Elizabethtown Library Company (N.J.)

The Elizabethtown Library Company was established as a private subscription library in 1755. Shortly after the Revolution, an Elizabeth library was advertised for the circulation of useful books and the elevation of the tastes of the people. It is unclear as to whether this is the same library as the Elizabeth Library Company, but the names of Isaac H. Williamson, future Governor of New Jersey, and Dr. Abraham Clark, son of one of the original signers of the Declaration of Independence, were librarians at this library, and their names appear prominently in the logs of the Elizabethtown Library Company as well. Elias Bailey Dayton and his brother, Jonathan Dayton were extremely involved with the Elizabethtown Library Company, and were two of the most revered citizens of early Elizabethtown.