New Jersey, State Census, 1885 - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection is an index to the 1885 New Jersey state census. The census is a printed form that was filled in by hand by the enumerator. It is arranged by county and by township within each county.

Some records may be missing, including Jersey City (Hudson County) records from FS Library film numbers 888618, 888619, 888620, 888621 and 888622.

The state of New Jersey took a state census every 10 years beginning in 1855 and continuing through 1915. The 1885 census is the first to survive in its entirety. The census was compiled to obtain a count of the population to determine how many representatives the state would send to Congress.

The information is generally reliable. However use the information with some caution, since the information may have been given to a census taker by any member of the family or by a neighbor. Some information may have been incorrect or deliberately falsified.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The 1890 U.S. Federal Census was damaged and destroyed by fire in 1921. Less than 1 percent of the schedules are available for research today. Because of this problem, the 1885 New Jersey State Census is a highly valuable source as it provides information that would otherwise may be found in the federal census.

The following information may be found in these records:

Census
 * The first and last names of individuals
 * Residence
 * Race
 * Gender
 * Native or foreign born
 * Age range

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The approximate age of your ancestor
 * The place where your ancestor lived
 * The names of other family members and their relationships

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor in the census, carefully evaluate each piece of information about them. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the place of residence to search other records such as federal censuses, church and land records
 * If they are foreign born, look for immigration and naturalization records
 * It is often helpful to extract the information on all families with the same surname in the same general area. If the surname is uncommon, it is likely that those living in the same area were related
 * Be sure to extract all families before you look at other records. The relationships given will help you to organize family groups. The family groupings will help you identify related families when you discover additional information in other records
 * Married family members may have lived nearby but in a separate household so you may want to search an entire town, neighboring towns, or even a county
 * You may be able to identify an earlier generation if elderly parents were living with or close by a married child
 * You may be able to identify a younger generation if a young married couple still lived with one of their sets of parents

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names
 * Look for a different index. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities
 * There is also the possibility that a family was missed in the census

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of New Jersey.
 * New Jersey Guided Research
 * New Jersey Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * State census, 1885

FamilySearch Historical Records

 * United States Census, 1880

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.