Vital Records Research

North Jersey History & Genealogy Center

Guides for Research-Pathfinders

Pathfinders are guides to help you get started doing research on a particular topic.

Vital records documents include birth, marriage and death records and are collected under the laws of the State of New Jersey. These documents help establish identity and verify events by providing names, ages and hometowns of individuals. In New Jersey, the official collection of records began in 1848, but county clerks did record information on marriages before that date. This site is a guide for getting started on vital records research and where to go for information and sources in our collection that can be utilized for research. Online sources are listed for more detailed information on vital records requests and as a portal for finding information state and nationwide.

Our Collection:

Vital Records Research:

International vital records handbook. Kemp, Thomas Jay
H 929.01 Kem

Bergen county marriage records
LH 1446 & 1447 (microfilm)

Marriage Records of Hunterdon County, 1795-1875
H3Hu1 Dea

Marriages of Monmouth County, 1795-1843
H3Mo1 Gib

Morris County Index of Marriages and Marriage Records, 1795-1919
GE 0048 (microfilm)

Morris County Marriage Records, 1795-1835
HM1 Gen

New Jersey Marriages, 1665-1800
HS New (Ready Reference Area)

Somerset County Marriages, 1795-1878
H3So1 Meek

Sussex County Marriages
H3Su1 Case

Barbour Collection of Connecticut Town Vital Records. 55 volumes
H 974.6 Whi

Vital Records of the Towns of Massachusetts. Catalogued by town name.
H 974.4 VR (then town name)

Directory to Collections of New York Vital Records, 1726-1989. Bowman, Fred Q.
H 974.7 Bow

Pennsylvania Vital Records: from the Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine and the Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. 3 volumes
H 974.8 PVR

Rhode Island Vital records, new series. Beaman, Alan G. 13 volumes, covers up to 1860
H 974.59 Bea

Virginia vital records: from the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, the William & Mary College quarterly and Tyler’s quarterly.
H 975.5 Vir

When searching the card or online catalog, here are some subject terms that you will find useful: