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P.O. Box 307
Trenton, NJ 08625-0307

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Court of Oyer and Terminer


The Court of Oyer and Terminer met on county circuit and was presided over by justices of the Supreme Court. It had jurisdiction (pre-1948) over crimes and offenses of an indictable or presentable nature, and over jail delivery.

See the Bureau of Archives & History Manuscript Collection (referenced below), Boxes 1-20 to 1-24, 1-44, 1-45, 6-1 & 6-2, for early papers of this court.

For Court of Oyer and Terminer records post-dating the collections listed below, contact the Superior Court Records Management Center at 171 Jersey Street, PO Box 967, Trenton, NJ 08625-0967, tel. 609-421-6100.

Consult the Organizational Chart for Pre-1948 Court System for further information on court jurisdictions.


Series:
Department of Education
New Jersey State Library
Bureau of Archives and History
Manuscript Collection, 1680s-1970s
Control #:
SEDSL006
Format:
41.25 c.f. (66 boxes and 9 map folders); 1 reel (35-mm)
Arrangement:
Chronological within record type
Notes:
Includes early records for: governors, legislature, courts, Hunterdon County, local elections, Revolutionary War, etc.
Finding Aid:
Click here!

Series:
Court of Oyer and Terminer/Circuit Court
Minutes, 1730-1820
Control #:
SOY00001
Format:
5 c.f. (10 boxes); 2 reels (35-mm)
Arrangement:
By county, then session date

Series:
Court of Oyer and Terminer
Hunterdon County Circuit
Stenographic Notebooks, Bruno Richard Hauptmann Trial, 1935
Control #:
SOYHN001
Format:
1 c.f. (2 boxes)
Arrangement:
Chronological

Series:
Court of Oyer and Terminer
Hunterdon County Circuit
Court Reporter Tapes, Bruno Richard Hauptmann Trial, 1935
Control #:
SOYHN002
Format:
4 c.f. (8 boxes)
Arrangement:
Chronological

Series:
Court of Oyer and Terminer
Hunterdon County Circuit
Trial Transcripts, The State of New Jersey vs Bruno Richard Hauptmann, On Indictment for Murder, 1935
Control #:
SOYHN003
Format:
7 c.f. (55 vols.)
Arrangement:
Chronological
Notes:
Relates to Lindbergh kidnapping case; includes both original typescript and photocopied transcripts.

Series:
Court of Oyer and Terminer
Somerset County Circuit
Hall-Mills Trial Transcripts, 1926
Control #:
SOYSO001
Format:
5 c.f. (14 vols. and 3 boxes)
Arrangement:
Chronological


Related records:


Series:
Burlington County
Clerk's Office
Record of Trials, Courts of Oyer and Terminer and General Quarter Sessions, 1887-1937
Control #:
CBUCL009
Format:
1.5 c.f. (3 vols.)
Arrangement:
Chronological
Notes:
Includes jury list, charges and verdict for each case.

Series:
Burlington County
Clerk's Office
Record of Indictments and Sentences, 1887-1910
Control #:
CBUCL022
Format:
1 c.f. (2 vols.)
Arrangement:
Chronological
Notes:
Includes criminal indictments and sentencing from the courts of General Quarter Sessions, Special Sessions, and Oyer and Terminer.

Series:
Burlington County
Clerk's Office
Court of Oyer and Terminer and Court of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace Indictments, 1732-1897, 1913-1947
Control #:
CBUCL028
Format:
16 c.f. (31 boxes, 17 map folders)
Arrangement:
Chrono. then alpha. by defendant
Notes:
There are only scattered records between 1913 and 1947; a draft index is available in the Manuscript Room.

Series:
Burlington County
Clerk's Office
Minutes of the Courts of Oyer and Terminer and General Quarter Sessions, 1843-1916
Control #:
CBUCL035
Format:
1.4 c.f. (5 vols.)
Arrangement:
Chronological
Notes:
See Circuit Court/Court of Oyer and Terminer Minute Books for 1837-1843 minutes.

Series:
Burlington County
Clerk's Office
Circuit Court/Court of Oyer and Terminer Minute Books, 1837-1890
Control #:
CBUCL038
Format:
5 c.f. (10 vols.)
Arrangement:
Chronological
Notes:
Includes Oyer and Terminer minutes for 1837-1843 only; Oyer and Terminer minutes are continued as a separate series.

Series:
Camden County
Clerk's Office
Court of Oyer and Terminer and General Jail Delivery Minutes, 1844-1948
Control #:
CCDCL016
Format:
10 reels (35-mm)
Arrangement:
Chronological

Series:
Camden County
Clerk's Office
Court of Oyer and Terminer and General Jail Delivery Executions, 1869-1873
Control #:
CCDCL017
Format:
1 reel (35-mm)
Arrangement:
Chronological

Series:
Camden County
Clerk's Office
Court of Oyer and Terminer and General Jail Delivery Indictments, 1885-1945
Control #:
CCDCL018
Format:
6 reels (35-mm)
Arrangement:
Chronological

Series:
Cape May County
Clerk's Office
Court of Oyer and Terminer and General Jail Delivery Minutes, 1813-1925
Control #:
CCPCL012
Format:
0.5 reel (35-mm)
Arrangement:
Chronological
Notes:
On same reel as Court of Oyer and Terminer Judgments.

Series:
Cape May County
Clerk's Office
Court of Oyer and Terminer and General Jail Delivery Judgments, Volume 1, 1852-1906
Control #:
CCPCL013
Format:
0.5 reel (35-mm)
Arrangement:
Chronological

Series:
Cumberland County
Clerk's Office
Court of Oyer and Terminer Case Papers, 1778-1865
Control #:
CCUCL016
Format:
0.5 c.f. (1 box)
Arrangement:
By year
Notes:
Consists of records for scattered years only.

Series:
Cumberland County
Clerk's Office
Court of Oyer and Terminer Minutes, Book A, 1798-1837
Control #:
CCUCL018
Format:
0.25 c.f. (1 vol.)
Arrangement:
Chronological

Series:
Essex County
Clerk's Office
Minutes of the Court of Oyer and Terminer, 1827-1906
Control #:
CESCL010
Format:
4 c.f. (4 boxes)
Arrangement:
Chronological

Series:
Hudson County
Clerk's Office
Court of Oyer and Terminer Lists of Indictments and Indexes, 1884-1924
Control #:
CHDCL009
Format:
3 c.f. (3 boxes)
Arrangement:
By surname first letter, then chrono.

Series:
Mercer County
Clerk's Office
Court of Oyer and Terminer Trial Transcript, State v. Charles Lewis, 1863
Control #:
CMECL014
Format:
0.2 c.f. (1 vol.)
Notes:
Lewis was tried for the murder of James Rowand.

Series:
Mercer County
Clerk's Office
Court of Oyer and Terminer Minute Book, 1931-1949
Control #:
CMECL016
Format:
0.6 c.f. (1 vol.)
Arrangement:
Chronological

Series:
Passaic County
Clerk's Office
Court of Oyer and Terminer Indictments, 1910-1919
Control #:
CPACL028
Format:
4 c.f. (4 boxes)

Series:
Passaic County
Clerk's Office
Court of Oyer and Terminer and Quarter Session Minutes [with gaps], 1840-1942
Control #:
CPACL029
Format:
4 c.f. (15 vols.)
Arrangement:
By record type, then chronological
Notes:
"Record" volumes appear to be duplicate copies of the minutes; gaps in the minutes may be supplemented by these.

Series:
Salem County
Clerk's Office
Records relating to Chancery Court, Court of Oyer and Terminer, and Supreme Court Cases, 1779-1877
Control #:
CSACL003
Format:
1 c.f. (2 boxes)
Arrangement:
Alphabetical
Notes:
Court of Chancery and Court of Oyer and Terminer Records are sparse.

Series:
Salem County
Clerk's Office
Record of Indictments Pending, Court of Oyer and Terminer, 1854-1865
Control #:
CSACL005
Format:
0.25 c.f. (1 vol.)
Arrangement:
Chronological

Series:
Salem County
Clerk's Office
Minutes of the Court of Oyer and Terminer, 1869-1953
Control #:
CSACL011
Format:
0.75 c.f. (3 vols.)
Arrangement:
Chronological
Notes:
Last volume includes minutes of the Superior Court, 1948-1953

Series:
Somerset County
Clerk's Office
Court of Oyer and Terminer Minutes, 1836-1926
Control #:
CSOCL014
Format:
3 reels (35-mm)

Series:
Sussex County
Clerk's Office
Minutes of the Circuit Court, Court of Oyer and Terminer, and Court of General Quarter Sessions, 1798-1851
Control #:
CSUCL023
Format:
3.25 c.f. (6 boxes and 1 vol.)
Arrangement:
Chronological
Notes:
Includes pamphlets for 1798-1851 (Quarter Sessions beg. Nov. 1815), and bound transcript for Oyer & Terminer/Quarter Sess., 1810-1817.

Series:
Warren County
Clerk's Office
Minutes of the Courts of Oyer and Terminer and General Quarter Sessions of the Peace, 1825-1941
Control #:
CWACL013
Format:
0.5 c.f. (3 vols.); 2 reels (35-mm)
Arrangement:
Chronological
Notes:
Bound volumes span 1853-1878; microfilm covers 1825-1941.


~ The collections listed on this page represent 110.45 c.f. of paper records and 26 reels of microfilm ~



To contact the New Jersey State Archives about research, reference services, records transfers or donations, please email us at njarchives@sos.nj.gov


For additional and/or more recent records relating to this topic, contact:


Superior Court Records Management Center, 171 Jersey Street, PO Box 967, Trenton, NJ 06255-0967, tel. 609-777-0092


This page last updated 05/17/2006