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Salem County History and Information

Salem County was created on 17 May 1694 and was formed from West Jersey Province and the Salem Tenth on 17 May 1694. Its southern portion was set off as Cumberland County in 1748 . The County was named for the Hebrew word for peace. The County Seat is Salem. See also County History for more historical details.

Counties adjacent to Salem County are Gloucester County (northeast), Cumberland County (southeast), Kent County, Delaware (southwest), New Castle County, Delaware (west) .

Salem County Cities Include Salem. Townships Include Alloway Township, Carneys Point Township, Elsinboro Township, Lower Alloways Creek Township, Mannington Township, Oldmans Township, Pennsville Township, Pilesgrove Township, Pittsgrove Township, Quinton Township, Upper Pittsgrove Township. Boroughs Include Elmer, Penns Grove, Woodstown. CDPs and Communities Include Alloway CDP, Carneys Point CDP, Pennsville CDP, Olivet.

The Salem County Official Government Website
Archives and Records Management, 856-935-7510x8550
Salem County, New Jersey History Books at Amazon.com
Family History Library - The largest collection of free family history, family tree and genealogy records in the world.
Search Historical Newspapers from New Jersey (1777 - 1972) - Quickly find names and keywords in over 125 million articles, obituaries, marriage notices, birth announcements and other items published in more than 500,000 issues of over 2,500 historical U.S. newspapers. New content added monthly!
Stories, Memories & Histories - Stories and histories compiled by others researching a person or area can be an amazing source of information about your ancestors. Not only do they generally contain dates and places of vital events like birth, marriage, and death, but they often relate stories and memories that help you really get to know the character of your ancestors.

Records at the County Courthouse

County Vital Records

County Census Records

County Maps & Atlases

County Military Records

County Tax Records

County Genealogical Addresses

County Church & Cemeteries

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 Salem County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Salem County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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Sites on USGenweb: [ Salem County ] [ New Jersey ] [ Main Page ]
Salem County NJGenWeb Archives
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Salem County, New Jersey Family Books at Amazon.com

County History

Salem is a city rich in history - a history far too broad to cover here. The very brief history written below is the most significant part of what made Salem the town it is. Hopefully we can give you a thirst to learn more - and we'll recommend you start your journey at the Salem County Historical Society.

The first attempt of settlement in New Jersey made by the English was in present day Salem county. In 1641, some English families, (probably emigrants from New Haven, Conn.,) embracing about 60 persons, settled on Ferken's creek, (now Salem.) About this period, the Swedes bought of the Indians the whole district from Cape May to Raccoon creek; and, in order to unite these English with the Swedes, the Swedish governor, Printz, who arrived from Sweden the year after, (1642,) was to "act kindly and faithfully toward them; and as these English expected soon, by further arrivals, to increase their numbers to several hundreds, and seemed also willing to be subjects of the Swedish government, he was to receive then under allegiance, though not without endeavoring to effect their removal." In 1654, the Swedes yielded their possessions on the Delaware to the Dutch, and they in turn submitted to the English, soon after the reduction of New Amerdam (New York) in 1664. (Historical Collections of the State of New Jersey by John W. Barber and Henry Howe - published 1857 by Benjamin Olds in Newark New Jersey)

In 1664, the Duke of York conveyed to John, Lord Berkeley, and Sir George Carteret, the province of New Jersey. The claim of Berkeley was then an undivided half, subsequently known as West Jersey; which was, in 1673, purchase for 1,000, by John Fenwickc and Edward Byllinge, members of the society of Friends

Learning about the city of Salem starts with John Fenwick. The following is taken from Biographical, Genealogical and Descriptive History of the First Congressional District of New Jersey, Volume I., The Lewis Publishing Company, New York and Chicago, 1900.

John Fenwick was born in Northumberland county at Stanton Manor, in England, in the year 1618. He was a lawyer and was made a captain of cavalry by Cromwell and took an active part against the throne. He was a member of the Society of Friends, and, like man others of that religious faith and their descendants, was imprisoned for conscience’ sake. About the year 1665 Lord Berkley offered West Jersey for sale. There appears to have been an understanding between one Edward Billinger and Fenwick to purchase the whole of West New Jersey and for Fenwick to have one-tenth of the land. The deed was given for the land in 1673, Fenwick’s portion being what is now Salem and Cumberland counties. He then made preparations to emigrate and take possession of the land in America, and held out inducements for others to emigrate with him. A number accepted the invitation of Fenwick, most of them being of his own religious faith. Fenwick’s friends had great faith in his honesty and some of them purchased land and paid him before they embarked. The following are the names of some of the principal persons who embarked with John Fenwick: Samuel Wade, Robert Windham, Richard Hancock and their families, and several others. There were several single men, - Samuel Hedge, Jr., Isaac Smart and others. The servants that hired in England to persons above mentioned and likewise to John Fenwick and his two sons-in-law, were Robert Turner, Gewas Bywater, William Wilkinson, Joseph Worth, Joseph Ware, Michael Eaton, Eleanor Greeve, Nathaniel Chambless, his son, Nathan Chambless, Jr., Mark Reeve, Edward Webb and Elizabeth Walters.

Smith, in his history of New Jersey, says in many instances the servants became more conspicuous members of civil and religious society than their employers. Fenwick’s immediate family that came with him were his daughter Elizabeth and her husband, John Adams, his daughter Anne Fenwick, who married Samuel Hedge, Jr., the spring following, and his youngest daughter, Priscilla, whose husband was Edward Champney. His wife, Mary Fenwick, did not accompany him o his new home in the wilderness, for some cause that has never been explained. The letters passed between them manifested a sincere and filial attachment, and they continued to correspond while life remained. They embarked from London in the ship Griffith, Robert Griffith being master, on the 23d of the ninth month. They arrived at the mouth of Assamhockin creed, now called Salem creek, and ascended the stream about three miles, and landed at a point of land. Fenwick and his friends that were with him thought it suitable location for a town. He gave it the name of New Salem, because he remarked to one of his intimate friends the name signified peace; but it did not prove so to him, as the sequel of his history will show. He, like his great friend and benefactor, William Penn, and also Roger Williams, found in settling colonies there were more thorns than roses. On account of the low ground, Salem was sometimes called Swamp Town.

As soon as it was practicable after the early settlers of Salem landed, the proprietor held a council with the Indian chiefs that lived within th compass of Salem county, and purchased all their land of them, thereby securing perpetual peace with the natives, and the same kind of treaty was made with them by Billynge or his agents for the remainder of West Jersey. They reserved certain rights for themselves, - trapping, fishing, and the privilege of cutting certain kinds of wood for the purpose of making baskets, also in making their canoes and other things. The treaty was faithfully fulfilled. About the year 1800 the few remaining Indians in this state made application to the New Jersey legislature to sell all their rights and privileges they held in the state, which was accepted by the legislature, and they were paid the price they asked. They then removed to the state of New York to dwell with the Mohawks and other scattering tribes that remained I that state.

John Fenwick, after his arrival in Salem, issued a proclamation granting civil and religious liberty to all persons who should settle within his province. In the year 1676, he tuned his attention to providing homes for his children and accordingly directed Richard Hancock, his surveyor, to lay out and survey two thousand acres in Upper Mannington for Samuel Hedge, Jr., and his wife Anne. The said land was called Hedgefield. He also directed him to survey two thousand acres for his son-in-law, Edward Champney, and his wife, Priscilla, which land was bounded on the west by John Smith’s land, on the north by James Nevel’s farm, and Alloway’s creek on the south. To his son-in-law, John Adams, and his wife Elizabeth, gave all that tract of land located in what is now called Penn’s Neck [modern day Pennsville]. It is known at the present day as the Sapaney. Fenwick built himself a house in the town of Salem on what he called Ivy Point. From said house he was forcibly taken in the middle of the night by a party of men from New Castle [Delaware] and taken to that town, from thence sent to New York, and there imprisoned by an order of Governor Andross, under pretense that he was infringing upon the rights of that state, which they claimed to own to the eastern shore of the Delaware river. He was soon afterward released.

After two or three years more of perplexities and trouble in endeavoring to establish a government in the colony, he wisely abandoned it by selling all the lands he had in the Salem tenth (reserving one hundred and fifty thousand acres for himself and family), to Governor William Penn. The deed was given the 23d day of March, 1682. From that time the whole of West Jersey was under one government. The legislature met at Burlington, and Samuel Jennings, of that place, was elected deputy governor at the first legislature afterward. John Fenwick was elected one of the members of that body from Salem County, in the fall of 1683, but being unwell he left his home in Salem and went to Samuel Hedge’s, his son-in-law, in Upper Mannington, there to be cared for by his favorite daughter, Anne Hedge, in his last days, for he died a short time afterward, at the age of sixty-five years. He requested before his death to be buried in the Sharp’s family burying ground, which was complied with. The said ground was formerly a part of the Salem county almshouse farm.

On July 11, 1688, John Fenwick issued a warrant to Richard Tindall, Surveyor-General for Salem county, and to John Woolridge, his deputy, to lay out one acre of land in Salem on which to erect a court-house and prison. This was done and the buildings were erected on Bridge street, afterward called Market street. The town of Salem was incorporated in 1695.

As early as 1696, the Friends in their yearly meetings brought the subject of slavery before their society, and to their credit it is believed, were the first religious sect that advised its members to desist from and discourage the future [use of slavery]. From about that time, the traffic in slaves became the subject of notice in their annual meetings, until about the year 1758, when they passed a resolution denying the right of membership to any of their people who should persist in detaining a fellow [man] in bondage.

In Revolutionary war times, the inhabitants of Salem took a decided stand in favor of the whig cause. When the Bostonians were suffering from the oppressions of General Gage, at a meeting held October 13, 1774, Salem County residents agreed that Grant Gibbon, Esq. would solicit relief from Salem residents. He succeeded in collecting about $700, a large sum at that time, which was sent for the relief of the distressed of that city [Boston]. The enemy from Philadelphia made two incursions into Salem county.

In 1817 an election was held to decide whether the court-house should be removed from the one-acre lot where it now stands. The majority of the inhabitants in Piles Grove, both Pittsgrove, Upper Penn’s Neck and Upper Alloway’s Creek were in favor of removing the county buildings. Where the place should be there was a diversity of opinion. Alloway was suggested, while others were in favor of Woodstown. By a survey of the county, the almshouse farm was found to be the most central. The election was held to remove the county buildings to the south end of said farm, or for them to remain in Salem. It was decided by a large majority of voters for them to remain.

Jumping back to Historical Collections, which again was published in 1857, Salem is at that time described as "well built, the houses neat, the streets beautified with trees, and its general appearance thriving and pleasant. Considerable business is done here, and a daily communication had, by steamers and stages, with Philadelphia.

Salem County History and Information

Records at the County Courthouse

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

County Vital Records

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County Census Records

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County Maps & Atlases

See Also Research In State Map Collections

County Military Records

See Also Military Records in New Jersey

County Tax Records

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County Genealogical Addresses

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County Church & Cemeteries

See Also Church & Cemetery Records in New Jersey

Family Trees & Genealogy Tidbits