Passaic County, New Jersey Genealogy
Passaic 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.
| Passaic County, New Jersey | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of New Jersey | |
 Location of New Jersey in the U.S. | |
| Facts | |
| Founded | February 7, 1837 |
|---|---|
| County Seat | Paterson |
| Courthouse | |
| Address | Passaic County Courthouse 401 Grand St #130 Paterson, NJ 07505 |
Contents
- 1 County Information
- 2 Description
- 3 Passaic County, New Jersey Historical Facts
- 4 Parent County
- 5 Boundary Changes
- 6 Record Loss
- 7 Resources
- 7.1 Bible
- 7.2 Cemeteries
- 7.3 Census
- 7.4 Church Records
- 7.5 Court Records
- 7.6 Directories
- 7.7 Emigration and Immigration
- 7.8 Ethnic, Political. or Religious Groups
- 7.9 Gazetteers
- 7.10 Genealogy
- 7.11 History
- 7.12 Land and Property
- 7.13 Maps
- 7.14 Migration
- 7.15 Military
- 7.16 Naturalization and Citizenship
- 7.17 Newspapers
- 7.18 Occupations
- 7.19 Periodicals
- 7.20 Poorhouse, Almshouse
- 7.21 Probate Records
- 7.22 Repositories
- 7.23 Schools
- 7.24 Taxation
- 7.25 Vital Records
- 8 Passaic County, New Jersey Websites
- 9 Passaic County, New Jersey Neighboring Counties
- 10 Passaic County, New Jersey Genealogy References
County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
Passaic County is located in the northeast region of the state. It was created in 1837. Paterson is the county seat. The county was named for "Pasaeck", a Lenape word meaning "valley".[1]
Passaic County, New Jersey Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1901 | 1837 | 1901 | 1900 | 1837 | 1837 | 1830 |
Passaic County, New Jersey Historical Facts[edit | edit source]
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.
Parent County[edit | edit source]
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
- 1907, part back to Essex County.
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[edit | edit source]
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible[edit | edit source]
Courtesy of the Passaic County Historical Society Genealogy Club:
- Index of Surnames
- ACKERMAN Family Bible Records
- BENJAMIN / FURDUN Family Bible Records
- BURHANS Family Bible Records
- CAMPBELL Family Bible Records
- CRANE Family Bible Records
- DERROM Family Bible Records
- Family Bible Records
- GARRABRANT Family Bible Records
- GARRABRANT (James) Family Bible Records
- GOULD / VAN HOUTEN Family Bible Records
- HINCHMAN Family Bible Records
- KING Family Bible Records
- POST Family Bible Records
- POST / SPEAR Family Bible Records
- PULIS Family Bible Records
- ROMAINE Family Bible Records
- ROSE Family Bible Records
- SLINGERLAND Family Bible Records
- SMITH (Hophni) Family Bible Records
- SMITH (John) Family Bible Records
- SPEAR / HINDLE Family Bible Records
- STANLEY Family Bible Records
- STORM Family Bible Records
- VAN BLARCOM Family Bible Records
- ZABRISKIE Family Bible Records
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
| Tombstone Transcriptions Online | Tombstone Transcriptions in Print | List of Cemeteries in the county |
| Findagrave.com | Family History Library | Findagrave.com |
| NJGenWeb | WorldCat | Billion Graves |
| NJGenWeb Archives | ||
| NJTombstone Project | ||
| NJInterment | ||
| EPodunk | ||
| Billion Graves | ||
| See New Jersey Cemeteries for more information. | ||
Census[edit | edit source]
- 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[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 — index and images
Court Records[edit | edit source]
Directories[edit | edit source]
Courtesy of the Passaic County Historical Society Genealogy Club:
- 1853 Paterson City Directory online
- Passaic County Directory Holdings ( for assistance with any item in this list contact them though their email: info@lambertcastle.org
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
- 1906-1942 - New York Book Indexes to Passenger Lists, 1906-1942 at FamilySearch — index and images
Ethnic, Political. or Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
Genealogy[edit | edit source]
Betts, Enid. A Sanderson Family and Its Branches. History of Stepen Sanderson born 1811, and his wife Elizabeth Aisbitt and descendants. According to the IGI the Sandersons were in Houghton le Spring, from the late 1500's. Other areas the descendants were in: Eighton Banks, Gateshead Pelaw, Bishop Wearmouth, with a branch going to USA, Patterson, New Jersey,and another branch to Australia. Surnames mention: Liddell, Fenwick, Wynn, Armstrong, Hunter, Best, Murray, Reay, Lockey, Wanless and Smith. Article dated 1560-1985, and is found in The Northumberland & Durham Family History Society Journal, vol.27, no.3,pages 92-95. Family History Library Reference 942.8 B2jo v.27.no.3.(autumn 2002)
History[edit | edit source]
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.
Land and Property[edit | edit source]
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.
Maps[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- Map of Townships in Passaic County
- Outline of Passaic County over Google Map -- Home Town Locator
Migration[edit | edit source]
Military[edit | edit source]
Courtesy of the Passaic County Historical Society Genealogy Club:
- Revolutionary Soldiers buried in the rear of Belleville Reformed Church, Belleville, New Jersey
- Passaic County Soldiers and Saiilors Monument
- Passaic County Soldiers for the Union
- Jerseymen for the Union, Passaic City Volunteers: A-H, I-R, S-Z
- Paterson: WW1 Veterans of the Barbour Flax Spinning Co. 1918
- Totowa Borough Veterans Memorial
- Wayne Township Veterans Memorial
Civil War[edit | edit source]
Regiments. Service men in Passaic County, New Jersey Genealogy served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Passaic County, New Jersey Genealogy:
- - 70th Regiment, New York Infantry, Companies A and I.
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
- 1796-1991 - New Jersey Naturalization Records, 1796-1991 at FamilySearch — index
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Additional newspapers abstracts can sometimes be found using search phrases such as Passaic County, New Jersey Genealogy newspapers in online catalogs like:
- WorldCat (For instructions see WorldCat Online Catalog).
- Do a Passaic 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[edit | edit source]
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Poorhouse, Almshouse[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
Probate records created after 1852 are held by the Passaic 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 Passaic 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).
Obtaining Copies of County Probate Records[edit | edit source]
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: Online Probate Records
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[edit | edit source]
| ||||||
Archives[edit | edit source]
Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Passaic County Courthouse
401 Grand St #130
Paterson, NJ 07505
Phone: (973) 225-3632
County Clerk has divorce records from 1947, court records from 1900 and land records. County Surrogate has probate records. [4]
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
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.
- For current information about a center near you, go to the Family History Center Map
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Museums[edit | edit source]
Societies[edit | edit source]
Passaic County Historical Society Genealogy Club
Lambert Castle
3 Valley Road
Paterson NJ 07509
Telephone: 973-881-2761
E-mail:library@lambertcastle.org
Website
Jefferson Township Historical Society
315 Dover-Milton Road
Jefferson Township - Milton, Oak Ridge, NJ 07438
Telephone: 973-697-0258
E-mail:info@jthistoricalsociety.org
Website
North Jersey Highlands Historical Society
PO Box 248
Ringwood, NJ, 07456
E-mail:info@northjerseyhistory.org
Website
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Schools[edit | edit source]
Courtesy of the Passaic County Historical Society Genealogy Club:
- Passaic - High School Graduates, 1873 - 1895
- Passaic - High School Graduates, 1896 - 1908
- Passaic - High School Graduates, 1909 - 1916
- Passaic - High School Graduates, 1917 - 1921
- Paterson - Assoc. of Exempt Firemen, 1882-1892
- Paterson - Candidates for Admission to High School, 1890
- Paterson - DAR Applications, Garret A. Hobart Chapter
- Paterson - Hamilton Club, 1905 Membership Roster
- Paterson - High School Graduates, 1880
- Paterson - High School Graduates, 1903
- Paterson - High School Graduates, 1904
- Paterson - High School Graduates, 1905
- Paterson - High School Graduates, 1907
- Paterson - High School Graduates, 1909
- Paterson - High School Graduates, 1910
- Paterson - Normal School Graduates, 1905
- Paterson - Normal School Graduates, 1906
- Paterson - Old Ladies' Home of Passaic Cty., Resident List 1927-1934
- Paterson - Rambling Club, Inc., 1908
- Paterson - Riverside Athletic and Singing Club, Inc., 1933
Taxation[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]
- 1901-1903, New Jersey, Reclaim the Records, New Jersey Birth Index, 1901-1903 at FamilySearch — index
Marriage[edit | edit source]
Online Marriage Indexes and Records
1606-1981 - New Jersey, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
- 1670-1980 - New Jersey, Marriages, 1670-1980 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1930-1938 - New Jersey, Bride Index, 1930-1938 at FamilySearch — index
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1901-1903 - New Jersey, Death Index, 1901-1903 at FamilySearch — index
Passaic County, New Jersey Websites[edit | edit source]
- USGenWeb project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
- Passaic County, New Jersey History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Familytree101)
- Passaic County US GenWeb Project
- Passaic County Gen Web Archives
- Passaic County NJ Genealogy
- Passaic County Historical Society Genealogy Club On-line Resources
- ancestry.com -- Search Passaic County Sources ($ ancestry.com subscription required)
- Live Roots -- Passaic County Links
- FamilySearch Catalog
Passaic County, New Jersey Neighboring Counties[edit | edit source]
Passaic County, New Jersey Genealogy References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Passaic County, New Jersey" in Wikipedia : the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passaic_County,_New_Jersey accessed 23 September 2018.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Passaic 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.
- ↑ 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), Passaic County, New Jersey page 465, At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
