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Passaic County, New Jersey
Genealogy, History & Facts
County Vital Records ∣ County Census Records ∣ County Courthouse and Government Records ∣
County Societies, Family History Resources and County Genealogy Links
Passaic County, New Jersey Facts
When was Passaic County, NJ Created?
Passaic County was established on February 7, 1837 from Essex County and Bergen County.
What is the County Seat of Passaic County, NJ?
The County Seat is located in Paterson plus the county government website is www.passaiccountynj.org/
What counties are adjacent to Passaic County, NJ?
Bordering Counties are Bergen County, Essex County, Morris County, Sussex County, Orange County, New York, Rockland County, New York.
Passaic County, NJ Vital Records
Where can find Passaic County Birth, marriage, Divorce and Death Records?
Passaic County vital records can be found at the New Jersey Department of Health has copies of Birth, Marriage and Death records from 1878 to the present. There is a fee for each copy requested. Please refer to the information to the Statewide Vital Records in New Jerseyi for current fees and application process.
You can also order Order Electronically Online or You can download an application for New Jersey Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate, Divorce Certificate, Death Certificate Application to mail.
Passaic County, NJ Census Records
What Passaic County, NJ census records are available?
There are many types of census records for Passaic County guide you in researching your family tree. Federal Population Schedules are available for 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880 (free index), 1890 (fragment), 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940.
Passaic Co. Mortality Schedules can be found for 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Passaic Co. Industry and Agriculture is available for 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Passaic Co. Union Veterans Schedules is available for 1890. You can get free down-loadable not to mention printable census forms that can help with your research. See Also New Jersey Census Records Research Guide
Passaic County, NJ Courthouse and Government Records

What genealogical records can I find in the Passaic County Courthouse?
Researchers frequently overlook the great importance of Passaic County court, probate, and land records data as a useful resource of ancestry and genealogy information. Buried away in New Jersey courthouses and archives everywhere are the ambitions and frustrations of countless New Jersey residents.
The possibilities are excellent that your forefathers have left a comprehensive document of at least a number of facets of their lives in the Passaic County court records. Even if your forebears is not referred to in a Court case, contemplate all of the other procedures that could have lead to him or her to appear in court records. See Also New Jersey Courthouse Records Research Guide.
- Passaic County Courthouse (all departments listed below are located here, unless otherwise noted)
- Address: 77 Hamilton Street, Paterson, NJ 07505-2017
- Passaic County Clerk
- Address: 401 Grand Street, Paterson, NJ 07505
- Phone: (973) 225-3632
- Land Records: 1837
- Marriage Records: 1837
- Passaic County Surrogate Court / Orphan’s Court
- Phone: (973) 881-4760
- Probate Records: 1837
- New Jersey, Abstract of Wills, 1670-1817
- Patents and Deeds and Other Early Records of New Jersey 1664-1703
- New Jersey, Published Archives Series, 1631-1782
- BLM Land Records
Passaic County, NJ Societies and Family History Resources
What genealogical and historical societies, archives, museums, associations and libraries are available for Passaic County, NJ?
A list of Passaic County Historical and Genealogical Societies, Libraries, Archives. See also list of Statewide New Jersey Archives, Historical & Genealogical Societies.
- Passaic Historian, 3 Valley Road , Paterson, NJ 07503; Phone: 973-881-4834
- Passaic County Historical Society, Valley Road, Paterson, NJ 07509; Ph: (973)881-2761
- Jefferson Township Historical Society, 315 Dover-Milton Road, Jefferson Township – Milton, Oak Ridge, NJ 07438; 973-697-0258
- North Jersey Highlands Historical Society, P. O. Box 248, Ringwood, NJ, 07456
- 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
- New Jersey State Library, State Library Building, 185 West State Street, CN-520, Trenton, NJ 08625-0520
- New Jersey Historical Society, 52 Park Pl., Newark, NJ 07102; 973-596-8500 ext 248 or 249
- Genealogical Society of New Jersey, PO Box 1476, Trenton NJ 08607-1476
Where can I connect with other Passaic County, NJ Researchers through message boards and forums?
- https://www.archives.gov/research/census
- New Jersey State Genealogy Network (facebook.com)
- Passaic County, New Jersey Message Boards (boards.ancestry.com) read and post messages about your ancestors in Passaic County
- Passaic County, New Jersey Genealogy Forum (genforum.genealogy.com)
What other genealogical resources are available in Passaic County, NJ?
The following are web links to Genealogy, Records and Resources pertaining to Passaic County. A majority of these genealogy links fall into 3 categories: Business Sites, Private Sites or Organization Sites. Some have free access some have to have a payment. This is just a directory which has been gathered or submitted. I do not endorse or promote one genealogy site above another.
Passaic Co. NJ Books, Newspapers & Publications
- New Jersey Newspapers Books & Publications Research Guide
- New Jersey historical newspaper archives online (newspapers.com)
- Historical Newspapers from New Jersey (1777 – 1972) (genealogybank.com)
- Passaic County, New Jersey Books (amazon.com)
- Search New Jersey Obituaries (1985 to current) (genealogybank.com)
Passaic Co. NJ Cemeteries & Church Records
- New Jersey Cemetery Research Guide
- Passaic Co., New Jersey Graves (findagrave.com)
- Passaic County Tombstone Transcription Project (usgwtombstones.org)
- Passaic Co., New Jersey Cemeteries (Internment.net)
- Passaic Co., New Jersey Cemetery Books (amazon.com)
- New Jersey Church & Bible Research Guide
- The First Presbyterian Church of Paterson, New Jersey (search.ancestry.com)
- Preakness and Preakness Reformed Church, Passaic County, New Jersey: Town History, 1695-1902 (search.ancestry.com)
- Totowa, New Jersey Old Dutch Church Records, 1755-1827 (search.ancestry.com)
- List of members and biptismal [sic] records found in the session book minutes of the West Milford Presbyterian Church (formerly (search.ancestry.com)
- First Presbyterian Church, Paterson, N.J. (search.ancestry.com)
- Inscriptions from tombstones in the Old-Reformed Church burying-ground covering a period of 160 years, 1737-1897 : typescript ( (search.ancestry.com)
- Register of First Reformed Church of Little Falls, N.J. : organized 1823 : typescript (photocopy), (search.ancestry.com)
- Inventory of the church archives of New Jersey (search.ancestry.com)
- Topographic Church List and Map for Passaic County, New Jersey
- Passaic County, New Jersey Church Books (amazon.com)
Passaic Co. NJ Family Websites, Pictures & Histories
- Create a Free Family Tree (ancestry.com)
- New Jersey Family Group Sheet Project (fgs-project.com)
- An Index of Littell’s Passaic Valley genealogies not including those names listed under their own family names (search.ancestry.com)
- Family Records or Genealogies of the First Settlers of Passaic Valley, New Jersey (search.ancestry.com)
- Nichols and Related Families (nicholsgenealogy.com)
Passaic Co. NJ General and History Websites
- See Also State History for New Jersey
- Passaic County, New Jersey Wikipedia (wikipedia.org)
- History of Passaic and its environs : historical, biographical (search.ancestry.com)
- A history of industrial Paterson : being a compendium of the establishment, growth and present status in Paterson, N.J., of the (search.ancestry.com)
- Records of the Paterson Fire Association, 1821-1854 : with the laws relating to the association : also accounts of fires, and o (search.ancestry.com)
- Articles of association, by-laws, and history of The First National Bank, Paterson, N.J. (search.ancestry.com)
- Passaic County, New Jersey Wiki (familysearch.org)
- Passaic Co. NJ Genealogy (kindredtrails.com)
- Family History Library (familysearch.org)
- Passaic County, New Jersey (linkpendium.com)
- Cyndi’s List – United States – New Jersey – Counties – Passaic (cyndislist.com)
- Passaic County New Jersey (genealogytrails.com)
- Passaic Co. NJGenweb (rootsweb.ancestry.com)
- Passaic County Genealogy Queries (cousinconnect.com)
- Passaic Co. Data Collections (search.ancestry.com)
Passaic Co. NJ Immigration & Naturalization
Passaic Co. NJ Maps, Atlases & Gazetteers
- See Also Statewide Maps and Atlas Links for New Jersey
- Passaic County NJ D.O.T. Map
- 1895 Passaic County Map (livgenmi.com)
Passaic Co. NJ Military Records
- New Jersey Military Records Research Guide
- New Jersey Military Records (Fold3.com) will provide easy access to military records, stories, photos, and personal documents belonging to the New Jersey individuals who served. Excellent for Passaic County genealogists, researchers, historians and a lot more.
Passaic Co. NJ Schools & Directories
- Kratzer’s business directory of Newark, Paterson, Jersey City, 1894 (search.ancestry.com)
- Paterson, New Jersey Directories, 1890-93 (search.ancestry.com)