Joy, Trenton was the place to be. There were many industries and lots of work, including pottery and wire manufacture. The cables for the Brooklyn Bridge were made in Trenton. Lennox set up his factory there too. Cooper and Hewlett had their factory there as well. Trenton was a major competitor or with New York and Philadelphia. New York City won because of the Erie canal and the harbor that allow for more trade with the west. My grandmother's family (THORNLEY and SMITH) came from England in the late 1840's, settling in So. Trenton. Regards David David Paul Crockett Brooklyn, NY 11209 USA Email: dcrock@ibm.net -----Original Message----- From: joy.power@citicorp.com <joy.power@citicorp.com> To: NJMERCER-L@rootsweb.com <NJMERCER-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Wednesday, November 22, 2000 9:34 AM Subject: Unidentified subject! > Hi, > > I am trying to hypothesize why my ancestors, who emigrated from > England circa 1855, ended up in Trenton. > > My guess is that its future looked bright because it was centrally > located between Philly and NYC (lots of transportation). Plus, it was > on the Delaware River which feeds to the Atlantic Ocean - people > probably thought that products/supplies could be easily shipped in and > out and that the river could be used to power the industries. > > Am I on track? What else would have made Trenton their final > destination? > > Thanks for any ideas, > Joy >