New Jersey State Library

New Jersey State Library 185 West State Street (mailing address: P.O. Box 520) Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0520 Telephone: 609-278-2640 Fax: 609-278-2647 E-Mail: refdesk@njstatelib.org Internet: New Jersey State Library Internet: Genealogy and Local History Collection Hours: 8:30 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday


 * The state library collects published sources, including printed genealogies, guides, how-to books, indexes, maps and atlases, church records, local histories, city directories, legislative reports, legal digests, and periodicals. It also has microfilm copies of federal censuses of the eastern states, New Jersey state censuses, and major New Jersey newspapers. The library staff will do limited checking of indexes and directories in response to telephone or written requests. They will make photocopies for a fee.

Collections Here are over 18,000 titles in the genealogy collection. The collection consists of commercially published books and microforms. None of the materials circulates outside the library. Available is access to the commercial services such as HeritageQuest and Ancestry Library Edition. In addition over 70 periodical titles specific to the genealogy field. The majority of the collection are guides, how-to books, census indexes, reference books for areas other than New Jersey, and is primarily organized by geography and ethnic group.

In addition, the library has World War I Draft Registrations for New Jersey. Available are city directories for New Jersey locations, as well as other places in the United States. Sanborn maps of New Jersey are available on microfilm and online.

Family histories make up about one-third of the collection. Many of them have been published privately and in limited numbers. In addition to Ancestry and HeritageQuest, we have the microfilm for the New Jersey federal and state censuses, except for 1875.

The Library has microfilm copies of the major New Jersey newspapers and the New York Times.


 * New Jersey State Library
 * Genealogy and Local History Collections