Step-by-Step New Jersey Research, 1850-1910

New Jersey Step-by-Step Research, 1850--1910 Step-by-Step Research, 1880-present Step-by-Step Research, 1850--1910

Step 1: Find out everything possible from living relatives and their family records.
Every good genealogy project starts with finding all the clues that can be gathered from living relatives — both from their memories and from documents or memorabilia in their homes.

What are the best questions to ask?
In order to extend research, ask for names, dates, and places. Everything about who a relative was and when and where they lived is a clue to a new record search. For ideas, see :
 * 50 Questions to Ask Relatives About Family History


 * Creating Oral Histories

What documents should be collected or copied?
Because these records cover names, dates, places, and relationships, they are a valuable source of clues. Look for them in your home, your parents' home, and ask living grandparents to check for them.

Step 2: Find ancestors in every possible census record, 1850-1950, online.
Example of a census record.
 * A census is a count and description of the population for a given date. A census took a "snapshot" of a family on a certain day.
 * For each person living in a household (depending on the year), their name, age, birthplace, relationship to head of household, place of birth for father and mother, citizenship status, year of immigration, mother of how many children and number of children living, native language, and whether they were a veteran of the military can be listed.
 * Searching for a family in census records every ten years can identify all the children in a family.
 * Searching in earlier census records to find someone as a child can identify parents.



Online State and Territorial Censuses
- For more information, see New Jersey Census and United States Census.

Step 3: Try to find additional details in death certificates, Social Security, obituary and cemetery records online.
When a person dies, several records will be created: death certificates, Social Security records, obituaries, and cemetery records.
 * Death certificates can give birth information for people born before actual birth registration began. Death certificates frequently give the birth date and place, parents' names, and birth places of parents.


 * The Social Security Death Index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits. The index entries give the person's full birth date, last known residence, and residence at the time they first enrolled.


 * The Social Security Applications and Claims Index provides information filed in the application or claims process, including valuable details such as birth date, birth place, and parents’ names.


 * Cemetery records can be as simple as the information on the headstone or, in some FindAGrave records, they can report more thorough information about birth, parents, spouses, children, and siblings.

Example of a death index entry.



Death Indexes

 * Online New Jersey Death Records &amp; Indexes
 * New Jersey Archive Index to Death Records, June 1878 - June 1892
 * New Jersey, Death Index, 1901-2017, index & images ($)
 * Index
 * New Jersey, Deaths and Burials Index, 1798-1971, ($), index
 * 1920-1929, 1949-2017 New Jersey Death Index, 1920-1929, 1949-2017 at MyHeritage - index ($)

Writing for Full Death Certificates
The full original certificate will contain information not contained in the index. Although it costs money, consider sending for the full original certificates, particularly for direct line ancestors (grandparents, great-grandparents, etc). In the states of New England, records were created and maintained by town clerks. Most are online but can be viewed in person or requested by mail.
 * Where to Write for New Jersey Birth, Marriage, Death and Divorce Records

U.S. Social Security Records

 * The U.S. Social Security program began in 1935 but most deaths recorded in the index happened after 1962.
 * The Social Security Death index includes those who had a Social Security number and/or applied for benefits.
 * You can search these records online at
 * Also at Ancestry.com, ($), index.
 * The Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off, by providing information filed in the application or claims process.
 * The Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 picks up where the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) leaves off, by providing information filed in the application or claims process.


 * If you find an ancestor in the SSDI index, you can order a copy of their original Social Security application (SS-5). If you can prove the individual has died (by sending an obituary or copy of their cemetery headstone), the application will also give the deceased's parents' names, if listed.

Obituary Collections

 * Online New Jersey Death Records &amp; Indexes
 * Archives.com Obituaries ($)
 * Ancestry.com United States Obituary Collection for New Jersey ($)
 * ObitsArchive.com - New Jersey, index ($)
 * ObituariesHelp.org - New Jersey Newspaper Obituaries Listings, index
 * Obituary Link Page - New Jersey Obituary Links, index ($)
 * USGenWeb Archives Obituary Project, index ($)
 * New Jersey Obituaries
 * — index and images
 * Search for obituaries in ProQuest Newspapers.com Library ($)

Cemeteries

 * Find-A-Grave
 * at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
 * U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current at Ancestry
 * Billion Graves
 * at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
 * BillionGraves Index at Findmypast ($)
 * at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
 * New Jersey Cemeteries at The Cemetery Site
 * New Jersey Cemetery Records at AccessGenealogy
 * New Jersey Cemetery Records at Interment
 * New Jersey Cemetery Records at New Horizons Genealogy
 * New Jersey, Deaths and Burials Index, 1798-1971 at Ancestry ($)
 * Cemetery Transcriptions from the NEHGS Manuscript Collections, 1650-2000 at American Ancestors ($)
 * New Jersey Tombstone Transcription Project at USGenWeb Transcription Project
 * Online New Jersey Obituary and Cemetery Indexes at DeathIndexes

For more information, see New Jersey Obituaries and New Jersey Cemeteries.

Step 4: Search for birth and marriage records online.
'''Vital records registration of births and marriages at the state level started in 1905. Prior to that the individual towns kept the records. The starting dates and level of compliance of those records vary from town to town.''' Example of a county birth index entry. Example of an indexed county marriage entry.

Online Records
Births
 * New Jersey Vital Records, 1600-1990, index ($)
 * Index.
 * New Jersey, Births and Christenings Index, 1660-1931 ($)

Marriages
 * New Jersey, Marriages 1665-1800 (Published 1900), e-book. Also available at Findmypast,($), index.
 * New Jersey State Archives Colonial Marriages Index, 1665-1799.
 * Index.
 * Index and Images.
 * New Jersey, Marriage Records, 1683-1802 ($)
 * New Jersey Marriages, 1684-1895 ($)
 * American Marriages Before 1699 ($)
 * New Jersey State Archives Marriage Records, May 1848-May 1878.
 * I Dream of Genealogy New Jersey Marriages, index
 * New Jersey, Marriage Index, 1901-1914, index and images.
 * New Jersey Marriage License Index, 1901-1914, index ($)
 * New Jersey Marriage License Index, 1915-2016, index ($)

For more information on birth, marriage, and death records in New Jersey, see How to Find New Jersey Birth Records, How to Find New Jersey Marriage Records, and How to Find New Jersey Death Records.

Step 5: Search military records: World War I and II draft cards.
There are many different types of military records: draft records, enlistment records, service records, pension records, etc. Information in military records can vary from a simple lists of name, age, and residence, to more detailed records including name, residence, age, occupation, marital status, birthplace, physical description, number of dependents, pensions received, disabled veterans, needy veterans, widows or orphans of veterans, and other information. - Example of a World War I draft card. - Example of a World War II draft card.



'''Search the World War I and World War II Draft Collections for male relatives.
- For more information and additional collections, see New Jersey Military Records.
 * , index and images.
 * , index and images.

Step 6: Look for church records online.
Church records function as vital records. Church records are particularly helpful prior to the advent of civil registration.
 * An infant christening or baptism record documents a birth.
 * Many, if not most, people are married in a church, and then a record is created by the minister.
 * Likewise, ministers presided over funerals, then creating a burial record, which documents a death.



FamilySearch Indexes

 * 1675-1970 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * An Index to some churches in New Jersey, arranged by denomination, index cards.
 * 1660-1980 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1678-1985 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1720-1988 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Ancestry.com Indexes

 * Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985($) index/images
 * New Jersey, Births and Christenings Index, 1660-1931 ($)
 * New Jersey, Marriage Records, 1683-1802 ($)
 * New Jersey Marriages, 1684-1895 ($)
 * American Marriages Before 1699 ($)
 * New Jersey, Deaths and Burials Index, 1798-1971($), index

Catholic

 * 1700-1970 New Jersey, church records, 1675-1970(*) at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1700-1970 New Jersey, U.S., Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey, Church Records, 1700-1970 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * ''American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia Records. Volumes 1-4, 8. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: American Catholic Historical Society, 1886-1889, 1893. Marriages of some New Jersey Catholics from 1758 to 1800.

Dutch Reformed

 * 1639-1989 U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989, index and images, incomplete.($)
 * 1701-1995 U.S., Selected States Dutch Reformed Church Membership Records, 1701-1995, index and images, incomplete.($)
 * 1856-1970 U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Vital Records, 1856-1970, index and images, incomplete.($)
 * 1856-1970 U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Membership Records, 1856-1970, index and images, incomplete.($)

Episcopal

 * New Jersey, Episcopal Diocese of Newark Church Records, 1809-1816, 1825-1970, index & images ($).

German Reformed

 * New Jersey German Reformed Church Records, 1763-1802, index

Lutheran

 * Lutheran Church in New York and New Jersey, 1722-1760 : Lutheran records in the ministerial archives of the Staatsarchiv, Hamburg, Germany, e-book.
 * 1781-1969 - U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969, index and images, incomplete.($)
 * Some early records of the Lutheran Church, New York, Holland Society of New York, 1903, p. 1-118

Methodist

 * at FamilySearch; images only; also at Ancestry; images only ($)
 * New Jersey, United Methodist Church Records, 1800-1970, index & images ($)

Presbyterian

 * 1701-1970 U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970, index and images, incomplete.($)
 * Records of meetings, 1874-1952, Presbytery of Monmouth (New Jersey)

Quaker (Society of Friends)

 * U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935, index & images ($).
 * Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy. Vol. II: (New Jersey and Pennsylvania Monthly Meetings)
 * Collection, New Jersey Friends monthly meeting records, images

Other Collections

 * Dunham-Wilcox-Trott-Kirk indexes church, cemetery, probate and other early New England, New York and New Jersey records with links to abstracts of the records.
 * The early Germans of New Jersey : their history, churches, and genealogies, e-book

-
 * For help with church records kept in New Jersey, see New Jersey Church Records.
 * To search records by denomination, if you know your ancestors religion, go to Searching for Church Records by Denomination.

Step 7: Search for online wills and probate packets.

 * County probate records include '''probate proceedings, petitions, affidavits, orders for sales, reports of sales, administrators' and executors' bonds, guardianship papers, wills, and letters of administration.
 * In a will book, usually just a transcription of the will is recorded. But all of these other records are kept in a probate packet.
 * Administrations are probate proceedings that handled an estate if no known will existed.



Search these indexes and images for probate records.

 * United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search: New Jersey
 * New Jersey, Wills and Probate Records, 1785-1924, ($), index and images, incomplete.
 * Images Only.
 * Index of wills, inventories, etc. in the Office of the Secretary of State prior to 1901 ($)

Probate Information in County Wiki Articles
Each New Jersey county Research Wiki page lists additional probate sources, including where to write for records: New Jersey Counties

For more information, see New Jersey Probate Records and United States Probate Records.

Step 8: If any ancestor was an immigrant, search immigration and naturalization records online.
The census records may show that an ancestor was born in another country. It will be necessary to try to find the town or city they were born in to continue research in the country of origin. Searches of immigration records (usually passenger lists) and naturalization (citizenship) records would be the next step.



New Jersey Immigration Records

 * United States Immigration Online Genealogy Records
 * U.S. Passport Applications for New Jersey, 1795-1925 ($)
 * , index.
 * Passenger and Immigration Lists Index for New Jersey, 1500s-1900s ($)

New Jersey Naturalization and Citizenship Online Records

 * United States Naturalization and Citizenship Online Genealogy Records
 * Images Only.
 * New Jersey, County Naturalization Records, 1749-1986 ($)
 * New Jersey, Naturalization Records, 1878-1945, ($), Images and browse.

For more information, see New Jersey Emigration and Immigration and New Jersey Naturalization and Citizenship.

Step 9: Search land records online.
These records will give the They can contain clues to
 * names of the buyer (grantee) and seller (grantor),
 * previous or new residence of the parties to the deed
 * the date they obtained the land,
 * the description of exact location of the land, sometimes mentioning neighbors.
 * family members who shared ownership of the land,
 * sold or gave land to a child, or
 * officially witnessed the sale.

Search for any ancestor's land records.

 * United States Wills and Deeds Experimental Search: New Jersey
 * 1631-1782 New Jersey, Published Archives Series, 1631-1782 ($)
 * 1650-1801 New Jersey's Early Land Records, 1650-1801
 * 1664-1703 Patents and Deeds and Other Early Records of New Jersey 1664-1703 ($), also at Google E-book

For more information, see New Jersey Land and Property and United States Land and Property. 10: Search for printed local histories or biography collections online.''' ==

Local Histories

 * Published histories of towns, counties, and states sometimes contain biographies and accounts of early or prominent families.
 * Here are several websites that feature online copies of printed county histories: New Jersey; that will bring up too many hits. Just use the name of the county and "county": for example, "Hyde County"
 * Google Books. Use keywords "New Jersey" and the county name. Hits will list online readable books, lists of libraries that carry the book, and purchasing opportunities.
 * Family History Books
 * County and Town Histories:*Internet Archive.Use keywords "New Jersey" and the county name.
 * Ancestry.com, ($). In the Card Catalog search box, use New Jersey and the name of the county.

FamilySearch Collected Local Histories

 * Local histories are extensively collected by the FamilySearch Library, public and university libraries, and state and local historical societies.
 * If you have access to the FamilySearch Library or a FamilySearch center, you can find local histories by:
 * Go to the FamilySearch Catalog.
 * In the "Place" field, type the name of your county and click "Search".
 * A list of subheadings for the county will appear. Local histories containing genealogies and biographies will be found under Biography, Genealogy, History, or History - Indexes.

Biography Collections
These collections of biographies can be searched online. Most have a table of contents and an index. Or use the "Find" function on a computer.
 * County and Town Histories, with biographies
 * American Biographical Library for New Jersey ($), index
 * The Story of New Jersey ($), index
 * Genealogical and memorial history of the state of New Jersey : a book of the achievements of her people in the making of a comm ($), index
 * New Jersey Biographical Sketches ($), index
 * Biographical, genealogical and descriptive history of the First Congressional District of New Jersey ($), index
 * New Jersey Biographical Index. ($), index
 * The Early Germans of New Jersey; Their History, Churches and Genealogies ($), index
 * Biographical, genealogical and descriptive history of the state of New Jersey : containing portraits and biographies.... ($), index
 * Prominent Families of New Jersey Vol. II ($), index
 * Pioneer Families of Northwestern New Jersey ($), index
 * Cyclopedia of New Jersey biography, 1916, e-book, index/images
 * Cyclopedia of New Jersey biography, memorial and biographical v.1, 1921, e-boook, index/images
 * Memorial cyclopedia of New Jersey, under the editorial supervision, v. 4, e-book
 * Nelson's biographical cyclopedia of New Jersey, e-book,
 * Vol.2,
 * Vol. 3
 * Past and promise : lives of New Jersey women, e-book, index
 * Scannell's New Jersey's first citizens and state guide ... genealogies and biographies of citizens of New Jersey Vol. 1, Vol. 2, 1919/20, e-book
 * The biographical encyclopaedia of New Jersey of the nineteenth century, e-book
 * New Jersey biographical and genealogical notes from the volumes of the New Jersey archives, with additions and supplements. William Nelson. v.9, e-book
 * Biographical sketches of distinguished Jerseymen. By S.G. Arnold., 1845, e-book
 * A New Jersey biographical index, e-book

Step 11: Contact a local historical or genealogical society.
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 * Historical societies have collections that are frequently little known and often overlooked.
 * Many have a surname file, where they have collected genealogies, newspaper clippings, old photographs, etc.
 * Many have a sort of "pioneer ancestor" program, where people can submit pedigrees to prove they are the descendants of an early resident of the area.
 * Most keep track of queries about families that once lived in the area from other distant relatives who may actually have more family memorabilia.
 * Most keep track of queries about families that once lived in the area from other distant relatives who may actually have more family memorabilia.


 * Find the society on the internet, and they may list their holdings. Or call them on the phone, find out what they have, and find out what arrangements can be made to search their collection. Frequently, one of their members can be hired to search the collection for you.

This online directory by GenealogyInc. lists historical and genealogical societies by county: Click on the map to select a county, then scroll down to the historical or genealogical society listings. Here is an example of an internet website for a local genealogical society.

Historical Images
Records collected and digitized by FamilySearch can all be found through their Historical Images feature.
 * New Jersey, United States Historical Images, New Version
 * New Jersey, United States Historical Images, Old Version

New Jersey Online Genealogy Records
Search any other online records listed in New Jersey Online Genealogy Records. The steps given here are intended to list record sources which can most efficiently identify descendants. Many other online records which might or might not mention descendants are listed in the New Jersey Online Genealogy Records page, including immigration records, land records, military records, newspapers, and probate records, and others. These can be records that cover a smaller group within the population, such as men who served in the military, etc.
 * New Jersey Online Genealogy Records

Step 13: Study the Research Wiki pages for any county in New Jersey.
This article focused more on New Jersey state or state-wide records. There is a separate Wiki article for each county in New Jersey. These articles give information, office addresses, and links to county records.