Thank you all for joining us yesterday to learn more about how to research your women ancestors in New Jersey genealogy collections.

Some things to remember :

1. Regardless of the time period in New Jersey, some form of marriage records have always been kept by civil authorities (not just churches). Women will always be listed by birth name (or previous married name if widowed) in these records.

2.  Vital Records (birth, marriages, and deaths) were reported to the state of New Jersey beginning in May 1848.  Even if your woman ancestor was born pre-May 1848, check for any marriage or death records after May 1848, as these records will likely have authoritative biographical information.  Any New Jersey State vital records more than 100 years old are owned by the New Jersey State Archives.

3.  If your woman ancestor immigrated to the United States and applied for citizenship after 1920, regardless of her marital status, she will have her own naturalization application.  (In 1920, women in the United States were given the right to vote, thus becoming full citizens.  Prior to 1920, women naturalized under their husbands or fathers.)

4.  Always check land records!  These records can be genealogical gold mines that trace the purchase history of the property and spell out kinship between parties.

I hope you enjoyed the presentation!  Slides are available on the Guides and Handouts page of the Genealogy Research Guide.