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

Office Address:
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Contact Information

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Somerset County - Clerk's Office


Somerset County was set off from Middlesex County, in the Province of East Jersey, on 14 May 1688. Part of Montgomery Twp. was added to Mercer County (as Princeton Twp./Bor.) in 1838.

County clerks were required by law to file copies of deeds beginning in 1785 and mortgages beginning in 1766. Consult the Secretary of State page linked below for colonial deed filings.

The State Archives' holdings vary from county to county. Consult the Collecting Policy for additional information about our accessioning guidelines.


See also: Secretary of State - Genealogical and Colonial Records (including state censuses)


Series:
Somerset County
Clerk's Office
Marriage Returns, 1778-1887
Control #:
CSOCL001
Format:
2 c.f. (2 boxes and 3 vols.); 2 reels (35-mm)
Arrangement:
Various
Notes:
Includes original returns for marriages dating from 1778 to 1887, and three bound volumes of marrriages recorded from 1795 to 1880.
Loose returns alphabetical by officiant; filmed books are chrono.

Series:
Somerset County
Clerk's Office
Justice of the Peace Dockets, 1782-1921
Control #:
CSOCL002
Format:
22.75 c.f. (44 boxes)
Arrangement:
Alphabetical by justice

Series:
Somerset County
Clerk's Office
Birth Certificates of Children of Slaves, 1805-1830
Control #:
CSOCL003
Format:
0.05 c.f. (5 items); 1 reel (35-mm)
Arrangement:
Chronological

Series:
Somerset County
Clerk's Office
Birth/Death Record and Burial/Transit Permit Stubs, 1872-1879
Control #:
CSOCL004
Format:
0.05 c.f. (3 folders); 1 reel (35-mm)
Arrangement:
Chronological
Notes:
Death record stubs are for Raritan Township; birth record stubs are for Somerville and Bridgewater Township.

Series:
Somerset County
Clerk's Office
Non-resident Marriage License Applications, 1897-1910
Control #:
CSOCL005
Format:
0.25 c.f. (1 box [part]); 1 reel (35-mm)
Arrangement:
Chronological

Series:
Somerset County
Clerk's Office
Register of Bonds, Township of Bernards - Passaic Valley and Peapack Railroad, 1869-1900
Control #:
CSOCL006
Format:
0.25 c.f. (1 vol.)

Series:
Somerset County
Clerk's Office
Chattel Mortgage Books, 1850-1937
Control #:
CSOCL007
Format:
1.5 c.f. (2 vols.); 5 reels (35-mm)
Arrangement:
Chronological
Notes:
Includes Book No. 8 (1891-1892) and Book No. 61 (1937). Only the idexes were filmed.

Series:
Somerset County
Clerk's Office
Deeds, 1779-1901 and Indexes, 1785-1916
Control #:
CSOCL008
Format:
155 reels (35-mm)

Series:
Somerset County
Clerk's Office
Leases and Agreements, 1870-1897
Control #:
CSOCL009
Format:
1 reel (35-mm)
Notes:
Many of the records document transactions in other counties.

Series:
Somerset County
Clerk's Office
Indexes to Discharges & Releases of Mortgages, 1850-1972
Control #:
CSOCL010
Format:
4 reels (35-mm)

Series:
Somerset County
Clerk's Office
Assignments of Mortgages, 1853-1900 and Indexes, 1850-1972
Control #:
CSOCL011
Format:
13 reels (35-mm)

Series:
Somerset County
Clerk's Office
Discharge of Mortgages, 1869-1896
Control #:
CSOCL012
Format:
1 reel (35-mm)

Series:
Somerset County
Clerk's Office
Mortgages, 1765-1870 and Indexes, 1765-1916
Control #:
CSOCL013
Format:
21 reels (35-mm)
Notes:
Indexes continue through 1916.

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

Series:
Somerset County
Clerk's Office
Releases of Mortgages, 1885-1901
Control #:
CSOCL015
Format:
2 reels (35-mm)

Series:
Somerset County
Clerk's Office
Road Books, 1733-1927
Control #:
CSOCL016
Format:
3 reels (35-mm)

Series:
Somerset County
Clerk's Office
Manumissions of Slaves, 1823-1862
Control #:
CSOCL017
Format:
0.5 reel (35-mm)

Series:
Somerset County
Clerk's Office
Register of Black Children, 1804-1824
Control #:
CSOCL018
Format:
0.5 reel (35-mm)

Series:
Somerset County
Clerk's Office
Lien Claims, 1840-1942
Control #:
CSOCL019
Format:
4 c.f. (8 boxes)
Arrangement:
By year, then alpha. by complaintant

Series:
Somerset County
Clerk's Office
Circuit Court Declarations in Debt, 1841-1876
Control #:
CSOCL020
Format:
5 c.f. (10 boxes)
Arrangement:
Chronological

Series:
Somerset County
Clerk's Office
Jury Records, 1810-1850
Control #:
CSOCL021
Format:
0.5 c.f. (1 box)
Arrangement:
Chronological
Notes:
Includes jury papers from the Court of Common Pleas, Court of General Quarter Sessions, and possibly other courts.

Series:
Somerset County
Clerk's Office
Circuit Court Minutes, 1838-1901
Control #:
CSOCL022
Format:
7 reels (35-mm)

Series:
Somerset County
Clerk's Office
Lunacy Proceedings, 1845-1945
Control #:
CSOCL023
Format:
1 reel (35-mm)
Restrictions:
Some records may be confidential per NJSA 30:4-24.3

Series:
Somerset County
Clerk's Office
Recognizances and Miscellaneous Court Papers, 1787-1880
Control #:
CSOCL024
Format:
1 c.f. (2 boxes)
Arrangement:
Chronological
Notes:
Includes Court of Common Pleas, Court of General Quarter Sessions and Justices Court recognizances, as well as other document types.


~ The collections listed on this page represent 37.35 c.f. of paper records and
222 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:

Somerset County Clerk's Office, PO Box 3000, Somerville, NJ 08876, tel. 908-231-7017, website: www.co.somerset.nj.us/clerk/

This page last updated 04/23/2013