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Essex County, New Jersey

County Court, Probate, Land & Tax Records  •  County Census Records
County Birth Records, Marriage Records, Divorce Records and Death Records
County Cemeteries & Graveyards  •  County Church & Bible Records

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Essex County was created on 1683 and was formed from East Jersey Province. The County was named for the English county of Essex. The County Seat is Newark.

The recorded history of Essex County begins in 1666, when 30 Connecticut families headed by Robert Treat arrived to establish a settlement along the banks of the Passaic River in what is now the City of Newark. The following year the settlers purchased the land from the Lenni Lenape Indians for $800.00.

Essex County was officially established in 1682 by the East Jersey Legislature as one of the four original counties of present day New Jersey ( Bergen, Monmouth and Middlesex were the others.) By the time of the American Revolution, Essex County had become quite prosperous. After the war, the Country entered into a period of unprecedented industrial growth. This was due in part to the completion of the New Jersey Railroad, the Morris Canal, and the establishment of the Morris and Essex Railroad. Factories that grew up around the rail and canal arteries drew waves of immigrants from Europe and the population began to swell.

Counties adjacent to Essex County are Passaic County (north), Bergen County (east), Hudson County (east), Union County (south), Morris County (west).

Essex County Boroughs Include Caldwell, Essex Fells, Glen Ridge, North Caldwell, Roseland. Cities Include East Orange, Newark. Townships Include Belleville, Bloomfield, Cedar Grove, City of Orange, Fairfield, Irvington, Livingston, Maplewood, Millburn, Montclair, Nutley, South Orange Village, Verona, West Caldwell, West Orange.

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County Court, Probate and Tax Records

See Also New Jersey Court, Land, Tax & Probate Records

All Departments below are in the Essex County Courts Building, 50 West Market Street, Newark, NJ 07102; (973) 693-5701 , unless otherwise noted below. The Official County website is located at http://www.essex-countynj.org/.

NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.
* The date the earliest land deed was recorded appears in the second column. Where two years appear, the first refers to mortgages, the second to deeds.
** Where two years are given, the first is the date when orphans' court minutes begin, the second when surrogates' records and files begin .

Essex County Clerk has Land Records & Marriage Records from 1783/1728* and is located at Courts Bldg., Hall of Records, 465 MLK Blvd., Newark, N.J. 07102;

New Jersey county clerks are responsiblefor land records, including deeds and mortgages, naturalizations, marriages (usually 1795-1840s), and various county court records. A few original county justice of the peace dockets are at the New Jersey State Archives. Estate matters are handled in the surrogate's and orphans' courts.

Essex County Surrogate Court / Orphan's Court has Probate Records from 1783/1728** and is located at Hall of Records (HOR) - Room 206, 465 MLK Blvd, Newark, N.J. 07102; (T)-973-621-4900 ~ (F)-973-621-2654

By virtue of laws enacted since 1844, the responsibilities of the County Surrogate have been expanded. The County Surrogate now has two major functions:

  1. As Judge and Clerk of the County Surrogate's Court, the Surrogate is responsible for settling the estate of every county resident who dies individually owning any assets in New Jersey--whether or not that resident dies leaving a will. Therefore, the Surrogate reviews and probates wills and appoints Executors, Administrators and guardians of minors. In addition, the Surrogate administers and invests monies (now more than $30 million in Bergen County) primarily for minor children who receive judgments in the courts in Bergen County; and
  2. As Deputy Clerk of the Superior Court, Chancery Division, Probate Part, the Surrogate dockets, reviews and schedules all actions pertaining to will contests, estate matters, accountings, mental incompetencies, guardianships of incompetents and all adoptions occurring in Bergen County. In addition, all documents involved in all County Surrogate Court matters are recorded, stored and maintained by the County Surrogate's Court.

Because New Jersey's pre-1830 federal censuses have not survived, tax records are quite an important substitute for placing persons and families prior to that time. Tax lists arranged by township are available for 1773-1822. The originals, at the New Jersey State Archives, show heads of households, landowners, and single adult males, with information about their property that was taxable, including land, horses, cattle, slaves, and mills. Only about half of the 1773-4 lists are extant, and for some places, such as Sussex County, coverage is very slight. Microfilms of these records are at the state archives, the New Jersey Historical Society, Rutgers University, and the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society. The 1784 tax lists for thirty-eight municipalities (predominantly in southern New Jersey) are the only ones to indicate the size of a household, with a column for number of whites and a column for number of slaves.

Below is a list of online resources for Essex County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Essex County Court Records by clicking the link below:

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County Birth, Marriage, Divorce and Death Records

See Also Research In Vital Records or Birth, Marriage, Divorce and Death Records in New Jersey

Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information.

New Jersey State Department of Health and Senior Services, State Registrar Search Unit, PO Box 370, Trenton, NJ 08625-0370; (609) 292-4087, Fax: (609) 392-4292. It can take up to 4 months to get a vital record from New Jersey.

Vital records from May 1848 - May 1878 may be obtained from the State Archives. The Archives also holds microfilm copies of births from 1878-1923, marriages from 1879-1940 and deaths from 1878-1940. These materials are available for in-person use only.

  • Birth, Marriage & Death Certificates from 1878 to the present.
    • Cost: Initial search and one certified copy or certification of the record or No Record Statement is $25.00 per certificate.
      Additional copies of the same record ordered at the same time are $2 are per copy
      Additional years searched (genealogy records only) are $1 per year.
      Make Check or Money Order payable to Treasurer, State of New Jersey. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep $25.00 for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
    • Processing Time: 14-16 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
    • Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index
  • Divorce Certificates: Divorce records for 1900-1989 are kept by the Records Information Center of the State Superior Court. For records after 1989 contact the NJ County Court that issued the divorce decree.New Jersey divorce decrees are available through the Superior Court of New Jersey Records Center. For more information on obtaining a certified copy of a divorce decree, call the Records Center at: 609-777-0092
    • Cost: Include a fee of $10.00 per 10 year search per last name with request. Make check or money order payable to Clerk of the Superior Court. Superior Court of NJ, Public Information Ctr, 171 Jersey Street, CN 967, Trenton, NJ 08625-0967
  • Order Online: You can also order Order Electronically Online to obtain a certified copy of a birth, marriage, death or divorce record with a credit or debit card and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering from Vital Records from Archives.com: Order Birth, Marriage, Divorce or Death Records Online!

Below is a list of online resources for Essex County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Essex County Vital Records by clicking the link below:

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County Census Records

See Also Research In Census Records & Statewide Census Records for New Jersey

Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable

Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Essex County, New Jersey are 1790, 1800, 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1910, 1920 and 1940.

Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your Family Tree in Essex County, New Jersey are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880.

The Mortality Schedules for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. There are free downloadable and printable Census forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms and U.K. Census Extraction Forms.

Below is a list of online resources for Essex County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Essex County Census Records by clicking the link below:

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County Maps & Atlases

See Also Statewide Maps that exist for New Jersey

Below is a list of online resources for Essex County Maps. Email us with websites containing Essex County Maps by clicking the link below:

County Military Records

See Also Research In Military Records or Military Records in New Jersey

Below is a list of online resources for Essex County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Essex County Military Records by clicking the link below:

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County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other New Jersey Genealogical Addresses

Below is a list of online resources for Essex County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Essex County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

  • Submit a website for Essex Co. Genealogical Addresses
  • Montclair Historical Society, 108 Orange Road, Montclair, NJ 07042; (973) 744-1796
  • Essex County Hall of Records, 465 Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd., Newark, New Jersey 07102; 973-621-5000
  • Department of State Division of Archives and Records Management
    Bureau of Archives and Records Preservation State Library Bldg, 185 West State Street, CN-307, Trenton, NJ 08625-0307
     The New Jersey State Archives has many of the basic research materials for the state, such as federal and state census records; probate, land, and court records; newspapers; and vital records.
  • New Jersey State Library, State Library Building, 185 West State Street, CN-520, Trenton, NJ 08625-0520
  • Genealogical Society of New Jersey , PO Box 1476, Trenton NJ 08607-1476; The Genealogical Society of New Jersey has published The Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey since 1925. The society houses its collection of genealogical materials, including cemetery transcriptions, family Bibles (over 4,800), military records, notes of genealogists, and so forth, in the A. S. Alexander Library at Rutgers University.
  • The New Jersey Historical Society, 52 Park Pl., Newark, NJ 07102; 973-596-8500 ext 248 or 249
  • Newspapers & Periodicals - The Newspapers & Periodicals Collection lets you discover a wealth of information about your ancestors from many historical newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals. These types of sources can often supplement public records and provide information that is not recorded anywhere else. Here, you can learn more about your ancestor's possible daily activities by placing them in the context of their time.
  • New Jersey Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com
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County County Cemeteries & Graveyards

See Also Research In Cemetery Records or Statewide Cemetery Links for New Jersey

There are many churches and cemeteries in Essex County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Essex County Tombstone Transcription Project.

Below is a list of online resources for Essex County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Essex County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

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County Church & Bible Records

See Also Research In Church Records or Statewide Church & Bible Links for New Jersey

 

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Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

 

Below is a list of online resources for Essex County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Essex County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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