New Jersey Biographies

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New Jersey

Biography

Online Resources

• County and Town Histories, includes biographies
• American Biographical Library for New Jersey ($), index
• The Story of New Jersey ($), index
• Genealogical and memorial history of the state of New Jersey : a book of the achievements of her people in the making of a comm ($), index
• New Jersey Biographical Sketches ($), index
• Biographical, genealogical and descriptive history of the First Congressional District of New Jersey ($), index
• New Jersey Biographical Index. ($), index
• The Early Germans of New Jersey; Their History, Churches and Genealogies ($), index
• Biographical, genealogical and descriptive history of the state of New Jersey : containing portraits and biographies.... ($), index
• Prominent Families of New Jersey Vol. II ($), index
• Pioneer Families of Northwestern New Jersey ($), index
• Cyclopedia of New Jersey biography, 1916, e-book, index/images
• Cyclopedia of New Jersey biography, memorial and biographical v.1, 1921, e-boook, index/images
• Memorial cyclopedia of New Jersey, under the editorial supervision, v. 4, e-book
• Nelson's biographical cyclopedia of New Jersey, e-book,
  • Vol.2,
  • Vol. 3
• Past and promise : lives of New Jersey women, e-book, index
• Scannell's New Jersey's first citizens and state guide ... genealogies and biographies of citizens of New Jersey Vol. 1, Vol. 2, 1919/20, e-book
• The biographical encyclopaedia of New Jersey of the nineteenth century, e-book
• New Jersey biographical and genealogical notes from the volumes of the New Jersey archives, with additions and supplements. William Nelson. v.9, e-book
• Biographical sketches of distinguished Jerseymen. By S.G. Arnold., 1845, e-book
• A New Jersey biographical index, e-book
• New Jersey Biographies GeneaSearch

Biographies in Local Histories

• Biographical information is often found in state, county, and town histories.
• Towards the end of the 19th century, began publishers soliciting short biographical/family histories from local founding families, offering to publish them in an upcoming local history. This then became an incentive for family members to buy a copy of the book.
• Families represented were not necessarily prominent. Practically everyone living there, especially in the Midwest, counted as an early settler.
• These biographies often start with the first member of the family to settle in the area, and detail their descendants at the time of publishing. They may tell where the family moved in from. Children's marriages often are given, with maiden names included.

Finding Biographies

• The county Wiki page lists several county histories. It also lists local libraries, and societies which probably have copies of local histories.
• Many histories are no longer under copyright and can be found in the following online, digitized book collections. Search with keywords "History" and "the name of your locality" (state, county, or town).
  • FamilySearch Books
  • Google Books
  • World Cat
  • HathiTrust
  • Internet Archive
• The FamilySearch library has extensive collections of these local histories. Many are digitized. Search the FamilySearch Catalog under your locality for the topics "Biography" and "History".

The best collections of published biographies in New Jersey are at the New Jersey State Library, New Jersey Historical Society, and Rutgers University. The Newark Public Library has a card index to biographical information called Information on Notable Persons.

Several statewide, regional, and county biographical encyclopedias are included in the Genealogy and Local History collection described in New Jersey History.

The following are examples of excellent biographical encyclopedias available for New Jersey:

• Sinclair, Donald Arleigh, comp. A New Jersey Biographical Index: Covering Some 100,000 Biographies and Associated Portraits in 237 New Jersey Cyclopedias, Histories, Yearbooks, Periodicals, and Other Collective Biographical Sources, Published to about 1980. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1993. An extensive index to New Jersey biographies. FS Library book 974.9 D32s.
  

• Lee, Francis Bazley. Genealogical and Memorial History of the State of New Jersey. Four Volumes. New York, New York: Lewis Historical Publishing, 1910. Includes index. FamilySearch Library films 514673-74.
  

• Ogden, Mary Depue. Memorial Cyclopedia of New Jersey. Four Volumes. Newark, New Jersey: Memorial History, 1915-1921. FamilySearch Library book 974.9 D3m; volume 4 on film 924475 item 2;. The first three volumes were reprinted as Cyclopedia of New Jersey Biography: Memorial and Biographical. Three Volumes. New York, New York: American Historical Society, 1923. FamilySearch Library book 974.9 D3c; film 1035594 items 4-6; fiche 6045806.
  

• Nelson, William. Nelson's Biographical Cyclopedia. Two volumes. Eastern Historical Publishing Society, 1913. FamilySearch Library book 974.9 D3n; film 823724.
  

• The Biographical Encyclopedia of New Jersey of the Nineteenth Century. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Galaxy Publishing, 1877. FamilySearch Library fiche 6045839.
  

• Honeyman, A. Van Doren, Editor. Northwestern New Jersey, a History of Somerset, Morris, Hunterdon, Warren, and Sussex Counties. Five Volumes. New York, New York: Lewis Historical Publishing, 1927. Volumes three through five are biographical. FamilySearch Library book 974.9 H2n, v. 3-4; fiche 6045834; Volumes 3-4 on film 1035764 items 2-3,.
• Cyclopedia of New Jersey Biography: Memorial and biographical 31 microfiche FS Library fiche 6045806