Air Duct Cleaning in Livingston, NJ

Livingston’s history dates back to 1699 when 101 settlers from Newark wanted to move westward. They set up a committee to negotiate with Lenni Lenape Native Americans for the purchase of the Horseneck Tract which today includes Livingston and eight other municipalities in northern Essex County. Between 1698 and 1702, the rules for property ownership were unclear. There were many disputes between settlers and the English proprietors. For some unknown reasons, the Newark settlers did not obtain a grant from the proprietors before negotiating with the native tribes. They finally obtained the deed directly from Lenni Lenape in 1702 for £130. The settlements began until around the 1740s as the dispute between the proprietors and the settlers continued.

The dispute came to a breaking point in September 1745 when the East Jersey proprietors began to evict a settler only six months after a house fire in Newark completely destroyed the original deed, which was the only evidence of the purchase. During that period, William Livingston who was one of the few landed aristocrats joined the settlers against the proprietors. Livingston owned land around today’s south western corner of the Township of Livingston. His land, like other settlers, was levied with quit rents in the amount 40 shillings per acre. He defended many settlers who were jailed for refusing to pay the quit rents.

This series of events caused the settlers, led by Timothy Meeker, to form a group to riot against the British government. The Horseneck Riots lasted for 10 years from 1745 to 1755. The group was also one of the first colonial militia which had periodic battles for 32 years leading up to the Revolutionary War as the group joined the Continental Army in 1776.