Elizabeth Township, also called Elizabethtown, was a township

Township (New Jersey)

A township, in the context of New Jersey local government, refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government. As a political entity, a township is a full-fledged municipality, on par with any town, city, borough, or village, collecting property taxes and providing...

 that existed in Essex County

Essex County, New Jersey

Essex County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the United States 2010 Census, the population was 783,969, ranking it third in the state after Bergen County and Middlesex County; Essex County's population has declined from 786,147 as of the bureau's...

, in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

, from 1664 until 1855.

The area was initially part of the Elizabethtown Tract

Elizabethtown Tract

The Elizabethtown Tract was a property that was purchased on October 28, 1664, by John Baily, Daniel Denton and Luke Watson from the Native Americans that is in the area of present-day Elizabeth, New Jersey....

, purchased from the Lenape

Lenape

The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...

 on October 28, 1664.

Elizabeth-Town Township was formed on October 31, 1693, while the area was still within Essex County

Essex County, New Jersey

Essex County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the United States 2010 Census, the population was 783,969, ranking it third in the state after Bergen County and Middlesex County; Essex County's population has declined from 786,147 as of the bureau's...

. Elizabeth was incorporated as one of New Jersey's initial 104 townships by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature

New Jersey Legislature

The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the Senate...

 on February 21, 1798. Portions of the township were taken to form Westfield Township

Westfield, New Jersey

Westfield is a town in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 30,316. The old village area, now the downtown district, was settled in 1720 as part of the Elizabethtown Tract....

 (January 27, 1794), Springfield Township

Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey

Township of Springfield is a township in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population increased to a record high of 15,817....

 (April 14, 1794), Rahway Township

Rahway, New Jersey

Rahway is a city in southern Union County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the New York metropolitan area, being 15 miles southwest of Manhattan and five miles west of Staten Island...

 (February 27, 1804) and Clinton Township

Clinton Township, Essex County, New Jersey

Clinton Township was a township located in Essex County, New Jersey, United States, which existed from 1834 to 1902.Clinton Township was created on April 14, 1834, from portions of Elizabeth Township, Newark Township, Orange Township and Union Township...

 (April 14, 1834).

On March 13, 1855, the City of Elizabeth

Elizabeth, New Jersey

Elizabeth is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 124,969, retaining its ranking as New Jersey's fourth largest city with an increase of 4,401 residents from its 2000 Census population of 120,568...

 was created, combining and replacing both Elizabeth Township and Elizabeth Borough

Elizabeth Borough, New Jersey

Elizabeth Borough was a borough that existed in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, from 1740 until 1855.Elizabeth was established as a borough by Royal Charter on February 8, 1740, and was rechartered by the New Jersey Legislature on November 28, 1789.Portions of the borough were taken...

. With the creation of the City of Elizabeth, Elizabeth Township was dissolved.