Researching your family history can be exciting—but also overwhelming. Moorestown Library staff are here to help!
Whether you’re just beginning or looking for a specific record, feel free to ask for assistance or schedule a one-on-one session for personalized guidance.
Call the Adult Services Department at 856-234-0333 ext. 4012 or email adult@moorestownlibrary.org if you have any questions.
- Write down names, birthdates, marriage dates, and places for yourself, your parents, grandparents, and other relatives.
- Collect family documents like birth certificates, marriage licenses, obituaries, and photos.
- Talk to older relatives—they often have valuable stories and details.
- Use a family tree to keep track of relationships.
Record types and where to find them:
Birth, Marriage & Death Records
New Jersey Department of Health – Vital Records
The Office of Vital Statistics and Registry holds records for the most current 100 years. Note: Vital records are not public records and cannot be searched online. Records can be requested for genealogical research as long as the person is deceased and the records are older than a specific date.
NJ State Archives
The New Jersey State Archives owns state birth records at least 100 years old, back to May 1848 and state marriage and death records May 1848-December 1940.
Census Records
Census records from 1950 and earlier include the names and age of all residents in the household, even the children and boarders. Later years added occupation, relationship, birthplace, assets, literacy and disabilities. When searching, be aware of spelling variations and age inconsistencies.
The library has the following census records in print:
- The 1850 census together with index Atlantic, Burlington, and Bergen Counties, New Jersey : including the 1840 list of Revolutionary and military pensioners residing in those counties. (Gen 317.49 Tan)
- Revolutionary census of New Jersey; an index, based on ratables, of the inhabitants of New Jersey during the period of the American Revolution (NJ 929.3749 Stryker-Rodda)
Library card holders can also access the 1790-1950 census online by searching HeritageQuest
Military Records
Search for service records, draft registrations, and land grants. Military personnel records are open to the public 62 years after the person leaves the military.
Records in print:
- Record of officers and men of New Jersey in the Civil War, 1861-1865. (Gen 973.7 New)
- Records of officers and men of New Jersey in wars, 1791-1815 (Gen 974.9 Rec)
- Official register of the officers and men of New Jersey in the Revolutionary War by William S. Stryker (974.9 Str)
Records from the Revolutionary War – WWII are also available to search online.
Church and cemetery records
Most states did not have mandatory or universally enforced registration prior to the 20th century. As a result, you might need to rely on church records as an alternative source for information on baptisms, marriages, burials, and education.
Records in print:
- Early church records of Burlington County, New Jersey. Volumes 1-3 by Meldrum, Charlotte D. (N.J. 929.37 Mel)
- Index [to] cemetery transcriptions and baptismal, birth, burial and marriage records in church records and dockets in the Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey, through 1900 (929.1 Ind)
Visit cemeteries or use:
- FindAGrave: free international cemetery database
- U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current (available through HeritageQuest)
Immigration records
During the years 1892 – 1924, over 20 million immigrants arrived at New York’s Ellis Island. By 1936, there were six other immigration stations around the country.
- Ellis Island Foundation Passenger Search – New York arrivals post-1892
- Castle Garden – the first major immigration processing center in the United States, operating from 1855 to 1890
- Major U.S. Immigration Ports – tips from Ancestry.com for locating ancestors in immigration records
- Passenger lists and immigration records from FamilySearch.org – free account needed
Print resources
- Moorestown High School yearbooks
- Genealogy Collection: published family histories and journals of Moorestown families, biographical indexes, Burlington County marriages and church records, DAR patriot indexes, and more
- Microfilm of the Newsweekly from 1992-2009
Digital Collections
- Local newspaper archive: Searchable archive of the Moorestown News and News Chronicle.
- Historic Photographs: Including the William H. Roberts Collection (glass plate negatives from 1880–1912).
- Town Directories: Residential and business listings from 1893–1996
- Oral Histories: transcripts from the Moorestown Historical Society oral history program
- Moorestown history books by Philip Flanders
FamilySearch
Over 200,000 digitized family history publications and indexes of records held at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Free account required for use.
New Jersey Online Genealogical Records
Comprehensive list of websites for New Jersey related records. Please note: Some links are to subsciption based sites.
Books available at the library:
The Family Tree cemetery field guide : how to find, record, & preserve your ancestors’ graves by Joy Neighbors. (929 Nei)
The family tree toolkit : a comprehensive guide to uncovering your ancestry and researching genealogy by Kenyatta Berry (929.1 Ber)
Genealogy for beginners by Katherine Pennavaria (929.1 Pen)