| 1663 |
King Charles II granted to his brother, The Duke of York, afterward King James II, the territory extending from the Delaware Bay to what is now the eastern part of Maine, together with the right of government. |
| 1664 |
Lord Berkely conveyed his undivided half of New Jersey to Major John Fenwick, a veteran of Oliver Cromwell's army and a Quaker. |
| 1675 |
John Fenwick conveyed all but a tenth of his holdings to his creditors, allowing a group of Quaker businessmen, including William Penn, to obtain control. In June, Fenwick, came from England to claim his property. |
| 1676 |
New Jersey was divided, with the southern part designated "West Jersey." John Fenwick designated his tenth part "Salem." |
| 1682 |
West Jersey was divided into Burlington and Salem counties. Samuel Bacon founded Bacon's Neck. |
| 1683 |
Fenwick laid out Greate Street in Greenwich. |
| 1686 |
Richard Hancock erected a sawmill on Mill Creek, in present-day Bridgeton. |
| 1687 |
An early Baptist Church was erected at Bowentown by Welsh Baptists from Swansea, Mass. |
| 1690 |
The Cohansey Baptist Church was organized in a log house on the south side of the Cohansey River. After merging with the Bowentown congregation in 1710, a frame meeting house was built between Sheppard's Mill and the Cohansey River. The burying ground of that church contains the grave of Deborah Swinney, "the first white female child born in Cohansey." |
| 1692 |
Cape May County was established. |
| 1700 |
The Presbyterian Church organized at the Head of Greenwich. By 1735 a brick meeting house had been built in the old cemetery on the west side of the road at the Head of Greenwich. |
| 1702 |
The people of New Jersey petitioned the English Crown to assume its responsibilities and Lord Cornbury was named the first Royal Governor of New Jersey. |
| 1709 |
Salem County boundaries were altered and the west side was divided into North and South Cohansey Precincts. |
| 1716 |
The first bridge was built over the Cohansey at the head of the tide. |
| 1720 |
Fairfield and Greenwich were recognized as townships. |
| 1725 |
Deerfield began to be settled by people from the Fairfield district. |
| 1733 |
An effort to have the North and South Cohansey Precincts formed into a new county, to be called Greenwich, failed. |
| 1748 |
Cumberland County was formed from the west side of Salem County. It was named in honor of the Duke of Cumberland. Cohansey Bridge (Bridgeton) was chosen as the county seat by popular vote. Six townships were also recognized: Greenwich, Cohansey, Hopewell, Stow Creek, Maurice River and Deerfield. |
| 1752 |
The first courthouse was erected at the top of the hill in the center of Broad Street. |
| 1754 |
The first bridge was built over the Maurice River, at present day Millville. |
| 1765 |
Cohansey Bridge was renamed Bridgeton. |
| 1772 |
Cumberland County elected two representatives to the Colonial legislature. It previously had elected jointly with Salem. |
| 1772 |
Downe Township was created, named for Elizabeth Downes, the wide of Governor William Franklin. |
| 1774 |
Patriots burned tea at Greenwich on Dec. 22, a group of patriots dressed as Indians seized British tea brought in by the brig Greyhound, and burned it in protest against the British tax on tea. |
| 1775 |
The Plain Dealer, a manuscript newspaper said to be the first in New Jersey, was issued at Potter's Tavern, in Bridgeton. Cumberland County men went to war to fight in the Revolution against British tyranny. |
| 1776 |
The Declaration of Independence was read from the courthouse steps, the royal arms were burned and the county's Liberty Bell was rung. |
| 1794 |
The Argus & New Jersey Centennial, the county's first printed newspaper, began to be published in Bridgeton. |
| 1799 - 1800 |
James Lee established the first glassmaking enterprise in Cumberland County, at Port Elizabeth. |
| 1801 |
Millville Township formed. |
| 1802 |
Joseph Buck laid out the town of Millville. |
| 1806 |
James Lee established a glass manufacturing business at Millville on the Maurice River. |
| 1811 |
Cumberland County's first library, the Bridgetown Library Co., was organized. |
| 1812 |
Residents rallied for the second war with Great Britain. |
| 1815 |
David and Benjamin Reeves organized the Cumberland Nail Works, Bridgeton's first factory. |
| 1845 |
Steamboat service was established between Bridgeton and Philadelphia. |
| 1861 |
Charles K. Landis purchased 30,000 acres to found Vineland. The county once more called troops to war, this time with the South. |
| 1865 |
City of Bridgeton was incorporated. Landis Township created. Vineland established the county's first public school. |
| 1866 |
City of Millville incorporated. |
| 1874 |
Commercial Township set off from Downe. |
| 1885 |
Lawrence Township separated from Downe. |
| 1898 |
The US went to war with Spain after the battleship Maine was sick in Havana harbor. Cumberland County's sesquicentennial passes with little note. |
Although this timeline was only intended to included the years leading to the sesqui-centennial, two other dates are important to Cumberland County; |
| 1922 |
Upper Deerfield was set off from Deerfield |
| 1929 |
The Borough of Shiloh was created. |