who were the first settlers in new jersey
History of New Jersey Initially, small out-posts were built for the fur trade. In May 1624, from a ship under the command of Cornelius Jacobsen Mey (after whom Cape May is named) thirty families were required to spread themselves throughout the region including Fort Wilhelmus. The last was on the east bank of the Delaware River,[6] the site of the first European settlement in what would become New Jersey. Later another was built at Fort Nassau.