The New Jersey State Archives is the Records Repository of the State of New Jersey. Its large collection of Primary Documents include New Jersey Vital Records (Birth, Marriage, and Death), Military Service Records (pre-WWII), Wills and Inventories, Colonial Deeds, Court Records, and Naturalization Records.
Many genealogical collections owned by the Archives are available for order online or by mail. You may use the searchable catalog to locate records sets of interest, or search the online databases.
If you are not a computer user, call (609) 292-6260 to request a Mail Reference Packet. This printed guide contains collection descriptions and order forms for Vital Records and other collections available for order.
Note that the New Jersey State Archives is a separate entity from the New Jersey State Library. If you have questions about any NJSA collections, services, or copy fees, please contact (609) 292-6260.
Marriage of Nikkolai Aaros and Laurasine Leeise, April 28, 1906
Revolutionary War Service Records:
A soldier will have one Compiled Service Card, and may have several Slips. Both the Compiled Service Cards and the Slips will lead the researcher to the original documents where the soldier is named.
Stryker's Officers and Men of New Jersey in the Revolutionary War
Civil War:
Order probate records 1670-1952 (filed with Secretary of State's office until 1901 and Superior Court 1902-1952)
Indexes and Abstracts:
Index to New Jersey Wills ca. 1670 to 1901 (when ordering, you can include the citation from the index in your request)
Calendar of New Jersey Wills (abstracts) ca. 1670-1817 (very useful if you have trouble reading 18th Century handwriting!)
Current Holdings of State Vital Records owned by the State Archives (changes every January):
Any of these records can be ordered remotely or viewed in person.
Current Holdings of State Vital Records Less than 100 years old available for in-person use only at the State Archives (changes infrequently):
Contact the Department of Health, Office of Vital Statistics and Registry at 609-292-4087 to order these records remotely.
Civil War Carte de Visite for Col. Henry W. Brown, 3rd NJ Volunteers
New Jersey State Archives:
Ancestry.com:
Reclaim the Records:
The Archives' newspaper collection holdings and date ranges vary from town to town. There is a printed newspaper holdings list by county and town available for in person use. There is not a name or subject index for the Newspaper Collection as a whole. However, there is a card file index for marriages and obituaries in Trenton newspapers 1776-1899. For questions about newspaper holdings at the Archives, call (609) 292-6260.
Early Land Records and Supreme Court Case File Records can be surprising genealogical gold mines for researchers working on their Colonial or early 19th Century family history. Due to the nature of some of the land transactions or court cases, familial relationships, reports of birth, marriage, or death events, and details of personal wealth and property may be included.
Naturalization Records for the following counties are available to order from the New Jersey State Archives:
The Archives does have additional county naturalization holdings for in-person use only. Check the searchable catalog for details.
John Shahol, Burlington County Declaration of Intention #3115
v. 23, August 19, 1936
New Jersey State Archives 225 W. State Street P.O. Box 307 Trenton, NJ 08625-0307 609.292.6260 njarchives@sos.nj.gov
