Atlantic County, New Jersey Genealogy
Atlantic County, New Jersey ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Guide to genealogy, history, and courthouse sources including birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, wills, deeds and land records, Civil War records, Revolutionary War records, family histories, cemeteries, churches, tax records, newspapers, and obituaries.
| Atlantic County, New Jersey | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of New Jersey | |
 Location of New Jersey in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded | , 1837 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Mays Landing |
| Courthouse | |
| Address | Atlantic County Courthouse 5901 Main Street Mays Landing, NJ 08830-1800 Phone: (609) 625-4011 Atlantic County Website |
Contents
- 1 County Information
- 2 Atlantic County, New Jersey Historical Facts
- 3 Parent County
- 4 Boundary Changes
- 5 Record Loss
- 6 Atlantic County, New Jersey Genealogy Resources
- 6.1 Bible
- 6.2 Cemeteries
- 6.3 Census
- 6.4 Church Records
- 6.5 Court Records
- 6.6 Emigration and Immigration
- 6.7 Ethnic, Political, or Religious Groups
- 6.8 Gazetteers
- 6.9 Genealogy
- 6.10 History
- 6.11 Land and Property
- 6.12 Maps
- 6.13 Migration
- 6.14 Military
- 6.15 Naturalization and Citizenship
- 6.16 Newspapers
- 6.17 Occupations
- 6.18 Periodicals
- 6.19 Poorhouse, Almshouse
- 6.20 Probate Records
- 6.21 Repositories
- 6.22 Schools
- 6.23 Taxation
- 6.24 Vital Records
- 7 Atlantic County, New Jersey Websites
- 8 Atlantic County, New Jersey Neighboring Counties
- 9 Atlantic County, New Jersey Genealogy References
County Information
Atlantic County Record Dates
| | |||||
| Birth | Marriage | Death | Census | Land | Probate |
| 1840 | |||||
Atlantic County, New Jersey Historical Facts
| ||||||
- Named for the Atlantic Ocean
- All of what is known today as Atlantic County was once called Egg Harbor Township
Parent County
- 7 February 1837, created from Gloucester County. [1]
Boundary Changes
1902: part of Hammonton to Burlington County
1906: coastal boundry established
1938: boundary with Camden and Gloucester counties clarified.
For animated maps illustrating New Jersey county boundary changes, visit "Rotating Formation New Jersey County Boundary Maps" (1683-1928) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.
Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.
Atlantic County, New Jersey Genealogy Resources
Bible
Cemeteries
| Tombstone Transcriptions Online | Tombstone Transcriptions in Print | List of Cemeteries in the county |
| Findagrave.com | Family History Library | Findagrave.com |
| NJGenWeb Archives | WorldCat | Billion Graves |
| NJTombstone Project | ||
| NJInterment | ||
| EPodunk | ||
| Billion Graves | ||
| See New Jersey Cemeteries for more information. | ||
Cemetery records often reveal birth, marriage, death, relationship, military, and religious information.
Census
- 1855 New Jersey, State Census, 1855 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1865 New Jersey, State Census, 1865 at FamilySearch — images
- 1895 New Jersey, State Census, 1895 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1915 New Jersey State Census, 1915 at FamilySearch — index and images
Church Records
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 — 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:
- Absecon: First Presbyterian Church of Absecon
- Brigantine: Brigantine Methodist Episcopal Church
- Buena Vista: Richland Methodist Episcopal Church
- Egg Harbor City: Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church; Zion Lutheran Church
- Pleasantville: Wesley Methodist Episcopal Church
- Contains the church records of:
Finding Church Records at Other Repositories
Additional church records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Atlantic County, New Jersey Genealogy Church Records in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).
Court Records
Emigration and Immigration
Ethnic, Political, or Religious Groups
Gazetteers
Genealogy
History
Local histories are available for New Jersey counties. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories see the wiki page section New Jersey Local Histories.
- Balliett, L. Dow, Early History of Atlantic County, New Jersey: record of the first year's work of Atlantic County's Historical Society (Kutztown, Pennsylvania: Kutztown Pub.) FHL book 974.984 H2a
Land and Property
Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular 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 and where records are currently housed.
Finding Land Records at Other Repositories
Additional land records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Atlantic County, New Jersey Genealogy Land and Property Records in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- FamilySearch Catalog(For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).
Maps
Migration
Military
Naturalization and Citizenship
- 1796-1991 - New Jersey Naturalization Records, 1796-1991 at FamilySearch — index
Newspapers
Atlantic County, New Jersey Genealogy newspapers may contain genealogical value including obituaries, births, marriages, deaths, anniversaries, family gatherings, family travel, achievements, business notices, engagement information, and probate court proceedings.
To access newspapers, contact public libraries, Genealogical Society of New Jersey, college or university libraries, the Library of Congress, Google News, or the The New Jersey Historical Society.
For more Ohio newspaper information see the Newspaper Guides on the wiki page New Jersey Newspapers.
Newspaper Extracts and Abstracts in Book Form
Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Atlantic County, New Jersey Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a Atlantic County, New Jersey Genealogy Place-name search for these and other records in the FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).
Occupations
Periodicals
Poorhouse, Almshouse
Probate Records
Probate records created after 1852 are held by the Atlantic County, New Jersey Genealogy Probate Court. From 1797 or the creation of the county, probate records were held by the Court of Common Pleas. Most counties transferred all records to the Probate Court, but in some circumstances, Court of Common Pleas records should be searched for records prior to 1852. Most records are housed at the Atlantic County, New Jersey Genealogy Courthouse. Some records are on microfilm at the Ohio Genealogical Society and the Family History Library. For more complete information about the location of county probate records see:
See the wiki page New Jersey Probate Records for information about how to use probate records.
Content: Probate Records may give the decedent's date of death, names of his or her spouse, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, neighbors, associates, relatives, and their place of residence.
Record types: Wills, estates, guardianships, naturalizations, marriage, adoption, and birth and death records (1867-1908 only).
Probate records for Atlantic County began in 1837 with the creation of the county. The records are held by the Surrogate's Court. Records are housed at the courthouse in Mays Landing, the county seat. Some records are on microfilm the Family History Library. For more complete information about the location of county probate records see:
Obtaining Copies of County Probate Records
Copies of recorded probate records and the estate files can be obtained from the surrogate's offices for a fee. Addresses of surrogate's offices are found in:
- Eichholz, Alice, Editor. Ancestry's Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources. Revised Edition. Salt Lake City, Utah: Ancestry, 1992. (Family History Library book 973 D27rb 1992.) Explains state-by-state history, vital records, census, background sources, periodicals, archives, libraries, societies, maps, land, probate, court, tax, cemetery, church, and military records. Includes county boundary map and table which shows when each county was created and the parent counties.
In addition, copies of the original wills, administrations, inventories, and guardianships sent to Trenton since 1901 can be ordered from:
Clerk of the Superior Court
Records Information Center
P.O. Box 967
Trenton, NJ 08625-0967
Phone: (609) 292-4978
Fax: (609) 777-0094
Online Probate 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 — images
Repositories
Archives
Courthouse
Atlantic County Courthouse
5901 Main Street
Mays Landing, NJ 08830-1800
Phone: (609) 625-4011
County Clerk has divorce records 1949, court, land and cemetery records from 1837, and County probate records. [2]
Family History Centers
Family history centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes. See family history center for more information. Search the online FHC directory for a nearby family history center.
- Linwood New Jersey Family History Center (Egg Harbor Township)
624 Zion Road
Egg Harbor, NJ 08215
Phone: (609) 926-9511
Tue-11-2;
- Hours: 1st and 3rd Wednesdays 6:00pm - 8:30pm; Thursday - 11:00am - 2:00pm; Closures; Wednesday 5 December 2013;Holiday Closing 14 December 2012 - 7 January 2013
Libraries
Atlantic City Free Public Library
1 N Tennessee Ave
Atlantic City, NJ 08401
Phone: (609) 345-2269
Atlantic County Library System
40 Farragut Ave
Mays Landing, NJ 08330
Phone: (609) 625-2776
Fax: (609) 625-8143
Museums
Societies
Atlantic County Historical Society
PO Box 301
Somers Point
Atlantic Highlands Historical Society
27 Prospect Ave.
Atlantic Highlands
Atlantic County Historical Society
907 Shore Road, Box 301
Somers Point, NJ 08244
Telephone: 609-927-5218
E-Mail:ACHSinfo@comcast.net
Website
African American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey
661 Jackson Road
Newtonville, NJ 08346
Telephone: 609-704-5495
Fax: 609-704-5532
E-mail:rhunter@aahmsnj.org
Website
ABSECON HISTORICAL SOCIETY
PO Box 1422
Absecon, NJ 0821-1422
Telephone: 609-659-9000
Website
Buena Historical Society
PO BOx 114
Buena NJ 08310
Website
Egg Harbor City Historical Society
533 London Ave.
Egg Harbor City, NJ 08215-1565
Telephone:609-965-9073
Schools
Taxation
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.
Finding Tax Records at Other Repositories
Additional tax records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Atlantic County, New Jersey Genealogy Tax Records in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).
Vital Records
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
Online Birth Indexes and Records
- 1660-1980, New Jersey, Births and Christenings
- 1660-1931, New Jersey, Births and Christenings Index at Ancestry.com ($)
- 1901-1903, New Jersey, Reclaim the Records, New Jersey Birth Index, 1901-1903 at FamilySearch — index
Original Birth Records on Microfilm
Marriage
Online Marriage Indexes and Records
- 1637-1964 New Hampshire, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
- 1682-1956, New Jersey, County Marriages
- 1678-1985, New Jersey Marriages
- 1683-1802, New Jersey, Marriage Records at Ancestry.com ($)
- 1837-1880, Atlantic County, New Jersey Marriages at Ancestry.com ($)
- Atlantic County, New Jersey marriage records at Ancestry.com ($)
- 1930-1938, New Jersey, Bride Index, 1930-1938 at FamilySearch — index
Original Marriage Records on Microfilm
- 1837-1886, Atlantic County Marriages
Death
Online Death Indexes and Records
- 1720-1988, New Jersey Deaths and Burials
- 1798-1971, New Jersey, Deaths and Burials Index at Ancestry.com ($)
Original Death Records on Microfilm
Finding Vital Records at Other Repositories
Additional vital records can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Atlantic County, New Jersey Genealogy Vital Records in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- FamilySearch Catalog (For instructions see FamilySearch Catalog Place-name Search).
Atlantic County, New Jersey Websites
- Atlantic County, NJ History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Genealogy Inc)
- The Atlantic County NYGenWeb Project, a member of The NJGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
- Atlantic County NJ Genealogy
- The USGenWeb Archives Project for Atlantic County.
- The USGenWeb Archives Project for Atlantic County. (Backup site)
- FamilySearch.org FamilySearch Catalog for Atlantic County.
Atlantic County, New Jersey Neighboring Counties
Atlantic County, New Jersey Genealogy References
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), 181. [FHL book 973 D27e 2002].
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Atlantic County, New Jersey page 464, At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
