New Jersey State Archives
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The state archives serves as the official repository for all New Jersey colonial and state government records of enduring historical value. The archives is administered by the Department of State’s Division of Archives and Records Management. It has a full-time staff of 11 professional and support personnel.
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[edit] Address and Contact Info
Address: Dept. of State, Division of Archives and Records Management, 225 W. State St., P.O. Box 307, Trenton, NJ 08625-0307
Phone: (609) 292-6260
Fax: (609) 396-2454
E-mail: archives.reference@sos.state.nj.us
Web page: http://www.njarchives.org/links/archives.html
Division Director: Karl J. Niederer
Chief of Archives: Joseph R. Klett
Coordinator of Research: Bette Marie Epstein
Online Finding Aid:
Archivists (principal contacts for advice on the collection):
[edit] Hours and usage restrictions
[edit] Collection Summary
The archives’ collections, holding approximately 33,000 cubic feet of records, date from the 17th century to the present. Some collections especially worth noting are governors’ records; petitions to the governor and legislature; colonial land records, including the records of the East & West Jersey Proprietors; New Jersey wills, 1670–1952; 20th-century election returns; New Jersey military records for all conflicts dating from the American Revolution through World War I; state census records, 1855–1915; vital statistics: marriages, deaths, and births, 1848–78; railroad, turnpike, and canal maps and records; the Works Progress Administration’s Historical Records Survey; and colonial and state court records, 1704–1948.
The archives also maintains collections of original county and municipal records. The municipal records have generally been received from defunct municipalities. The scope of county records varies but may include justice of the peace dockets, common pleas court records, tavern licenses, and colonial land bank records. In addition to records and manuscripts, the archives maintains a large and growing microfilm collection containing 28,000 reels, including nearly 10,000 reels of pre-1900 county records and nearly 9,000 reels of New Jersey newspapers. The archives also maintains a 4,000-volume book collection relating to archival guides, preservation of records, and New Jersey history and genealogy. In 2003, the archives’ full catalog of manuscript and microfilm collections was added to its web site. Recent web site additions include Imaged Collections, Searchable Databases, and Documentary Treasures.
The archives has published the third series of New Jersey Archives, which consists of five volumes: Minutes of the Governor’s Privy Council, 1777–1789 (vol. 1) and Laws of the Royal Colony of New Jersey 1703–1775 (vols. 2–5). The archives published a third edition of the Guide to Family History Sources in the New Jersey State Archives, which is now out of print. The archives also sells microfilm copies of its records and of various New Jersey newspapers. A list of titles is available on the archives’ web site.
[edit] Usage Discussion
Suggestions for approaching the material:
Housing and getting by for less in the area:
