The collection was donated in 2023 by Barbara Gardiner to Stockton University. It includes primary source documents such as letters, indentures, deeds, business records, and wills primarily from the early 1800s to the early 1900s, with the earliest document being from 1762. Seen through these many business and family-related documents, we can see that the farm and their many different resources have been passed down to each other in the Gardiner family. Researchers may find the deeds of the Gardiner Family interesting for their documentation of South Jersey land deeds, etc. Other items of interest may include the wills of the various peoples through this collection.
The Gardiner family acquired land near Mount Laurel, Burlington County, New Jersey in the early 1800s and farmed. They also conducted various different business and legal affairs through their generations, including land transactions in other areas of South Jersey, such as Medford, Evesham, and Atlantic City. Joseph Gardiner (d. 1893) was the owner of the Gardiner family estate and passed it down through his family. He married Eliza Haines and had children, including Charles H. Gardiner (d. 1929). Charles followed in his father’s footsteps and became a farmer, married Sarah Lippincott and had children named Walter, Carleton, Lindley, and Priscilla.
While Stockton University’s Bjork Library’s Special Collection and Archives owns the collection, Stockton may not own the copyright for all of the items. Researchers wishing to reproduce materials are responsible for obtaining the proper permissions.