Atlantic County, New Jersey Genealogy

Atlantic 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
Atlantic county is located in the southeast region of the state. It was created in 1837. The Mays Landing section of Hamilton Township is the county seat. Originally the county was named Egg Harbor but it was changed to Atlantic for the Atlantic Ocean.

Parent County

 * 7 February 1837, created from Gloucester County.

Boundary Changes
1902: part of Hammonton to Burlington County 1906: coastal boundry established 1938: boundary with Camden and Gloucester counties clarified.

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.

Cemeteries
Cemetery records often reveal birth, marriage, death, relationship, military, and religious information.

Census

 * 1855 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1895 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1915 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Church Records

 * 1675-1970 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 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:
 * Absecon: First Presbyterian Church of Absecon
 * Brigantine: Brigantine Methodist Episcopal Church
 * Buena Vista: Richland Methodist Episcopal Church
 * Egg Harbor City: Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church; Zion Lutheran Church
 * Pleasantville: Wesley Methodist Episcopal Church

Finding Church Records at Other Repositories

Additional church records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as  Church Records in online catalogs like:

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
 * (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).
 * FamilySearch Places

History

 * Balliett, L. Dow, Early History of Atlantic County, New Jersey: record of the first year's work of Atlantic County's Historical Society (Kutztown, Pennsylvania: Kutztown Pub.)


 * The Daily Union History of Atlantic City and County, New Jersey: containing sketches of the past and present of Atlantic City at Ancestry.com($); digitized book.

Naturalization and Citizenship

 * 1796-1991 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Newspapers
Newspaper Extracts and Abstracts in Book Form

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:

Probate Records
Probate records for Atlantic County began in 1837 with the creation of the county. The records are held by the Surrogate's Court. Records are housed at the courthouse in Mays Landing, the county seat. Some records are on microfilm the Family History Library. For more complete information about the location of county probate records see:

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:

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 - How to Use this Collection

Courthouse
Atlantic County Courthouse 5901 Main Street Mays Landing, NJ 08830-1800 Phone: (609) 625-4011 County Clerk has divorce records 1949, court, land and cemetery records from 1837, and County probate records.

Family History Centers

 * Linwood New Jersey Family History Center (Egg Harbor Township) 624 Zion Road Egg Harbor, NJ 08215 Phone: (609) 926-9511 Tue-11-2;


 * Hours: 1st and 3rd Wednesdays 6:00pm - 8:30pm; Thursday - 11:00am - 2:00pm; Closures; Wednesday 5 December 2013;Holiday Closing 14 December 2012 - 7 January 2013

Libraries
Atlantic City Free Public Library 1 N Tennessee Ave Atlantic City, NJ 08401 Phone: (609) 345-2269

Atlantic County Library System 40 Farragut Ave Mays Landing, NJ 08330 Phone: (609) 625-2776 Fax: (609) 625-8143

Societies
Atlantic County Historical Society PO Box 301 Somers Point

Atlantic Highlands Historical Society 27 Prospect Ave. Atlantic Highlands

Atlantic County Historical Society 907 Shore Road, Box 301 Somers Point, NJ 08244 Telephone: 609-927-5218 E-Mail:[mailto:ACHSinfo@comcast.net ACHSinfo@comcast.net] Website

African American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey 661 Jackson Road Newtonville, NJ 08346 Telephone: 609-704-5495 Fax: 609-704-5532 E-mail:[mailto:rhunter@aahmsnj.org rhunter@aahmsnj.org] Website

ABSECON HISTORICAL SOCIETY PO Box 1422 Absecon, NJ 0821-1422 Telephone: 609-659-9000 Website

Buena Historical Society PO BOx 114 Buena NJ 08310 Website

Egg Harbor City Historical Society 533 London Ave. Egg Harbor City, NJ 08215-1565 Telephone:609-965-9073

Vital Records

 * 1848-1900, New Jersey index to records of births, marriages, and deaths

Birth
Online Birth Indexes and Records


 * 1660-1980, at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
 * 1660-1931, New Jersey, Births and Christenings Index at Ancestry.com ($)
 * 1901-1903, at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection

Original Birth Records on Microfilm

Marriage
Online Marriage Indexes and Records


 * 1637-1964, New Hampshire, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1670-1980, at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
 * 1682-1956, at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
 * 1678-1985, at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
 * 1683-1802, New Jersey, Marriage Records at Ancestry.com ($)
 * 1837-1880, Atlantic County, New Jersey Marriages at Ancestry.com ($)
 * Atlantic County, New Jersey marriage records at Ancestry.com ($)
 * 1930-1938, at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection

Original Marriage Records on Microfilm


 * 1837-1886, Atlantic County Marriages

Death
Online Death Indexes and Records


 * 1720-1988, at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
 * 1798-1971, New Jersey, Deaths and Burials Index at Ancestry.com ($)


 * 1901-1903 - at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection

Original Death Records on Microfilm

Atlantic County, New Jersey Websites

 * Atlantic County, NJ History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Genealogy Inc)
 * The Atlantic County NYGenWeb Project, a member of The NJGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * Atlantic County NJ Genealogy
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Atlantic County.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Atlantic County. (Backup site)
 * FamilySearch Catalog for Atlantic County.

Atlantic County, New Jersey Neighboring Counties



 * Burlington
 * Camden
 * Cape May
 * Cumberland
 * Gloucester
 * Ocean