Death Index Expanded in New Jersey

A wonderful thing happened for genealogy in New Jersey.

Reclaim the Records has secured indexes for deaths 1904 through 2017, with quite a few (temporary?) gaps.

You can view the images at Archive.org.

Index of deaths in Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey
Surname H. Year 1928.

The actual death records are housed at the Archives in Trenton through 1955. Deaths after 1955 can be obtained from the Department of Health, but only by certain people, and the cause of death is often obscured.

New Jersey Death Certificate
Mary Agnes Walpole (1831-1915), wife of Jacob Duryea
Note that the Department of Health blocks the cause of death.

Mary died of chronic nephritis. The full certificate of death is viewable at the Archives.

Before publication of this index, to find a record of death you needed to search the microfilm at the Archives year by year. Certificates are filed alphabetically on the microfilm. This is a waste of time and a barrier to promoting accurate research in New Jersey.

Deaths 1848 through 1900 are indexed at Family Search. An overlapping index by the Archives covers the years 1878 through 1897.

The indexes for deaths 1901 through 1903 were previously obtained by Reclaim the Records. They can be searched at Ancestry.com.


David Lutter Verona piano gun

Amanuensis Monday: Watson at Saint John's Episcopal Church in Jersey City

“Everdue”

Marble Dale Com.

June – 8 – 1932

Not Entered in Books

My dear Mr. Carnie:

I am sending you the correct data in connection with the deaths of my parents- this to be entered in the Parish book- for the benefit of any one in the future, wishing for such information.

Edward Malcom Watson

Born in New Milford, Connecticut

June 13, 1846

Died at his home, Marble Dale Connecticut,

September 12, 1908.

There is a window in St John’s in memory of my father. (The Parable of the Sower)

I did so enjoy being with you for a few weeks, and shall do so again in the near future.

With warm personal regards for you and yours,

Sincerely yours,

Mary S Watson

P.S.

As you know the Sanctuary Lamp is in memory of my mother.

Also please note change in my mailing address.

(Washington Depot Connecticut, R. F. D.)

My mother was-

Susanna Suttle, born in Paterson, New Jersey on July 22, 1846.

Died at her home in Marble Dale Connecticut,

July 7, 1930

My parents were married in St. Pauls Parish, Paterson, N.J. [New Jersey]

on September 18, 1867

by the Rev. Joseph M. Waite, Rector of the Church.

My mother was baptized, confirmed, and married from the same church.

If you will make correct entries I shall appreciate it so much.

I came across this note in the church book for Saint John's Episcopal Church in Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey while researching a branch of my Heiser family. The author, Mary Smith Watson (1871-1948), so much wanted this bit of her family history preserved. For Mary, here is her information for anyone's benefit, as she wished.


Saint John's Church is not operational. The stained glass windows are gone. In spite of efforts to covert the structure into condominiums, the building remains vacant and deteriorating. Below is the image from Google maps in 2017.

Source of Census Information

Reminder to everyone-

The census is an invaluable source of information for family researchers.

The note in the above 1940 census reinforces that the source of information was not necessarily the enumerated people themselves.

"This line vacant due to misleading information given by neighbor"

I do not know what the misleading information was, or who it concerned.

The note is in between the household of Bernard Burn (usually seen as Burns) and his wife, Ellen. The next household is their daughter, Marjorie, seen here with husband John Lysaght and daughter Anita. They were residing at 127 West 6th Street, Bayonne, Hudson County, New Jersey.

Use census information, but cautiously.