From my conversations with researchers in New Jersey Facebook groups to society events, I have heard a consistent message. There are very little options for learning about doing genealogical research in New Jersey. And I’m talking the nitty-gritty of research such as history of the colony and who were its settlers to records collections pertinent to colonial New Jersey. These areas are the core of successful research for your provincial and colonial New Jersey ancestors. Without this core knowledge, you may become part of the group of researchers who lament to me about the difficulties of “that genealogical quagmire—New Jersey.”[1]
Which leads me to this crazy idea to hold an online course for a while now, and it’s finally come to fruition. And it deals with all that is mucky about researching colonial New Jersey. This first course is built and ready to launch… so ready in fact, that it starts on Monday, March 13th at 7pm ET. And yes, it is a virtual course via Zoom!
Details, details, details…
The four-session course—Researching Your Colonial New Jersey Ancestors—offers live 75-minute presentations on March 13, 20, 27 and April 3. After each presentation, students will be able to participate in a Q&A session. There will also be optional “Next Steps” activities to help students build a personal resource worksheet to understand and use New Jersey records efficiently in your research. All recordings will be available for 14 days after the presentation date.
The four sessions are:
- Introduction to the Provincial & Colonial History of New Jersey
- New Jersey Land Records and Tax Ratables
- Estate Records in Colonial New Jersey
- Faith in East & West Jersey: Finding the Records
For those who have been with me, patiently waiting or perhaps pleasantly surprised to receive posts again, and for reading this far… I have created a loyalty coupon code – MARCHMADNESS – just for you. If you are interested in signing up for the course bundle, you can save $20 off the course bundle when you use this code at checkout.
Upcoming Posts…
Also, I want to give a ‘shout out’ to all who voted in the Facebook group New Jersey Genealogy to assist me in determining the most wanted topics for researching in the Garden State. The lineup for the upcoming posts on New Jersey records is:
- Birth Records 1878-1900; 1901-1943
- Death Records 1878-1900; 1901-1963
- Marriage Records 1878-1900 & 1901-48
- Colonial Land Records 1664-1785
- County Clerk’s Land Records
- Estate Records/Files Pre-1900
Happy Searching!
[1] Kenn Stryker-Rodda, “That Genealogical Quagmire: New Jersey,” National Genealogical Quarterly Volume 48 (June 1960): 59-71.
jerseyrootsgenealogy 
Hi Michelle, I am wondering if you have come across the name Jacques Patent in your research. My ancestors allegedly received land through this patent, but I haven’t yet been able to learn more about its identity. Although I have spent a fair amount of time researching the very topics you are presenting, a review may be just what I need to prepare for my upcoming trip to SLC. I am hoping that with a little more information I will be able fill in a few more details. ~Carol Dallas
Carol,
Thanks for the inquiry. No, I have seen this patent name, but that doesn’t mean there are no records for it. I highly suggest using the Early Land Records, 1650-1900s database hosted by the NJ State Archives: https://wwwnet-dos.state.nj.us/DOS_ArchivesDBPortal/EarlyLandRecords.aspx. Also, the compilation — Using the Records of the East and West Jersey Proprietors — is very helpful for this period too.