Looks like my formatting was lost. Here it is again and hopefully more readable.Essex County was formed in 1683 from The Province of East JerseyIn 1837, part of Passaic County was formed from part of Essex CountyIn 1857, Union County split from Essex County. For a brief history of Essex County visit http://www.rootsweb.com/~njessex/history.htmCurrently it is surrounded by Bergen, Hudson, Union, Passaic and Morris counties. To see a current map (hand-drawn, not to scale) visit http://www.rootsweb.com/~njessex/map.htm. Some of the towns of EssexCounty include:BellevilleBloomfieldCaldwellCedar GroveEast OrangeEssex FellsFairfieldGlen RidgeIrvingtonLivingstonMaplewoodMillburn/Short HillsMontclairNewarkNorth CaldwellNutleyOrangeRoselandSouth OrangeVeronaWest CaldwellWest OrangeThe County seat is Newark. One of the best run town websites I have come across is for Newark, NJ and it is run by Glenn G. Geisheimer. See http://www.oldnewark.com/mainindex.phpShawn DempseyEssex County CoordinatorNJGenWeb Projecthttp://www.rootsweb.com/~njessex