Editing Denville Township, New Jersey (section)

== History ==
[[Lenape]] [[Native Americans of the United States|Native Americans]] were known to travel the Minisink Trail for centuries before Europeans arrived in New Jersey. Part of that trail cut across what is now southern Denville, roughly following the course of [[New Jersey Route 10|Route 10]] and Mount Pleasant Turnpike. Some research has indicated that there was a Lenape campsite along the trail in Denville, on or near the Ayres / Knuth Farm Historic Site along Route 10.

When [[Netherlands|Dutch]] and [[England|English]] settlers began to arrive in the new world in the early 17th century, the Minisink Trail was the likely route they traveled to explore the interior. [[Daniel Denton]], one of the purchasers of what is known as the [[Elizabethtown Tract]] in 1664, led an expedition into the interior of northern New Jersey. In 1670, he wrote the first English language description of the area. Some researchers conclude that the name "Denville" derives from Denton.<ref>[http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CREC-2013-04-12/html/CREC-2013-04-12-pt1-PgE450-2.htm "Honoring The Centennial Of The Township Of Denvill - Hon. Rodney P. Frelinghuysen of New Jersey in the House of Representatives Friday, April 12, 2013], ''[[Congressional Record]]'', Volume 159, Number 49 (Friday, April 12, 2013). Accessed March 8, 2015. "As early as 1664, however, Dutch and English settlers began arriving on the shores of the Eastern Coast of the United States. Daniel Denton, a wealthy landowner, is believed to have led an expedition into the interior of Northern New Jersey, specifically the region of Morris County. His discoveries and descriptions of the area, along with its bountiful land and resources led people to populate the area as early as 1690. It is believed that The Great Daniel Denton's influence on the area gave Denville its name."</ref><ref>Hutchinson, Viola L. [http://mapmaker.rutgers.edu/356/nj_place_names_origin.pdf#page=12 ''The Origin of New Jersey Place Names''], New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed August 28, 2015.</ref>

Some researchers have suggested that European settlers began to come to the Denville area as early as 1690. These early settlers were primarily Dutch and English from [[Long Island]], [[Religious Society of Friends|Quakers]] from [[Philadelphia]], and [[Germans]]. [[William Penn]] and several other proprietors began to survey and stake out lands in the Denville area around 1715. These surveys are the first documentation of Denville. Between 1730 and 1760, several forges and mills were erected in Denville along the [[Rockaway River]] and the Denbrook. A number of communities associated with the forges and mills began to emerge. Ninkey and Franklin in southern Denville developed around the forges there of the same names. Denville village developed around the Job Allen Iron Works. Early developers of Denville, such as the Hussa family and A.B Crane & Co., were intrinsic in shaping the residential and lake communities.

An alternative explanation for the derivation of the township's name came from a letter from early Denville settler John Hinchman in the year 1800, in which he recounted some of the oral history of Denville from 50 years earlier, as stated to him by some of the elders of the time. Hinchman explains in his letter that the naming of Denville can be traced to a "den" of wild animals located in the swampy regions along the Denbrook and [[Rockaway River]]. The animals would bask on a knoll that juts out into the meadows where they were hunted by the native Lenape. This "[[maternity den|den]]", Hinchman wrote, was the basis for the name of Denville and the Denbrook.<ref name=NYT2021/><ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98743084/derivation-of-denville/ "What's in our name?"], ''[[Daily Record (New Jersey)|Daily Record]]'', September 12, 2007. Accessed March 30, 2022, via [[Newspapers.com]]. " OK: Show of hands. Who knows how Denville got its name?.... In fact, as John Hinchman tells us, Denville was named for the den of wild animals who inhabited the swamps along the Rockaway and Denbrook rivers the latter of which was also named for the den."</ref>