Hello Everyone, and Happy New Year! The NJ State Archives sent the following eNews out to everyone on their email list. (So, some of you may have already seen this and I apologize for the duplication.) Those of you who haven't seen the electronic newsletter from the Archives may be especially interested in the section on "Website News." For one thing, it mentions that they now provide access to an index to early NJ Marriages, from 1644 through 1799, on their website. Happy hunting - and here's hoping that in 2006 you find some of those illusive NJ ancestors! Regards, Joan Joan M. Lowry Genealogical Society of New Jersey mailto:membership@gsnj.org website: www.gsnj.org -----Original Message----- From: News Archives [mailto:news.archives@sos.state.nj.us] Sent: Friday, December 30, 2005 2:55 PM To: undisclosed-recipients: Subject: New Jersey State Archives eNews, Number 2 New Jersey State Archives eNews Number 2 (December 2005) Holidays greetings from your friends at the State Archives! It has been a busy time for us since our inaugural issue in September, as you will see from the news below. We have several exciting developments to report relative to new accessions and additions to the website. Our mailing list continues to grow, with nearly 500 subscribers as of this posting. Please feel free to forward the issue to friends and colleagues, who can subscribe by sending us a message at archives.news@sos.state.nj.us. Also, please tell us about your research tales and successes. We hope to incorporate these stories into a regular column in future issues. <> With best wishes for a happy and healthy 2006, Joseph R. Klett Chief of Archives Contents of this Issue Collections News: West Jersey Proprietors Deposit – Archive of Land Records Comes to Trenton Save America’s Treasures Project – Update on Revolutionary War Manuscript Conservation <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--> <!--[endif]--> Website News: Index to Marriages, 1664-1799 – New Database Unveiled!! Archives Main Page – Site Revamped to Allow for Expansions Supreme Court Database – Searchable File Updated <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--> <!--[endif]--> Events and Outreach: West Jersey Press Event – Celebration and Unveiling Held 12/14 Exploring Your Jersey Roots III – Lecture Series Planned for Spring 2006 Proprietors & Adventurers – Exhibition Opens at 225 West State Street Archives in Print and Media – Articles, Exhibits and Productions featuring Archives Materials Bookstore News: Special Sales – Discounts at The Capital Bookstore Collections News West Jersey Proprietors Deposit In early December, the Council of Proprietors of West New Jersey and the State Archives announced the long-term deposit of the Proprietors’ vast archive of land surveys, maps, minutes and account books with the State. The collection includes eleven large parchment documents dating from 1664 to 1763; fifty-five bound volumes of minutes, surveys, warrants, and other records dating from 1676 to 1909; twenty cubic feet of loose papers, including survey returns from 1680 to the 1900s; and fifty-two boxes of rolled maps and plans dating back to the 1700s. Archives staff and Council members completed their inventory, packaging and relocation of the collection from the Surveyor General’s Office in Burlington, NJ, to Trenton in November. Collection management staff have already begun analyzing the records, creating guides to the collection, and planning for indexing, reformatting, processing and conservation projects. For a preliminary inventory of the records, the State Archives' access policy regarding the deposit, and photos of the transfer of the proprietary archive to Trenton, visit: http://www.njarchives.org/links/wjp.html See also West Jersey Press Event below. [Back to Table of Contents] Save America’s Treasures Project State Archives Collection Manager Ellen R. Callahan reports that the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts in Philadelphia is currently treating the first shipment of Revolutionary War manuscripts to be conserved as part of the Save America’s Treasures grant project. The batch includes Burlington County Court of General Quarter Sessions Minute Book 2, 1764-1787; Inventories of Damages by the British and Americans in New Jersey, 1776-1782 (6 vols.); the Letter Book of Moore Furman; the Order Book of George Crawford [Loyalist Manuscript #202], 1778; and the Minutes of the New Jersey Council of Safety, 1777-1778 (1 vol.). Once treated, the disbound volumes will be microfilmed or refilmed by the Archives and returned to the conservator for binding. [Back to Table of Contents] Website News Index to Marriages, 1666-1799 We are excited to announce the posting of our second online database, which indexes the marriage bonds and licenses (1711-1795) filed with Secretary of State’s Office. The data file also includes numerous references to early marriages recorded in colonial deeds books and other collections, extending the inclusive dates of the index to 1666-1799. The search engine provides access to over 11,500 marriage records in all. Special acknowledgement goes to staff members Beth Colosimo, who completed the data entry, and Vivian E. Thiele, who developed the online search engine. Access the file at: http://www.njarchives.org/links/marriagedb.html [Back to Table of Contents] Archives Main Page We’ve revamped the State Archives’ main page <http://www.njarchives.org/links/archives.html>, along with several subordinate pages, to allow for greater flexibility as we expand the site. We’ve also added a page for past issues of eNews <http://www.njarchives.org/links/enews.html>. Kudos to webmaster Veronica L. Calder for her creative work. [Back to Table of Contents] Supreme Court Database Note that we’ve also updated the online Index to Supreme Court Cases, 1704-1844 (unveiled in the previous issue). The update reflects recent data entry recording the county and year of the case, as well as corrections and additional entries. Thanks go to staff members Michael Yorey and Vivian Thiele for their hard work to continue building and improving this database. The updated file can be searched at: http://www.njarchives.org/links/supremedb.html [Back to Table of Contents] Events and Outreach West Jersey Proprietors Press Event The Council of Proprietors of West New Jersey and the State Archives celebrated the deposit of the Council’s vast archive of land records (see West Jersey Proprietors Deposit above) at a public ceremony and exhibition hosted in the Archives’ Manuscript Reading Room on December 14th. The event featured remarks by Karl J. Niederer, Director, Division of Archives & Records Management; Joseph R. Klett, Chief of Archives; West Jersey Council President Robert S. Haines; Surveyor General William H. Taylor; Council Clerk Daniel W. Haines; and State Senator Diane B. Allen of Burlington. The highlight of the event was the public unveiling of eleven original documents from the collection, including the Duke of York’s 1664 grants of New Jersey to Berkeley and Carteret and the original Concessions and Agreements of the Proprietors, Freeholders and Inhabitants of West New Jersey in America (1677). For more information about the event (press releases and photographs), visit: http://www.njarchives.org/links/wjp.html [Back to Table of Contents] Exploring Your Jersey Roots III Archives staff and the Genealogical Society of New Jersey are currently planning a new series of co-sponsored genealogical lectures for April-May 2006. Exploring Your Jersey Roots I and II were held in the fall of 2003 and 2004, respectively, on Wednesday evenings. The third series will be similar in format, with each lecture preceded by extended research hours in the Microfilm Reading Room. Further details and registration instructions will be announced in the next issue of eNews. [Back to Table of Contents] Proprietors & Adventurers In mid-November, the State Archives opened Proprietors & Adventurers: A Rediscovery of Colonial New Jersey on the first floor of 225 West State Street. The exhibition features stunning facsimiles of the eleven lots of rare New Jerseyana purchased at auction in New York City in June. The collection includes unique maps and manuscripts belonging to Robert Barclay, proprietary governor of East New Jersey from 1682 to 1690, which were in private hands for more than three centuries. Acting Governor Codey authorized $656,760 from the New Jersey Public Records Preservation Fund for the acquisition of the documents. We plan to post an online tour of the exhibition on the State Archives’ website in early 2006. For more information about the acquisition, visit: http://www.njarchives.org/links/adventurers.html [Back to Table of Contents] Archives in Print and Media The following journal articles have recently featured materials from the State Archives: “An Account of East Jersey’s Seven Settled Towns, circa 1684” by Joseph R. Klett. Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey, 80:106-114, September 2005. This is the first document to be transcribed and published from Governor Robert Barclay’s record book (see Proprietors & Adventurers above). “1870 US Census Mortality Schedules: Essex County” by Janet T. Riemer and Sean A. Curry. Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey, 80:127-133, September 2005. Installment includes the Sixth Ward, City of Newark. “New Jersey’s Civil War Orphans, 1865-1871” by Joseph R. Klett. Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey, 80:134-138, September 2005. Installment includes Monmouth and Morris counties. [Back to Table of Contents] <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--> <!--[endif]--> Bookstore News Special Sales <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--> <!--[endif]--> BooksNJ: The Capital Bookstore is offering 25% off on all 2006 calendars and all Arcadia Press local photographic histories in stock. For a listing of available titles, consult the bookstore’s online catalog at http://www.booksnj.com. Credit card orders can be placed by telephone at 609-943-4444. <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--> <!--[endif]--> [Back to Table of Contents] © Copyright 2005 Division of Archives and Records Management New Jersey State Archives P.O. Box 307 225 West State Street Trenton, NJ 08625-0307 Email: archives.news@sos.state.nj.us Web: www.njarchives.org/links/archives.html