Hugh Capner was born in England in immigrated to the United States, settling in Flemington New Jersey. In 1834, when copper was discovered on his land, he sold out to a mining company and became a very rich man of Hunterdon County for his day.

In 1836, with the money from his copper mine sale, he purchased a large tract of land from Mallet-Prevost to lay out a housing development on the North side of Frenchtown NJ. It was his planning influenced another 168 years of Frenchtown New Jersey history.

Enjoy your time travel through Frenchtown's illustrious past. See the navigation bar below that serves as a Timeline of Frenchtown NJ history.

Lenape Era

Alexandrian Era

Quicksilver Era

Malletian Era

Capner Era

Slater-Hudnit Era

This era is named after Hugh Capner because he purchased a huge tract of land in Hunterdon County on the Northside of Frenchtown NJ and began to turn the market town into a community. This approbation is not made to slight the other renowned men that are also the founders of Frenchtown. This 31 year era of our history spans the years from 1836 to 1867.

This era of our history is still "at the presses" now, and we hope to have more information for you soon.

Untill then, you might want to find these books or documents at your local bookstore, library, or online :

_____________________________________________________________________

"History of Frenchtown" by: Clarence B. Fargo
Publishing Date: 1933
Publishing Company: Clarence B. Fargo, New York
Hardcover - 218 pages
Reprinted by Higginson Book Co, Salem, MA

This is the classic of Frenchtown NJ history. Although it presents a story that in no way is chronological and is extremely hard to follow, it contains a spirit and overall whimsical portrait of our dear little Hunterdon County New Jersey community that is priceless. Clarence Fargo's sisters still reside here and their neon yellow and green house is a fixture on Harrison Street.

_____________________________________________________________________

"Sketches of a River Town, A History of Frenchtown, NJ" by: Ellen Fletcher
Publishing Date: 1997
Publishing Company: D. H. Moreau Books, Flemington;
Soft cover - 92 pages

This is the latest book to be published on the history of Frenchtown NJ. The unique contribution of Ellen Fletcher to our history is her focus on the "architectural history" of our village, and some outstanding antique and vintage photographs and postcards that document Frenchtown's rich story.

_____________________________________________________________________

"History of Hunterdon and Somerset Counties" by: James P. Snell
Publishing Date: 1881
Publishing Company: Evert and Peck, Philadelphia, PA;
Hardcover - 864 pages

Snell's work is the most comprehensive history written to date about the history of Hunterdon County. In terms of his treatment of Frenchtown NJ history, it seems he either didn't like the town that much or knew little about it. Compared with his story of Lambertville and some other Hunterdon County towns, Frenchtown NJ is severely slighted in his work. This huge old book is still my favorite book however on local history.

_____________________________________________________________________

"The First 275 Years of Hunterdon County" by: Numerous Contributors
Publishing Date: 1989
Publishing Company: Hunterdon County Cultural and Heritage Commission, Flemington, NJ
Softcover - 125 pages

This work is the best modern history of Hunterdon County with some incredible stories from local historians. The entire work is accessible online in PDF or Word Format: Here (see link to go to file)

In 1867, the Capnerian comes to a close as Frenchtown NJ is incoporated and Samuel Hudnit becomes Frenchtown's first mayor.

_____________________________________________________________________

Next ~ The Slater-Hudnit Era of Frenchtown New Jersey History