Gloucester County, New Jersey Genealogy
Guide to Gloucester County, New Jersey ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
Gloucester County is located south of Philadelphia and northwest of Atlantic City. It was created in 1686. Woodbury is the county seat. The county was named for the city of Gloucester, England.[1]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Gloucester County Courthouse
1 N Broad Street
Woodbury, NJ 08096-4611
Phone: 856-878-5050
Gloucester County Courthouse
County Clerk has court and land records from 1787.
Surrogate Court has probate records.
Clerk Superior Court has divorce records.
Early records preserved at Surveyor General’s Office, Burlington Sec. of State Office, Trenton. [2]
Gloucester County, New Jersey Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1901 | 1700 | 1901 | 1787 | 1766 | 1691 | 1830 |
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
|
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
|
Populated Places[edit | edit source]
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[5]
| Cities | ||
| Boroughs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
| Townships | ||
History Timeline[edit | edit source]
1642-1643: The New Sweden Genealogy Colony expanded from present-day Wilmington, Delaware east to New Jersey at New Stockholm, now Bridgeport, Gloucester, New Jersey, and Sveaborg, now Swedesboro, Gloucester, New Jersey.[6][7][8] 1654-1655: In 1654 New Sweden Genealogy captured Fort Casimir (now New Castle, Delaware) from the Dutch without a fight and renamed Fort Trinty (Trefaldighets).[9] In 1655 New Netherland Genealogy returned with a large army and all of New Sweden Genealogy in presend-day New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware submitted to Dutch rule.[10] 1664: As part of the Second Anglo-Dutch War New Netherland Genealogy including West Jersey was surrendered to the English.[11] 1673-1674: A new war broke out and the Dutch sent a large armada to retake New Netherland for a few months. But as the war ended the colony was ceeded to England for the last time.[12] Created 28 May 1686 from the Colonial Lands. [13]
- 1692, boundary set with Burlington county and repealed in 1693
- 1694, formed in West Jersey with Egg Harbor from Cape May County
- 1710, boundaries redefined
- 1837, part forms Atlantic County
- 1844, part made into Camden County
- 1871, Monroe twp. and bulk of Washington twp. from Camden County
- 1892, part of Landis twps., Cumberland County taken and returned in 1897
- 1926, part of Washington twp. to Camden County with some more going in 1931
- 1938, boundary clarified with Atlantic County
- 1950, some to Camden County.
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
Biographies[edit | edit source]
Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
- 1880-1983 New Jersey, Gloucester County, Clarksboro, Eglington Cemetery Records, 1880-1983 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
Census Records[edit | edit source]
For tips on accessing census records online, see: New Jersey Census.
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1790 | 13,363 | — |
| 1800 | 16,115 | 20.6% |
| 1810 | 19,744 | 22.5% |
| 1820 | 23,089 | 16.9% |
| 1830 | 28,431 | 23.1% |
| 1840 | 25,438 | −10.5% |
| 1850 | 14,655 | −42.4% |
| 1860 | 18,444 | 25.9% |
| 1870 | 21,562 | 16.9% |
| 1880 | 25,886 | 20.1% |
| 1890 | 28,649 | 10.7% |
| 1900 | 31,905 | 11.4% |
| 1910 | 37,368 | 17.1% |
| 1920 | 48,224 | 29.1% |
| 1930 | 70,802 | 46.8% |
| 1940 | 72,219 | 2.0% |
| 1950 | 91,727 | 27.0% |
| 1960 | 134,840 | 47.0% |
| 1970 | 172,681 | 28.1% |
| 1980 | 199,917 | 15.8% |
| 1990 | 230,082 | 15.1% |
| 2000 | 254,673 | 10.7% |
| 2010 | 288,288 | 13.2% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
- 1855 New Jersey State Census, 1855 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1865 New Jersey State Census, 1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1895 New Jersey State Census, 1895 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1915 New Jersey State Census, 1915 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
Church Records[edit | edit source]
Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about denominations, view the New Jersey Church Records wiki page.
- 1675-1970 New Jersey, Church Records, 1675-1970 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1708-1985 Pennsylvania, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985 at Historical Society of Pennsylvania – ($), free to members of the society; Also available at Ancestry.com – $; 7,542,774 entries. This database is incomplete for all counties.
- Contains the church records of:
- Gloucester: Church of the Ascension; First Presbyterian Church
- Monroe: Methodist Church
- Woodbury: United Methodist Church
- Woolwich: Trinity Episcopal Church
- Contains the church records of:
Episcopal
- 1787-1815 Stevenson, J.R. "Records of St. Mary's Church, Colestown, (Old Gloucester Co.) New Jersey," Publications of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, Vol. 3, No. 3 (Jun. 1908):237-240. For free online access, see WeRelate; the Family History Library also has this series in its collection: FHL Book 974.8 B2p. Baptisms 1787-1815, marriages 1795-1796, burials 1794-1795.
Lutheran
Raccoon Parish was the first Swedish Church built in New Jersey (1703).[14]
1754 and 1786 membership lists of Raccoon Parish are preserved in Archivum Americanum at the Consistory Court of the Archbishop of Upsal in Sweden. A copy of the 1754 list is held at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.[15]
List of Churches and Church Parishes
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Court Records[edit | edit source]
Directories[edit | edit source]
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
- Clement, John. "Swedish Settlers in Gloucester County, New Jersey, Previous to 1684," The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 17 (1893):83-87. For free online access, see WeRelate.
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
African Americans Gloucester County Series, Slave Documents. prepared by Gloucester County Historical Project; edited and published by the New Jersey Historical Records Survey Project, Division of Professional and Service Projects, Works Projects Administration; sponsored by New Jersey State Planning Board. - Newark, N.J. Historical Records Survey, 1940.- xii, 66 leaves, 9transcriptions of early county records of New Jersey) F142.G5 H5 1940
Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]
Genealogies[edit | edit source]
Guardianship[edit | edit source]
Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]
Land and property records can place an ancestor in a specific location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.
See New Jersey Land and Property for information about New Jersey Proprietary land records. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse.
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Your relatives may be included in biographies, in church, school and government history, or in military events and lists. For more information, see New Jersey History and scroll to Local Histories.
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- United States Geographic Survey Place Names - GNIS for Gloucester County
(may not always be present in alphabetic order on first try.) - FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Migration[edit | edit source]
Military Records[edit | edit source]
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
- 1796-1991 New Jersey Naturalization Records, 1796-1991 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
Other Records[edit | edit source]
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
From 1797 or the creation of the county, probate records were held by the Court of Common Pleas and may have earlier records. In 1852, most of those records were transferred to the Gloucester County Probate Court. For more complete information and for online and other resources, see New Jersey Probate Records.
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1656-1999 New Jersey Wills and Probate Records 1656-1999 at Ancestry.com — index and images ($)
- 1670-1760 Calendar of New Jersey Wills 1670-1760 at Ancestry.com — index and images ($)
- 1670-1817 New Jersey Abstract of Wills 1670-1817 at Ancestry.com — index and images ($)
- 1678-1980 New Jersey Probate Records, 1678-1980 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only; Use the Surrogate's Docket Index 1700-1972 to obtain the Docket Number for the name. Then, use the Docket Number to locate the correct Estate file.
School Records[edit | edit source]
Social Security Records[edit | edit source]
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch — How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
Tax Records[edit | edit source]
New Jersey tax records complement land records and can be used in place of censuses before 1820 or to supplement the years between censuses. Because only persons who owned taxable property were listed, many residents were not included in tax lists. There may also be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties. For more information see the wiki page New Jersey Taxation.
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. United States Vital Records has additional research guidance on researching and using vital records. A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the New Jersey Vital Records State Department of Health or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred. Original marriage records are usually held at the county Bureau of Vital Statistics.
Birth[edit | edit source]
- 1600-1990 New Jersey Vital Records, Historical Society of Pennsylvania at Findmypast — index & images, ($)
- 1660-1980 New Jersey Births and Christenings, 1660-1980 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at: Ancestry Index ($)
- 1746-1795 New Jersey Baptisms 1746-1795 at Findmypast — index, ($)
- 1901-1903 New Jersey, Reclaim the Records, New Jersey Birth Index, 1901-1903 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1600s-1900s US Marriages, New Jersey at Findmypast — index, ($)
- 1670-1965 New Jersey Marriage Records, 1670-1965 at Ancestry — index & images, ($)
- 1670-1980 New Jersey Marriages, 1670-1980 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1678-1985 New Jersey Marriages, 1678-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1683-1802 New Jersey Marriage Records, 1683-1802 at Ancestry — index & images, ($)
- 1684-1895 New Jersey Compiled Marriage Records, 1684-1895 at Ancestry — index, ($)
- 1901-1914 New Jersey Marriage License Index, 1901-1914 at MyHeritage — index, ($)
- 1901-2016 New Jersey Marriage Index, 1901-2016 at Ancestry — index, ($);
- 1901-2016 New Jersey Marriage Index, 1901-2016 at Findmypast - Browse index ($)
- 1915-2016 New Jersey Marriage License Index, 1915-2016 at MyHeritage — index, ($)
- For a complete list of all New Jersey Marriage databases
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1600-1990 New Jersey Vital Records, Historical Society of Pennsylvania at Findmypast — index & images, ($)
- 1798-1971 New Jersey Deaths and Burials Index, 1798-1971 at Ancestry — index, ($)
- 1848-1878 Death Records, May 1848 - May 1878 at New Jersey State Archives - index, $ for photocopies
- 1878-1900 Death Records, June 1878 - December 1900 at New Jersey Department of State — index, $ for photocopies
- 1901-1929 New Jersey Death Index, 1901-1903; 1916-1929 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1901-2017 The New Jersey Death Index at New Jersey Death Index — index; Also at: Ancestry index ($)
- 1920-2017 New Jersey Death Index, 1920-1929, 1949-2017 at MyHeritage — index, ($)
- For a complete list of all New Jersey Death databases
Divorce[edit | edit source]
Research Facilities[edit | edit source]
Archives[edit | edit source]
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries
- Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
- FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.
Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries
- Cherry Hill New Jersey Family History Center
- Vineland New Jersey Family History Center
- Cherry Hill Public Library - an affiliate library
- Gloucester County Historical Society - an affiliate library
- Haddon Heights Public Library - an affiliate library
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Museums[edit | edit source]
Societies[edit | edit source]
Gloucester County Historical Society
17 Hunter Street
PO Box 409
Woodbury, NJ 08096-0409
Website
Websites[edit | edit source]
- The Gloucester County NJGenWeb Project, a member of The NJGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
- Gloucester County NJ Genealogy
- FamilySearch Catalog – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection. Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.
Research Guides[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Gloucester County, New Jersey" in Wikipedia : the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloucester_County,_New_Jersey accessed 23 September 2018.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Cumberland County, New Jersey page 464, At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Gloucester County, New Jersey . Page 464-465 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 460.
- ↑ [https://digital.newberry.org/ahcb/documents/NJ_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm#GLOUCESTER Newberry
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Gloucester_County, New Jersey," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloucester_County,_New_Jersey#Communities accessed 8 March 2020.
- ↑ "New Sweden" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Sweden accessed 7 November 2008).
- ↑ Swedes and Finns settled on the New Jersey side of the Delaware river as early as 1642 at Raccoon Creek. The first Swedish Lutheran minister to arrive in 1643, John Campanius, apparently described the luxurious growth of tobacco by Swedes between Raccoon Creek and Mantua Creek (Bridgeport) as mentioned in "Early History" in Gloucester County History and Genealogy [Internet site] at http://www.nj.searchroots.com/Gloucesterco/gchistory.htm accessed 10 November 2008).
- ↑ Trinity Episcopal 'Old Swedes' Church 1703-2007 [Internet site] at http://trinityswedesboro.org/History/History1.htm accessed 10 November 2008)."Three years later [1641], Peter Hollander Ridder, the second governor of New Sweden, as the settlement in the Delaware Valley was called, purchased form the Indians the entire eastern side of the Delaware River from Raccoon Creek to Cape May. The first settlement by the Swedes was here on the banks of the Raccoon Creek in 1642, originally named Raccoon and later Swedesboro."
- ↑ "New Sweden" in Wikipedia.
- ↑ "New Sweden" in Wikipedia.
- ↑ "New Netherland" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_netherland accessed 13 December 2008).
- ↑ "New Netherland" in Wikipedia.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), 181. [FHL book 973 D27e 2002].
- ↑ "A Brief History of the Early Swedes in New Jersey," Gloucester County, New Jersey History Genealogy, http://www.nj.searchroots.com/Gloucesterco/swedesboro.htm, accessed 14 May 2012.
- ↑ Charles J. Stillé, "Archivum Americanum in the Consistory Court of the Archbishop of Upsal," The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 15 (1891):482, 484-485. For free online access, see WeRelate.