New Jersey Genealogy, Facts and Records Resources

Welcome to the New Jersey family history research page. Here you'll find record collection links, history, and genealogy resources to help you trace your New Jersey ancestors.

Known as the “Garden State”, New Jersey is also a place that is associated with early America, the Revolutionary War, Native American tribes, tons of early immigration, and so much more. It is a place that has a naturally high demand for genealogical materials, and this article is going to introduce you to the best ways to search for New Jersey genealogy data.

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Atlantic, Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Salem, Somerset, Sussex, Union, Warren

New Jersey Facts

New Jersey's early colonial history was involved with that of New York (New Netherlands), of which it was a part. One year after the Dutch surrender to England in 1664, New Jersey was organized as an English colony under Gov. Philip Carteret.

In 1676 the colony was divided between Carteret and a company of English Quakers who had obtained the rights belonging to John, Lord Berkeley. New Jersey became a united crown colony in 1702, administered by the royal governor of New York. Finally, in 1738, New Jersey was separated from New York under its own royal governor, Lewis Morris. Because of its key location between New York City and Philadelphia, New Jersey saw much fighting during the American Revolution. See also New Jersey History Page for more Details

New Jersey entered the union as the 3rd state on Dec. 18, 1787. It hashas 21 Counties (New Jersey is the only state in which all 21 counties are officially classified as “metropolitan” by the census). The capital is Trenton and the official state website is www.nj.gov.

New Jersey is bordered by New York (north), Pennsylvania (west), Delaware (southwest). It has a land area of 8,722 square miles making it the 47th largest state. The 2010 population was 8,791,894 and the largest cities (2010) are Newark, 277,140; Jersey City, 247,597; Paterson, 146,199; Elizabeth, 124,969; Edison, 99,967; Woodbridge, 99,585; Lakewood, 92,843; Toms River, 91,239; Hamilton, 88,464; Trenton (Capital), 84,913.

New Jersey name derives from the island of Jersey in the English Channel, the birthplace of Sir George Carteret, a co-owner of New Jersey in the 17th century. Mississippi's state nickname is "The Garden State". The State Motto is " Liberty and Prosperity ".

How to Search for New Jersey Genealogy Information

Resources for New Jersey Genealogy Materials - Let’s just start this brief discussion with one simple fact – you may have to plan a visit to New Jersey to do some of your research. This is not bad news because the state is full of fascinating, fun, and unique places to explore. When you are beginning a search for New Jersey genealogy materials, however, it can be frustrating to be unable to find things online.

Though many relevant organizations are digitizing collections, archives, and records, at a fast pace, not all have started the process. This is the reason that people looking for New Jersey genealogy information may be able to find the things they need right through a computer, or they may have to plan a visit. What this means is that anyone doing research for New Jersey genealogy will want to discover which resources will lead them to the information they need.

The Modern System for New Jersey Genealogy - Most research begins with public records, since these are the most readily available online resources for New Jersey genealogy. They are normally divided between the following types of categories:

  • Local Records – state genealogy research will usually begin with a county clerk’s office or website, and will go on to the local genealogical societies, small local libraries, historical societies, and school or college libraries for New Jersey genealogy materials. These are items that are usually offline and viewable by appointment or special arrangement.
  • Vital Records – these are records for births, marriages, divorces and deaths from county, state, and national archives. They also include military records, immigration and naturalization details, cemetery or obituary information, census records, newspaper items, and passenger lists and records as well. These tend to be available as online or offline resources for New Jersey genealogy.
  • State Records – from probate information to private manuscripts, surname lists, newspapers, state census information, marriage details, military or veterans information, land records, maps, estate information, genealogical folders, death records, deeds, birth certificates, cemetery information and more; these are available as online and offline resources for New Jersey genealogy.

Effective Sources for New Jersey Genealogy - Rather than steering researchers towards really general sources for New Jersey genealogy, we have provided some of the most effective sources for New Jersey genealogy below:

  • State of New Jersey, Department of Health and Vital Statistics - online only at: http://www.state.nj.us/health/vital/ . This is where you can order birth, death, marriage and divorce records via a written request or even online.

Additional state and local records can be found at the:

  • NJDARM, New Jersey Division of Archives and Records Management, 225 West State Street, P.O. Box 307, Trenton, NJ 08625-0307; Website: http://www.njarchives.org/links/webcat/genealogy.html . The genealogical page at this website is really a treasure trove for New Jersey genealogy research. From many place name tools, vital records, estate records, military details to naturalization documents, land records and more – this page is going to give a researcher a lot of details.

Finally, these websites provide a tremendous amount of state-specific details to those in search of facts for New Jersey genealogy projects.

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