New Jersey Genealogical Research –

Finding the Rosetta Stone(s)

email: john@konvalinka.com website: www.konvalinka.com

Updated 13 October 2006

Early History and Background:

New Jersey’s long and varied history offers many research opportunities for genealogists with interests in the area. One of the original 13 colonies and wedged between the larger colonies of New York and Pennsylvania (as well as between the Hudson and Delaware Rivers), New Jersey is often described as a crossroads – as indeed it was – for settlers who eventually moved westward and often established areas with names taken from New Jersey – and for major historical events including the American Revolution.

Henry Hudson, an English explorer in the employ of the Dutch, may have been the first non-native American to see the Jersey shore, in 1609, although there are reports that Giovanni da Verrazano may have visited almost 100 years earlier. In any case, in 1629 the Dutch patroon system of land grants attracted the first permanent European settlers to New Jersey. The next generation saw periods of peaceful development of agriculture and small villages (Bergen in 1660 was the first town in New Jersey) but was also marred by periods of warfare with the natives.

While the Dutch were struggling to maintain a presence in northern New Jersey, the Swedes attempted colonization in central and southern Jersey, but in 1655 yielded their claims to the Dutch. The Dutch, in turn, in 1667 by the Treaty of Breda, yielded their claims to the English, who had been successfully colonizing both New England and the Chesapeake region.

Even before the Treaty, in 1664, the Duke of York (James, the brother of King Charles II) created a “proprietorship” (as had been done in other colonies) by conveying the ownership and governing prerogatives of “New Cesarea”, what is now New Jersey, to two friends – Sir George Carteret (who had defended the Isle of Jersey for the Royalists) and John, Lord Berkeley.

Meanwhile, Colonel Richard (or Robert) Nicolls, who had been dispatched by James to subdue the Dutch, was unaware of what James had done, and, in a good faith move which was to cause confusion and bitterness for many years to come, encouraged settlers in other parts of America to settle in New Jersey with the promise of self government (or at least self taxation) and freedom of conscience.

As a result of both initiatives, within a few years there was a large influx of settlers from the English colonies in New England and Long Island (New York). Nicolls offers resulted, among other things, in the first permanent English settlement (Elizabethtown, named perhaps in honor of George Carteret’s wife) and the Monmouth patent which attracted Baptists from Rhode Island and Quakers from Long Island.

The Proprietors were absentee landlords and knew nothing of Nicolls’ land grants. In 1665 they dispatched Philip Carteret, a relative of George, to New Jersey to become governor. Carteret appears to have been aware of and accepted Nicolls’ land grants, and in fact he settled in Elizabethtown, became a shareholder in the Elizabethtown Associates and confirmed the sale of land which soon became Woodbridge and Piscataway. He also encouraged a Puritan/Congregational group from New Haven CT, under Robert Treat, to found Newark. See “Horseneck Founders of New Jersey” http://www.rootsweb.com/~genepool/nj.htm

The era of the Proprietors saw the formation of basic governmental institutions and land practices. The Proprietors wanted the land rents which settlers would provide and thus offered liberal political and religious privileges to those who would come to New Jersey. By the Concessions and Agreement of 1665 settlers were not able to buy the land from the Proprietors; they paid an annual quit-rent. This soon became a cause of contention, particularly because persons who had bought their lands from the Indians with the approval of Nicolls or Carteret held that the Concessions and Agreement did not apply to them.

The second General Assembly (1668) ended in discord; the first quit-rents, due in 1670, went largely unpaid, and in 1672 an illegal assembly deposed Philip Carteret as governor. (He resumed his position two years later.)

New Jersey became divided into the provinces of East Jersey and West Jersey by the Quintipartitie Deed of 1676, and more political troubles erupted in 1680 over issues of self government. The dispute was referred back to England, which restored the status quo, although briefly. In 1682, after the death of Sir George Carteret, his estate was bought by William Penn and about twenty other Quakers. Penn was also interested in West Jersey (whose capital was Burlington), and there developed a strong Quaker influence. Meanwhile East Jersey, whose capital was Perth Amboy, became the province of the Scots under the governorship of Robert Barclay, the Scotch Quaker, although there was also a strong Presbyterian influence. In time strains developed among the diverse population and religious make-up of the province, which included, in addition to English, Scotch and Dutch, immigrants from Belgium, Finland, France and Germany as well as a growing slave population.

Many of the new proprietors (including Berkely) never came to New Jersey but sold part of their holdings to persons who did come over and in 1684 created a board of “resident proprietors”. There soon developed two different classes of landholdings: the large tracts of the proprietors and the small plots in towns held by quit-rents. This situation, plus the continuing disputes over the grants of Carteret and Nicolls, caused problems which lasted until after the American Revolution.

Also during this period (1677-86) New Jersey’s original 6 counties (Burlington, Bergen, Essex, Middlesex, Monmouth and Gloucester) were formed; over the next 200 years 15 more counties would be created, the last, Union, in 1857.

The tensions continued until in 1700 some 250 New Jerseyans signed a “Grand Remonstrance to King William”, repudiating then Governor Andrew Hamilton and demanding an “Indifferent Judge to decide the controversies arising between the Proprietors and the Inhabitants of Your Majesty’s Province.” The uprisings and disturbances continued until in London the Board of Trade recommended and in 1702 Queen Anne united East and West Jersey and declared New Jersey a royal colony. This ended the governing function of the Board of Proprietors but not their land ownership; the East Jersey proprietorship was not dissolved until 1998!

The negotiations which led to the “surrender” of the Proprietors also led to major changes in the structure of New Jersey – notably the creation of a single government which operated under the influence (often unwieldy) of the various agencies of the English government that administered the affairs of other English colonies. A firm English bureaucracy was established and the basis laid for much of the record keeping which may still be seen today.

The final years of the Colonial era, from 1702-1776, saw a succession of royal governors, some of whom were also governors of New York: Edward, Lord Cornbury, Robert Hunter, William Burnet and, notably Lewis Morris who served from 1738 until his death in 1746 and has emerged as one of the most influential men in the history of the province.

After Morris there were several other governors, the most notable of which was William Franklin, son of Benjamin, who served from 1763 until 1776, until he was banished to Connecticut and ultimately returned to England a few years later. It was during this period that signs of discontent, already apparent in other colonies, became noticeable in New Jersey – particularly with the Stamp Act and the Mutiny Act of 1765 and the Boston Tea Party in 1773. Because of the land ownership “monopoly” of the proprietors and the refusal of the legislature to levy taxes, New Jersey by 1765 had more public debt than any of the other colonies. Various loan, bills of credit and paper money schemes (in addition to the 1768 disappearance of £8,000 from the Treasury) failed to alleviate the problem and after the Revolution this situation would lead New Jersey to purchase large tracts of land from the Federal government in (what was to become) Ohio and sell that land to New Jerseyans who chose to move westward.

The growing discontent with English rule led to the formation of many committees and congresses in New Jersey and elsewhere, although New Jersey, with long experience in the politics of self government, seems to have demonstrated a particular skill in the organizing effective means of opposition. These efforts, which culminated in the Provincial and Continental Congresses in 1776, saw the emergence of several new New Jersey figures: John Witherspoon, Richard Stockton, William Paterson and William Livingston, who was elected first governor of the state. Also, due largely to Quaker influence, the seeds for the abolition of slavery were sown. These began to bear fruit with the 1804 Act of the Legislature, although actual abolition did not occur until 1846.

Although there were many signs of discontent in New Jersey, support for the American cause in the Revolution was far from unanimous. Many large landholders who stood to lose everything remained loyal to the Crown (hence the term “loyalist”); many smaller landholders did likewise, for reasons best known to themselves. Notwithstanding that, New Jersey emerged as the “crossroads” of the Revolution and played no small part in its success.

The Revolution further aggravated New Jersey’s financial problems and the new legislature had to deal with many complex issues involving public debt, taxation and currency reform. The paper money issued by the State had plummeted in value. New Jersey, unlike other states, had no public lands to sell and its refusal, in effect, to support the new Federal government helped to hasten the Constitutional Convention. What became known as the “New Jersey Plan” for equal representation of the states led to the “Great Compromise” which created both the U. S. Senate and the House of Representatives. New Jersey became the third state, after Delaware and Pennsylvania, to ratify the new Federal Constitution.

Also, to alleviate its money problems, New Jersey in 1787 bought from the U.S. Congress a large tract of land in southern Ohio which led to the establishment of the cities of Cincinnati and Dayton and a strong New Jersey influence in that area. The migration of other New Jerseyans, to western Pennsylvania and beyond, also began during this period.

All of the above events help us to understand how records of genealogical interest came into being and have been preserved in New Jersey. The next major step came in 1848 when New Jersey became the second state (after Massachusetts) to require statewide registration of births, deaths and marriages.

One footnote: As in the Revolutionary War, the role of New Jersey in the Civil War was not as unambiguous as might be expected. In a further demonstration of the diversity which has always characterized New Jersey, although slavery had been abolished, New Jersey continued to enforce the Fugitive Slave Law, and there was powerful opposition in the state against abolitionists and “armed interference in Southern affairs”. Some of this opposition was economic as well: the industrial centers of Newark and Trenton depended heavily on their Southern markets; many summer visitors to the Jersey shore came from Richmond and Baltimore, and a large percentage of the students at the college in Princeton came from Virginia. Nevertheless, despite the power of the antiwar forces, New Jersey became a major contributor – of men and resources – to the Union cause.

A New Jersey Timeline:

· 1609 – Sighting of New Jersey by Henry Hudson

· 1629 – First Dutch settlement at Pavonia (Jersey City)

· 1638 – Swedish colony established on lower Delaware River

· 1664 – English defeat of Dutch interests and initial grant of New Jersey

· 1675 and 1682 – Town clerks legally required to register vital records

· 1676 – Creation of East and West Jersey Provinces through Quintipartitie Deed

· 1702 – Surrender of Proprietors’ government rights; New Jersey becomes a Crown Colony

· 1776 – First New Jersey State Constitution

· 1787 – New Jersey becomes the third state to ratify the Constitution

· 1795 – County clerks began keeping marriage records

· 1846 – Slavery abolished

· 1848 – New Jersey became the second state to require statewide registration of births, deaths and marriages

More details of New Jersey History can be found on the website of the New Jersey Historical Commission: www.state.nj.us/state/history/hisidx.html

What New Jersey Records are Available:

(Details on repositories mentioned are provided in the next section)

Census Records: Colonial censuses taken in 1726, 1738, 1745 and 1772 have not survived, but taxpayer, quit-rent and other lists of residents (some of which have been published) may be helpful substitutes. The 1790, 1800, 1810 and 1820 and 1890 Federal censuses are likewise unavailable (with minor exceptions, including an 1890 schedule of Union veterans.) Other Federal, and State censuses from 1855-1915, with some missing counties, are available in the New Jersey State Archives and Family History Library. The New Jersey Historical Society also has a large collection of census and tax records.

Church and Cemetery Records: Some records for the major denominations have survived and are in various locations, including the Family History Library. The GSNJ Collections at Rutgers Library have transcriptions from over 800 cemeteries and 16 file drawers of cards with transcribed inscriptions. The New Jersey Historical Society also has a large collection of cemetery transcriptions and an 11,000 card “Index to Civil War Soldiers’ Graves In New Jersey”.

City and Other Directories: A large number of these from the mid 19^th century are available in several locations, including the New Jersey State Library and The New Jersey Historical Society.

Court Records: Some probate records, guardianship, naturalization, and a wide variety of other records have survived from as early as the 1670s and are available in the New Jersey State Archives, the Superior Court of New Jersey Records Management Center and the Family History Library, as well as in various County Clerks’ offices. Records of the US District Court for the District of New Jersey 1789-1967 and circuit courts (until 1911), including bankruptcy records, are in the National Archives Northeast Region, 201 Varick Street, New York NY 10014 212-337-1300.

Emigration and Immigration and Naturalization Records: New York and Philadelphia were the major ports of entry into New Jersey and passenger lists for those ports will be found in the branches of the National Archives in those cities as well as at the Ellis Island Museum (www.ellisisland.org) for the years 1892-1924. There are many published and transcribed passenger lists available; the Family History Library New Jersey Research Guide lists several.

The New Jersey Archives has New Jersey naturalization records (in addition to those filed under each county) for the colonial period and part of the 19^th century. Others will be found in the various County Clerks’ offices. The GSNJ Collection has an Emigrant Register of many New Jersey residents who emigrated from the state until the 19^th century.

Land and Property Records: The earliest recorded sales of land in New Jersey were by the proprietors of East and West Jersey, and many of those records are in the New Jersey State Archives as well as deeds recorded in the Secretary of State’s Office until 1785 (with some to 1800) and are indexed in Colonial Conveyances: Provinces of East & West New Jersey 1664–1794. Most recorded deeds from 1785 (some earlier) and mortgages from 1766 are maintained in county clerks’ offices. The Archives has some copies of these, particularly the ones filmed by the Family History Library. It is estimated that only about half of the deeds from this period were ever recorded.

The Archives also has a collection of various lot surveys, including the rare “Elizabethtown Book C – the Surveys of 1736-38.”

Military Records: The New Jersey State Archives maintains all military records for New Jersey from the Colonial period to, but not including WW I. Later records are at the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs. A typescript, "Military Lists from The Office of the Adjutant General, Trenton, New Jersey," copied by Albert F. and Sara Morton Koehler (n.p., 1962) is available at the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society. Many military records for New Jersey are also available at the New Jersey Historical Society, the National Archives and the Family History Library.

Newspapers: The New Jersey Archives has a large collection of New Jersey newspapers on microfilm as well as a number of volumes of published abstracts from early New Jersey newspapers. The Special Collections at the Rutgers University Alexander Library has newspaper holdings dating chiefly from the eighteenth through the mid-nineteenth centuries. Over a thousand titles, published in New Jersey, Philadelphia, and New York City, form the bulk of the collection. Among the rarest titles is the New Jersey Freeman, an 1840s abolitionist newspaper. The New Jersey Historical Society also has a large collection of newspapers. While not many indexes exist, there are published abstracts of newspaper items from Colonial and later times, e.g. Notices from New Jersey Newspapers 1791-1795 by Thomas Wilson and Dorothy Agans Stratford.

Newspaper Indexes from Burlington County Library (not all years complete):

NJ Mirror: 1818-1927: http://index.burlco.lib.nj.us/Mirror/
The Bordentown Register: 1855-2002: http://index.burlco.lib.nj.us/BordentownRegister/
Central Record 1897-1899; 1916; 1927-2002: http://index.burlco.lib.nj.us/CentralRecord/

Probate Records and Wills: Probate in New Jersey has been a county issue since 1784, when Orphans Courts were created. Some probate matters were transferred to Surrogates Courts in 1804 (all were transferred in 1947). Microfilm copies and bound paper indexes of all New Jersey wills and inventories before 1901 are in the New Jersey State Archives; later wills are held in the Superior Court Records Office. The Family History Library has microfilms of most NJ probate records from 1665-1900.

Town Records: A few New Jersey Town Records, particularly for the early New England settlements in East Jersey, containing valuable genealogical information are held in the New Jersey State Archives, the Rutgers University Library and the New Jersey Historical Society.

Vital Records: Town clerks were required by laws of 1675 and 1682 to register vital records, but few complied. Marriages were also to be kept by the county clerks from 1795. In 1848 New Jersey became only the second state (after Massachusetts) to require statewide registration, but many births, deaths and marriages were not recorded in the early years. The New Jersey State Archives has records from 1848 (see below for details); many copies (but perhaps with less information) will also be found in County Clerks’ offices.

Where to Find Records-Major NJ Repositories:

“Brick and Mortar” Repositories: :

New Jersey State Archives: 225 W. State Street, Trenton NJ 08625-0307

609-292-6260 fax: 396-2454 http://www.state.nj.us/state/darm/links/archives.html Major holdings include:

Vital Statistics (Birth, Marriage, Death and Divorce Records):

Birth Records: 1848-1923; Marriage Records: 1848-1940; Death Records: 1848-1940. Later BMD records are held in the Department of Health and Human Services (see below)

Divorce Records 1743-1850. Later divorce records are held in the Superior Court (see below)

Pre 1848 marriages were recorded by county clerks from 1795-1848. The Archives have some of these records in their County collections. The Archives also have Colonial Marriage Bonds from 1711-1795 (with a card file index.)

Also, some information about pre-1848 baptismal, marriage and burial information has been collected by local historical societies and/or published in book form. The Archives may have some of these; others may be found in the NJ State Library (see below.)

Census Records: Federal and NJ census records, New Jersey Tax Ratables for 1773-1822 (may serve as a substitute for missing 1790-1820 censuses).

Deeds and Other Property Records: The Archives has no records of land ownership before the beginning of British rule in 1664, but does have the records of many proprietary deeds of East and West Jersey from that period, as well as deeds recorded in the Secretary of State’s Office until 1785 (with some to 1800), which are indexed in the publication Colonial Conveyances … 1664-1794.

Most recorded deeds from 1785 (some earlier) are maintained in county clerks’ offices. The Archives has some copies of these, particularly the ones filmed by the Family History Library. The Archives also has Tax Ratables from 1773-1822

Newspapers: The Archives has a large collection of New Jersey newspapers on microfilm as well as a number of published abstracts from early New Jersey newspapers.

Military Records: The Archives maintains all military records for New Jersey from Colonial times to, but not including WW I. There are published sources which act as guides to the manuscript records.

Naturalization and Other Court Records: The Archives has NJ naturalization records (in addition to those filed under each county) for the colonial period and part of the 19^th century, including Chancery Court Declarations and Naturalizations 1832-1862 and Supreme Court Naturalizations 1761, 1790-1860 1851-1873; and Supreme Court Minutes Index 1681-1837.

The Archives also has various records from the Chancery, Prerogative, County and Supreme courts for various years.

Wills: Microfilm copies and bound paper indexes of all New Jersey wills and inventories before the 1950s; Later wills are held in the Superior Court (see below). In the eighteenth century, administration bonds, guardianship papers and probate accounts were sometimes filed with wills.

Other Records: Coroners Inquisitions 1688-1798; Insolvent debtors petitions 1747-1818; name change judgments 1876-1947 (before 1876, name changes required an act of the Legislature)

New Jersey State Dept. of Health and Human Services: Health/Agriculture Building, Room 504, Front & Market Streets Trenton, NJ 08625-0370 609-292-4087; fax: 609-292-4292 http://www.state.nj.us/health/vital/vital.htm Holds Vital Records for later years not found in the New Jersey State Archives.

Superior Court of New Jersey: Records Management Center, 171 Jersey Street, Trenton, NJ 08625-0967 609-777-0092; Holds wills, divorce records and other court records for later years not found in the New Jersey State Archives.

New Jersey State Library: 185 W. State Street, Trenton NJ 08625-0520

609- 292-6274; fax: 609-984-7901 www.njstatelib.org/CyberDesk – with links to online collections. Major holdings:

· Genealogical reference tools, indexes, bibliographies

· Community and local histories for New Jersey and for states populated from New Jersey

· New Jersey genealogies and published sources on families originating in New Jersey

· Genealogies on major colonial and revolutionary families in northeastern United States

· Genealogical periodicals and publications of major New Jersey, northeastern and national genealogical and hereditary societies

The Library also has a searchable database of New Jersey participants in the Civil War at www.njstatelib.org/NJ_Information/Digital_Collections/Digidox20.php

The Genealogical Society of New Jersey: www.gsnj.org The GSNJ collections of family histories, published (and unpublished) genealogies and cemetery records are in the Special Collections at the Alexander Library of Rutgers University, 169 College Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 908-932-7510; Fax: 908-932-7012, but are not listed in the library catalogs. They include among many other items: Inscriptions from more than 800 New Jersey burial places, over 5,500 family and Bible records, Chester N. Jones’ New Jersey Soldiers in the Revolution (30,000 cards), The D. Stanton Hammond Collection on northeastern New Jersey families, The John P. Dornan Collection of annotated Quaker records and extensive notes on southern New Jersey families, and The Emigrant Register (data sheets on 19th-century emigrants from New Jersey). For further details of the collection see: www.gsnj.org

Other items of genealogical interest in the Special Collections and University Archives www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rulib/spcol/spcol.htm are: the records of the New Jersey State Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, numerous original letters, early New Jersey town records, original manuscripts, diaries from 1746-1956, books printed before 1500, 17^th century tracts promoting settlements in New Jersey (and elsewhere), historical maps and newspapers, and early prints, photographs and almanacs.

Also, the Sinclair New Jersey Collection -- the largest, most comprehensive collection of New Jersey materials in the State and one of the finest collections of state and local history in the country. Approximately 61,000 monographs, pamphlets, periodicals and serials cover broad subject areas. Topics include state, county and municipal history and description, genealogy, religion, business, government, law, education, literature, medicine, agriculture, technology and bibliography. The collection is an indispensable source for research on any aspect of the state, past or present.

The New Jersey Historical Society Library: 52 Park Place - Newark, NJ 07102
(973) 596-8500 - Fax: (973) 596-6957 www.jerseyhistory.org/librarymain.html contains manuscripts, rare and reference books, photographs, maps, broadsides, pamphlets and other materials that document the cultural and historical heritage of New Jersey from the colonial era through the 20th century. “The collections form the most comprehensive, privately-funded library on New Jersey's past.” The manuscript collection includes original church records (ministers’, plus doctors’ and midwives’), deeds, military and organizational records, diaries, letters, photos and maps.

The genealogy collection www.jerseyhistory.org/genealogy.html has a large collection of: Cemetery Gravestone Inscriptions (20 manuscript volumes plus an 11,000 card index to Civil War Graves in New Jersey), Census and Tax Records, City Directories, Compiled Genealogical Material (about 1,200 files), Genealogical Card Indices, Military Records, Histories of Towns, Cities and Counties, and Newspapers and other Record Sources.

Morristown and Morris Twp. Public Library: 1 Miller Road, Morristown, NJ 07960, 973-538-3473. The Local History and Genealogy Department has an extensive collection of genealogical and historical material (more than 22,000 titles) relating to Morristown, Morris Township, Morris County and New Jersey areas. Also: all available NJ census records and genealogical material from the thirteen original colonies and from states such as Kentucky and Ohio, to which Morris County families have migrated. The library also has many publications and journals from libraries and archives in NJ and other states including the UMI microfiche collection (with many kinds of records, published genealogies and other materials); consulting them in Morristown could save a trip to these other repositories. For additional information about the collection see www.jfpl.org/gene.htm or search the catalog at www.jfpl.org . However you should also consult the card catalog at the Library which contains items not included in the online catalog. Also, many items in the collection are stored away from the open stacks.

County Clerks of the 21 New Jersey Counties: Many court, property and estate, birth/marriage/death, naturalization and passport application records have been maintained in these offices, in addition to whatever voter registration records might still exist (since these are not permanent records.)

County Genealogical Societies – Examples:

Monmouth County Genealogical Society -- www.rootsweb.com/~njmcgs

Genealogical Society of Bergen County -- www.rootsweb.com/~njgsbc

Morris Area Genealogical Society -- www.rootsweb.com/~njmags

Central Jersey Genealogical Club -- www.rootsweb.com/~njcjgc

For a large listing of NJ Societies: www.daddezio.com/society/hill/SH-NJ-NDX.html

The David Library of the American Revolution: 1201 River Road Box 748, Washington Crossing, PA 18977 215-493-6776; Fax: 215-493-9276 www.dlar.org. A privately endowed, nonprofit foundation devoted to the study of American history circa 1750 to 1800.

The Family History Library, Salt Lake City: www.familysearch.org has microfilms of many New Jersey Records which can be obtained and viewed locally in Family History Centers. See the FHL Research Outline for New Jersey for details of its New Jersey holdings.

An Unusual Source for New Jersey Records: The UK National Archives (formerly The Public Record Office) in Kew (just outside London -- www.nationalarchives.gov.uk ) is the National Archive of England and Wales and the United Kingdom. Its holdings of >9 million records include many which relate to colonial America, including New Jersey. For many reasons, some of the records held by the PRO no longer exist in United States repositories – they may have been lost, destroyed or moved to undisclosed locations. The PRO and other UK repositories may also have records of Loyalists in the American Revolution. For these reasons the PRO is a necessary source for anyone doing genealogical or historical research into the early days of New Jersey.

Additional Sources:

· National Archives and Records Administration, Northeast Region: 201 Varick Street, New York NY 10014 212-337-1300; www.archives.gov/northeast/nyc

· Mid-Atlantic Region: 900 Market Street, Philadelphia PA 215-597-3000 www.archives.gov/midatlantic

· Other State Libraries, particularly New York and Pennsylvania

· Large Public Libraries, including those in Newark, Trenton and the New York City Public Library -- www.nypl.org

· New Jersey University Libraries

“Virtual” New Jersey Repositories (exist only online): :

NJ Resources at RootsWeb (many links): http://resources.rootsweb.com/USA/NJ

New Jersey USGenWeb Project: www.njgenweb.org

NJ databases on Ancestry.com: www.familyhistory.com/state.asp?state=NJ , including:

· New Jersey Marriages, Colonial Era, 1665-1800 Database of New Jersey marriages from 1665-1800

· Camden County, New Jersey Marriages, 1837-1910 Marriage records from Camden New Jersey between 1837 and 1910

· Atlantic County, New Jersey Marriages, 1837-80 Collection of marriage records from Atlantic County, New Jersey between 1837 and about 1880

Family History.com: -- www.familyhistory.com/state.asp?state=NJ