New Brunswick, NJ
People
8 historical figures connected to New Brunswick during the Revolutionary War.
Patriots & Founders
John Neilson
1745–1833
Prominent New Brunswick merchant who served as a brigadier general in the New Jersey militia. Neilson's warehouse and wharf on the Raritan were used for military supply operations, and his home served as a headquarters for Continental officers.
Frederick Frelinghuysen
1753–1804
New Brunswick-area militia colonel who led the Somerset County militia during the Revolution. Frelinghuysen served at Trenton and Princeton and represented New Jersey in the Continental Congress.
William Livingston
1723–1790
First governor of the State of New Jersey, serving throughout the war. Livingston coordinated the state militia, managed a deeply divided population, and was a frequent target of British and Loyalist kidnapping plots.
Jacob Hyer
Operated the ferry crossing at New Brunswick on the Raritan River. Hyer's ferry was a critical transportation link and was contested by both armies during the New Jersey campaigns.
Loyalists & British
William Franklin
1730–1813
Last royal governor of New Jersey and illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin. William Franklin was arrested in 1776 and imprisoned, becoming one of the most prominent Loyalists in America. His break with his father over independence was permanent.
John Graves Simcoe
1752–1806
British officer commanding the Queen's Rangers, a Loyalist unit that operated extensively in central New Jersey. Simcoe's rangers conducted raids and intelligence operations in the New Brunswick area, contributing to the partisan warfare that defined the New Jersey campaign.
Other Figures
Charles Cornwallis (at New Brunswick)
1738–1805
British general who pursued Washington's army through New Brunswick in December 1776 and used the town as a forward base during the New Jersey campaigns. Cornwallis's failure to catch Washington before the Delaware crossing was a critical British error.
Susannah French Livingston
1723–1789
Wife of Governor William Livingston who managed the family estate, Liberty Hall, while her husband directed the war effort. She faced multiple threats from Loyalist raiders and British forces targeting the governor.