfield Township – Created April 14, 1794

Rahway Township – Created February 27, 1804

Union Township – Created 1808

New Providence – Created 1809

Clinton Township – Created April 14, 1834

Later, towns like Roselle and Roselle Park formed from areas originally included in these early breakouts. Importantly, Union County itself didn’t exist until 1857, two years after Elizabeth’s incorporation, when it officially separated from Essex County.

Each new township marked a shift in governance, community identity, and administrative autonomy—changing the political landscape of North Jersey while still maintaining shared roots in Elizabethtown.

Map from 1775-1783
Historic 1778 map of Elizabethtown, NJ showing roads, landowners, and military movements during the Revolutionary War