Salem County, New Jersey Genealogy

Guide to Salem County, New Jersey ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Description
Salem County is located in the southwest region of the state. It was created in 1694. Salem is the county seat. The county was named for a Hebrew word meaning "peace".

County Courthouse
Salem County Courthouse 92 Market Street Salem, NJ 08079-1913 Phone: 856-878-5050 Salem County Website

County Clerk has marriage records 1675-1912, court records from 1707, land records from 1695, naturalization records 1808-1958, military records from 1715 and newspapers from 1819. County Surrogate has probate records from 1804. City Clerks have birth and death records.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

History Timeline

 * 1642-1643, The New Sweden Colony expanded from present-day Wilmington, Delaware east to New Jersey. Fort New Elfsborg (Nya Älfborg), now west of Salem, Salem, New Jersey was built as part of New Sweden in 1643 and garrisoned until 1651.
 * 1664, As part of the Second Anglo-Dutch War New Netherland including West Jersey was surrendered to the English.
 * 1673-1674, A new war broke out and the Dutch sent a large armada to retake New Netherland for a few months. But as the war ended the colony was ceeded to England for the last time.
 * 1681, part of West Jersey
 * 1654-1655, In 1654 New Sweden captured Fort Casimir (now New Castle, Delaware) from the Dutch without a fight and renamed it Fort Trinty (Trefaldighets). In 1655 New Netherland returned with a large army and all of New Sweden in presend-day Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey submitted to Dutch rule.
 * 1700, part of Cape May County added.
 * 1710, boundaries clarified.
 * 19 January 1748, part set off to become part of Cumberland County.
 * 1822, water boundaries established and clarified in 1846.
 * 1867, Pittsgrove twp. to Cumerland County and returned in 1868.

Census Records

 * 1855 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1895 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1915 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Church Records

 * 1675-1970 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1708-1985 Pennsylvania, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985 at Historical Society of Pennsylvania – ($), free to members of the society; Also available at Ancestry.com – $; 7,542,774 entries. This database is incomplete for all counties.
 * Contains the church records of:
 * Daretown: Pittsgrove Baptist Church
 * Salem: Broadway United Methodist Church; St. John's Episcopal Church
 * Upper Penn's Neck: First Baptist Church

Lutheran Settlers from Penns Neck attended a Swedish Church at Crane Hook as early as 1667. 1754 and 1786 membership lists of Penns Neck Parish are preserved in Archivum Americanum at the Consistory Court of the Archbishop of Upsal in Sweden.

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

 * Salem County, New Jersey, Civil War records, 1861-1865

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1796-1991 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1656-1999 New Jersey Wills and Probate Records 1656-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images ($)
 * 1670-1760 Calendar of New Jersey Wills 1670-1760 at Ancestry.com — index and images ($)
 * 1670-1817 New Jersey Abstract of Wills 1670-1817 at Ancestry.com — index and images ($)
 * 1678-1980 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only; Use the Surrogate's Docket Index 1700-1972 to obtain the Docket Number for the name. Then, use the Docket Number to locate the correct Estate file.

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007

Birth

 * 1600-1990 New Jersey Vital Records, Historical Society of Pennsylvania at Findmypast — index & images, ($)
 * 1660-1980 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; ''Also at: Ancestry Index ($)
 * 1746-1795 New Jersey Baptisms 1746-1795 at Findmypast — index, ($)
 * 1901-1903 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1901-1929 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index

Marriage

 * 1600s-1900s US Marriages, New Jersey at Findmypast — index, ($)
 * 1670-1965 New Jersey Marriage Records, 1670-1965 at Ancestry — index & images, ($)
 * 1670-1980 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1678-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1683-1802 New Jersey Marriage Records, 1683-1802 at Ancestry — index & images, ($)
 * 1684-1895 New Jersey Compiled Marriage Records, 1684-1895 at Ancestry — index, ($)
 * 1901-1914 New Jersey Marriage License Index, 1901-1914 at MyHeritage — index, ($)
 * 1901-2016 New Jersey Marriage Index, 1901-2016 at Ancestry — index, ($);
 * 1901-2016 New Jersey Marriage Index, 1901-2016 at Findmypast - Browse index ($)
 * 1915-2016 New Jersey Marriage License Index, 1915-2016 at MyHeritage — index, ($)
 * For a complete list of all New Jersey Marriage databases

Death

 * 1600-1990 New Jersey Vital Records, Historical Society of Pennsylvania at Findmypast — index & images, ($)
 * 1798-1971 New Jersey Deaths and Burials Index, 1798-1971 at Ancestry — index, ($)
 * 1848-1878 Death Records, May 1848 - May 1878 at New Jersey State Archives - index, $ for photocopies
 * 1878-1900 Death Records, June 1878 - December 1900 at New Jersey Department of State — index, $ for photocopies
 * 1901-1929 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1901-2017 The New Jersey Death Index at New Jersey Death Index — index; Also at: Ancestry index ($)
 * 1920-2017 New Jersey Death Index, 1920-1929, 1949-2017 at MyHeritage — index, ($)
 * For a complete list of all New Jersey Death databases

FamilySearch Centers

 * Cherry Hill New Jersey FamilySearch Center
 * Vineland New Jersey FamilySearch Center
 * Wilmington Delaware FamilySearch Center
 * Cumberland County Library - an affiliate library
 * Gloucester County Historical Society - an affiliate library
 * Henry Francis Du Pont Winterthur Museum - an affiliate library

Libraries
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Societies
Salem County Historical Society 83 Market St Salem, NJ 08079 Telephone: 856-935-5004 Website Salem County, Genealogical Society Of PO Box 231 Woodstown NJ 08098 E-mail:[mailto:genealogicalsocietysalemcounty@gmail.com genealogicalsocietysalemcounty@gmail.com] Website

Websites

 * Salem County NJGenWeb, a member of The NJGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Salem County NJ Genealogy


 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.