Passaic County, New Jersey Genealogy

Passaic County, New Jersey ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Guide to genealogy, history, and courthouse sources including birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, wills, deeds and land records, Civil War records, Revolutionary War records, family histories, cemeteries, churches, tax records, newspapers, and obituaries.

New Jersey Online Genealogy Records

Description
Passaic County is located in the northeast region of the state. It was created in 1837. Paterson is the county seat. The county was named for "Pasaeck", a Lenape word meaning "valley".

Parent County

 * 1837, created from Bergen and Essex counties.

Boundary Changes

 * 1907, part back to Essex County.

For animated maps illustrating New Jersey county boundary changes, visit "Rotating Formation New Jersey County Boundary Maps" (1683-1928) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Bible
Courtesy of the Passaic County Historical Society Genealogy Club:


 * Index of Surnames
 * ACKERMAN Family Bible Records
 * BENJAMIN / FURDUN Family Bible Records
 * BURHANS Family Bible Records
 * CAMPBELL Family Bible Records
 * CRANE Family Bible Records
 * DERROM Family Bible Records
 * Family Bible Records
 * GARRABRANT Family Bible Records
 * GARRABRANT (James) Family Bible Records
 * GOULD / VAN HOUTEN Family Bible Records
 * HINCHMAN Family Bible Records
 * KING Family Bible Records
 * POST Family Bible Records
 * POST / SPEAR Family Bible Records
 * PULIS Family Bible Records
 * ROMAINE Family Bible Records
 * ROSE Family Bible Records
 * SLINGERLAND Family Bible Records
 * SMITH (Hophni) Family Bible Records
 * SMITH (John) Family Bible Records
 * SPEAR / HINDLE Family Bible Records
 * STANLEY Family Bible Records
 * STORM Family Bible Records
 * VAN BLARCOM Family Bible Records
 * ZABRISKIE Family Bible Records

Census

 * 1855 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1865 at FamilySearch — images
 * 1895 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1915 at FamilySearch — index and images

Church Records

 * 1675-1970 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Directories
Courtesy of the Passaic County Historical Society Genealogy Club:


 * 1853 Paterson City Directory online
 * Passaic County Directory Holdings ( for assistance with any item in this list contact them though their email: [mailto:info@lambertcastle.org info@lambertcastle.org]

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1906-1942 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Genealogy
Betts, Enid. A Sanderson Family and Its Branches. History of Stepen Sanderson born 1811, and his wife Elizabeth Aisbitt and descendants. According to the IGI the Sandersons were in Houghton le Spring, from the late 1500's. Other areas the descendants were in: Eighton Banks, Gateshead Pelaw, Bishop Wearmouth, with a branch going to USA, Patterson, New Jersey,and another branch to Australia. Surnames mention: Liddell, Fenwick, Wynn, Armstrong, Hunter, Best, Murray, Reay, Lockey, Wanless and Smith. Article dated 1560-1985, and is found in The Northumberland &amp; Durham Family History Society Journal, vol.27, no.3,pages 92-95. Family History Library Reference 942.8 B2jo v.27.no.3.(autumn 2002)

Maps

 * Map of Townships in Passaic County
 * Outline of Passaic County over Google Map -- Home Town Locator

Military
Courtesy of the Passaic County Historical Society Genealogy Club:


 * Revolutionary Soldiers buried in the rear of Belleville Reformed Church, Belleville, New Jersey
 * Passaic County Soldiers and Saiilors Monument
 * Passaic County Soldiers for the Union
 * Jerseymen for the Union, Passaic City Volunteers: A-H, I-R, S-Z
 * Paterson: WW1 Veterans of the Barbour Flax Spinning Co. 1918
 * Totowa Borough Veterans Memorial
 * Wayne Township Veterans Memorial

Civil War

 * - 70th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies A and I.

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1796-1991 - at FamilySearch — index

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:

Obtaining Copies of County Probate Records
Copies of recorded probate records and the estate files can be obtained from the surrogate's offices for a fee. Addresses of surrogate's offices are found in:


 * Eichholz, Alice, Editor. Ancestry's Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources. Revised Edition. Salt Lake City, Utah: Ancestry, 1992. (.) Explains state-by-state history, vital records, census, background sources, periodicals, archives, libraries, societies, maps, land, probate, court, tax, cemetery, church, and military records. Includes county boundary map and table which shows when each county was created and the parent counties.

In addition, copies of the original wills, administrations, inventories, and guardianships sent to Trenton since 1901 can be ordered from: Online Probate Records

Clerk of the Superior Court Records Information Center P.O. Box 967 Trenton, NJ 08625-0967 Phone: (609) 292-4978 Fax: (609) 777-0094

Online Probate 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 — images

Courthouse
Passaic County Courthouse 401 Grand St #130 Paterson, NJ 07505 Phone: (973) 225-3632 County Clerk has divorce records from 1947, court records from 1900 and land records. County Surrogate has probate records.

Family History Centers

 * Passaic New Jersey Family History Center
 * Paterson New Jersey Family History Center

Societies
Passaic County Historical Society Genealogy Club Lambert Castle 3 Valley Road Paterson NJ 07509 Telephone: 973-881-2761 E-mail:[mailto:library@lambertcastle.org library@lambertcastle.org] Website

Jefferson Township Historical Society 315 Dover-Milton Road Jefferson Township - Milton, Oak Ridge, NJ 07438 Telephone: 973-697-0258 E-mail:[mailto:info@jthistoricalsociety.org info@jthistoricalsociety.org] Website

North Jersey Highlands Historical Society PO Box 248 Ringwood, NJ, 07456 E-mail:[mailto:info@northjerseyhistory.org info@northjerseyhistory.org] Website

Schools
Courtesy of the Passaic County Historical Society Genealogy Club:


 * Passaic - High School Graduates, 1873 - 1895
 * Passaic - High School Graduates, 1896 - 1908
 * Passaic - High School Graduates, 1909 - 1916
 * Passaic - High School Graduates, 1917 - 1921
 * Paterson - Assoc. of Exempt Firemen, 1882-1892
 * Paterson - Candidates for Admission to High School, 1890
 * Paterson - DAR Applications, Garret A. Hobart Chapter
 * Paterson - Hamilton Club, 1905 Membership Roster
 * Paterson - High School Graduates, 1880
 * Paterson - High School Graduates, 1903
 * Paterson - High School Graduates, 1904
 * Paterson - High School Graduates, 1905
 * Paterson - High School Graduates, 1907
 * Paterson - High School Graduates, 1909
 * Paterson - High School Graduates, 1910
 * Paterson - Normal School Graduates, 1905
 * Paterson - Normal School Graduates, 1906
 * Paterson - Old Ladies' Home of Passaic Cty., Resident List 1927-1934
 * Paterson - Rambling Club, Inc., 1908
 * Paterson - Riverside Athletic and Singing Club, Inc., 1933

Birth

 * 1901-1903, at FamilySearch — index

Marriage
Online Marriage Indexes and Records

1606-1981 - New Jersey, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1670-1980 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1930-1938 - at FamilySearch — index

Death

 * 1901-1903 - at FamilySearch — index

Passaic County, New Jersey Websites

 * USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Passaic County, New Jersey History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Familytree101)
 * Passaic County US GenWeb Project
 * Passaic County Gen Web Archives
 * Passaic County NJ Genealogy
 * Passaic County Historical Society Genealogy Club On-line Resources
 * ancestry.com -- Search Passaic County Sources ($ ancestry.com subscription required)
 * Live Roots -- Passaic County Links

Passaic County, New Jersey Neighboring Counties



 * Bergen
 * Essex
 * Morris
 * Sussex
 * Orange, New York
 * Rockland, New York