Little Known Fact: How Bernards Township Got Its Name

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — It is a question that perhaps a lot of people have asked, but few know the answer to: How did Bernards Township get its name?

Bernards Township and Bernardsville were named after Sir Francis Bernard. Bernard was the royal governor of colonial Massachusetts from 1760 to 1769.

Bernard was governor during the Stamp Act riots, and was accused of augmenting his income through customs violations, according to the book "The Papers of Francis Bernard."

The Massachusetts House of Representatives petitioned for Bernards recall towards the end of his time as governor, according to the book, and he helped create imperial policies that made the growing unrest and economic crisis in Massachusetts worse.

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