New Jersey County Records
Many New Jersey family records can be found online and at various archives and libraries located throughout the state of New Jersey. Many millions of records aren't yet available online, though, and many of these are awaiting your discovery at the local level at county courthouses, historical societies, churches, town clerks' offices, cemeteries, and elsewhere in New Jersey. To find these and other records, click on the links below to find more information about the specific counties where your ancestors lived in New Jersey. You'll find information on these pages that will lead you to the specific documentation you're searching for.
It is important to keep in mind when doing research that the names and boundaries of certain counties in New Jersey have changed over the past few hundred years. Your ancestors may have lived on a certain farm in one county and when borders were redrawn records relating to your family history might have been located in another area entirely. When searching for land, court, tax, and other records it is also a good idea to search for these records in adjacent counties. Following is a complete list of New Jersey's 21 counties along with their formation dates, county seats, and names of parent counties.
It is important to keep in mind when doing research that the names and boundaries of certain counties in New Jersey have changed over the past few hundred years. Your ancestors may have lived on a certain farm in one county and when borders were redrawn records relating to your family history might have been located in another area entirely. When searching for land, court, tax, and other records it is also a good idea to search for these records in adjacent counties. Following is a complete list of New Jersey's 21 counties along with their formation dates, county seats, and names of parent counties.
County
Atlantic County Bergen County Burlington County Camden County Cape May County Cumberland County Essex County Gloucester County Hudson County Hunterdon County Mercer County Middlesex County Monmouth County Morris County Ocean County Passaic County Salem County Somerset County Sussex County Union County Warren County |
Formation Date
1837 1675 1681 1844 1685 1748 1675 1686 1840 1714 1838 1675 1675 1739 1850 1837 1681 1688 1753 1857 1824 |
County Seat
Mays Landing Hackensack Mount Holly Township Camden Cape May Courthouse Bridgeton Newark Woodbury Jersey City Flemington Trenton New Brunswick Freehold Borough Morristown Toms River Paterson Salem Somerville Newton Elizabeth Belvidere |
Parent County
Gloucester County Original county Original county Gloucester County Burlington County Salem County Original county Burlington County Bergen County Burlington County Various counties Original county Original county Hunterdon County Monmouth County Bergen & Essex Counties Original county Middlesex County Morris County Essex County Sussex County |
USA State Resources
Follow the links below to find many other helpful resources available in the U.S. states where your ancestors lived in the past.
Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming