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Morris 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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Morris County was created on March 15, 1738/39 and was formed from northern portions of original Hunterdon County. The County was named for Lewis Morris, the colonial Governor of New Jersey from 1738 to 1746, it originally included what are now the counties of Morris, Sussex.and Warren.. The County Seat is Morristown. (Consult the Hunterdon County page linked below for pre-1739 records) Sussex County set off, 1753.) Early surrogate's files and books, citcuit court and court of common pleas records, naturalizations, marraiges (1795-1876), and other material are located at the Morris County Records Center and Archives, 300 Mendham Rd, Morristown NJ 07960

Counties adjacent to Morris County are Sussex County (north), Passaic County (northeast), Essex County (east), Union County (east), Somerset County (south), Hunterdon County (southwest), Warren County (west) .

Morris County Boroughs Include Butler, Chatham, Chester, Florham Park, Kinnelon, Lincoln Park, Madison, Mendham, Morris Plains, Mount Arlington, Mountain Lakes, Netcong, Rockaway, Riverdale, Victory Gardens, Wharton. Towns Includes Boonton, Dover, Morristown. Townships Include Boonton, Chatham, Chester, Denville, East Hanover, Hanover, Harding, Jefferson, Long Hill, Mendham, Mine Hill, Montville, Morris, Mount Olive, Parsippany-Troy Hills, Pequannock, Randolph, Rockaway, Roxbury, Washington. CDPs and Communities Include Budd Lake, Cedar Knolls, Cedar Lake, Convent Station, Flanders, Green Pond, Green Village, Hibernia, Lake Hiawatha, Lake Swannanoa, Lake Telemark, Landing, Long Valley, Mount Tabor, New Vernon, Pine Brook, Port Morris, Stirling, Succasunna-Kenvil, Towaco, Union Hill, Whippany, White Meadow Lake

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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 Morris County Courthouse, Washington & Court Sts., Morristown, NJ 07963-0910; (973) 656-4000, unless otherwise noted below. The Official County website is located at http://www.co.morris.nj.us/.

NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.

Morris County Clerk has Land Records & Marriage Records from 1765/1785 and is located at the Hall of Records Administration Bldg, Court Street, P O Box 315, Morristown, NJ 07963-0315; 973-285-6125 [ County clerks were required by law to file copies of deeds beginning in 1785 and mortgages beginning in 1766.]

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.

Morris County Surrogate Court / Orphan's Court has Probate Records from 1785/1804 and is located at the Administration & Records Bld. 5th Floor, P.O. Box 900, Morristown, NJ 07963-0900; (973) 285-6500 Fax: (973) 829-8599; E-Mail Address: jpecoraro@co.morris.nj.us. [ Recording of wills and estate inventories at the county level began in 1804. Orphans Courts were established in 1785.]

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 Morris County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Morris 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 Morris County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Morris 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 Morris 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 Morris 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 Morris County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Morris 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 Morris County Maps. Email us with websites containing Morris 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 Morris County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Morris 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 Morris County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Morris County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

  • Submit a website for Morris Co. Genealogical Addresses
  • Morris County Historical Society, 68 Morris Avenue, Morristown, NJ 07960; (201) 267-3465
  • The Joint Free Library of Morristown, 1 Miller Road, P.O. Box 267, Morristown, NJ 07960.
  • Morris Area Genealogy Society, P.O. Box 105, Convent Station, NJ 07961-0105
  • 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 Morris County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Morris County Tombstone Transcription Project.

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

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