Listed record inventories
Selected holdings and indexes for Sussex County, checked against the repository descriptions linked below. Date spans may contain gaps; an index is not a complete set of original records.
Court records
- Clerk's Office · Justice of the Peace Dockets, 1773 - 1948 · CSUCL0011773 - 1948
- Clerk's Office · Criminal Costs, 1814 - 1879 · CSUCL0051814 - 1879
- Clerk's Office · Docketed Judgments, 1841 - 1961 · CSUCL0071841 - 1961
- Clerk's Office · Circuit Court Judgments, 1838 - 1907 · CSUCL0221838 - 1907
- Clerk's Office · Minutes of the Circuit Court, Court of Oyer and Terminer, and Court of General Quarter Sessions, 1798 - 1851 · CSUCL0231798 - 1851
- Clerk's Office · Circuit Court Executions, 1841 - 1946 · CSUCL0311841 - 1946
- Clerk's Office · Circuit Court Case Files, 1832 - 1948 · CSUCL0321832 - 1948
- Clerk's Office · Supreme Court Case Papers, 1820 - 1912 · CSUCL0331820 - 1912
- Clerk's Office · Court of Oyer and Terminer Captions of Grand Jury,1779; 1800 - 1803; 1827 - 1928 (with gaps) · CSUCL0351779 - 1928
- Clerk's Office · Court of Oyer and Terminer, Record of Capias of Indictment, 1781 - 1921 (with gaps) · CSUCL0361781 - 1921
- Clerk's Office · Sheriff's Bonds, 1782 - 1849 · CSUCL0381782 - 1849
- Clerk's Office · Bills to Foreclose [Circuit Court], 1851 - 1891 · CSUCL0421851 - 1891
- Court of Common Pleas · Applications for Tavern Licenses, 1753 - 1860 & 1888 · CSUCP0011753 - 1888
- Court of Common Pleas · Indictments, 1754 - 1936 · CSUCP0021754 - 1936
- Court of Common Pleas · Bail Bonds, 1754 - 1776 · CSUCP0031754 - 1776
- Court of Common Pleas · Court of General Quarter Sessions · Rough [Pamphlet] Minutes, 1776 - 1852 · CSUCP0051776 - 1852
- Court of Common Pleas · Case Files, 1754 - 1850 and 1910 - 1947 · CSUCP0071754 - 1947
- Court of Common Pleas · Executions, 1755 - 1948 · CSUCP0081755 - 1948
- Court of Common Pleas · Appeals, 1799 - 1947 · CSUCP0091799 - 1947
- Court of Common Pleas · Writs Returned & Summonses, 1753 - 1850 · CSUCP0101753 - 1850
- Court of Common Pleas · Confessed Judgments, 1770 - 1934 · CSUCP0111770 - 1934
- Court of Common Pleas · Notices of Trial, 1899 - 1948 · CSUCP0121899 - 1948
- Court of Common Pleas · Returns of Petit Juries, 1830 - 1927 and 1931 - 1935 · CSUCP0131830 - 1935
- Coroner's Office · Inquisitions, 1767 - 1946 · CSUCR0011767 - 1946
- Coroner's Office · Certificates, 1830 - 1953 · CSUCR0021830 - 1953
- Court of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace · Petitions for Peddler's Licenses, 1770 - 1839 · CSUQU0011770 - 1839
- Sheriff's Office · Account Books, 1819 - 1944 · CSUSH0011819 - 1944
Marriages, births and deaths
County government
- Clerk's Office · Manumissions of Slaves, 1802 - 1838 · CSUCL0041802 - 1838
- Clerk's Office · Orders of Insanity (Lunacy Proceedings), 1834 - 1928 · CSUCL0081834 - 1928
- Clerk's Office · Civil War Papers, 1861 - 1866 · CSUCL0121861 - 1866
- Clerk's Office · Miscellaneous Records, 1771 - 1863 · CSUCL0141771 - 1863
- Clerk's Office · Oaths of Elected County Officials, 1778 - 1844 · CSUCL0151778 - 1844
- Clerk's Office · Election Returns, 1789 - 1870s · CSUCL0161789 - 1870
- Clerk's Office · Road Records, 1761 - 1924 · CSUCL0171761 - 1924
- Clerk's Office · Freeholders' Minutes, 1754 - 1913 · CSUCL0201754 - 1913
- Clerk's Office · Accounts of Fees Received and Licenses Granted, 1817 - 1828 · CSUCL0271817 - 1828
- Clerk's Office · Exempt Firemen's Certificates, ca. 1930 - 1940 · CSUCL0301930 - 1940
- Clerk's Office · Justice of the Peace Records of Disorderly Persons, 1895 - 1947 · CSUCL0341895 - 1947
- Clerk's Office · Complaints for Violation of Prohibition Act, 1931 - 1932 · CSUCL0371931 - 1932
- Clerk's Office · Justice of the Peace Bonds, 1845 - 1948 · CSUCL0391845 - 1948
- Clerk's Office · Grand Jury Lists [Returns], 1806 - 1960 · CSUCL0401806 - 1960
- Clerk's Office · Petitions and Orders for Discovery, 1869 - 1921 · CSUCL0411869 - 1921
Military records
- Clerk's Office · Discharges of Judgments (Warrants), 1822 - 1965 · CSUCL0061822 - 1965
- Clerk's Office · Veterans' Grave Registrations, ca. 1755 - 1935 · CSUCL0211775 - 1935
- Court of Common Pleas · Petitions and Discharges of Insolvent Debtors, 1773 - 1899 · CSUCP0041773 - 1899
- Militia · Papers, 1768 - 1840 · CSUML0011768 - 1840
Tax records
Deeds and land
- Clerk's Office · Crop Mortgages, 1934 - 1962 · CSUCL0111934 - 1962
- Clerk's Office · Divisions of Land, 1795 - 1922 · CSUCL0131795 - 1922
- Clerk's Office · Deeds, 1785 - 1901 and Indexes, 1785 - 1930 · CSUCL0181785 - 1900
- Clerk's Office · Releases of Mortgaged Premises, 1882 - 1902 · CSUCL0191882 - 1902
- Clerk's Office · Mortgages, 1766 - 1868 and Indexes, 1766 - 1950 · CSUCL0241766 - 1950
- Clerk's Office · Assignments of Mortgages, 1843 - 1901 · CSUCL0251843 - 1901
- Clerk's Office · Discharges of Mortgages, 1869 - 1902 · CSUCL0261869 - 1902
- Clerk's Office · McCoy's Transcriptions of East Jersey Surveys, 1730 - 1801 · CSUCL0281730 - 1801
- Clerk's Office · Ancient Deeds, Volume A, 1800s - 1930s (recorded 1884 - 1934) · CSUCL0291800 - 1934
- Surrogate's Office · Divisions of Real Estate, 1820 - 1880 · CSUSU0021820 - 1880
- Surrogate's Office · Guardian and Sale of Lands, 1861 - 1868 · CSUSU0051861 - 1868
- Surrogate's Office · Record of Sale of Lands, 1878 - 1914 · CSUSU0111878 - 1914
Naturalization records
Wills and estates
- Surrogate's Office · Administration Bonds, 1861 - 1908 · CSUSU0011861 - 1908
- Surrogate's Office · Indexes to Estates, 1840 - 1974 · CSUSU0031804 - 1974
- Surrogate's Office · Guardian Bonds, 1868 - 1900 · CSUSU0041868 - 1900
- Surrogate's Office · Estate Inventories, 1803 - 1903 · CSUSU0061803 - 1903
- Surrogate's Office · Orphans Court Minutes, 1804 - 1924 · CSUSU0071804 - 1924
- Surrogate's Office · Petitions and Renunciations, 1871 - 1903 · CSUSU0081871 - 1903
- Surrogate's Office · Indexes to Proceedings, 1804 - 1973 · CSUSU0091804 - 1973
- Surrogate's Office · Receipts, 1813 - 1901 · CSUSU0101813 - 1901
- Surrogate's Office · Assignees Book, 1867 - 1905 · CSUSU0121867 - 1905
- Surrogate's Office · Will Books, 1804 - 1905 · CSUSU0131804 - 1905
- Surrogate's Office · Orphans Court Final Decree Book, 1855 - 1879 · CSUSU0141855 - 1879
- Surrogate's Office · Dockets, 1909 - 1921 · CSUSU0151909 - 1921
- Surrogate's Office · Account Book, 1765 - 1784 · CSUSU0161765 - 1784
- Surrogate's Office · Orphans Court Testimony Transcripts, ca. 1746 - 1977 · CSUSU0171784 - 1977
- Surrogate's Office · Miscellaneous Records, ca. 1700s - 1900s · CSUSU0181700 - 1900
- Surrogate's Office · Unprobated Wills, 1868 - 1940 · CSUSU0191868 - 1940
- Surrogate's Office · Settlement Notices, ca. 1800s - 1900s · CSUSU0201800 - 1900
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
- Sussex 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, Sussex" 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: Morris County
Check the parent county for earlier records: Morris County
Later formed partly from Sussex County: Warren County
Records stay with the county that created them. If your ancestor lived here before 1753, 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.