Hunterdon County, New Jersey Genealogy

Guide to Hunterdon County, New Jersey ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Description
Hunterdon County is located in the northwestern region of the state. It was created in 1714. Flemington is the county seat. The county was named for Robert Hunter a British military officer, colonial governor of New York and New Jersey from 1710 to 1720, and governor of Jamaica from 1727 to 1734.

County Courthouse
Hunterdon County Courthouse 65 Park Avenue Flemington, NJ 08822 Phone: 908-824-9750 Hunterdon County Website

County Clerk has marriage records 1795-1875. Court recorder from 1714 and land records from 1716. Clerk Surrogate Court has probate records. Clerk Superior Court has divorce records.

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:

History Timeline

 * 1739, part formed into Morris County
 * 1838, part formed into Mercer County with more being added in 1839
 * 1844, Hopewell twp. returned from Mercer County and Tewksbury twp. to Somerset County
 * 1845, Hopewell twp. back to Mercer County and Tewksbury twp. from Somerset County
 * 1965, Somerset county boundary clarified.

Census Records

 * 1855 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1895 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1915 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Church Records

 * 1675-1970 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1771-1800 Fisher, Ben van D. "Records of the Corporation of Zion in New Germantown in West Jersey - Births and Baptisms," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Baptisms 1771-1773: Vol. 31, No. 2 (Apr. 1900):107-110; Baptisms 1770s-1778: Vol. 31, No. 3 (Jul. 1900):139-142; Baptisms 1778-1780: Vol. 31, No. 4 (Oct. 1900):232-235; Baptisms 1780-1782: Vol. 32, No. 1 (Jan. 1901):36-39; Baptisms 1782-1783: Vol. 32, No. 2 (Apr. 1901):97-100; Baptisms 1783-1785: Vol. 32, No. 3 (Jul. 1901):138-141; Baptisms 1785: Vol. 32, No. 4 (Oct. 1901):200-203; Baptisms 1786-1787: Vol. 33, No. 1 (Jan. 1902):27-31; Baptisms 1787-1790: Vol. 33, No. 2 (Apr. 1902):Baptisms 1790-1791: Vol. 33, No. 3 (Jul. 1902):141-144; Baptisms 220-222: Vol. 33, No. 4 (Oct. 1904):220-222; Vol. 33 222; Baptisms 1793-1794: Vol. 34, No. 1 (Jan. 1903):56-59; Baptisms 1794-1796: Vol. 34, No. 2 (Apr. 1903):100-102; Baptisms 1796-1798: Vol. 34, No. 3 (Jul. 1903):197-200; Baptisms 1798-1800: Vol. 34, No. 4 (Oct. 1903):248-250. Digital version at New York Family History ($); . Internet Archive has digitized Vol. 32 and Vol. 34, but not Vol. 31 or Vol. 33.

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African Americans This series is arranged chronologically. The items have been listed using the following format: • name of slave owner: • name of slave (age if recorded), • other identifying information if included, • location, • date [remarks]. To aid in research, three name indexes have been added following the contents list.
 * 1804-1835, Hunterdon County, Birth Certificates of Children of Slaves, 1804-1835 at New Jersey State Archives
 * Slave Manumissions On-line This series includes original manumission papers filed by Hunterdon County slaveowners (with overseers of the poor and justices of the peace) as early as 1788. The documents are among those originally copied into two manumission/slave birth books now (1993) held by the Hunterdon County Historical Society in Flemington. Abstracts of the recorded manumissions were published in Some Records of Old Hunterdon County, 1701-1838 by Phyllis B. D'Autrechy (Trenton: 1979), pp. 147-157, 173-196, 201-204. Well over 500 acts of manumission during the period 1787-1856 are recorded in the Hunterdon County manumission books, while original papers for only 56 are included here.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records Early Deeds 1716-1730 at FamilySearch film#818213 Item 1

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Hunterdon County for settlers included:
 * Delaware River a pre-historic pathway serving as the border between New Jersey and Pennsylvania rises in Schoharie (NY) and flows by the Lehigh Canal in Pennsylvania, Frenchtown, Trenton where river meets tidewater, and past Bordentown in New Jersey, Philadelphia in Pennsylvania to empty into the North Atlantic Ocean.
 * Delaware and Raritan Canal 1834 connected New Brunswick, New Jersey on the Raritan River (and NY City) to Bordontown, New Jersey on the Delaware River and parts of Pennsylvania including Philadelphia. A feeder canal, including boat traffic, from near Frenchtown also supplied additional water to the Trenton part of the D&amp;R Canal.

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1796-1991 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1905-1944 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images

Newspapers

 * Index to the Hunterdon Gazette prepared by William H. Hartman. The online index has over 25,000 entries covering the years 1825-1866. "The Hunterdon Gazette and Farmer's Weekly Advertiser, was first published at Flemington, New Jersey, on March 24, 1825. With Issue No. 18, July 21, 1825, the name was changed to ‘Hunterdon Gazette and Farmer's Advertiser’. The name was changed to ‘Hunterdon Gazette’ on June 3, 1829 and continued with this heading until July 1866 when it was purchased by the Hunterdon Democrat. This newspaper lasted about a year when it merged with the present day Hunterdon County Democrat."
 * Extracts of the Hunterdon County Democrat from 1838 to 1888 (currently) and beyond in the future at this website. Visit the site, a website for the Sutton Family of New Jersey, for details. The maintainer of the site also offers to make some additional transcriptions upon request. From the website: "The Hunterdon Democrat was formed September 5, 1838 at Flemington, New Jersey. In 1847, the name was changed to the Hunterdon County Democrat which title still is being used (1975). The initial annual subscription rate for those who received their papers by private post was ($)2.00."

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1656-1999 New Jersey Wills and Probate Records 1656-1999 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1670-1760 Calendar of New Jersey Wills 1670-1760 at Ancestry.com — index & images ($)
 * 1670-1817 New Jersey Abstract of Wills 1670-1817 at Ancestry.com — index & images ($)
 * 1678-1980 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only; Use the Surrogate's Docket Index 1700-1972 to obtain the Docket Number for the name. Then, use the Docket Number to locate the correct Estate file.

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007

Birth

 * 1600-1990 New Jersey Vital Records, Historical Society of Pennsylvania at Findmypast — index & images ($)
 * 1660-1980 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; ''Also at: Ancestry Index ($)
 * 1746-1795 New Jersey Baptisms 1746-1795 at Findmypast — index, ($)
 * 1901-1903 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1901-1929 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index

Marriage

 * 1600s-1900s US Marriages, New Jersey at Findmypast — index, ($)
 * 1670-1965 New Jersey Marriage Records, 1670-1965 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1670-1980 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1678-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1683-1802 New Jersey Marriage Records, 1683-1802 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
 * 1684-1895 New Jersey Compiled Marriage Records, 1684-1895 at Ancestry — index, ($)
 * 1901-1914 New Jersey Marriage License Index, 1901-1914 at MyHeritage — index, ($)
 * 1901-2016 New Jersey Marriage Index, 1901-2016 at Ancestry — index, ($);
 * 1901-2016 New Jersey Marriage Index, 1901-2016 at Findmypast - Browse index ($)
 * 1915-2016 New Jersey Marriage License Index, 1915-2016 at MyHeritage — index, ($)
 * For a complete list of all New Jersey Marriage databases

Death

 * 1600-1990 New Jersey Vital Records, Historical Society of Pennsylvania at Findmypast — index & images ($)
 * 1798-1971 New Jersey Deaths and Burials Index, 1798-1971 at Ancestry — index, ($)
 * 1848-1878 Death Records, May 1848 - May 1878 at New Jersey State Archives - index, $ for photocopies
 * 1878-1900 Death Records, June 1878 - December 1900 at New Jersey Department of State — index, $ for photocopies
 * 1901-1929 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1901-2017 The New Jersey Death Index at New Jersey Death Index — index; Also at: Ancestry index ($)
 * 1920-2017 New Jersey Death Index, 1920-1929, 1949-2017 at MyHeritage — index, ($)
 * For a complete list of all New Jersey Death databases

FamilySearch Centers

 * Allentown Pennsylvania FamilySearch Center
 * Clinton New Jersey FamilySearch Center
 * Doylestown Pennsylvania FamilySearch Center
 * East Brunswick New Jersey FamilySearch Center
 * Morristown New Jersey FamilySearch Center
 * Nazareth Pennsylvania FamilySearch Center
 * Scotch Plains New Jersey FamilySearch Center
 * Plainfield New Jersey Public Library - an affiliate library
 * New Providence Memorial Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Washington Township Public Library - an affiliate library

Societies
Hunterdon County Historical Society 114 Main St Flemington, NJ 08822 Telephone: 908-782-1091 Website

Websites

 * Hunterdon New Jersey NJGenWeb, a member of NJGenWeb, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * Hunterdon County New Jersey Genealogy Research. Contains information for researching genealogy in Hunterdon County, NJ, Census, bios, obituary, birth, death, marriage, maps, and other records
 * NJGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information.
 * Hunterdon County NJ Genealogy


 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.