Essex County History and Information

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Essex County was created on 1683 and was formed from East Jersey Province. The County was named for the English county of Essex. The County Seat is Newark.

The recorded history of Essex County begins in 1666, when 30 Connecticut families headed by Robert Treat arrived to establish a settlement along the banks of the Passaic River in what is now the City of Newark. The following year the settlers purchased the land from the Lenni Lenape Indians for $800.00.

Essex County was officially established in 1682 by the East Jersey Legislature as one of the four original counties of present day New Jersey ( Bergen, Monmouth and Middlesex were the others.) By the time of the American Revolution, Essex County had become quite prosperous. After the war, the Country entered into a period of unprecedented industrial growth. This was due in part to the completion of the New Jersey Railroad, the Morris Canal, and the establishment of the Morris and Essex Railroad. Factories that grew up around the rail and canal arteries drew waves of immigrants from Europe and the population began to swell. See also County History for more historical details.

Counties adjacent to Essex County are Passaic County (north), Bergen County (east), Hudson County (east), Union County (south), Morris County (west).

Essex County Boroughs Include Caldwell, Essex Fells, Glen Ridge, North Caldwell, Roseland. Cities Include East Orange, Newark. Townships Include Belleville, Bloomfield, Cedar Grove, City of Orange, Fairfield, Irvington, Livingston, Maplewood, Millburn, Montclair, Nutley, South Orange Village, Verona, West Caldwell, West Orange.

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Records at the County Courthouse

See Also New Jersey Land Records, Marriage Records, Court & Probate Records

Search New Jersey Historical Records - Databases include Court, Land, Wills & Financial Records; Birth, Marriage & Death Records; Voter Lists & Census Records; Immigration & Emigration Records; Obituary Records; Military Records; Family Tree Records; Pictures; Stories, Memories & Histories; Directories & Member Lists and much more....

Researchers often overlook the importance of court records, probate records, and land records as a source of family history information.

PLEASE READ FIRST!!!! Please call the clerk's department to confirm hours, mailing address, fees and other specifics before visiting or requesting information because of sometimes changing contact information.

All Departments below are in the Essex County Courts Building, 50 West Market Street, Newark, NJ 07102; (973) 693-5701 , unless otherwise noted below. The Official County website is located at http://www.essex-countynj.org/.

NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.
* The date the earliest land deed was recorded appears in the second column. Where two years appear, the first refers to mortgages, the second to deeds.
** Where two years are given, the first is the date when orphans' court minutes begin, the second when surrogates' records and files begin .

Essex County Clerk has Land Records & Marriage Records from 1783/1728* and is located at Courts Bldg., Hall of Records, 465 MLK Blvd., Newark, N.J. 07102;

New Jersey county clerks are responsiblefor land records, including deeds and mortgages, naturalizations, marriages (usually 1795-1840s), and various county court records. A few original county justice of the peace dockets are at the New Jersey State Archives. Estate matters are handled in the surrogate's and orphans' courts.

Essex County Surrogate Court / Orphan's Court has Probate Records from 1783/1728** and is located at Hall of Records (HOR) - Room 206, 465 MLK Blvd, Newark, N.J. 07102; (T)-973-621-4900 ~ (F)-973-621-2654

By virtue of laws enacted since 1844, the responsibilities of the County Surrogate have been expanded. The County Surrogate now has two major functions:

  1. As Judge and Clerk of the County Surrogate's Court, the Surrogate is responsible for settling the estate of every county resident who dies individually owning any assets in New Jersey--whether or not that resident dies leaving a will. Therefore, the Surrogate reviews and probates wills and appoints Executors, Administrators and guardians of minors. In addition, the Surrogate administers and invests monies (now more than $30 million in Bergen County) primarily for minor children who receive judgments in the courts in Bergen County; and
  2. As Deputy Clerk of the Superior Court, Chancery Division, Probate Part, the Surrogate dockets, reviews and schedules all actions pertaining to will contests, estate matters, accountings, mental incompetencies, guardianships of incompetents and all adoptions occurring in Bergen County. In addition, all documents involved in all County Surrogate Court matters are recorded, stored and maintained by the County Surrogate's Court.

Below is a list of online resources for Essex County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Essex County Court Records by clicking the link below:

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County Vital Records

See Also Vital Records in New Jersey

Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information.

New Jersey State Department of Health and Senior Services, State Registrar Search Unit, PO Box 370, Trenton, NJ 08625-0370; (609) 292-4087, Fax: (609) 392-4292. It can take up to 4 months to get a vital record from New Jersey.

Vital records from May 1848 - May 1878 may be obtained from the State Archives. The Archives also holds microfilm copies of births from 1878-1923, marriages from 1879-1940 and deaths from 1878-1940. These materials are available for in-person use only.

  • Birth, Marriage & Death Certificates from 1878 to the present.
    • Cost: Initial search and one certified copy or certification of the record or No Record Statement is $25.00 per certificate.
      Additional copies of the same record ordered at the same time are $2 are per copy
      Additional years searched (genealogy records only) are $1 per year.
      Make Check or Money Order payable to Treasurer, State of New Jersey. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep $25.00 for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
    • Processing Time: 14-16 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
    • Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index for FREEicon
  • Divorce Certificates: Divorce records for 1900-1989 are kept by the Records Information Center of the State Superior Court. For records after 1989 contact the NJ County Court that issued the divorce decree.New Jersey divorce decrees are available through the Superior Court of New Jersey Records Center. For more information on obtaining a certified copy of a divorce decree, call the Records Center at: 609-777-0092
    • Cost: Include a fee of $10.00 per 10 year search per last name with request. Make check or money order payable to Clerk of the Superior Court. Superior Court of NJ, Public Information Ctr, 171 Jersey Street, CN 967, Trenton, NJ 08625-0967
  • Order Online: You can also order Order Electronically Online to obtain a certified copy of a birth, marriage, death or divorce record with a credit or debit card and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering from VitalChek Express Certificate Service.

Below is a list of online resources for Essex County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Essex County Vital Records by clicking the link below:

  • VitalChek Express Certificate Service - Some documents are just too important to wait six weeks for. With VitalChek Express Certificate Service you won’t have to. VitalChek is the fast and convenient way to order certified government-issued vital records online. They make it easy for you to purchase the documents to which you are legally entitled. Beware of other online services that do not have relationships directly with the agencies that store your vital records. VitalChek's order process usually takes less than 10 minutes --And you can select express courier service for even faster delivery when time is running out.
  • Click Here to Search the Social Security Death Index for FREEicon - Search over 82 million death records and get genealogical information crucial to your family research. New content added weekly! Most comprehensive SSDI site online!
  • Research Death records In The World's Largest Newspaper Archive at NewpaperArchive.com! - Find thousands of historical New Jersey newspaper articles about deaths. Search for local articles about an old family friend that died many years ago or a celebrity that committed suicide. Historical newspapers contain a wealth of information about the deceased.
  • New Jersey Marriages, 1684-1895: This database update adds marriage records for Salem County, in addition to records for Warren County, Atlantic, Bergen, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Sussex, Hunterdon, and Somerset counties.
  • New Jersey Marriages, Colonial Era, 1665-1800: In addition to the 45,000 names in this database, included is an historical introduction on the early marriage laws of New Jersey ,and the precedents on which they were founded.
  • Essex County, New Jersey Birth, Marriage & Death Books at Amazon.com
  • Birth, Marriage & Death - Vital records (births, deaths, marriages, and divorces) mark the milestones of our lives and are the foundation of family history research. Vital records, usually kept by a civic authority, can give you a more complete picture of your ancestor, help you distinguish between two people with the same name, and help you find links to a new generation.
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County Census Records

See Also Research In Census Records & Statewide Records that exist for New Jersey

Few, if any, records reveal as many details about individuals and families as do government census records. Substitute records can be used when the official census is unavailable

Countywide Records: Federal Population Schedules that exist for Essex County, New Jersey are 1790, 1800, 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930.

Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your Family Tree in Essex County, New Jersey are Industry and Agriculture Schedules availible for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880.

The Mortality Schedules for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. There are free downloadable and printable Census forms to help with your research. These include U.S. Census Extraction Forms and U.K. Census Extraction Forms.

Below is a list of online resources for Essex County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Essex County Census Records by clicking the link below:

  • New Jersey Census, 1772-1890: This collection contains the following indexes: 1772-1822 Tax Lists Index; 1800 Cumberland County Federal Census Index; 1824-1832 Bergen County - Paterson City; 1830 Federal Census Index; 1840 Federal Census Index; 1840 Pensioners List; 1850 Federal Census Index; 1850 Slave Schedule; 1860 Federal Census Index; 1870 Federal Census Index; 1890 Veterans Schedule; Early Census Index.
  • Essex County, New Jersey Census Books at Amazon.com
  • Census & Voter Lists - A census is an official list of the people in a particular area at a given time, while voter lists show those who were registered to vote in a certain area. The valuable information found on census records helps you to understand your family in their time and place. Voter Lists serve as a confirmation of residence in between the years that the census was taken.
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County Maps & Atlases

See Also Research In State Map Collections

Genealogy Atlas has images of old American atlases during the years 1795, 1814, 1822, 1823, 1836, 1838, 1845, 1856, 1866, 1879 and 1897 for New Jersey and other states.

You can view rotating animated maps for New Jersey showing all the county boundaries for each census year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries. You can view a list of maps for other states at Census Maps

You can view rotating animated maps for New Jersey showing all the county boundary changes for each year overlayed with past and present maps so you can see the changes in county boundaries.

Below is a list of online resources for Essex County Maps. Email us with websites containing Essex County Maps by clicking the link below:

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County Military Records

See Also Military Records in New Jersey

Military and civil service records provide unique facts and insights into the lives of men and women who have served their country at home and abroad.

The uses and value of military records in genealogical research for ancestors who were veterans are obvious, but military records can also be important to re-searchers whose direct ancestors were not soldiers in any war. The fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and other close relatives of an ancestor may have served in a war, and their service or pension records could contain information that will assist in further identifying the family of primary interest. Due to the amount of genealogical information contained in some military pension files, they should never be overlooked during the research process. Those records not containing specific genealogical information are of historic value and should be included in any overall research design.

Below is a list of online resources for Essex County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Essex County Military Records by clicking the link below:

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County Tax Records

See Also Research In Tax Records

Because New Jersey's pre-1830 federal censuses have not survived, tax records are quite an important substitute for placing persons and families prior to that time. Tax lists arranged by township are available for 1773-1822. The originals, at the New Jersey State Archives, show heads of households, landowners, and single adult males, with information about their property that was taxable, including land, horses, cattle, slaves, and mills. Only about half of the 1773-4 lists are extant, and for some places, such as Sussex County, coverage is very slight. Microfilms of these records are at the state archives, the New Jersey Historical Society, Rutgers University, and the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society. The 1784 tax lists for thirty-eight municipalities (predominantly in southern New Jersey) are the only ones to indicate the size of a household, with a column for number of whites and a column for number of slaves.

Later tax records are found in the counties starting about 1869-70. Tax lists for some extinct New Jersey municipalities are at the state archives.

Below is a list of online resources for Essex County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Essex County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

  • Essex County, New Jersey Tax Books at Amazon.com
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County Genealogical Addresses

See Also Other Arkansas Genealogical Addresses

The Repositories in this section are Archives, Libraries, Museums, Genealogical and Historical Societies. Many County Historical and Genealogical Societies publish magazines and/or news letters on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual basis. Contacting the local societies should not be over looked. State Archives and Societies are usually much larger and better organized with much larger archived materials than their smaller county cousins but they can be more generalized and over look the smaller details that local societies tend to have. Libraries can also be a good place to look for local information. Some libraries have a genealogy section and may have some resources that are not located at archives or societies. Also, take a special look at any museums in the area. They sometimes have photos and items from years gone by as well as information of a genealogical interest. All these places are vitally important to the family genealogist and must not be passed over.

Below is a list of online resources for Essex County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Essex County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

  • Montclair Historical Society, 108 Orange Road, Montclair, NJ 07042; (973) 744-1796
  • Essex County Hall of Records, 465 Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd., Newark, New Jersey 07102; 973-621-5000
  • Department of State Division of Archives and Records Management
    Bureau of Archives and Records Preservation State Library Bldg, 185 West State Street, CN-307, Trenton, NJ 08625-0307
     The New Jersey State Archives has many of the basic research materials for the state, such as federal and state census records; probate, land, and court records; newspapers; and vital records.
  • New Jersey State Library, State Library Building, 185 West State Street, CN-520, Trenton, NJ 08625-0520
  • Genealogical Society of New Jersey , PO Box 1476, Trenton NJ 08607-1476; The Genealogical Society of New Jersey has published The Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey since 1925. The society houses its collection of genealogical materials, including cemetery transcriptions, family Bibles (over 4,800), military records, notes of genealogists, and so forth, in the A. S. Alexander Library at Rutgers University.
  • The New Jersey Historical Society, 52 Park Pl., Newark, NJ 07102; 973-596-8500 ext 248 or 249
  • Newspapers & Periodicals - The Newspapers & Periodicals Collection lets you discover a wealth of information about your ancestors from many historical newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals. These types of sources can often supplement public records and provide information that is not recorded anywhere else. Here, you can learn more about your ancestor's possible daily activities by placing them in the context of their time.
  • Directories & Member Lists - Directories and member lists are typically compilations of information about people who belonged to various associations and groups or lived within city boundaries. They can be thought of as the predecessors to the modern-day phone book and usually list names, addresses, and sometimes the occupations of your ancestors.
  • New Jersey Genealogical Society Books at Amazon.com
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County Church & Cemeteries

See Also Church & Cemetery Records in New Jersey

Obituaries can vary in the amount of information they contain, but many of them are genealogical goldmines, including information such as names, dates, places of birth and death, marriage information, and family relationships.

There are many churches and cemeteries in Essex County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Essex County Tombstone Transcription Project.

Many New Jersey church records have been published in state historical and genealogical journals, such as The Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey. Original and transcribed material is to be found at the New Jersey Historical Society (including the DAR collection), Rutgers, the Glouster County Historical Society, and elsewhere, and in New York, Delaware, and Pennsylvania sources and libraries, particularly in the Collections of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania.

The important work of grave marker transcribing has been the goal of the Genealogical Society of New Jersey, which was originally formed by "Tombstone Hounds." Their core collection is at Rutgers University, where there is a card index by county and name of the cemetery as well as a "master index" arranged alphabetically by surname but only for selected cemeteries. Many of the society's transcriptions have been published in their journal, The Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey. Another large collection of cemetery records is that gathered by the New Jersey DAR chapters, with copies deposited at the New Jersey State Library and the New Jersey Historical Society. Both these places have other cemetery records, as do the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania and the New York Public Library. Some individual books of cemetery inscriptions have been published, and some are found in The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record.

Below is a list of online resources for Essex County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Essex County Cemetery & Church Records by clicking the link below:

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Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits

 

The use of published genealogies, electronic files containing genealogical lineage, and other compiled sources can be of tremendous value to a researcher.

When view family trees online or not, be sure to only take the info at face value and always follow up with your own sources or verify the ones they provide. Below is a list of online resources for Essex County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Essex County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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Extended History

 

Essex County is the third smallest of all the counties, and is a transportation center, not only for New Jersey, but, with Port Newark and Newark Airport, for the nation and the world.

Essex County is only 20 minutes by car (if there is no traffic) from the center of Manhattan. Essex is in the Northeastern part of the state and, as such, is part of New Jersey's most highly developed and highly populated section. The county is bordered by Newark Bay and by five counties: Union, Morris, Passaic, Bergen and Hudson. The land rises from sea level at Newark Bay and in the Meadows, and climbs into the Watchung Mountains, which are two ranges which cut the county in a general north-south line near the western county border. The first range is known as "First Mountain," and rises in Montclair, West Orange, South Orange and Milburn; "Second Mountain" is in Verona, Caldwell, Livingston and Milburn.

Considerable areas of the county have been preserved by the Essex County Park Commission, whose acquisition of parklands dates to 1895 and has been a major factor to the county's attractiveness and growth since then.

Essex County had its start in Newark; with the first settlers being headed by Robert Treat and arriving from Branford Connecticut in May 1666. Treat and his group negotiated with the Indians and purchased their land. The settlers purchased all the land that is now Essex and Union Counties for some wampum, gunpowder, beer, axes, lead, clothing, and 32 gallons of whisky.

Ten years later, the settlers secured deed to the land all the way to the top of Orange Mountain for two more guns, three coats, and 13 containers of rum. Initially the town was know as Milford but by this time the name had changed to Newark.

In 1682, the East Jersey Legislature established Essex County and by that time Newark had a church, an inn, a ferry, a cornmill, and a sawmill.

As time went on more people moved out of Newark into the western portions of the county. Settlements built up around farms and were given the names of the original farmers. Some of the communities were Speertown (now Upper Montclair), Doddtown (now in East Orange), Camptown (now in Irvington) and Morehousetown (now Livingston).

Rev. Aaron Burr, Sr., came to Newark in 1727 to head Old First Church. It was during this time and because of Rev. Burr that Newark was selected as the second site for the College of New Jersey. The college moved permanently to Princeton in 1756.

Apparently the wealthy of Newark were not in favor of the Revolution and, so the city's sympathies were badly split. It was so bad that when Washington let his troops into the city; his reception was lukewarm; prompting Thomas Pain to sit in one of the parks and write about it. Pain's work was entitled "The Crisis".

Soon after the Revolution, the first hatters, leather tanners, and shoemakers set up shop in Orange and Newark and within twenty years there wares were sold as far away as Savannah, Georgia.

The county population in 1800 was about 20,000. But this began to change after 1800, as the turnpikes were built. The turnpikes were between Newark and Elizabeth, Belleville, New Brunswick, Springfield and Pompton.

In 1806 Newark Township was split into wards; called Newark, Orange, and Bloomfield. Newark became a city in 1836. The Morris Canal, the Morris and Essex Railroads and Newark Bay, combined, to make the city the center of an industrial area.

As Newark grew and prospered the farmers in the outlying areas grew tired of paying taxes for city improvements. This resulted in the formation of other municipalities. Orange split away from the Newark, in 1806; Bloomfield, in 1812; and Clinton Township, in 1835. Then Belleville separated from Bloomfield, in 1839; Irvington from Clinton Township, in 1852; and Milburn from Springfield, in 1837. Union County was severed from Essex County in 1857. Orange became a town in 1860; South Orange split from the town of Orange, in 1861 and East Orange and West Orange incorporated in 1863.

During the revolution Essex County provided troops for the Union cause. The county was deprived during this period of its Southern markets and the area's industry turned away from the mercantile industry to government contracts. Some firms paid salaries to men who volunteered for military service, and a 1,400 bed army hospital was opened in Newark.

Census figures in 1870 showed that 143,839 people lived in the county, with 105,000 of them in Newark. The chief industries were shoes, clothing, leather, carriages and machines and there were 45,000 workers in the city with about 15,000 doing garment piece work at home.

Inventions and Inventors

During the 19th century, inventors came to Essex County and provided much to its industrial might. Seth Boyden produced the first patent leather in the country right in the city of Newark. He discovered how to manufacture malleable iron in Essex County, and trained many of the county's early leaders of industry.

Thomas A. Edison moved his activities from Menlo Park to West Orange in 1887; John W. Hyatt moved his celluloid making to Newark in 1870, and D. Edward Weston's pioneering in electrical instruments led to another important Newark firm.

Banking and Insurance Industry

Newark Banking and Insurance Company opened its doors in a private house on Broad Street in 1804. In 1812, the State Bank of Newark opened its doors; followed by Mutual Benefit Insurance Company in 1845. In 1875, John F. Dryden founded the Prudential Insurance Company in Newark.

Suburbs

All this business activity in Newark led to a demand for nearby housing, and in the 1890's the communities surrounding Newark began to assume their role as suburbs.

Park Commission

In 1895, the Essex County Park Commission was formed and became the first county park commission in the United States. Their foresight has resulted in a boon for the county and stands as a monument for all future generations. The committee was formed to save some of the land in its natural state. South Mountain Reservation, Branch Brook Park and Weequahic Park are among the parcels of land saved from development for future generations.

The Age of the Automobile

By 1900, more than two-thirds of the county's population still lived in Newark. In the suburbs only Orange and East Orange had more than 10,000 inhabitants. But the automobile changed all that. Unfortunately the demand for roads stretched the finances of the outlying municipalities. In 1908, after a decade of "discussions", Caldwell Township split into North Caldwell, West Caldwell, Caldwell Borough, Verona, Cedar Grove, and Essex Fells.

The Roaring Twenties

During this period, Newark prospered. Factories, banks, and insurance companies expanded, department stores made large profits and the construction skyrocketed. The 34-story Raymond Commerce Building and the 35-story National Newark Building were built at this time.

The Depression and World War II

As might be expected, the depression of the '30's hit Essex County hard. More than 600 factories closed their doors, the bread lines lengthened, and business in general ground to a halt. I am sure that a whole history could be written on this era but space and time prohibit my expansion of this period. Needless to say, the war effort of World War II brought needed relief for this industrial area.

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