Warren County History and Information

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Warren County was created on 20 November 1824 and was formed from the southern portion of old Sussex County . Consult the Sussex County for pre-1824 records. The County was named for Joseph Warren, an American Revolutionary War general. The County Seat is Belvidere.

Warren County is divided into twenty three municipalities. The Town of Belvidere is the county seat. The county was separated from Sussex County by an act of the Legislature passed November 20,1824. The first Europeans to settle in the county were the Dutch, who came to Pahaquarry Township and dug for copper around 1650. During this period, they constructed a road from Pahaquarry to Kingston, New York, over which they transported the proceeds of their mining ventures. This road, the first commercial highway built in the United States, is known as "Old Mine Road."

The County of Warren occupies an area of 364.55 square miles, is 32 miles long with an average width of 13 miles, and ranks ninth in size among the state's twenty one counties. Within the county is some of the most rugged and scenic terrain to be found in the state. The landscape is characterized by a series of ridges and valleys in a northeasterly/southwesterly direction. Elevations range from 125 feet to 1,600 feet above sea level. Mountain ranges and ridges which divide fertile river valleys include Kittatinny Mountain, Jenny Jump Mountain, Scott's Mountain and Pohatcong Mountain. Streams and rivers, all emptying into the Delaware River, include the Musconetcong, Paulinskill and Pequest Rivers and the Pohatcong and Lopatcong Creeks. These fertile valleys have enabled the county to become an important agricultural district in the state.

There are 17 districts and individual properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Town of Belvidere, the county seat, is noted for its Victorian style architecture. The town's residents celebrate its heritage annually in its Victorian Day extravaganza. The Warren County Cultural & Heritage Commission organizes the Warren County Heritage Festival in Oxford Township. Reenactments, arts and crafts displays, and musical concerts are among the events that are centered around the Oxford Furnace and Shippen Manor which were built in the 1740's. The county is renovating the Shippen Manor, the ironmaster's home, using state, county and private funds. See also County History for more historical details.

Counties adjacent to Warren County are Sussex County (northeast), Morris County (east), Bucks County, Pennsylvania (south), Hunterdon County (south), Northampton County, Pennsylvania (west), Monroe County, Pennsylvania (northwest) .

Warren County Boroughs Include Alpha, Washington. Towns Includes Belvidere, Hackettstown, Phillipsburg. Townships Include Allamuchy, Alpha, Belvidere, Blairstown, Franklin, Frelinghuysen, Greenwich, Hackettstown, Hardwick, Harmony, Hope, Independence, Knowlton, Liberty, Lopatcong, Mansfield, Oxford, Phillipsburg, Pohatcong, Washington Boro./Twp., and White. (Pahaquarry is defunct) Communities Include Allamuchy-Panther Valley, Beattystown, Brass Castle, Great Meadows-Vienna, Johnsonburg, Rivers Bear Creek, Beaver Brook, Cory's Brook, Dead River, Delaware River, Lopatcong Creek, Musconetcong River, Paulins Kill, Pequest River, Pohatcong Creek, Pophandusing Creek, Yard's Creek.

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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 Warren County Courthouse, 413 Second St., Belvidere, NJ 07823; (908) 475-6161, unless otherwise noted below. The Official County website is located at http://www.co.warren.nj.us/ .

NOTE: The record dates below are from the earliest date to present time.

Warren County Clerk has Land Records & Marriage Records from 1825 and is located at the address above. Phone Number: (908) 475-5361

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.

Warren County Surrogate Court / Orphan's Court has Probate Records from 1825 and is located at the courthouse. Phone Number: 908-475-6225

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 Warren County Court Records. Email us with websites containing Warren 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:
    • 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.
    • Dates: from 1878 to the present
    • 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 FREE
  • 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

Below is a list of online resources for Warren County Vital Records. Email us with websites containing Warren 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.
  • Warren 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 Warren County, New Jersey are 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920 and 1930.

Other Federal Schedules to look at when researching your Family Tree in Warren 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 Warren County Census Records. Email us with websites containing Warren 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.
  • Warren 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 Warren County Maps. Email us with websites containing Warren 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 Warren County Military Records. Email us with websites containing Warren 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 Warren County Tax Records. Email us with websites containing Warren County Tax Records by clicking the link below:

  • Warren 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 Warren County Genealogical Addresses. Email us with websites containing Warren County Genealogical Addresses by clicking the link below:

  • Warren County Historical and Genealogical Society; Phone: 908-475-4246, Fax: 908-475-4246
    PO Box 313, Belvidere, NJ 07823;Museum located at 313 Mansfield Street, Belvidere
  • 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 Warren County. Some transcriptions are online. A great site is the Warren 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 Warren County Cemetery & Church Records. Email us with websites containing Warren 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 Warren County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information. Email us with websites containing Warren County Family Trees, web forums and other family type information by clicking the link below:

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County History

Warren County came into existence in 1825 when an act of the New Jersey Legislature, passed on Nov. 20, 1824, took effect and separated the area from Sussex County. The county was named in honor of Dr. Joseph Warren who, although he had no known association with the area, earned a heroic reputation throughout the original 13 states for his devotion to the revolutionary cause, which led to his death in the battle of Bunker Hill. During the Revolutionary War, a large majority of the 13,000 colonists who lived in Sussex (and what is now Warren) supported the patriotic cause. Sussex was among three New Jersey counties commended by the Provincial Congress in 1775 for "spirited exertions" in raising minutemen for the fight for independence.

The county originally had the townships of Greenwich, Hardwick, Independence, Knowlton, Mansfield, Oxford and Pahaquarry, from which the present 22 municipalities were carved. The Town of Belvidere was chosen as the county seat, a decision that was considerably influenced by the action of General Garrett D. Wall, who donated grounds for a county courthouse and public square in Belvidere. The countyís freeholders ordered $3,500 raised toward construction of a brick courthouse with a jail and offices for the clerk and surrogate on the first floor and a courtroom (still in use today) on the second floor. The final accounting for the project was $9,942.24.

Transportation has played an important role in the development of the county since its beginning. Its earliest residents were the Lenni Lenape, who lived along the rivers and streams of the region. The first Europeans to settle in the county were the Dutch, who came to Pahaquarry Township and dug for copper around 1650. During this period, they constructed a road from Pahaquarry to Kingston, N.Y., over which they transported the proceeds of their mining ventures. This road, the first commercial highway built in the United States, is still in existence today. Known as "Old Mine Road," it traverses the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, a major visitor attraction in the county.

Although it was the first area to be settled by European colonists, Pahaquarry Township is no more. Largely vacated by the federal government's disputed plan to build the Tocks Island Dam, much of Pahaquarry later became federal and state parkland. With only a handful of residents left, the Township merged with neighboring Hardwick Township on July 2, 1997, reducing the number of municipalities in New Jersey to 566. Accomplished through special legislation, the merger was the first one in the state in 45 years.

In the early 1830s, the Morris Canal opened in New Jersey, with its western terminus at Phillipsburg on the Delaware River in Warren County. Some 33 miles of the canalís 102-mile route to Jersey City were in Warren County, and the canal provided a thoroughfare for the county's farm products to reach metropolitan markets. Villages such as Port Warren, Port Colden, Port Murray and Rockport owe their names and their existence to their location along the canal. The Morris Canal also brought together the anthracite coal from Pennsylvania with the limestone and iron ore from New Jersey in the formation of heavy industry. Railroads quickly replaced the canal and sped the development of industry within the county.

Cummins Building
THE CUMMINS BUILDING was built on Belvidere's courthouse square in 1834 by John B. Maxwell, a newspaper editor and two-term Congressman. Today, Warren County government offices are located there, including the Department of Human Services and, as of Spring 2001, the Board of Taxation.

At one time, Phillipsburg was the crossroads for five railroads, each with its own freight yard and maintenance facility in the town. Also, one heavy manufacturing plant employed up to 4,500 people and provided a great deal of machinery to the World War II effort.

At Oxford are the preserved ruins of one of colonial New Jersey's first iron furnaces, and it holds the distinction of operating longer than any other colonial furnace, from 1741-1884. In 1835, Oxford Furnace became the first U.S. smelting operation to use the hot blast process, while in 1859 Peter Cooper's furnace in Phillipsburg was one of the first in the U.S. to experiment with the Bessemer process. During the 1860s, Cooper Furnace was the most productive iron furnace in America.

Today, sections of the Morris Canal are being transformed into a public greenway across the county. Moreover, because of its transportation prominence, Phillipsburg has been tapped as the location for a planned New Jersey Transportation Heritage Center, a museum to highlight how New Jersey shaped transportation history and how transportation shaped the state. In addition to being a former railroad center and terminus of the Morris Canal , the town is closely linked with transportation history in other ways. A ferry across the Delaware River was established there in 1739, and the town served as an important port for Durham boats and lumber rafts that plied the Delaware. The first commercially successful diesel electric locomotives were developed in the town, and dirigible mooring masts were built there as well.

About Warren County...General Information

The County of Warren occupies an area of 364.55 square miles, is 32 miles long and has an average width of 13 miles. It ranks ninth in area and 19 th in population among New Jersey’s 21 counties. Within the county is some of the most rugged and scenic terrain found in the state. The landscape is characterized by a series of ridges and valleys in a northeasterly / southwesterly direction. Elevations range from 125 feet to 1,600 feet above sea level. Mountain ranges and ridges that divide the county’s fertile river valleys include Kittatinny Mountain, Jenny Jump Mountain, Scott’s Mountain and Pohatcong Mountain. Streams and rivers, all emptying into the Delaware River, include the Musconetcong, Paulinskill and Pequest rivers; Dunnfield, Lopatcong and Pohatcong creeks; and Van Campens Brook. Fertile valleys have enabled the county to become an important agricultural district in the Garden State.

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