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Trenton, NJ 08625-0307

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Salem County - Clerk's Office, Courts & Miscellaneous


The Salem court was established in the Province of West Jersey in 1681; Salem County was formed from the Salem Tenth on 17 May 1694. Its southern portion was set off as Cumberland County in 1748.

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.

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


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

Series:
Salem County
Clerk's Office
Justice of the Peace Dockets, 1758-1948
Control #:
CSACL001
Format:
68 c.f. (107 boxes and 29 vols.)
Arrangement:
Alphabetical by justice
Notes:
There are very few dockets from before 1800.

Series:
Salem County
Clerk's Office
Reports of Hunting and Fishing Licenses Issued, 1909-1933
Control #:
CSACL002
Format:
1.5 c.f. (3 boxes)
Arrangement:
Chronological
Notes:
Contains monthly and annual reports to the State Treasurer listing individuals who were granted licenses.

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
Deeds, 1786-1900 and Indexes, 1786-1923
Control #:
CSACL004
Format:
91 reels (35-mm)

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
Marriage Records, 1680-1956 and Indexes, 1680-1945
Control #:
CSACL006
Format:
7 reels (35-mm)

Series:
Salem County
Clerk's Office
Slave Manumissions and Birth Certificates of Children of Slaves, 1800-1841
Control #:
CSACL007
Format:
1 reel (35-mm)

Series:
Salem County
Clerk's Office
Military Records, ca. 1860-ca. 1940
Control #:
CSACL008
Format:
2 reels (35-mm)
Notes:
Includes veterans' grave registrations.

Series:
Salem County
Clerk's Office
Mortgages,1766-1860 and Indexes,1766-1935
Control #:
CSACL009
Format:
14 reels (35-mm)

Series:
Salem County
Clerk's Office
Jury Records, 1851-1940
Control #:
CSACL010
Format:
1.75 c.f. (8 vols.)
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:
Salem County
Clerk's Office
Circuit Court Case Papers, 1799-1920
Control #:
CSACL012
Format:
6 c.f. (12 boxes)
Arrangement:
Chronological
Notes:
Includes notices/lists of causes and case papers. Records for the early-19th- and 20th-century are sparce, with many gaps.

Series:
Salem County
Clerk's Office
Notarial Protests against Promissory Notes, 1849-1858
Control #:
CSACL013
Format:
0.6 c.f. (2 vols.)
Arrangement:
Chronological

Series:
Salem County
Clerk's Office
Chattel Mortgages, Book A, 1864-1872
Control #:
CSACL014
Format:
0.2 c.f. (1 vol.)
Arrangement:
Chronological

Series:
Salem County
Clerk's Office
Record of Sheriff's Bonds, 1807-1926
Control #:
CSACL015
Format:
0.2 c.f. (1 vol.)
Arrangement:
Chronological
Notes:
Bonds for 1807-1812 are recorded in back of volume.

Series:
Salem County
Clerk's Office
Court Fee and Receipt Book, 1864-1869
Control #:
CSACL016
Format:
0.1 c.f. (1 vol.)
Arrangement:
Chronological

Series:
Salem County
Clerk's Office
Cost Dockets of Enoch S. Fogg, 1870-1899
Control #:
CSACL017
Format:
0.5 c.f. (2 vols.)
Arrangement:
Chronological
Notes:
Fogg was a Special Master and Examiner in Chancery and a Supreme Court Commissioner; filed with the clerk's office 15 June 1927.

Series:
Salem County
Clerk's Office
Miscellaneous Records, ca. 1752-1911
Control #:
CSACL018
Format:
0.5 c.f. (2 boxes)

Series:
Salem County
Clerk's Office
Lists of Causes in the Salem County Courts [Printed], 1905-1925
Control #:
CSACL019
Format:
0.25 c.f. (1 box)
Arrangement:
Chronological

Series:
Salem County
Clerk's Office
Appointment and Commission Certificates, 1841-1865
Control #:
CSACL020
Format:
0.5 c.f. (2 boxes)
Arrangement:
By year
Notes:
The bulk of the certificates are from 1841-1850; one oversized certificate each was found for the years 1858 and 1865.

Series:
Salem County
Clerk's Office
Performance Bonds of Militia Paymasters, 1810-1831
Control #:
CSACL021
Format:
0.1 c.f. (6 items)
Arrangement:
By year

Series:
Salem County
Court of Common Pleas
Case Papers, 1733-1920
Control #:
CSACP001
Format:
32 c.f. (64 boxes)
Arrangement:
By year
Notes:
No papers were found for 1870-71, 1874-1896, 1900-1901, 1904-1908, 1911, 1914 & 1919; papers for antebellum years are sparse.

Series:
Salem County
Court of Common Pleas
Petitions and Discharges of Insolvent Debtors, 1820-1927
Control #:
CSACP002
Format:
5 c.f. (10 boxes)
Arrangement:
Alphabetical
Notes:
Series contains many gaps; records are sparse after 1900.

Series:
Salem County
Court of Common Pleas/Court of General Quarter Sessions
Minutes, 1706-1911
Control #:
CSACP003
Format:
1.5 c.f. (6 vols.); 8 reels (35-mm)
Arrangement:
Chronological
Notes:
Volumes cover the period 1789-1818; films cover 1706-1911.

Series:
Salem County
Court of Common Pleas
Naturalization Records, 1800-1929
Control #:
CSACP004
Format:
13 reels (35-mm)

Series:
Salem County
Court of Common Pleas
Divisions of Property, 1791-1935
Control #:
CSACP005
Format:
1 reel (35-mm)
Notes:
Later records also contain a few decrees of adoption.

Series:
Salem County
Court of Common Pleas
Executions to Sell Real Estate of Loyalists, 1778-1779
Control #:
CSACP006
Format:
0.1 c.f. (7 items)
Arrangement:
Alphabetical

Series:
Salem County
Court of Common Pleas
Fishery Bonds, 1844 & 1873-1894
Control #:
CSACP007
Format:
0.1 c.f. (1 box)
Arrangement:
By year
Notes:
Includes one item from 1844; the remainder date from 1873-1894.

Series:
Salem County
Justices Court
Records, 1821-1868
Control #:
CSAJU001
Format:
0.25 c.f. (1 box)
Arrangement:
Chronological by year
Notes:
Series includes only scattered records prior to 1856.

Series:
Salem County
Court of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace
Petitions for Peddler's Licenses, 1739-1764
Control #:
CSAQU001
Format:
0.03 c.f. (3 items)
Arrangement:
Alphabetical by petitioner

Series:
Salem County
Court of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace
Warrants and Subpoenas, 1751-1900
Control #:
CSAQU002
Format:
0.5 c.f. (1 box)
Arrangement:
Chronological by year
Notes:
Series contains records for scattered years only.

Series:
Salem County
Sheriff's Office
Accounts of Property Sales, 1827-1830
Control #:
CSASH001
Format:
0.1 c.f. (2 small booklets)
Notes:
Includes: Elwell, Freas, Hall and Denn property, 1827; Madera property, 1829-1830.

Series:
Salem County
Sheriff's Office
Executions, 1834-1884
Control #:
CSASH002
Format:
0.75 c.f. (3 vols.)
Arrangement:
Chronological

Series:
Salem County
Small Cause Court
Cases Files, 1897-1922
Control #:
CSASM001
Format:
1 c.f. (2 boxes)
Arrangement:
Chronological
Notes:
Many cases are recorded on Salem County Court of Common Pleas forms. No papers were found for 1914-1921.


~ The collections listed on this page represent 123.53 c.f. of paper records and
137 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:


Salem County Clerk's Office, 110 Fifth Street - Suite 200, Salem, NJ 08079, tel. 856-339-8605, web: http://salemcountyclerk.org/


This page last updated 05/17/2006