The following is a brief historical time-line of the early years of Galloway. This time-line just skims the surface of Galloway’s interesting past. It is intended to stir interest in the history of our town. To learn more about the history of Galloway it is recommended that you contact the Galloway Township Historical Society by email at: gallowayhistory@gmail.com, or by regular mail at: 366 E. Upland Avenue, Galloway NJ 08205. Recommended reading includes: Story of Galloway Township by Eugene Young; Along Absecon Creek, by Sarah W. Ewing and Robert McMullin, Absegami Yesteryear, by Jack E. Boucher, History of Atlantic City, by A. L. English, The Daily Union History of Atlantic City and County by John F. Hall, and Boardwalk Empire, by Nelson Johnson for starters.
6000 BC Absegami (or Little Water) The Aborigines of the Eastern Allgonquian Confederacy who called themselves “Lenni Lenape” (original people) first inhabited what is now known as New Jersey sometime before 6000 BC. The South Jersey subdivision of the Lenni Lenape was called “Unalachtigo”, or “people who live near the ocean”. The Atlantic County subdivision of the Unalachtigo was called “Abseqami”.
The name Absecon is derived from the Indian word for bay, or little water. The book “Annals of Eyren Haven and Absegami” by Alfred Heston, says: “Absecon is a corruption of the real Indian name Absegami. It orginally designated the bay , or saltwater lake inside the sand bar. Aps or Abse is the common Algonkin name for small of little, used in relation to inanimate objects. Gami, kami, or gom all mean across or on the other side of. The true Indian meaning of Absegami is little water.
