New Jersey Descendancy Research
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As families believe they have researched their pedigrees back in time as far as possible, they sometimes choose to gather information on all the descendants of a particular ancestor or even all of their ancestors. This article explains possible steps to take on such a project in New Jersey online records.
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Step 1. Find descendants in every possible census record, 1850-1950, online.
Census records, widely indexed, are a fast way to identify members of families, their approximate year of birth, and the state where they were born. That information hints where to look for birth, marriage, and death records for more detailed information. One disadvantage is they are 10 years apart. Children born and dying within that 10-year span can be overlooked.
Federal Censuses
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State Censuses
| Year | Type of Census | Links |
|---|---|---|
| 1915 | State, all household members | at FamilySearch
at Ancestry |
| 1905 | State, all household members | at FamilySearch
at Ancestry |
| 1895 | State, head of household | at FamilySearch
at Ancestry |
| 1885 | State, head of household | at FamilySearch
at Ancestry |
| 1875 | State (select counties), all household members | at Ancestry |
| 1865 | State (select counties), all household members | at FamilySearch
at Ancestry |
For more information on census records, see New Jersey Census and United States Census.
Step 2: Find birth, marriage, and death records online.
- The first laws requiring town clerks to register vital records were made in 1675 and 1682, but few clerks complied. In 1848, New Jersey became the second state (after Massachusetts) to require statewide registration, but the early registration was not complete. At least 100,000 births in the period before 1920 were not recorded.
- Records are sometimes indexed, and can be searched by child or parent names.
- They are especially useful because they name other family members, For example, marriage records name the parents of the bride and groom. Death records are especially helpful because they name parents, who lived years earlier, even before other records were kept.
Births
- 1660-1931: New Jersey Births and Christenings Index at Ancestry - index only ($)
- 1660-1980: New Jersey Births and Christenings at FamilySearch; index only
- 1746-1795: New Jersey Baptisms at Findmypast - index only ($)
- 1901-1929: New Jersey, Reclaim the Records, Geographic Birth Index at FamilySearch; index & images
Marriages
- pre-1699: American Marriages at Ancestry - index only ($)
- 1600s-1990s: US Marriages at Findmypast - index only ($)
- 1665-1799: New Jersey Colonial Marriage Bonds at New Jersey Department of State
- 1665-1800: New Jersey Marriages at Findmypast - index only ($)
- 1665-1800: New Jersey Marriages Records at Google Books; e-book
- 1670-1965: New Jersey Marriage Records at Ancestry - index & images ($)
- 1678-1985: New Jersey Marriages at FamilySearch; index only
- 1682-1956: New Jersey County Marriages at FamilySearch; index & images
- 1683-1802: New Jersey Marriage Records at Ancestry - index & images ($)
- 1684-1895: New Jersey Compiled Marriage Records at Ancestry - index only ($)
- 1848-1878: New Jersey Marriage Records at New Jersey Department of State
- 1901-1914: New Jersey Marriage License Index at Findmypast - index only ($)
- 1901-2016: New Jersey Marriage Index at Ancestry - index & images ($)
- 1915-2016: New Jersey Marriage License Index at Findmypast - index only ($)
- 1915-2016 New Jersey Marriage License Index, 1915-2016 at MyHeritage - index ($)
Deaths
- 1720-1988: New Jersey Deaths and Burials at FamilySearch; index only
- 1798-1971: New Jersey Deaths and Burials Index at Ancestry - index only ($)
- 1878-1900: New Jersey Death Records at New Jersey Department of State
- 1901-1903: New Jersey Death Index
- 1901-2017: New Jersey Death Index at Ancestry - index only ($)
- 1920-1929: New Jersey Death Index; index, Also at MyHeritage ($)
- 1935-2014: US Social Security Death Index at Ancestry - index only ($)
- 1936-2007: US Social Security Applications and Claims Index at Ancestry - index only ($)
- 1949-2017: New Jersey Death Index; index, Also at MyHeritage ($)
- 1962-2014: US Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch; index only
For more information on birth, marriage, and death records in New Jersey, see How to Find New Jersey Birth Records, How to Find New Jersey Marriage Records, and How to Find New Jersey Death Records.
Step 3: Try to find additional details about descendants in obituaries and cemetery records online.
These records can be especially useful for details about births and deaths that took place before XXXX. Frequently, family members are buried near each other. FindAGrave, often lists details, not even listed on the tombstone, but added to the website by family members or researchers.
Obituaries
- 1930-current United States Obituary Collection for New Jersey at Ancestry ($)
- 1980-2014 United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
- Online New Jersey Death Records & Indexes
- Archives.com Obituaries ($)
- ProQuest Obituaries for New Jersey($)
- ObitsArchive.com - New Jersey, index($)
- ObituariesHelp.org - New Jersey Newspaper Obituaries Listings, index
- USGenWeb Archives Obituary Project, index($)
- New Jersey Obituaries
Cemeteries
- Find-A-Grave
- Find a Grave Index at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current at Ancestry
- BillionGraves
- BillionGraves Index at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- BillionGraves Index at Findmypast ($)
- United States, Cemetery Abstracts, 1949-1969 at FamilySearch - How to Use This Collection
- New Jersey Cemetery Records at AccessGenealogy
- New Jersey Cemetery Records at Interment
- New Jersey Cemetery Records at New Horizons Genealogy
- New Jersey, Deaths and Burials Index, 1798-1971 at Ancestry ($)
- Cemetery Transcriptions from the NEHGS Manuscript Collections, 1650-2000 at American Ancestors ($)
- New Jersey Tombstone Transcription Project at USGenWeb Transcription Project
- Online New Jersey Obituary and Cemetery Indexes at DeathIndexes
- Jewish Cemeteries in New Jersey at Find-A-Grave
- Hebrew Cemeteries in New Jersey at Find-A-Grave
- New Jersey Jewish Cemetery Project at International Jewish Cemetery Project
For more information, see New Jersey Obituaries and New Jersey Cemeteries.
Step 4: Explore Historical Images for additional online records about descendants..
Records collected and digitized by FamilySearch can all be found through their Historical Images feature.
- New Jersey, United States Historical Images, New Version
- New Jersey, United States Historical Images, Old Version
Step 5: Search any other online records listed in New Jersey Online Genealogy Records.
The steps given here are intended to list record sources which can most efficiently identify descendants. Many other online records which might or might not mention descendants are listed in the New Jersey Online Genealogy Records page, including immigration records, land records, military records, newspapers, and probate records, and others. These can be records that cover a smaller group within the population, such as men who served in the military, etc.