Acquackanonk people facts for kids

The Acquackanonk were a group of Lenape people. The Lenape are a Native American tribe. Their home was along the Passaic River in northern New Jersey.

They spoke the same language, called Unami, as their neighbors. These neighbors included the Hackensack, Tappan, and Rumachenanck people. The Rumachenanck were later known as the Haverstraw. All these groups also shared the same animal symbol, which was the turtle. This symbol is called a totem.

The name "Acquackanonk" has a few possible meanings. It might mean a place in a fast stream where people fish with a net. Another idea is at the lamprey stream. Lampreys are a type of fish. A third meaning could be where gum blocks were made for pounding corn. An early European explorer, Jasper Danckaerts, wrote the name as "Ackquekenon" in 1679.

Their Land and Early Settlement

A large part of the Acquackanonk's land was later acquired by Jacques Cortelyou. He was the Surveyor General of New Netherland. This means he was in charge of mapping and measuring land for the Dutch. He and his partners bought about 12,000 morgens of land from the Native Americans. A morgen is an old unit of land measurement.

A legal paper for this land was signed on March 25, 1676. Dutch traders first settled on this land in 1678. By 1693, they had formed a Dutch Reformed congregation there. This was a type of Christian church.

Acquackanonk Township Forms

The area officially became a township in 1693. This means it was recognized as a local government area. It was called Acquackanonk Township. It was located in the northern part of Essex County, New Jersey.

Later, in 1837, a new county was created called Passaic County. Acquackanonk Township became part of this new county. Parts of both Bergen County and Essex County were also included. When it was first formed, Acquackanonk Township covered parts of what are now the cities of Clifton, Paterson, and Passaic.