CENSUS RECORDS

Existing federal censuses for the state of New Jersey begin in 1800 and continue every ten years thereafter. They are currently available through 1920 (excepting 1810, 1820, and the mostly destroyed 1890 census). All have been indexed in at least one format, except for 1910. The 1800 census exists for Cumberland County only. The 1790, 1810, and 1820 enumerations have been destroyed or lost. The New Jersey State Archives, the New Jersey Historical Society, Rutgers, and the Newark Public Library all have copies of the existing censuses. The state copies of the federal censuses for 1850–80 are at the state library. Among the few surviving schedules of the 1890 federal census are some for Jersey City, Hudson County.
State censuses were also taken in New Jersey every ten years from 1855–1915 and are available at the New Jersey State Archives, the New Jersey State Library, Rutgers, the New Jersey Historical Society (1855–85), and the Newark Public Library (the latter has a street guide to Newark's wards, as do the state archives and Rutgers). Unfortunately, they are not complete for 1855, 1865, and 1875, and none are indexed. Two earlier "censuses" have been published for New Jersey: Kenn Stryker-Rodda, Revolutionary Census of New Jersey (1972; reprint; Lambertville, N.J.: Hunterdon House, 1986) was constructed from tax records, and James S. Norton, New Jersey in 1793 (Salt Lake City: the author, 1973) was taken from militia rosters, with tax records substituting for those counties with missing militia lists.

New Jersey Research Sources

McCormick, Richard P. New Jersey from Colony to State, 1609–1789. 1964. Rev. Newark: New Jersey Historical Society, 1981.
Lee, Francis Bazley, comp. and ed. Genealogical and Memorial History of the State of New Jersey. 4 vols. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Co., 1910.
Barker, Bette Marie, Daniel P. Jones, and Karl J. Niederer, comps. Guide to Family History Sources in the New Jersey State Archives. 2nd ed. Trenton: Division of Archives and Records Management, 1990.
Gordon, Thomas F. Gazetteer of the State of New Jersey. 1834. Reprint. Cottonport, La.: Polyanthos, 1977.

Archives, Libraries and Societies
New Jersey Historical Society/Library, 230 Broadway, Newark, NJ 07104

New Jersey State Archives, State Library Building, 185 West State Street, Trenton, NJ 08625