Early History

Middlesex County was settled by Europeans in the 1660's. In 1666, English settlers were present in Woodbridge and Piscataway. By the 1680's, Dutch settlers, some relocating from Manhattan, were present in the Raritan River valley. In 1682, the sale of the province of New Jersey to 24 proprietors was confirmed by the Duke of York. The 3,000- acre area that encompasses Sayreville was known as Lawrence's Plantation. This plantation was soon subdivided into six smaller areas of 200 to 500 acres. The early proprietors were Gawen Lawrie, Thomas Rudyard, A.Gallaway, Peter Sonmans, W.Gerard, and Thomas Robison. Thomas Rudyard, a lawyer from London, became Deputy Governor of the province of New Jersey. Land ownership was based on long lots facing the river in order to increase the number of freeholders with access to the waterfront, grazing lowlands, and fertile uplands. Primary economic activities were agriculture and lumbering (LBA, 1990: IV-1; Karcher, 1947:6).

River traffic increased over the next century as New Brunswick grew to become one of the largest settlements in New Jersey and a stopping point for shipping between major cities on the east coast. (LBI, 1990: IV-1). The section of the Raritan River along which Sayreville is now located was referred to as "Roundabout" because of the sharp U-shaped bend the river takes in this area (see 1685 Map). This area contained abundant clay beds which provided high quality clay for manufacture of brick and pottery (see 1904 geologic map).

An early historic reference to the clay industry in the Sayreville area is from 1779, when Captain James Morgan filed a claim for a kiln that had been destroyed by British soldiers. His son, James Jr., continued making pottery until 1788. In the early 1800's, the son of early settler Ebeneezer Price, Xerxes Price, began manufacturing pottery from local clay. Price produced pottery in Sayreville from 1802 to 1830 (Sayreville Historical Society, 1976: 1,22). After the War of 1812, Price shipped some of the local clay to a Boston fire brick manufacturer who was very impressed with its quality. Soon thereafter, clay was being shipped to Boston and Philadelphia. A son-in-law of Xerxes Price, Henry French, built a hotel and tavern along the river in the area that was later known as French's Landing and which became a frequent stop for boat traffic (Price's pottery and French's landing are depicted on an 1850 map). The latter economic and social history of Sayreville is closely connected to the Sayre and Fisher Company and its successor, the Sayre and Fisher Brick Company.