Warren County, New Jersey
Warren County was created on 20 November 1824 and was formed from the southern portion of old Sussex County . Consult the Sussex County for pre-1824 records. The County was named for Joseph Warren, an American Revolutionary War general. The County Seat is Belvidere.
Warren County is divided into twenty three municipalities. The Town of Belvidere is the county seat. The county was separated from Sussex County by an act of the Legislature passed November 20,1824. The first Europeans to settle in the county were the Dutch, who came to Pahaquarry Township and dug for copper around 1650. During this period, they constructed a road from Pahaquarry to Kingston, New York, over which they transported the proceeds of their mining ventures. This road, the first commercial highway built in the United States, is known as "Old Mine Road."
The County of Warren occupies an area of 364.55 square miles, is 32 miles long with an average width of 13 miles, and ranks ninth in size among the state's twenty one counties. Within the county is some of the most rugged and scenic terrain to be found in the state. The landscape is characterized by a series of ridges and valleys in a northeasterly/southwesterly direction. Elevations range from 125 feet to 1,600 feet above sea level. Mountain ranges and ridges which divide fertile river valleys include Kittatinny Mountain, Jenny Jump Mountain, Scott's Mountain and Pohatcong Mountain. Streams and rivers, all emptying into the Delaware River, include the Musconetcong, Paulinskill and Pequest Rivers and the Pohatcong and Lopatcong Creeks. These fertile valleys have enabled the county to become an important agricultural district in the state.
There are 17 districts and individual properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Town of Belvidere, the county seat, is noted for its Victorian style architecture. The town's residents celebrate its heritage annually in its Victorian Day extravaganza. The Warren County Cultural & Heritage Commission organizes the Warren County Heritage Festival in Oxford Township. Reenactments, arts and crafts displays, and musical concerts are among the events that are centered around the Oxford Furnace and Shippen Manor which were built in the 1740's. The county is renovating the Shippen Manor, the ironmaster's home, using state, county and private funds.
Counties adjacent to Warren County are Sussex County (northeast), Morris County (east), Bucks County, Pennsylvania (south), Hunterdon County (south), Northampton County, Pennsylvania (west), Monroe County, Pennsylvania (northwest) .
Warren County Boroughs Include Alpha, Washington. Towns Includes Belvidere, Hackettstown, Phillipsburg. Townships Include Allamuchy, Alpha, Belvidere, Blairstown, Franklin, Frelinghuysen, Greenwich, Hackettstown, Hardwick, Harmony, Hope, Independence, Knowlton, Liberty, Lopatcong, Mansfield, Oxford, Phillipsburg, Pohatcong, Washington Boro./Twp., and White. (Pahaquarry is defunct) Communities Include Allamuchy-Panther Valley, Beattystown, Brass Castle, Great Meadows-Vienna, Johnsonburg,
Rivers Bear Creek, Beaver Brook, Cory's Brook, Dead River, Delaware River, Lopatcong Creek, Musconetcong River, Paulins Kill, Pequest River, Pohatcong Creek, Pophandusing Creek, Yard's Creek.
County Court, Probate and Tax Records
All Departments below are in the Warren County Courthouse, 413 Second St., Belvidere, NJ 07823; (908) 475-6161, unless otherwise noted below. The Official County website is located at http://www.co.warren.nj.us/ .
NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.
Warren County Clerk has Land Records & Marriage Records from 1825 and is located at the address above. Phone Number: (908) 475-5361
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.
Warren County Surrogate Court / Orphan's Court has Probate Records from 1825 and is located at the courthouse. Phone Number:
908-475-6225
By virtue of laws enacted since 1844, the responsibilities of the County Surrogate have been expanded. The County Surrogate now has two major functions:
- 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
- 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 Warren County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Warren County Court Records by clicking the link below:
County Birth, Marriage, Divorce and Death Records
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:
- 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.
- Dates: from 1878 to the present
- 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
Below is a list of online resources for Warren County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Warren County Vital Records by clicking the link below:
- Submit a website for Union Co. Vital Records
- Vital Records from Archives.com: Order Birth, Marriage, Divorce or Death Records Online!

- Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index - Search over 82 million death records and get genealogical information crucial to your family research.
- Research Death records In The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com!
- Find thousands of historical New Jersey newspaper articles about deaths. Search for local articles about an old family friend that died many years ago or a celebrity that committed suicide. Historical newspapers contain a wealth of information about the deceased.
- New Jersey Marriages, 1684-1895: This database update adds marriage records for Salem County, in addition to records for Warren County, Atlantic, Bergen, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Sussex, Hunterdon, and Somerset counties.
- New Jersey Marriages, Colonial Era, 1665-1800: In addition to the 45,000 names in this database, included is an historical introduction on the early marriage laws of New Jersey ,and the precedents on which they were founded.
- Warren County, New Jersey Birth, Marriage & Death Books at Amazon.com
County Census Records
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 Warren County, New Jersey are 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1910, 1920 and 1940.
Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your Family Tree in Warren 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 Warren County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Warren County Census Records by clicking the link below:
County Maps & Atlases
Below is a list of online resources for Warren County Maps. Email us with websites containing Warren County Maps by clicking the link below:
County Military Records
Below is a list of online resources for Warren County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Warren County Military Records by clicking the link below:
- Submit a website for Union Co. Military Records
- New Jersey Pensioners, 1835: This database identifies thousands of New Jersey soldiers who were covered under various pension acts in the early 1800s.
- Civil War Rosters NEW JERSEY LINKS
- NJGenWeb Archives Military Records
- New Jersey Society of Daughters of the American Revolution
- National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution,
- New Jersey Society of Sons of the American Revolution,
- National Society of Sons of the American Revolution, 1000 South Fourth Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40203; (502) 589-1776
- Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 from the State of New Jersey
(The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication M246 include muster rolls, payrolls, strength returns, and other miscellaneous personnel, pay, and supply records of American Army units, 1775-83.
- Compiled Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War from the State of New Jersey
(The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents in NARA publication M246 include muster rolls, payrolls, strength returns, and other miscellaneous personnel, pay, and supply records of American Army units, 1775-83.
- Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files from the State of New Jersey
(The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, from NARA publication M804.
- Southern Claims - Barred and Disallowed from the State of New Jersey (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Documents In the 1870s, southerners claimed compensation from the U.S. government for items used by the Union Army, ranging from corn and horses, to trees and church buildings.
- Organization Index to Pension Files of Veterans Who Served Between 1861 and 1900 from the State of New Jersey (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Pension applications for service in the U.S. Army between 1861 and 1917, grouped according to the units in which the veterans served.
- Compiled Service Records of Union Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of New Jersey (The National Archives): View, Print Copy & Save Original Compiled service records of Union soldiers, labeled with each soldier's name, rank, and unit, with links to revealing documents about each soldier.
- Warren County, New Jersey Military Books at Amazon.com
County Genealogical Addresses
Below is a list of online resources for Warren County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Warren County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:
- Submit a website for Union Co. Genealogical Addresses
- Warren County Historical and Genealogical Society; Phone: 908-475-4246,
Fax: 908-475-4246
PO Box 313,
Belvidere, NJ 07823;Museum located at 313 Mansfield Street, Belvidere
- 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
County County Cemeteries & Graveyards
There are many churches and cemeteries in Warren County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Warren County Tombstone Transcription Project.
Below is a list of online resources for Warren County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Warren County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:
County Church & Bible Records
Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits
Below is a list of online resources for Warren County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Warren County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:
- Submit a website for Union Co. Military Records
- Sites on USGenweb: [ Warren County ] [ New Jersey ] [ Main Page ]
- Warren County NJGenWeb Archives
- [GenForum Message Boards] [Rootsweb Message Boards
]
- Nichols and Related Families
- The New Jersey Family Group Sheet Project
- New Jersey Family & Local History Records - The Family & Local Histories Collection lets you read journals, memoirs, and other first-hand historical narratives right on your computer. Gathered from some of the world's finest libraries, these materials may provide hard-to-find town, county, and state information; tax records and wills; military, church, and court records; as well as photographs, stories, and maps.
- Warren County, New Jersey Family Books at Amazon.com