New Jersey Cemetery Records and Transcriptions

One of the earliest activities of the Genealogical Society of New Jersey, when it was formed in the early 1920s, was the copying of tombstone inscriptions in cemeteries throughout the state. Over the years, endangered cemeteries have been given top priority for copying. A procedure was developed in which the inscriptions were copied by teams, checked by others, compiled in a style devised by the Society and filed in its holdings. Publication of copied transcriptions then regularly took place in the Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey (GMNJ) in order to make the information more readily available to researchers.

NOTICE: Due to construction at the Rutgers University Alexander Library Special Collections/University Archives, the New Jersey Cemetery Records and Transcriptions collection has been temporarily relocated to the New Jersey State Archives in Trenton, New Jersey for access by researchers.

NOTICE: Instructions for accessing this collection at the New Jersey State Archive can be found here.

The cemeteries listed below are those in New Jersey for which the inscriptions have been published, either by the Genealogical Society of New Jersey or another entity. The arrangement is alphabetical by county and then alphabetical by name of the cemetery. Keep in mind that some cemeteries have more than one name. Alternate names are given in the comment column. Although publication information is provided, the inscriptions may also be accessed by requesting the records (by county and cemetery name) at the reference desk in Special Collections & University Archives, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ.

Records: Transcribed inscriptions from more than 800 New Jersey cemeteries.

Finding Aid: Card index arranged by county and name of cemetery in drawer #1 of cabinet #8 in genealogy area. There are finding aids (revised 2002) on a small table in the genealogy area.

Call Slip Entry: Enter “GSNJ Cemetery Records, [county name], [cemetery name]“

Inventory of GSNJ Files of New Jersey Cemeteries by County Compiled by Dorothy A. Stratford and Janet T. Riemer, GSNJ Trustees [Compilation Date: October 1988; Revised: April 2002]

New Jersey Gravestone Inscriptions Card Catalog

Records: 16 file drawers of cards with transcribed inscriptions and arranged alphabetically by surname. Only selected cemeteries. Collection located in cabinets #8–9 in genealogy area.
Finding Aid: Not needed.

Requesting Collections Research…

Found an item that interests you? Please contact our GSNJ’s Corresponding Secretary to obtain copies. Note: GSNJ reserves the right to limit copy requests on a case by case basis.

Last updated: 26 February 2022