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Genealogy  

This guide provides a sampling of the materials available on this subject. To view more visit the library or browse the catalog. For Atlantic City information view our Heston Collection.
Last Updated: Jun 22, 2012 URL: http://acfpl.libguides.com/genealogy Print Guide RSS UpdatesShareThis

Atlantic City Genealogy Print Page
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Obituaries

Free Access to Obits from inside the Library.
Researchers are encouraged to use OLNI to find citations in The Press of Atlantic City. The Library has The Press of Atlantic City from 1895, with a few exceptions on microfilm. The Library also has Newsbank, a full-text searchable database of The Press, from 1988 to the present.

  • The Press of Atlantic City
    Full-text articles from 1988 to the present are available online for a fee.
  • Professional Researchers
    This list of professional genealogists researching in the New Jersey area is provided by the Genealogical Society of New Jersey as a public service to the genealogical community.
  • Genealogy Research in NJ
    MyGenealogist.com employs genealogists who conduct research in New Jersey.
  • Free Genealogy Research
    Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness has a list of volunteers who agree to do certain types of genealogy look-ups. Volunteers have agreed to donate their time for free, you MUST PAY the volunteer for his/her expenses in fulfilling your request.
 

Local Genealogy Links

  • Atlantic Heritage Center
    The library's card catalog offers over 85,000 references to books, newspapers, family bibles, photos, maps, and historical and genealogical documents.
  • New Jersey Historical Society
    The library collections contain manuscripts, reference books and rare books, photographs, maps, broadsides, pamphlets, mass-produced prints and other materials that document the cultural and historical heritage of New Jersey from the colonial era through the 20th century.
  • New Jersey State Archives
    Current holdings amount to over 37,000 cubic feet of paper records and over 32,000 reels of microfilm. Located at 225 West State Street in downtown Trenton
  • NJ Archives Searchable Databases
    Searchable databases include: marriage records, death records, legal name changes, Civil War records, World War I casualties, and Department of Agriculture photographs.
  • NJ State Library: Genealogy and Local History Collection
    City directories, Sanborn maps, family genealogies, WWI Draft Registration for New Jersey, over 70 genealogy periodicals and much more.
  • Archibald S. Alexander Library (Rutger's)
    In addition to the Libraries' own New Jersey holdings, the collection includes the papers of the New Jersey Daughters of the American Revolution and the papers of the Genealogical Society of New Jersey. Available material includes transcriptions of family Bible records, gravestone inscriptions, church records, papers and genealogical compilations on New Jersey families, and many other printed materials.
  • National Archives at Philadelphia
  • Historical Society of Pennsylvania
 

Premium eResources

Heritage QuestHeritage Quest: United States Population Census returns, electronic books, periodicals index for genealogy publications, and other online resources. Requires a valid Atlantic City Free Public Library card to access from outside the Library building.

Newsbank: full-text newspaper articles from The Press of Atlantic City (1988-present) and The Philadelphia Inquirer (1981-present). This database is only available inside the Library building.

The Online Local News Index (OLNI) is published by the Atlantic City Free Public Library and is continously updated. Full-text of the articles is NOT available through the index. If you would like to see the full-text of an article, please visit the Library to use the microfilm collections, print resources, or NewsBank.

Sanborn Map Company played a vital role in the development of fire insurance map making in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The company created hand-made and colored lithograph maps of over 12,000 cities and towns across the United States and set the standard for fire insurance maps of the era.  Sanborn Maps are now used to provide a detailed understanding of the physical make up of these cities and towns. ACFPL has them for New Jersey. They are displayed in black and white because these digital maps were created by scanning microfilm, which was originally filmed in black and white.

 

Heston Collection Hours

If you are interested in doing historical research about Atlantic City, consider using the Atlantic City Free Public Library's Alfred M. Heston Collection.  Because some of the items in the Heston Collection are fragile or irreplaceable, the Heston Room is a closed-stack area with access provided only by Library personnel at certain times. Researchers must register and present a form of photo identification to see materials. Researchers must also agree to follow certain rules for the use of archival materials, which will be explained when the researcher arrives.

Wednesdays 2:00-4:30pm

Thursdays 9:30am-12:00pm and 2:00-4:30pm

 

Local History Materials

The Heston Collection maintains clippings files on topics related to Atlantic City and local history, as well as archival collections, books, and other unique resources. Please contact the Heston Collection staff for more information about these.

  • Local History Biography Files
  • Local History Subject Files
  • Census Records
    Federal Population Census years available: 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930 (federal census returns are released 72 years after the date; 1940 census returns should be available in 2012)

    Civil War Veterans and their Widows (special schedule from 1890 Federal Population Census)

    New Jersey State Census years available: 1855, 1865, 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915
  • Atlantic City Census 1885
    All database entries include the first and last name of every person listed on the census returns. The entries for Atlantic City include additional demographic data: age range, sex and race.
 

NJ Vital Records

For information on obtaining a copy of a vital record certificate of an event that occurred in Atlantic City (birth, death, marriage, or domestic partnership), please refer to the following websites.

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