Special Collections: Daniel Leeds’ Burlington City Bridge Survey Collection

Daniel Leeds was born in 1651 in Essex, England and immigrated to the American colonies in 1676 with his father, Thomas Leeds, and brothers William and Thomas. He settled in Burlington County, Province of New Jersey in 1676 or 1677. A land surveyor, he made the first map of Burlington town in 1696. 

The early settlers of Burlington town came primarily from Yorkshire and London, England. As a result, when they were constructing bridges to span the Assiscunk Creek, the two structures were known as the York Bridge and the London Bridge. The York Bridge was built by 1682 and crossed the creek along Bridge Street. It remained in service until 1800. The London Bridge in Burlington was built between 1680 and 1682 on the main road to Salem. It was masonry with a wide arch. It stood until 1867 when it was wiped out by a flood. Leeds had 9 acres of land directly adjacent to the London Bridge.  

This collection contains two surveys drawn by Daniel Leeds in 1696 showing the land owners and their parcels of land around the two bridges – York and London – in Burlington, New Jersey. The surveys also show the contours of the creek at that time. The collection also contains two drawings of bridges. One is labeled London bridge, and the other is uncaptioned. Thomas Parkinson’s copy of a manual, Compendium of Surveying by Thomas Moody from 1771, is also included and contains handwritten notes in the front. It is unclear what Parkinson’s connection was to Leeds, if any. 

Collection processed by Heather Halpin Perez, Special Collections Librarian, March 2025.

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.