Hunterdon County, New Jersey Genealogy
Guide to Hunterdon County, New Jersey ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.
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County Information
Description
Hunterdon County was created 11 Mar 1714[1] and was named after Robert Hunter, a colonial governor of New Jersey. Its county seat is Flemington. It is located in the northwestern area of the state.[2]
County Courthouse
Hunterdon County Courthouse
65 Park Avenue
Flemington, NJ 08822
Phone: 908-824-9750
Hunterdon County Website
County Clerk has marriage records 1795-1875.
Court recorder from 1714 and land records from 1716.
Clerk Surrogate Court has probate records.
Clerk Superior Court has divorce records.[3]
Hunterdon County, New Jersey Record Dates
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1901 | 1795 | 1901 | 1714 | 1766 | 1704 | 1830 |
Record Loss
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There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. |
Boundary Changes
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Populated Places
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:[7]
| Cities | ||
| Boroughs | ||
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
| Townships | ||
History Timeline
- 1739, part formed into Morris County
- 1838, part formed into Mercer County with more being added in 1839
- 1844, Hopewell twp. returned from Mercer County and Tewksbury twp. to Somerset County
- 1845, Hopewell twp. back to Mercer County and Tewksbury twp. from Somerset County
- 1965, Somerset county boundary clarified.
Resources
Bible Records
Biographies
- History of Hunterdon and Somerset Counties, New Jersey : with ... Biographical Sketches. Compiled by James P. Snell, assisted by Franklin Ellis, writers et al. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : Everts & Peck, 1881. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive.
- Portrait and Biographical Record of Hunterdon and Warren Counties, New Jersey. New York, New York : Chapman Publishing Company, 1898. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($).
Business, Commerce, and Occupations
Cemeteries
Census Records
For tips on accessing census records online, see: New Jersey Census.
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1790 | 20,153 | — |
| 1800 | 21,261 | 5.5% |
| 1810 | 24,556 | 15.5% |
| 1820 | 28,604 | 16.5% |
| 1830 | 31,060 | 8.6% |
| 1840 | 24,789 | −20.2% |
| 1850 | 28,990 | 16.9% |
| 1860 | 33,654 | 16.1% |
| 1870 | 36,963 | 9.8% |
| 1880 | 38,570 | 4.3% |
| 1890 | 35,355 | −8.3% |
| 1900 | 34,507 | −2.4% |
| 1910 | 33,569 | −2.7% |
| 1920 | 32,885 | −2.0% |
| 1930 | 34,728 | 5.6% |
| 1940 | 36,766 | 5.9% |
| 1950 | 42,736 | 16.2% |
| 1960 | 54,107 | 26.6% |
| 1970 | 69,718 | 28.9% |
| 1980 | 87,361 | 25.3% |
| 1990 | 107,776 | 23.4% |
| 2000 | 121,989 | 13.2% |
| 2010 | 128,349 | 5.2% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
- 1855 New Jersey State Census, 1855 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1865 New Jersey State Census, 1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1895 New Jersey State Census, 1895 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1915 New Jersey State Census, 1915 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & 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 — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1771-1800 Fisher, Ben van D. "Records of the Corporation of Zion in New Germantown in West Jersey - Births and Baptisms," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Baptisms 1771-1773: Vol. 31, No. 2 (Apr. 1900):107-110; Baptisms 1770s-1778: Vol. 31, No. 3 (Jul. 1900):139-142; Baptisms 1778-1780: Vol. 31, No. 4 (Oct. 1900):232-235; Baptisms 1780-1782: Vol. 32, No. 1 (Jan. 1901):36-39; Baptisms 1782-1783: Vol. 32, No. 2 (Apr. 1901):97-100; Baptisms 1783-1785: Vol. 32, No. 3 (Jul. 1901):138-141; Baptisms 1785: Vol. 32, No. 4 (Oct. 1901):200-203; Baptisms 1786-1787: Vol. 33, No. 1 (Jan. 1902):27-31; Baptisms 1787-1790: Vol. 33, No. 2 (Apr. 1902):Baptisms 1790-1791: Vol. 33, No. 3 (Jul. 1902):141-144; Baptisms 220-222: Vol. 33, No. 4 (Oct. 1904):220-222; Vol. 33 222; Baptisms 1793-1794: Vol. 34, No. 1 (Jan. 1903):56-59; Baptisms 1794-1796: Vol. 34, No. 2 (Apr. 1903):100-102; Baptisms 1796-1798: Vol. 34, No. 3 (Jul. 1903):197-200; Baptisms 1798-1800: Vol. 34, No. 4 (Oct. 1903):248-250. Digital version at New York Family History ($); FS Library Book 974.7 B2n v. 31-34. Internet Archive has digitized Vol. 32 and Vol. 34, but not Vol. 31 or Vol. 33.[8]
List of Churches and Church Parishes
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Court Records
Directories
- 1970-2024 United States, Residence Database, 1970-2024 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index, coverage may vary
Emigration and Immigration
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African Americans
- 1804-1835, Hunterdon County, Birth Certificates of Children of Slaves, 1804-1835 at New Jersey State Archives
- Slave Manumissions On-line
This series includes original manumission papers filed by Hunterdon County slaveowners (with overseers of the poor and justices of the peace) as early as 1788. The documents are among those originally copied into two manumission/slave birth books now (1993) held by the Hunterdon County Historical Society in Flemington. Abstracts of the recorded manumissions were published in Some Records of Old Hunterdon County, 1701-1838 by Phyllis B. D'Autrechy (Trenton: 1979), pp. 147-157, 173-196, 201-204. Well over 500 acts of manumission during the period 1787-1856 are recorded in the Hunterdon County manumission books, while original papers for only 56 are included here.
This series is arranged chronologically. The items have been listed using the following format:
• name of slave owner:
• name of slave (age if recorded),
• other identifying information if included,
• location,
• date [remarks].
To aid in research, three name indexes have been added following the contents list.
Funeral Homes
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Genealogies
Guardianship
Land and Property Records
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.
Online Land Indexes and Records
- Early Deeds 1716-1730 at FamilySearch film#818213 Item 1
- Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
Local Histories
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.
- History of Hunterdon and Somerset Counties, New Jersey. Compiled by James P. Snell, assisted by Franklin Ellis, writers et al. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : Everts & Peck, 1881. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive.
Maps and Gazetteers
for more resources
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Migration
Early migration routes to and from Hunterdon County for settlers included:[9]
- Delaware River a pre-historic pathway serving as the border between New Jersey and Pennsylvania rises in Schoharie (NY) and flows by the Lehigh Canal in Pennsylvania, Frenchtown, Trenton where river meets tidewater, and past Bordentown in New Jersey, Philadelphia in Pennsylvania to empty into the North Atlantic Ocean.
- Delaware and Raritan Canal 1834 connected New Brunswick, New Jersey on the Raritan River (and NY City) to Bordontown, New Jersey on the Delaware River and parts of Pennsylvania including Philadelphia. A feeder canal, including boat traffic, from near Frenchtown also supplied additional water to the Trenton part of the D&R Canal.
Military Records
Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
- 1796-1991 New Jersey Naturalization Records, 1796-1991 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
- 1905-1944 United States, New Jersey, Naturalization records from various counties, 1905-1944 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
Newspapers
- Index to the Hunterdon Gazette prepared by William H. Hartman. The online index has over 25,000 entries covering the years 1825-1866. "The Hunterdon Gazette and Farmer's Weekly Advertiser, was first published at Flemington, New Jersey, on March 24, 1825. With Issue No. 18 , July 21, 1825, the name was changed to ‘Hunterdon Gazette and Farmer's Advertiser’. The name was changed to ‘Hunterdon Gazette’ on June 3, 1829 and continued with this heading until July 1866 when it was purchased by the Hunterdon Democrat. This newspaper lasted about a year when it merged with the present day Hunterdon County Democrat."
- Extracts of the Hunterdon County Democrat from 1838 to 1888 (currently) and beyond in the future at this website. Visit the site, a website for the Sutton Family of New Jersey, for details. The maintainer of the site also offers to make some additional transcriptions upon request. From the website: "The Hunterdon Democrat was formed September 5, 1838 at Flemington, New Jersey. In 1847, the name was changed to the Hunterdon County Democrat which title still is being used (1975). The initial annual subscription rate for those who received their papers by private post was ($)2.00."
- 1800s-Current New Jersey, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- New Jersey Digitized Historic Newspapers at New Jersey State Library - lists Hunterdon County newspapers and links to the newspaper
Obituaries
Other Records
Periodicals
Probate Records
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 Hunterdon 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 — index & images ($)
- 1670-1760 Calendar of New Jersey Wills 1670-1760 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1670-1817 New Jersey Abstract of Wills 1670-1817 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
- 1678-1980 New Jersey Probate Records, 1678-1980 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only; Use the Surrogate's Docket Index 1700-1972 to obtain the Docket Number for the name. Then, use the Docket Number to locate the correct Estate file.
- Full-Text Search - Wills and Probate Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search
School Records
Social Security Records
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
Tax Records
New Jersey tax records complement land records and can be used in place of censuses before 1820 or to supplement the years between censuses. Because only persons who owned taxable property were listed, many residents were not included in tax lists. There may also be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties. For more information see the wiki page New Jersey Taxation.
Vital Records
Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. United States Vital Records has additional research guidance on researching and using vital records. A copy or an extract of most original records can be purchased from the New Jersey Vital Records State Department of Health or the County Clerk's office of the county where the event occurred. Original marriage records are usually held at the county Bureau of Vital Statistics.
Birth
- 1600-1990 New Jersey Vital Records, Historical Society of Pennsylvania at Findmypast — index & images ($)
- 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
- 1901-1929 New Jersey, Reclaim the Records, Geographic Birth Index, 1901-1929 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index; Also at: MyHeritage ($)
Marriage
- 1600s-1900s US Marriages, New Jersey at Findmypast — index ($)
- 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 ($)
- For a complete list of all New Jersey Marriage databases
Death
- 1600-1990 New Jersey Vital Records, Historical Society of Pennsylvania at Findmypast — index & images ($)
- 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
Research Facilities
Archives
FamilySearch Centers
FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries
- FamilySearch 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 FamilySearch center.
Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries
- Clinton New Jersey FamilySearch Center
- Doylestown Pennsylvania FamilySearch Center
- Morristown New Jersey FamilySearch Center
- Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania - an affiliate library
- Monmouth County Library - an affiliate library
- New Jersey State Archives - an affiliate library
Libraries
Museums
Societies
Hunterdon County Historical Society
114 Main St
Flemington, NJ 08822
Phone: 908-782-1091
Website
Websites
- Hunterdon New Jersey NJGenWeb, a member of NJGenWeb, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
- NJGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information.
- 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
References
- ↑ New Jersey: Individual Chronologies, New Jersey Atlas of Historical County Boundaries, https://digital.newberry.org/ahcb/documents/NJ_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Hunterdon County, New Jersey," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Hunterdon_County%2C_New_Jersey (accessed July 6, 2024).
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Hunterdon County, New Jersey page 464, At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Hunterdon County, New Jersey . Page 464-465 At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 460.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), 464. At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002).At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Hunterdon County, New Jersey," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunterdon_County, New Jersey#Communities accessed 8 March 2020.
- ↑ WeRelate contributors, "Source:New York Genealogical and Biographical Record (New York Genealogical and Biographical Society)," in WeRelate, http://www.werelate.org/wiki/Source:New_York_Genealogical_and_Biographical_Record_%28New_York_Genealogical_and_Biographical_Society%29, accessed 10 February 2012.
- ↑ Handybook, 847-61.