New Jersey State Records Committee Meeting June 18, 2026

In an ongoing effort to engage in the lawmaking processes of New Jersey concerning genealogical and historical records, I attempted to virtually attend the public meeting of the State Records Committee of the Records Management Services on June 18, 2026.

Did this meeting not happen or was there a technical glitch with not admitting viewers?

Public notice of the meeting for June 18, 2026

Webpage of the State Records Committee showing meeting dates

Teams Meetings link not granting access

1776 Badge at Find A Grave

Find A Grave has created a special badge to indicate service in the American Revolution. 

1776 Badge at Find A Grave
for those who served in the American Revolutionary War 1775-1783

I checked on some ancestors.

Charles Marsh was my fifth great grandfather. He resided in Essex County, New Jersey in the area of Elizabethtown and Westfield. (These are now in Union County.) He lived long enough to apply for a pension. In his affidavit, Charles described participation in battles throughout his area. He first volunteered in June 1776 in the Infantry of the Militia of New Jersey. He fought at the Battle of Springfield and Connecticut Farms in June of 1780.

The memorial page of Charles Marsh already had the 1776 badge when I visited.

Memorial page of Charles Marsh (1755-1833)
Buried in the Presbyterian Church Burial Grounds
Westfield, Union County, New Jersey

Cover page
Pension papers of Charles Marsh

The memorial page of Conrad Hopler, my sixth great grandfather, was lacking the 1776 badge but now has one after my edit request. He lived in Morris County, New Jersey and fought with Arnold's Light Horse Troop.

Memorial page of Conrad Hopler (1730-1814)
buried at First Presbyterian Church Cemetery
Rockaway, Morris County, New Jersey

Book mentioning members of the Morris County, New Jersey Light Horse Troop.
Does anyone know where I might find this "original enlistment paper"?

George Taylor, my sixth great grandfather, was also lacking the 1776 badge, but that was remedied. George lived in Monmouth County, New Jersey. He lived long enough to file for a pension. 

Memorial page of George Taylor (1756-1835)
Buried in Holmdel Cemetery
in Holmdel, Monmouth County, New Jersey

Suggest an Edit page Find A Grave
George Taylor (1756-1835)

Cover page of George's pension papers.
This paper is a tertiary source of his date of death.

Simeon Rockefeller was my seventh great grandfather. He served as a private in Colonel Henry Livingston's Regiment New York Militia. His memorial did not have the badge for a veteran "V" and did not have the 1776 badge. I requested that these be added, but as of this writing, they have not.

Memorial page for Simeon Rockefeller (1730-1795).
He was born in what is now Germany, not New York.

Index card for the service records
of Simeon Rockefeller or Rockenfeller,
Livingston's Regiment New York Militia.

You can find some Revolutionary War service records at Fold3.

New York State's Progress on Releasing Historical Records

We have some great news from the State of New York.

No, they are not fulfilling genealogy requests of birth, marriage, and death records.

The Assembly and Senate both passed bills to amend the mental hygiene law to designate certain records as historical, thus allowing access to records if the subject has been deceased for at least fifty years.

Pending paragraph added to the mental hygiene law (§33.13) of New York

The next step is for Governor Kathy Hochul to either sign the bill into law, or to veto it.

Advocacy must continue to advise the governor's office on the importance of accessing these records for genealogical purposes.

Follow Ryan Thibodeau for additional updates and information.

I first became aware of this plight through the blog The Inmates of Willard.