New Jersey Church Records

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Church Records

For greater success, use all the Wiki Articles in this series: What Can I Find in U.S. Church Records? Determining the Church Your Ancestor Attended How to Find Church Records in the United States Searching for Church Records by Denomination Searching for Church Records by U.S. State

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Historical Background

Old Swedes Church NJ

The first churches established in New Jersey were the Dutch Reformed, Congregational (Puritan), Society of Friends (Quaker), and Lutheran. Church membership waned in the early 1700s, but revivals rekindled interest around 1740. By 1775 the largest denominations in New Jersey were the Presbyterian, Society of Friends, Dutch Reformed, Baptist, and Anglican (Episcopal) churches.

In the mid-1800s, the Methodist church was the largest, followed by the Presbyterian, Baptist, Reformed, Friends, and Episcopal churches.

The Roman Catholic Church has been the predominant faith since the beginning of the twentieth century, followed by the Jewish, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Episcopal faiths.

Except for the Dutch Reformed and Lutheran churches in northern New Jersey, few of the earliest church records have survived.

Information Found in the Records

To effectively use church records, become familiar with their content. Click on these links to learn about a specific record type:

Baptisms or Christenings Marriages

Funerals or Burials Membership Lists

Minutes or Historical Narrative

Finding the Records

Look for online records.

Ancestry.com, FindMyPast.com, and MyHeritage.com can be searched free of charge at your local family history center or the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Online databases are incomplete. This can lead to two common errors: Near matches: Researchers might mistakenly accept an entry very similar to their ancestor, thinking it is the only one available. Only use information that matches your ancestor in date, place, relationships, and other details. Stopping research: Researchers might assume the database proves church records do not exist. Actually the record is still out there, just not in this incomplete collection of records. Keep searching!

Online Resources

FamilySearch Indexes

• New Jersey, Church Records, 1675-1970 — index and images
• An Index to some churches in New Jersey, arranged by denomination, index cards.
• New Jersey, Births and Christenings, 1660-1980 Index.
• New Jersey, Marriages, 1678-1985 Index.
• New Jersey Deaths and Burials, 1720-1988 Index

Ancestry.com Indexes

• Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985, ($) index/images
• New Jersey, Births and Christenings Index, 1660-1931 ($)
• New Jersey, Marriage Records, 1683-1802 ($)
• New Jersey Marriages, 1684-1895 ($)
• American Marriages Before 1699 ($)
• New Jersey, Deaths and Burials Index, 1798-1971, ($), index
  
  

Catholic

• New Jersey, church records, 1675-1970, images.
• American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia Records. Volumes 1-4, 8. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: American Catholic Historical Society, 1886-1889, 1893. Marriages of some New Jersey Catholics from 1758 to 1800.

Dutch Reformed

• 1639-1989 - U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989, index and images, incomplete.($)
• 1701-1995 - U.S., Selected States Dutch Reformed Church Membership Records, 1701-1995, index and images, incomplete.($)
• 1856-1970 - U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Vital Records, 1856-1970, index and images, incomplete.($)
• 1856-1970 - U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Membership Records, 1856-1970, index and images, incomplete.($)

Episcopal

• New Jersey, Episcopal Diocese of Newark Church Records, 1809-1816, 1825-1970, index and images, ($).

German Reformed

• New Jersey German Reformed Church Records, 1763-1802, index

Lutheran

• Lutheran Church in New York and New Jersey, 1722-1760 : Lutheran records in the ministerial archives of the Staatsarchiv, Hamburg, Germany, e-book.
• 1781-1969 - U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969, index and images, incomplete.($)
• Some early records of the Lutheran Church, New York, Holland Society of New York, 1903, p. 1-118

Methodist

• New Jersey, Calvary United Methodist Church Records, 1821-2003, images/no index.
• New Jersey, United Methodist Church Records, 1800-1970, index and images, ($)

Presbyterian

• 1701-1970 - U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970, index and images, incomplete.($)
• Records of meetings, 1874-1952, Presbytery of Monmouth (New Jersey)

Quaker (Society of Friends)

• U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935, index and images, ($).
• Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy. Vol. II: (New Jersey and Pennsylvania Monthly Meetings)
• Collection, New Jersey Friends monthly meeting records, images.

Other Collections

• The Ancestor Hunt: Free New Jersey Online Church Records

• Dunham-Wilcox-Trott-Kirk indexes church, cemetery, probate and other early New England, New York and New Jersey records with links to abstracts of the records.
• The early Germans of New Jersey : their history, churches, and genealogies, e-book

Look for digital copies of church records in the FamilySearch Catalog.

Family History Library
Salt Lake City, Utah

• The Family History Library (FHL) has a substantial collection of original church records and transcripts on microfilm for churches in the United States.
• Online church records can be listed in the FamilySearch Catalog under the state, county, or town.
• If you find a record that has not yet been digitized, see How do I request that a microfilm be digitized?
• Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a Family History Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations.
• To find records:

a. Click on the records of United States, New Jersey.

b. Click on Places within United States, New Jersey and a list of counties will appear.

c. Click on your county if it appears.

d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.

e. Click on Places within United States, New Jersey [COUNTY] and a list of towns will appear.

f. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.

g. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.

h. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. . The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records.

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Consult available finding aids.

These aids generally provide lists of records that are known to exist and information on their location.

• "Church Records in New Jersey," Journal of the Presbyterian Historical Society, Vol. 2, No. 4 (March 1904):173-188; Vol. 2, No. 5 (June 1904):251-266. This is very helpful for determining all denominations that existed prior to 1800. FHL Collection.
• Guide to Vital Statistics Records in New Jersey, Vol. 2. Newark, N.J.: New Jersey Historical Records Survey, 1941. . Volume 2 contains the names and addresses of churches located in New Jersey in 1940.
• Inventory of the church archives of New Jersey : Congregational Christian churches, e-book
• Inventory of the church archives of New Jersey : Evangelical Church, e-book
• Inventory of the church archives of New Jersey : Protestant Episcopal, Diocese of New Jersey, Diocese of Newark, e-book
• Inventory of the church archives of New Jersey : Unitarian Church, e-book
• Inventory of the church archives of New Jersey : Baptist bodies, e-book
• Inventory of the church archives of New Jersey : Baptist Bodies ; Seventh Day Baptist supplement, e-book
• Inventory of the church archives of New Jersey : Presbyterians; Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., United Presbyterian Church of North America, e-book
• Gasero, Russell L., ed. Guide to Local Church Records in the Archives of the Reformed Church in America and Other Repositories. New Brunswick, N.J.: Historical Society of the Reformed Church in America, 1979.
• Flynn, Joseph Michael. The Catholic Church in New Jersey. Morristown, N.J.: n.p., 1904 is located in the FHL Collection and has short histories of individual parishes. Digital versions: Ancestry ($); Internet Archive. To locate a copy of the book nearest you, use WorldCat.
• New Jersey Historical Manuscripts: A Guide to Collections in the State(described in New Jersey Archives and Libraries). To locate a copy nearest you, use WorldCat.

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Correspond with or visit the actual churches.

Some records are still held in the local churches. Contact the current minister to find out what records are still available.

• Make an appointment to look at the records. Or ask the minister of the church to make a copy of the record for you.
• To find church staff available, you might have to visit on Sunday.
• Ask for small searches at a time, such as one birth record or a specific marriage. Never ask for "everything on a family or surname".
• A donation ($25-$40) for their time and effort to help you would be appropriate.
• If the church has a website, you may be able to e-mail a message.
• See the Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.
• Each denomination page offers an online address directory of local churches for that denomination.

Check the church records collections in archives and libraries.

Some church records have been deposited for preservation in government archives or in libraries. Watch for links to digitized, online records offered by the archives. Some archives provide research services for a fee. For others, if you cannot visit in person, you might hire a researcher.

Here you will find archive information unique to the state. Many more archives are kept by denomination. For denominational archives, go to Searching for Church Records by Denomination.

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Dutch Reformed

Commission on History, Reformed Church in America
Gardner A. Sage Library
New Brunswick Theological Seminary
21 Seminary Place
New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901
Telephone: (732) 246-1779

• Sage Library is also home to the official Archives of the Reformed Church in America (RCA). If you are looking for archival records from an RCA church, genealogical information, or documentation about RCA policies and actions, please directly contact the RCA archivist, Matthew Gasero at mgasero@rca.org.
• Online Catalog
• The Family History Library has microfilm copies of many of the Dutch Reformed church records from the above listed archive. The records are described in:
  • Gasero, Russell L., ed. Guide to Local Church Records in the Archives of the Reformed Church in America and Other Repositories. New Brunswick, N.J.: Historical Society of the Reformed Church in America, 1979.

The Holland Society of New York Library
20 West 44th Street, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10036
Telephone: (212) 758-1675

Year Book of The Holland Society of New York, 1912. New York, New York: The Society, 1912, available in the FHL Collection lists the transcripts of New Jersey Dutch Reformed and Lutheran records at the Holland Society Library. It also lists those that were published as of 1912. The Family History Library has microfilm copies of many of these transcripts. To locate a copy nearest you, use WorldCat.

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Episcopal

Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey
808 W. State Street
Trenton, NJ 08618-5326
Telephone: 609-394-5281

• The Rev. Cn. Richard C. Wrede, Archivist
  Phone: 609-394-5281 ext. 15
  E-mail: rwrede@dioceseofnj.org
• The archives house records of closed churches. For records requests from open churches, contact the local church.

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Episcopal Diocese of Newark
Episcopal House
31 Mulberry Street
Newark, NJ 07102-5202
Phone: 973-430-9900
Fax: 973-622-3503

• The archives house records of closed churches. For records requests from open churches, contact the local church.
• Questions about church records: Contact information for questions concerning historical records of a closed church (including genealogical inquiries).

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Methodist

United Methodist Church
Commission on Archives and History
Greater New Jersey Conference
1001 Wickapecko Drive
Ocean, New Jersey 07712
Phone: (732) 359-1000  Toll free: (877) 677-2594

• New Jersey, United Methodist Church Records, 1800-1970, index and images, ($)
  • Archives and History has entered into an agreement with Ancestry.com to digitize our closed local church vital records. The records were sent to Ancestry last fall and should be completed in early spring of this year. The digital records will appear on Ancestry’s website while an archival copy of the images will reside in our repository. One of the perks to this partnership is a free multiyear license to access Ancestry’s entire website which will include our GNJ records. You may access the Ancestry site on a computer at the United Methodist Church Archives and History Center on the campus of Drew University. The center is open 9 am to 5 pm during the week and 9 am to 9 pm on Tuesday. While you are visiting be sure to make use of our conference’s archival collections located in the vaults underneath the main floor of the building.

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Roman Catholic

• Dirnberger, Janet Drumm. New Jersey Catholic Baptismal Records from 1759-1781.  Seabrook, Texas: Brambles, 1981. This book is available in the FHL Collection. However, it does not circulate to Family History Centers.

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Archdiocese of Newark
171 Clifton Avenue
Newark, New Jersey 07104-0500

• Sacramental Records
  • Existing Parishes:
    • All sacramental records for the Archdiocese of Newark are kept at the parish where that particular sacrament was celebrated, assuming the parish is still in existence.
    • If you know the name of the parish and that it still exists or if you don't know the name of the parish but have a general idea of the geographical area, please click for the Parishes web page, where you can locate parish addresses by name, town, or county.
    • To request sacramental records, please contact the parish in writing using the following form:
      • Click for Sacramental Record Request Form (PDF File)

• Closed Parishes: If the parish is not listed on the Parishes web page, it may be merged with another parish. To check for merged parishes, see Closed Parishes Records Location

The Archdiocese includes the counties of: Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union.

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• Records of the Archdiocese of Newark are kept by:
  University Archives
  Seton Hall University
  South Orange Avenue
  South Orange, New Jersey 07079
  Phone: (201) 762-7052 
  
  • All sacramental registers, 1832 through 1914 are available on microfilm at the University.

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FamilySearch digitized records: All sacramental registers for the Archdiocese of Newark, 1832 through 1914, and cemetery records in the archdiocese have been are available in digitized form through the FamilySearch Catalog. Some are restricted and can only be studied at a Family History Center near you.

• Christenings through 1885 and marriages through 1895 for most of these parishes are indexed in the International Genealogical Index.

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Diocese of Camden
631 Market Street
Camden, New Jersey 08102
Phone: (856) 756-7900.

• Request information from sacramental records from the local parish.

The diocese includes the counties of: Atlantic, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem.

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Diocese of Metuchen
P.O. Box 191
Metuchen, NJ 08840-0191
Phone: (732) 562-1990
Office Location
146 Metlars Lane
Piscataway, New Jersey 08854

• Request information from sacramental records from the local parish.

The diocese includes the counties of: Hunterdon, Middlesex, Somerset and Warren.

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The Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson
777 Valley Road
Paterson, New Jersey 07013
Phone: (973) 777-8818

• Request information from sacramental records from the local parish.

The diocese includes the counties of: Morris, Passaic and Sussex.

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Diocese of Trenton
701 Lawrenceville Road
Trenton, New Jersey 08648
Phone: (609) 406-7400

• Request information from sacramental records from the local parish.

The diocese includes the counties of: Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean.

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Correspond with genealogical or historical societies.

Some church records have been given to historical societies. Also, historical societies may be able to tell you where the records are being held. To find a society near you, consult these lists:

• Society Hill List of New Jersey Societies
  

Next, go to the Wiki article for your ancestors' denomination.

There are frequently additional, nationwide or regional archives and online collections for each denomination. Find the article for your ancestors' denomination and follow the instructions there to access these sources.

Wiki Articles for Records of Major Religious Denominations
Adventist Amish Anabaptist Anglican Apostolic Christian Armenian Catholic Armenian Evangelical Armenian Orthodox Assemblies of God Baháʼí Baptist Buddhist Catholic Apostolic Church of the Brethren Community of Christ Confucianism Congregational	Coptic Orthodox Disciples of Christ Dutch Reformed Episcopal German Reformed Greek Orthodox Hinduism Huguenot Hutterites Jehovah's Witnesses Jewish The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) Lutheran Maronite Catholic Church Melkite Greek Catholic Methodist	Mennonite Moravian Muslim Orthodox Church in America (OCA) Pentecostal Presbyterian Roman Catholic Russian Orthodox Schwenkfelders Serbian Orthodox Sihkism Society of Friends (Quakers) Syriac Orthodox Church Ukrainian Orthodox United Church of Christ United Brethren in Christ Unitarian/Universalist

Carefully compare any record you find to known facts about the ancestor

You will possibly find many different people with the same name as your ancestor, especially when a family stayed in a locality for several generations, and several children were named after the grandparents or aunts and uncles. Be prepared to find the correct church records by organizing in advance as many of these exact details about the ancestor as possible:

• name, including middle name and maiden name
• names of all spouses, including middle and maiden name
• exact or closely estimated dates of birth, marriage, and death
• names and approximate birthdates of children
• all known places of residence
• occupations
• military service details

Carefully evaluate the church records you find to make sure you have really found records for your ancestor and not just a "near match". If one or more of the details do not line up, be careful about accepting the entry as your ancestor. There are guiding principles for deciding how to resolve discrepancies between records that are seemingly close. For more instruction in evaluating evidence, read the Wiki article, Evaluate the Evidence.

This website requires a paid subscription for full access.

Family History Library