New Jersey Births and Christenings - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection is an index of births and christenings for the years 1660 to 1980. This index is not complete for any particular place, region or time period. This collection may include information previously published in the International Genealogical Index.

When using this collection be aware that when volunteers entered data from the 1878-1900 New Jersey birth, marriage, and death index registers, the date spans were misunderstood. The registers span from July of one year through June of the next (excepting a set of registers covering June 1878, and another set covering July-Dec 1900). Unfortunately, much of the data entry was done as if the registers covered single calendar years. Thus, many if not most of the events from the months of January, February, March, April, May, and June during the 1878-1900 period are shown in your databases with the wrong year, the date is generally one year too early.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Births and Christenings
 * Name
 * Gender
 * Birth date and place
 * Christening date and place
 * Names of parents
 * Race
 * Parents' place of birth

Coverage Table
The coverage table shows the places and time periods of the original records in this collection. The table indicates how many records the collection has from each place. Most of the records in the collection are from the time periods listed in the table; however, the collection may have a few records from before or after the time period.

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The person’s name
 * The approximate date and place of birth

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.

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

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Look at an image of the original record, if possible. The original may contain information that was not recorded in the index
 * Use the information to find other records such as marriage, death, or census records
 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname, unless the surname is a common surname. This list can help you identify possible relatives that can be verified by records

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

 * Try viewing any original indexes to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc.
 * Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames, middles name, or an abbreviation of their given name

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

 * New Jersey W.P.A. birth and death records, early to 1900
 * New Jersey index to records of births, marriages, and deaths, 1848-1900
 * New Jersey birth index, 1901-1903
 * Gloucester County Historical Society. Card index to births : 1670-1980

FamilySearch Historical Records

 * New Jersey, Births, 1670-1980
 * New Jersey, Reclaim the Records, New Jersey Birth Index, 1901-1903

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * New Jersey Historical Records Survey, Division of Community Service Programs, Work Projects Administration. Guide to vital statistics records in New Jersey. 2 volumes. Newark, New Jersey : Historical Records Survey (New Jersey), 1941

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.