Statewide New Jersey Census records that exist are 1790, 1800, 1810, 1820, 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890 (fragment, see below), 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930 and 1940.
There are Industry and Agriculture Schedules 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. The Mortality Schedules for the years 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. The Union Veterans Schedules exist for 1890.
New Jersey took a state census every ten years from 1855 through 1915
The 1850 records are missing Camden County and Winslow Township records.
The 1860 records are missing part of the records for Middlesex County. Copies of all of those records can be found at the Newark Public Library, the New Jersey Historical Society, the New Jersey State Archives, and Rutgers University.
The state archives is also home to the Essex County copy of the 1850 federal census, the state copies of the 1850 and 1870 federal census records, the 1880 federal census records for Ocean and Essex counties, and the original 1880 population schedules.
The New Jersey State Archives and the New Jersey State Library are also home to the defective, dependent, and delinquent schedules for that year.
The Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey has published both the 1850 and 1860 Mortality Schedule Index. Mortality schedules from 1850 for people who died in other states but were born in New Jersey are also listed in that journal, beginning in volume 52 on page 71.
Most of the 1890 federal census records no longer exist, but some of the records for Jersey City, Hudson County for that year are still available.
Missing New Jersey Censuses
- 1800: completely lost except for Cumberland County
- 1800: completely lost
- 1820 completely lost except for Roxbury County and Morris County
- 1890: burned in a 1921 fire, with the exception of Jersey City of Hudson County ( partial ).
New Jersey State and Territorial Census
From 1855 to 1915 New Jersey took state censuses at 10-year intervals. The 1855 to 1885 census records can be found at the New Jersey Historical Society.
All of the records are also available at various repositories across the state, including the Newark Public Library, Rutgers University, New Jersey State Library, the Joint Free Public Library of Morristown and Morris Township, and the New Jersey State Archives.
The New York Public Library also has copies of the New Jersey state census records from 1855 to 1905. However, the records for 1855, 1865, and 1875 are incomplete.
The state census records included information similar to what is found in the federal census records. The exception is that most of the state censuses for 1855 and 1865 only listed the head of each household.
The state archives is home to the original 1855, 1865, and 1875 state census records from Essex County. The Reverend Samuel Fisher took censuses of Paterson from 1824 to 1832. Those records have been published.
Other publications of census records for New Jersey include “New Jersey in 1793″ and “Revolutionary Census of New Jersey.” The latter was created using tax records, while the former was constructed from both militia rosters and tax records. The state archives holds the originals of the tax lists and militia rosters that were used.