Do you have New Jersey ancestry and are looking for sources to start researching your family tree in the Garden State? There are a lot of resources you can use, both free and paid, to find those New Jersey ancestors. Because it is one of the original 13 colonies, records for the state go back for centuries. There is plenty to find. Here are some online and offline sources for New Jersey genealogical records to get you started on your family history journey.

The New Jersey Department of Vital Statistics

If your New Jersey ancestors are recent, this is the first place you will want to go when building your family tree out of this state. The state’s Department of Vital Statistics has birth, death, and marriage records going back to 1913. You can request genealogical copies of these records via mail or phone. When  you make your request, you will need to provide a copy of your driver’s license, payment for the record (they are $25 each), and as much identifying information about the person whose record you are ordering as possible so staff at the Department can find the right record.

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