Local History Resources + Helpful Research Links

Explore Bergen County’s Online Resources!

Bergen County Cooperative Library System (BCCLS)

Bergen County's Libraries are linked together in one online catalog system at www.bccls.org.

From this one site, you can search for materials across all libraries, reserve books and materials, and explore special collections and local history resources at individual libraries. View all of Bergen County's libraries, as well as website information: https://www.bccls.org/about_BCCLS/map.shtml.

Below are some libraries that hold materials that may be of specific value to those researching in Bergen County. This list is by no means exhaustive, but meant to highlight some programs and collections.

Bergenfield

Bergenfield Public Library
201-387-4040
Local History Collection >
Oral History Project >

Cresskill

Cresskill Public Library
201-567-3521
Local History Collection >

Lodi

Lodi Public Library
973-365-4044
Local History Collection >

Montclair

Montclair Public Library
973-744-0500
Local History Collection >

Oradell

Oradell Public Library
201-262-2613
Local History Collection >

Ridgewood

Ridgewood Public Library
201-670-5600 x2135
Bolger Heritage Center for Genealogy and Local History >
Bolger Heritage Center Online Collections Database >
RPL Storytellers Oral History Program >

Township of Washington

Township of Washington Public Library
201-664-4586
Local History Collection >

Waldwick

Waldwick Public Library
201-652-5104
Local History Collection >

Westwood

Westwood History Tour >

Helpful Research Links

If you have any favorite sites that you would like added, please e-mail us. Please notify us also if you find invalid URLs—link change often!

Please note that websites and URLs do change often. If you find a broken link in the following or a resource we should know about, please let us know at contact@njgsbc.org so we may update this list and keep the links working. Thanks!

Bergen County Land Records Office (NEW!)—Online land records up to ~1970s.
New Jersey State Archives Early Land Records Database—Before ~1780, land records, mortgages, deeds, and other land records were recorded at the state level. The online database is compiling and indexing more than 80,000 land records in an ongoing project.
Bergen County Clerk Online Services
Vintage Bergen County (Facebook)—A collection of images from all over Bergen County
"Family Tree" of Bergen County Municipalities—From the GSBC Archivist newsletter
Bergen County NJ GenWeb Project
Bergen County Historical Society (BCHS)—A excellent resource for Bergen County families, historic sites, and artifacts; Bergen County-focused library and archives; and ongoing educational and living experiences related to the rich history of Bergen County.
Sources for Researching in Bergen County—Includes many references on where to find vital, legal, bible, newspapers, diaries, church, cemetery, census and genealogy records. Compiled by GSBC Trustee Emeritus, Maria "Ree" Pratt Hopper, CG (updated 1999/2006).
On the Trail of Our Ancestors—Includes much information and references to Bergen County, such as the Dutch Research Corner, Loyalist Muster Rolls, Cemetery Lists/ NJ and PA, Palatines in NYC, 1710, genealogy records, and much other information. Compiled by Donna Speer Ristenbatt Genealogy.
Dutch Door Genealogy—Bergen County, NJ, and Rockland County, NY. Contains a large amount of information.
Early Settlers in Hackensack before 1700
Part of the Olive Tree Genealogy site with many useful indexes and links.
Bergen Townships 1784 Tax Ratables—Part of the Olive Tree Genealogy site (above).
Marriages in Hackensack pre-1700—Part of the Olive Tree Genealogy site (above).
History of Hackensack—Make sure to scroll down in the windows to see the Historical Links and Historical Images
GSBC Family Files—A database of the GSBC Vertical Files housed at the Ridgewood Public Library with some records on paper and some digitized.
New Jersey State Censuses—Overview of New Jersey's State Censuses, 1855–1915, with link to digital databases and images (when available. Compiled by Michelle Tucker Chubenko.
The Story of New Jersey’s Civil Boundaries 1606-1968—This book, by John F. Snyder and published by the State of NJ, is indispensable for understanding the evolution of New Jersey's state boundaries, county boundaries, and development and evolution of villages, boroughs, towns, and cities. Free PDF download.

Some helpful links for navigating State and National resources and records:

New Jersey State Archives (NJSA)—Ever-expanding online databases and indexes to the collections. Also see an overview article on the NJSA published in The Archivist.
National Archives Digitization Partners—Online Indexes from NARA's official Digitization Partners. Note that some indexes may require subscription. AncestryLE is available for use at many public libraries, including the Ridgewood Public Library and Bolger Heritage Center. The Family History Center in Emerson, NJ, has Ancestry and Fold3 for public use. All National Archive locations also have Ancestry and Fold3 for public use.
http://www.archives.gov/digitization/digitized-by-partners.html
Genealogical Society of New Jersey
Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey Article Index—Articles are listed chronologically. Use Control-F to find a place or author.
Genealogical Society of New Jersey > New Jersey Societies, Libraries, and Archives—Links fo county-by-county resources and societies.
New Jersey State Library
New Jersey State Library > Genealogy Guide
New Jersey GenWeb
New Jersey Historical Society—Links to their library collection.
The Story of New Jersey’s Civil Boundaries 1606-1968—This book, by John F. Snyder and published by the State of NJ, is indispensable for understanding the evolution of New Jersey's state boundaries, county boundaries, and development and evolution of villages, boroughs, towns, and cities. Free PDF download.

Past GSBC President, Arnold Lang, authored an award-winning immigration guide a number of years ago. After a major update by Barbara Ellman, the guide is again available, and can be accessed here.

The goal of this Guide is to help in research of United States immigration records and ship's passenger lists, both on-line and off-line. Procedure and examples are included to help those who are new to this research, however, numerous tips, help and links to other sites are provided for advanced research. This Guide is based on material originally presented at the Genealogical Society of Bergen County, NJ by Arnold H. Lang. It has been updated and expanded to include links to on-line web sites, databases, and other subjects associated with immigration. This guide is maintained by members of the Genealogical Society of Bergen County, N.J in honor and memory of our past president Arnold Lang—who shared his knowledge with us all.

Links to other sites with information about cemeteries and transcriptions in Bergen County and environs.

GSBC's Cemetery Indexes
Bergen County Cemeteries on Find-A-Grave
Wikipedia—List of Bergen County Cemeteries in New Jersey
Interment.net—List of Bergen County Cemeteries
GenWeb—List of Bergen County Cemeteries
E-Podunk—List of Bergen County Cemeteries
Interment.net—List of Bergen County Cemeteries
Contains a large number of cemetery transcriptions, and can be search by name within a state
Cemetery Junction—List of Bergen County Cemeteries
Great link to find cemeteries and their addresses. Arranged alphabetically by state, can be searched for cemetery name.
Riverside Cemetery (Jewish), Saddle Brook, New Jersey
Riverside Cemetery is located in Saddle Brook. It is a garden cemetery, established in the early part of the twentieth century. The first burial took place in 1910 and by the 1930s more than 70,000 gravesites in the cemetery had been sold. Click on the Genealogy Search button in the contents list to open the search page. The database can be searched by first name and last name and can be limited by approximate year of death. The data fields in the search results are name and date of death. There is a Record Locator link through which you can email the cemetery administration for additional information.
Mount Moriah Cemetery (Jewish), Fairview, New Jersey
Mount Moriah Cemetery is located in the city of Fairview. The cemetery website contains a searchable burial database. Click on the Grave Locator link in the contents to access it. The database can be searched by individual (last name, first name) or by organization. The data fields in the search results for individuals are last name & first name, date buried, organization, and section. There is also a “Map It” link. Click on that link to open a new page with a cemetery map.

Sites include family trees, where to find information in Bergen County, Passenger Lists & Naturalization Records, tips and procedures for researching in Bergen County and elsewhere, and other useful information. If you have a webpage with Bergen County information, send us the URL.

Ree's Family Trees—Roots and Branches
Ree Hopper's home page includes:
– The HOPPER-PRATT Family (4000+ surnames)
– The HOPPER Family Genealogy: Descendants of Andries Willemszen Hoppe(n) of New Amsterdam 1651
– Sources for Researching in Bergen County, NJ—including many references on where to find vital, legal, bible, newspapers, diaries, church, cemetery, census and genealogy records
– Bibliography and Church and Cemetery Records
The Konvalinka Home Page
John Konvalinka's page includes:
KONVALINKA's in America and Other Countries, John's Family Genealogy, and a large number of links
Bruce Hamilton Home Page
The Ancestry of Bruce Alexander HAMILTON (Family Tree) with major surnames HAMILTON, DOREMUS, SCHROTT, BIES, PHILLIPS, FORTIER, DUNHAM & other Bergen County names
Obituaries of Dutch Immigrants in Bergen and Passaic Counties
Part of Afina Broekman's homepage
History of Radburn
Part of Afina Broekman's homepage