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New Tax Page

Online Resources

 * 1778-1832 County tax ratables, 1778-1832 [ie, 1744-ca.1889] (New Jersey)
 * 1862-1866  at FamilySearch. Images only. (Districts listed below)
 * 1862-1866 Assessment lists of the Federal Bureau of Internal Revenue, 1862-1866(go down until you find which film you want and click on camera)

Why Use Tax Records
By studying several consecutive years of tax records you may determine when a young men came of age, when individuals moved in and out of a home, or when they died leaving heirs. Authorities determined wealth (real estate, or income) to be taxed. Taxes can be for polls, real and personal estate, or schools.

Tax record content varies and may include the name and residence of the taxpayer, description of the real estate, name of original purchaser, description of personal property, number of males over 21, number of school children, slaves, and farm animals. Tax records usually are arranged by date and locality and are not normally indexed. Tax records can be used in place of missing land and census records to locate a person’s residence.

County Level
The first tax was levied by the general assembly in 1668. As early as 1670, quitrents (annual property taxes) were paid by landowners to the proprietors. The most valuable collection of tax records is the tax ratables (lists of landowners and other taxables). The ratables list married couples, single men, and widows and indicate if they owned land. Approximate ages and relationships can sometimes be inferred. The ratables are arranged by county and township. There are some lists for 1773 to 1822 in varying degrees of completeness to 1822. This collection's primary value is to determine where someone lived during the period from 1773 to 1822. (link to this list is given in on line Resources above)

State Level
District 1: Atlantic, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Salem (collection on rolls T-1, T-7. T-15) District 2: Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean (collection on rolls T-2, T-8, T-13) District 3: Hunterdon, Middlesex, Somerset, Union, Warren (collection on rolls T-3, T-10, T-11) District 4: Bergen, Morris, Passic, Sussex (collection on rolls T-4, T-12, T-15) District 5: Essex, Husdon (collection on rolls T-5, T-6, T-15)
 * 1862-1866 Districts list:



Tax Laws
Abraham Lincoln instituted the income tax in 1862, and on July 1, 1862, Congress passed the Internal Revenue Act, creating the Bureau of Internal Revenue (later renamed to the Internal Revenue Service). This act was intended to “provide Internal Revenue to support the Government and to pay interest on the Public Debt.” Instituted in the height of the Civil War, the “Public Debt” at the time primarily consisted of war expenses. For the Southern States that were part of the Confederate side of the Civil War, once Union troops took over parts of the Southern States, income tax were instituted on them.


 * To learn more about this Collection click here


 * To learn more about the Civil War taxes click here