Next, the colonists as immigrants: discover what it was like to be among the first people to call our region home, and how those first immigrants took their lives in their hands just to get here.

- Passage was extremely dangerous.

Find out who came over and why.

Many were not seeking freedom, and the cost of the voyage was out of reach for at least half of them.

- One paid for your passage - by agreeing to become an indentured servant.

Join me for my special investigation into immigration, just as the wave was starting to swell.

That's next on Drive By History.

[MUSIC] Made possible by the New Jersey Historical Commission, enriching the lives of the public by preserving the historical record and advancing interest in and awareness of New Jersey's past.

Every day, thousands of motorists pass by countless history markers and say to themselves, 'One of these days, I'm going to stop and read that.

One of these days I'm going to find out what happened and why it mattered.'

Well, this is that day.

I'm heading to a history marker that speaks to an event from 1666.

Now, while it's very local in nature, I think it might have a national angle as well.

I'll show you what I mean.

I'm Ken Magos and this is Drive by History.

Today's investigation begins in Newark, the largest city in New Jersey.

For centuries, Newark has been a destination for people seeking to improve their circumstances.

During the 20th century's Great Migration, Newark greeted African-Americans with jobs and the promise of a better life.

During the 19th century's Industrial Revolution, people from all over Europe flooded Newark, seeking opportunity.

But the history marker I'm heading to today commemorates Newark's earliest days when the very first immigrants arrived.

And here's the history marker.

It says, 'This tablet is placed upon this church, the oldest of all of our local institutions, in memory of the first settlers who founded Ye Town Upon Ye Passaic 1666, erected by the Newark members of the New Jersey Society of Colonial Dames of America, 1902.'

See what I mean?

This is a very local history, but I think it's about something else as well... America's earliest wave of immigration.

I'm off to find out more.

[MUSIC] In a city rich with immigration history, Who were the very first immigrants to make their way to Newark?

And what does the history tell us about immigration at the time?

To find out more, I'm off to the Guggenheim Library, housed in the former summer estate of Murry and Leonie Guggenheim on the campus of Monmouth University, where I find my former Drive By History co-host Cindy Perman, filling in for Anthony Bernard.

- Cindy, oh, I'm so happy to see you.

- Ken, oh it is great to see you.

- Come on in, please have a seat.

- Thank you.

- I am delighted to be exploring history with you again.

- Now, I might be filling in for Anthony today, but - I'm not a historian -- I want to be very transparent about that.

- No, but I know you, - and I know you've done some amazing homework.

- I have done some homework.

- You know, I'm a journalist, so I love to dive deep on things - and find out all those interesting details.

- Great, so you know I just came from a history marker - that talks about the first settlers in Newark in 1666.

- Now, I'm always looking for - local histories that fit into the larger national narrative.

- I think that's what I might have here.

- You might be right.

- I'd like to start with the history marker itself.

- You know, I have some experience with history markers.

- So I've been told.

[LAUGHTER] - Now, did you notice that it was placed there in 1902?

- Do you think that's significant?

- It might be -- the peak year for immigration was around 1907 - when you had more than 1 million people entering the country.

- And this was right around that time when there was - a lot of xenophobia.

- Right.

- You have a lot of arrivals from - Central, Eastern and Southern Europe - settling in New York and New Jersey.

- So this history marker might be a subtle reminder - of who was there first.

- And who was there first...the English, right?

- Yes, exactly.

- Newark was settled by the English.

- Now, this part of the research is fascinating.

- Those first immigrants were insular themselves.

- They'd already settled someplace else in the colonies.

- Why did they move?

- Seems they weren't welcome where they were.

- Interesting that there was discrimination even back then.

- Ironic, isn't it?

- It sure is.

- So those immigrants were Puritans from a nearby colony.

- Would you like to guess which one?

- Massachusetts?

- There were a lot of Puritans there.

- It's a good guess, but wrong.

- So those Puritans were from the New Haven Colony.

- Did you even know there was a New Haven colony?

- I did not know that.

- I didn't either.

- So it says here that it only lasted for around 25 years.

- Now, they never had an official charter, - which...that was a problem immediately.

- And without getting too deep in the weeds, - they probably thought they would get one because - around that time, Oliver Cromwell, a Puritan himself, - came to power in England.

- However, Cromwell's government didn't last.

- So when New Haven petitioned for a charter, they didn't get it.

- Instead -- and this is remarkable -- - the Connecticut Colony was just given permission - to take over the New Haven Colony.

- Well, that is really shocking.

- Do we know why?

- You know, I did some research and it's not clear why.

- It's probably worth noting that - both charters were negotiated by John Winthrop Jr. - That name might ring a bell.

- I know he came up in a past investigation - because I watched the show.

- He did, right.

- He presided over the Goody Garlick witch trial.

- He was popular.

- He was an early governor in Connecticut.

- And he subscribed to a - secular view of the world, relatively speaking.

- And he came from a fairly influential family.

- He did, so it's safe to say he, you know, is used to getting - what he wants, - Exactly.

- right, so, for whatever reason, - it seems like he wanted New Haven to be part of Connecticut.

- So that could have been for strategic reasons.

- It could have been personal.

- I mean, maybe it was just easier.

- You know, those New Haven Puritans - like laid claim to some lands in South Jersey, so... - Well, that sounds like a legal battle just waiting to happen.

- Right.

[LAUGHTER] - Well, in 1662, around then, - it becomes official and the Connecticut Colony - absorbs the New Haven Colony.

- I'm sure that didn't sit well with the New Haven contingent.

- No, it did not.

- A group of those New Haven Puritans, led by Robert Treat, - decided to strike out on their own.

- And in 1666, they established Newark in New Jersey.

- And those were Newark's first immigrants.

- Yes, they were.

- And some scholars actually suggest - that Newark was derived from New Ark.

- That feels kind of biblical, doesn't it?

- It does.

- So it didn't surprise me to find out that - those first immigrants formed a Puritan theocracy.

- Ah, a system of government ruled by religion.

- In this case, the very austere Puritan religion.

- That hardly seems like the foundation - for the melting pot that Newark would later become.

- I know, right?

- Yeah.

- But if you fast forward to 1733, it might start to make - a little bit more sense.

- Something happens.

- It's big and it's a turning point.

- A prominent Newark citizen harvests his wheat on, - wait for it, a Sunday.

- That was big.

- Pivotal.

- Let me guess, the issue is that it was Sunday.

- A Puritan government isn't going to like that.

- Exactly.

- So, his name was Colonel Josiah Ogden, - and he actually had a pretty good reason for - harvesting on a Sunday.

- His crops were at risk due to bad weather, - but he was still disciplined for it.

- And that really rankled Colonel Ogden.

- They messed with the wrong guy, didn't they?

- It sure seems like it.

- Colonel Ogden actually then changed religions.

- He became Anglican and he financed the construction - of an Anglican church in Newark.

- Introducing the Church of England to Newark.

- The Puritans are not going to like that - because Puritans took issue with the Church of England.

- They believed it needed to be purified.

- Right?

- And Colonel Ogden, he needed like minded people - to live in his city -- you know, other Anglicans -- - so you have this whole other group of people -- - immigrants, really -- moving to Newark.

- How interesting.

- So essentially, you have a new wave of immigration.

- I find history like this so fascinating.

- So even the very first colonists were immigrants.

- You know, we don't often think of American history that way.

- You know, we really don't.

- But I have good news for you, my friend, - because that is where the next leg of this investigation begins.

- I can't wait.

- And I can't wait to see what you come up with.

To find out more, I head to New York City, to the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration.

Although the earliest immigrants did not pass through its doors, as a national park, it stands in celebration of everyone who immigrated from every period in history.

I'm joined by Elizabeth Hyde of Kean University, as well as Matt Housch of the National Park Service.

We begin our conversation on the banks of the Hudson River.

Although the skyline is very different, the geography has not changed much, if at all, since those early immigrants first came over.

We often hear about people like the Newark Puritans coming to our shores seeking religious freedom, but we don't hear about how strategic they were as they selected their locations.

Turns out, it's the geography that led here.

- It is the hub of waterways and therefore an important point - for trade, for transportation.

The geography also attracted many other immigrants, too.

Although it's difficult to quantify, a significant number of early settlers were not seeking religious freedom at all.

They were seeking prosperity.

- Many came looking for land, - farmland that was a scarce commodity in Europe.

- And also resources in Europe at the time.

- Absolutely.

- Natural resources were at a premium.

At the time, birth order also factored into the equation.

Many of those early immigrants were probably not first born.

- In many parts of Europe, inheritance patterns in particular - meant that, for example, second and third sons - were not in position to inherit the family property, - and therefore were in dire need of - opportunity, land and resources.

- So this country was calling to them.

- This country was calling to them.

That sense of calling must have been very strong.

In the 17th century, people who chose to set sail for New Jersey or New York or the other colonies, were making an extreme decision.

- Absolutely.

- Very extreme...passage was extremely dangerous.

- It was variable in length of time, depending on the time of year, - and of course, weather.

In addition the journey came with a hefty price tag.

- One had to pay for one's passage to America.

- It was an extremely expensive venture.

Though the actual cost of immigrating to the New York / New Jersey region is unclear, records do show passage from England to New England around 1640, cost £5.

By some measures, adjusted for inflation, that's the equivalent of $30,000 per person today.

Make no mistake, with this history having money mattered.

- If you were of better means, you would be able to purchase - a better experience and come of your own free will, - in which case you arrived essentially as a free citizen.

If you were not from better means, the experience was very different.

That's an aspect of immigration history we don't hear about nearly as much.

- For those of lesser status, one paid for your passage - by agreeing to become an indentured servant.

Although records are vague, historians believe that one-half to two-thirds of all immigrants to colonial America arrived under terms of indenture.

Think about that for a second.

That means if you can trace your roots back to colonial times, one of your relatives might have been an indentured servant.

What was the experience like for those thousands upon thousands of people?

In this scenario, they were anything but free.

- You would work for a predetermined period of - years for the person who bought your indenture.

- Four years to seven years or longer.

Had you immigrated this way, you would have received room and board.

However, you would have been tasked with physically demanding work and you might have experienced harsh treatment.

Although the laws would have protected you somewhat, rights to your labor could be and were bought and sold.

Your contract would have lasted 4 to 7 years.

However, it would have been extended had you stepped out of line.

It seems to me that coming over as an indentured servant was somewhat of a calculated risk.

You were making a bet on your future.

However, you had good reason to believe the odds were in your favor.

- Once you had completed the term of your indenture, - you would be free and freed with certain limited number of - resources to then launch your own farm or business.

Upon completion, your contract of indenture might have included 25 acres of land.

That would have been particularly attractive if you were immigrating to New Jersey with parts of the colony known for its fertile soil.

You might also have received a year's worth of corn, as well as a musket, a cow and new clothing.

For many people, it worked out well.

They prospered, raised families and rose through the ranks of colonial society.

Other immigrants, however, had a much less equitable experience.

Their prospects were bleak.

They had no say in the decision to immigrate, and freedom was out of the question.

- Thousands and ultimately millions of Africans - were brought not by choice, but brought as the property - of people who claimed ownership over them.

You might find this hard to believe, but in the 18th century, one of the largest slave markets in North America was located in New York City.

At one time, as many as 20% of colonial New Yorkers were enslaved Africans.

- But that does not mean that it was - not also happening in New Jersey, - Perth Amboy was one of the major centers - for the slave trade in the state.

- The largest number, largest concentration of enslaved - Africans in New Jersey was in Bergen County.

Camden, New Jersey was another port highly involved in the slave trade.

The history marker that you see here was put up just a few years ago as a reminder that enslaved people were bought and sold at auction here on the shores of the Delaware River.

It's an important history marker because we tend to think that slavery was specific to the southern colonies.

But that's not the case.

- Slavery as an institution - was practiced up and down the 13 colonies.

The history of enslaved people in the Northern Colonies is a sensitive history and one that we examined in a previous episode.

Today, however, we touch on the topic only briefly to make certain that it's recognized within the context of early immigration.

And that takes me to another, though much smaller group of immigrants who also were not free: so-called transports.

These immigrants were criminals who were convicted of a felony.

For their sentence, they were transported or shipped off to the American colonies.

As you might imagine, these immigrants were not always welcome.

And when they arrived, the outcry they faced called more than just their honesty into question.

- And now the question of, do these people have diseases who maybe you don't want in your colony?

Illness is another part of the early immigration story that shapes this history significantly.

Disease claimed countless lives in early America.

The fear of contracting disease from immigrants was so great that when immigrants arrived, they were often forced into quarantine.

One of those quarantine hospitals is still standing.

Built in 1799, the so-called Lazaretto is located in Tinicum Township, Pennsylvania, and where this investigation takes me next.

Tens of thousands of immigrants passed through the Lazaretto on their way to new lives, either in Pennsylvania or South Jersey.

- We think of our nation's first capital, Philadelphia, - as a metropolis.

- But it was also a center of immigration, - not only for Pennsylvania, but also for New Jersey.

It's here where I met with Drive By History's Anthony Bernard and University of Pennsylvania Professor David Barnes, who specializes in the history of public health and quarantine.

- So, David, I'm curious, what was the feeling - among the early colonies about the immigrants and disease?

- Well, there was a general belief that dramatic outbreaks - of disease represented divine punishment for sin.

- But alongside that belief, - there was a feeling that disease resulted - when human bodies were not suited to - or not acclimated to their physical surroundings.

In other words, there was a religious view of disease.

But in the late 1700s, when the Lazaretto opened, a secular view was taking hold, too - So, you have competing philosophies going on - simultaneously, the religious and the scientific.

- They're not necessarily competing.

They're viewed as complementary.

- Really?

- Yes.

As a result, immigrants who arrived at our shores faced a great deal of scrutiny, religious and scientific.

That scrutiny reached an inflection point in the late 1790s.

- Well, Philadelphia's future was at stake in the 1790's - after four devastating yellow fever epidemics.

New York and Northern New Jersey also faced similar outbreaks.

However, Philadelphia had more at stake.

- At the time, Philadelphia was the nation's capital, - and Philadelphia wanted to keep it that way.

- Yellow fever wasn't just a public health issue.

- It was a political issue as well.

Philadelphia sought a response that would get the epidemic under control and also telegraph how forward thinking it was.

- The Lazaretto represented the city of Philadelphia's - belief that medicine could be mobilized - to prevent the recurrence of deadly disease outbreaks.

Though less than 100 miles apart, the experience for immigrants heading to New York and North Jersey versus those heading to Pennsylvania and South Jersey was starkly different.

Ships sailing into New York Harbor were sent to a containment hospital on Staten Island.

Ships coming up the Delaware were sent to the Lazaretto.

Reports out of Staten Island suggest conditions were lacking, at best.

Reports out of Philadelphia's Lazaretto, however, were quite different - Here, at the very least, everyone got their own bed, clean bedding, - clean clothing, food and drink and basic nursing care.

- Those who survived and left records about - their experience here praised the care they received - and even the quality of the food they received here, and said that, - and they credited the Lazaretto with saving the lives of many - of their fellow immigrants.

The Philadelphia Lazaretto began a new chapter in immigration history.

It provided quality health care for the newest Americans.

The windows, still a striking architectural feature, are a reminder of just how state of the art the Lazaretto was intended to be.

- This allows for cross ventilation - through the rooms where patients are being treated - and especially allows - what were perceived to be the healthful southerly breezes - to come through the building and assist the healing process.

- Out with the bad air, in with the good.

- Out with the bad air, in with the good, exactly.

Though no longer the capital, in the early 19th century, immigrants still flooded Philadelphia, passing through the Lazaretto with transatlantic crossings between Philadelphia and Liverpool, England, scheduled regularly.

However, during that same period, many more immigrants arrived in New York.

It's not clear why.

By some accounts, the Delaware River often froze during the winter.

New York might have just been more accessible.

We pick things up back on Ellis Island with Elizabeth Hyde and Matt Housch.

- So early, 1800s, we're talking 4 out of every 5 immigrants - are coming through the Port of New York.

- 80%?

- Yeah.

The sheer number of new arrivals amplified the many challenges presented by immigration.

- The people in charge of the government in - New York State said we have to create a board of immigration.

- This is such a big deal.

- We need to create a whole board just to take care of it.

Authorities in New York created what would later be called America's first official immigration center.

And no, not Ellis Island.

That came later.

- So in lower Manhattan, in Battery Park, Castle Clinton, - they end up using as an immigration station.

First called the Southwest Battery.

Castle Clinton was one of four forts built strategically around New York Harbor to defend the city from British aggression around the time of the War of 1812.

However, it never saw battle, and in 1823 took on a new life.

But not as an immigration station.

That happened decades later.

First, it went from fort to restaurant and opera house, with the name changed to Castle Garden.

Singer Jenny Lind, The Swedish Nightingale, made her American debut there.

An upscale entertainment venue for several decades, Castle Garden advertisements invited visitors to promenade around the walls, sipping mint juleps.

However, as is so often the case in New York City, hot spots come and go.

By the 1850s, the famous and fashionable had gone, and that's when Castle Garden was transformed into an immigration station.

During the next 34 years, over 8 million people entered the United States through Castle Garden.

As immigration increased, crime did too, with the site attracting unsavory characters looking to prey upon immigrants amid the noise and confusion.

- So, the corruption at Castle Garden - is actually what led to the creation of Ellis Island.

- Absolutely.

- The federal government is interested in - doing a better job of tracking - and deciding who would be able to enter the United States or not.

And get rid of some of the corruption.

- Absolutely.

Castle Garden would rise again.

After it closed as an immigration station, it reopened as an aquarium.

However, that's a different story altogether.

Ellis Island opened in 1892 and transformed immigration, shaping it into the narrative we know today.

And that seems like the perfect place to end this investigation into early immigration, at a point in history where the narrative shifts dramatically.

- In the late 19th and early 20th century, you begin to see far - greater numbers of Europeans coming from Southern Europe, - in Italy, for example, from Eastern and Central Europe, - Austria, Hungary and so forth, - coming to the United States for the first time.

That's the so-called third wave of immigration and hearkens back to the history marker which sparked this investigation in the first place.

You might remember it was dated 1902, a time when the American population started to look and sound very different.

When we think of immigration history today, we often think of that third wave period with the Statue of Liberty greeting ship after ship, proclaiming, ' Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses.'

And we refer to people who had come over before as colonists or settlers, not immigrants.

But they were immigrants, too.

Some were free, immediately finding the freedom they were seeking.

Others came as indentured servants.

Others yet as enslaved people.

Still others as felons, sent here as punishment.

These are all stories of our ancestry.

I think we need to embrace all of it.

It's our shared heritage.

- And yes, I know I didn't spend as much time - on the positive aspects of this history.

- And yes, there are many positives.

- After all, we are a nation of immigrants.

- But let me leave you with this.

- A final thought - from Food and Culture Historian Dr. Libby O'Connell.

- One of my favorite stories - in all of American history is about Ellis Island - and what they gave the new immigrants.

- They gave them ice cream because they wanted them - to have a happy taste of America and make them feel welcome.

- Wow, I had no idea.

- And most of those people going through - Ellis Island had never tasted ice cream before.

- And there are people whose memories was, - 'I knew as a child that if this was a taste of America, - this is where I wanted to be.'

See you next time.

Made possible by the New Jersey Historical Commission.