Listed record inventories
Selected holdings and indexes for Somerset County, checked against the repository descriptions linked below. Date spans may contain gaps; an index is not a complete set of original records.
County government
- Board of Agriculture · Record Books, 1892 - 1917 · CSOAG0011892 - 1917
- Clerk's Office · Register of Bonds, Township of Bernards - Passaic Valley and Peapack Railroad, 1869 - 1900 · CSOCL0061869 - 1900
- Clerk's Office · Leases and Agreements, 1870 - 1897 · CSOCL0091870 - 1897
- Clerk's Office · Road Books, 1733 - 1927 · CSOCL0161733 - 1927
- Clerk's Office · Manumissions of Slaves, 1823 - 1862 · CSOCL0171823 - 1862
- Clerk's Office · Register of Black Children, 1804 - 1824 · CSOCL0181804 - 1824
- Clerk's Office · Mechanic's Lien Claims, 1840 - 1942 · CSOCL0191840 - 1942
- Clerk's Office · Jury Records, 1810 - 1850 · CSOCL0211810 - 1850
- Clerk's Office · Lunacy Proceedings and Accounts, 1809 - 1945 · CSOCL0231809 - 1945
Marriages, births and deaths
- Clerk's Office · Marriage Returns, 1778 - 1907 · CSOCL0011778 - 1907
- Clerk's Office · Birth Certificates of Children of Slaves, 1805 - 1830 · CSOCL0031805 - 1830
- Clerk's Office · Birth/Death Record and Burial/Transit Permit Stubs, 1872 - 1879 · CSOCL0041872 - 1879
- Clerk's Office · Non - resident Marriage License Applications, 1897 - 1910 · CSOCL0051897 - 1910
Court records
- Clerk's Office · Justice of the Peace Dockets, 1782 - 1921 · CSOCL0021782 - 1921
- Clerk's Office · Court of Oyer and Terminer Minutes, 1836 - 1926 · CSOCL0141836 - 1926
- Clerk's Office · Circuit Court Declarations in Debt, 1841 - 1876 · CSOCL0201841 - 1876
- Clerk's Office · Circuit Court Minutes, 1838 - 1901 · CSOCL0221838 - 1901
- Clerk's Office · Recognizances and Miscellaneous Court Papers, 1786 - 1880 · CSOCL0241786 - 1880
- Court of Common Pleas · Costs, 1809 - 1836 · CSOCP0011809 - 1836
- Court of Common Pleas · Miscellaneous Papers, 1776 - 1858 · CSOCP0021776 - 1858
- Court of Common Pleas · Declarations in Debt and other Papers, 1776 - 1840 · CSOCP0031776 - 1840
- Court of Common Pleas · Bail Bonds, 1779 - 1880 · CSOCP0041779 - 1880
- Court of Common Pleas · Writs, 1780 - 1850 · CSOCP0051780 - 1850
- Court of Common Pleas · Applications for Tavern Licenses, 1782 - 1876 · CSOCP0061782 - 1876
- Court of Common Pleas · Judgments, 1784 - 1855 · CSOCP0081784 - 1855
- Court of Common Pleas · Insolvency Papers, 1790 - 1849 · CSOCP0101790 - 1849
- Court of Common Pleas · Appeal Papers, 1794 - 1917 · CSOCP0111794 - 1917
- Court of Common Pleas · Notices of Trial, 1794 - 1874 · CSOCP0121794 - 1874
- Court of Common Pleas · Minutes, 1783 - 1907 · CSOCP0131783 - 1907
- Coroner's Office · Inquisitions, 1802 - 1850 · CSOCR0011802 - 1850
- Justices Court · Convictions, 1882 - 1911 · CSOJU0011882 - 1911
- Court of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace · Petitions for Peddler's Licenses, ca. 1739 - 1776 · CSOQU0011739 - 1776
- Court of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace · Minutes, 1783 - 1904 · CSOQU0021783 - 1904
- Court of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace · Miscellaneous Papers, 1773 - 1841 · CSOQU0031773 - 1841
Deeds and land
- Clerk's Office · Chattel Mortgage Books, 1850 - 1937 · CSOCL0071850 - 1937
- Clerk's Office · Deeds, 1779 - 1901 and Indexes, 1785 - 1916 · CSOCL0081779 - 1916
- Clerk's Office · Indexes to Discharges & Releases of Mortgages, 1850 - 1972 · CSOCL0101850 - 1972
- Clerk's Office · Assignments of Mortgages, 1853 - 1900 and Indexes, 1850 - 1972 · CSOCL0111850 - 1972
- Clerk's Office · Discharge of Mortgages, 1869 - 1896 · CSOCL0121869 - 1896
- Clerk's Office · Mortgages, 1765 - 1870 and Indexes, 1765 - 1916 · CSOCL0131765 - 1916
- Clerk's Office · Releases of Mortgages, 1885 - 1901 · CSOCL0151885 - 1901
- Loan Office · Mortgage Register, 1786 - 1799 · CSOLO0011786 - 1799
- Surrogate's Office · Division of Lands, 1812 - 1892 · CSOSU0061812 - 1892
Poor relief and institutions
Other records
Wills and estates
- Court of Common Pleas · Affidavits and Estate Inventories of Revolutionary War Pension Applicants, 1820 - 1831 · CSOCP0071820 - 1831
- Surrogate's Office · Miscellaneous Estate Papers [Unrecorded], ca. 1707 - 1987 · CSOSU0011770 - 1987
- Surrogate's Office · Administration Bonds, 1868 - 1913 · CSOSU0021868 - 1913
- Surrogate's Office · Administrations and Guardianships, 1804 - 1915 · CSOSU0031804 - 1915
- Surrogate's Office · Assignees, 1873 · CSOSU0041873 - 1949
- Surrogate's Office · Assignments of Legacies, 1889 - 1950 · CSOSU0051889 - 1950
- Surrogate's Office · Guardian Bonds, 1868 - 1920 · CSOSU0071868 - 1920
- Surrogate's Office · Inventories, 1804 - 1903 · CSOSU0081804 - 1903
- Surrogate's Office · Miscellaneous Bonds, 1861 - 1918 · CSOSU0091861 - 1918
- Surrogate's Office · Orphans Court Accounts, 1871 - 1905 · CSOSU0101871 - 1905
- Surrogate's Office · Orphans Court Minutes, 1794 - 1908 · CSOSU0111794 - 1908
- Surrogate's Office · Indexes to Proceedings, 1804 - 1972 · CSOSU0121804 - 1972
- Surrogate's Office · Receipts and Discharges, 1819 - 1902 · CSOSU0131819 - 1902
- Surrogate's Office · Refunding Bonds and Releases, 1898 - 1913 · CSOSU0141898 - 1913
- Surrogate's Office · Will Books, 1804 - 1900 · CSOSU0151804 - 1900
- Surrogate's Office · Applications for Probate of Wills and Administrations, 1878 - 1900 · CSOSU0161878 - 1900
- Surrogate's Office · Estate Index, 1804 - 1972 · CSOSU0171804 - 1972
Naturalization records
Schools
- Board of Examiners and Visitors of Common Schools · Minutes, 1846 - 1859 · CSOSC0011846 - 1859
- Superintendent of Schools · Minute Book, 1867 - 1897 · CSOSP0011867 - 1897
- Superintendent of Schools · Description of Public School Buildings, 1882 - 1891 · CSOSP0021882 - 1891
- Superintendent of Schools · Record of Members of Local Boards of Education, 1897 - 1911 · CSOSP0031897 - 1911
- Superintendent of Schools · Record of Examinations, Grammar Department, 1898 - 1909 · CSOSP0041898 - 1909
See the repository's descriptions and search options
Repository access note: Selected county-created series from the New Jersey State Archives current searchable catalog. Dates, series identifiers and creating offices are retained. Statewide records appearing in county searches were excluded. A catalog entry may describe paper or microfilm held on site; consult its format, restrictions and detailed contents before requesting access.
Sources: the catalogs and repository descriptions linked on the entries above. Selected inventories do not establish complete coverage of every record type or online access to original documents. Read the repository access note for source dates and limitations.
Where to find the records
- Somerset County official website
Hours, addresses and phone numbers for the county clerk and the surrogate, and any online record search the county offers.
- The county clerk
Deeds, mortgages and other land records, and naturalizations.
- The surrogate
Wills and estates.
- The New Jersey State Archives
In Trenton: state birth, marriage and death records from 1848, and the original wills and estate papers proved before 1901.
- New Jersey State Archivesfree
The state archives in Trenton, with state vital records from 1848, colonial and state wills, court records and state censuses.
- FamilySearch Catalogfree
Search by place for "New Jersey, Somerset" to find filmed and digitized records, many viewable free online with a FamilySearch account.
Offices change their hours and access rules; call before you visit.
Boundaries and parent counties
Formed from: Middlesex County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Middlesex County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1688, search the parent county. The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries shows each boundary change.
Research tip
New Jersey began statewide registration in 1848, earlier than most states. The State Archives holds those records for the early years and also the wills proved before 1901.