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Library Research
Richard H Hineline Research Library
The Richard H. Hineline Research Library is a significant resource for researchers interested in historical and genealogical information. The library contains nearly 100,000 resource materials such as:
- 20,000 books
- 1,100 manuscripts
- 20,000 photos
- 2,350 maps, diaries, scrapbooks, postcards, & letters
- 3,500 deeds, church records, newspapers, yearbooks, WPA cards, genealogies
Additionally, the library holds records for the majority of local cemeteries and boasts the most complete collection of historical Camden County newspapers on microfilm, along with an extensive set of city directories for both Camden and Philadelphia.
Research Price List
Interested in visiting our library to conduct research?
Come visit us at the Camden County Historical Society during our hours of operation (Wednesday – Friday: 1 pm – 4 pm). Please reserve an appointment by clicking “SCHEDULE A VISIT.” Appointments are currently available from 1 pm to 4 pm. Our trained staff is here to help you get started on your research.
Members: Free
Non-members: $5 admission
Reproduction Fee: $0.50 per page
Photo Fee: $5 per day
Interested in having our librarian conduct research for you?
Need help finding an obituary, cemetery plot, naturalization record, newspaper article, or other document? If you are unable to visit us, our research services’ staff can search for the information you need in our extensive print, microfiche, database, document, photograph and map collections. Please note, there is usually a 3-6 week wait on research requests.
Begin by downloading our Research Request Form by clicking the link below (PDF reader required). Email the completed form to admin@cchsnj.org, or send it via mail to: PO Box 378, Collingswood, NJ 08108.
Members: $25 per hour
Non-members: $25 per hour
Simple requests: $5
Library Holdings
Historical Resources
Vertical Subject Files of Newspaper Clippings
Photograph Collection – Over 5,000 photographs
Manuscripts Collection – Over 6,000 documents archived from Camden’s history
Library Collection – Over 6,000 books and 1,000 pamphlets about Camden & NJ History
African American historical and genealogical books
Special Collections, including New York Ship, Victor/RCA, other industries, hospitals, etc.
Vital Statistics & Databases
Death, Burials, & Obituaries Database – Almost 225,000 names from the 1700s to present
Marriages Database – Over 88,000 names from 1700s-1800s
WPA Death Index Card File – To 1937
New Jersey Archives, 1st and 2nd Series:
Marriage Records 1665-1800
Abstracts of Wills 1670-1817
Newspaper Extracts 1704-1790
New Jersey Index to Wills
Gloucester County Wills 1818-1846
(Camden County Wills from 1844-1901 are available for free at www.familysearch.org)
Gloucester County & Camden County Marriage Records by H. Stanley Craig – 1700s-1800s
Cemetery Records
Maps of all Camden County Cemeteries by WPA Historic Graves Survey
Evergreen Cemetery – Interment Records, Plot Records, & Plot Owners 1851-2000
New Camden Cemetery – Interment Records 1887-1969
Old Camden Cemetery – Burials Card File
Cedar Grove Cemetery – Plot Deeds 1852-1953, Interments 1898-1963, Inscriptions
Old Colestown Cemetery – Interment Cards on microfilm, Inscriptions
Lakeland – Deaths and Burials 1920s-1990s
Camden County Veterans Interment Register
Miscellaneous other Camden County and South Jersey Cemetery Records
Directories
Camden City Directories – Books and microfilm, most years between 1839-1947
Philadelphia City Directories – Books, most years between 1819-1860 & 1889-1930
Camden Telephone Books – Books and microfilm, most years between 1921-1998
Miscellaneous City Directories from other towns in Camden County
Miscellaneous Telephone Books & Directories from other counties in New Jersey
Censuses & Tax Lists
US Federal Census 1830-1950
NJ State Census (Camden County 1885, 1895, 1905, Burlington 1905)
Gloucester County Tax Ratables 1778-1822
Gloucester Township Tax Books
1841, 1864, 1867-1874, 1890-1915
Gloucester City Delinquent Tax Book 1894-1904
Camden City Tax Ledgers 1850-1938 (incomplete)
Stockton Township Tax Books 1889-1899 (incomplete)
Clementon Tax Ledgers 1903-1926 (incomplete)
Camden Maps and Atlases labelled with property owners:
1856, 1877, 1886, 1902, 1907, Sanborn
1913-1925, Atlas Directory 1926-7, 1935
Over 2,000 additional maps of properties, towns, regions, other counties, etc.
Over 2,000 Deeds, Mortgages, and Canceled Mortgages 1600s-1900s
West Jersey Deeds 1680-1854 & Salem County Deeds on microfilm
Over 1,300 original Building Contracts & Specifications 1851-1886
Newspapers (Digitized, Microfilm, and Bound Volumes)
Digitized Camden City Newspapers:
Camden County Courier, 1880-1893
Camden Daily Courier, 1882-1925
Camden Evening Courier, 1925-1949
Camden Post, 1876-1897
Camden Daily Telegram, 1887-1899
Camden Post Telegram, 1899-1926
Camden Morning Post, 1926-1945
Camden Courier Post, 1949-present
Microfilmed Camden City Newspapers:
Herald & Gloucester Farmer, 1819-1824
Village Herald & Advertiser, 1824-1829
Camden Mail & Advertiser, 1834-1845
West Jersey Mail/West Jerseyman, 1845-1859
West Jersey Press, 1861-1940
Camden Democrat, 1847-1908
The New Republic, 1867-1873
The Review, 1894-1902
Camden Times, 1915-1921
Microfilmed or Bound Camden County Newspapers:
Black Horse Suburban, 1963-1978
Cherry Hill News/Suburban, 1960-1990
Civic Press, 1964-1978
Community News, 1936-1973
Delaware Township News, 1956-1978
Haddonfield Herald/Haddon Gazette, 1949-1967
The Retrospect, 1902-present
Other miscellaneous Camden County and New Jersey newspapers
Other Genealogical Resources
Genealogy Surname Family Files & Published Genealogy Books
Transcriptions of Old Gloucester County Records
Naturalization & Immigration Papers – Camden 1844-1933 & Philadelphia 1850s (Camden Naturalization Papers from 1932-1982 are available for free at www.familysearch.org)
Published Immigration & Passenger Lists
Mayflower Families Through Five Generations and other lineage publications
Family Bibles & Church Records
Published Military Lists
Police Reports 1884-1889, selected reports from 1920s-1940s (mostly surnames A-D)
Yearbooks from Camden County High Schools & Universities, various years
Accessing Vital Records
The Camden County Historical Society does not hold vital records such as marriage certificates, birth certificates, and death certificates (with the exception of a handful of documents that have been donated to us over the years). These documents are available from the New Jersey State Archives or the Department of Vital Statistics and can be accessed in the following ways:
1) Ordering the document from the NJ Archives for $10.
2) Visiting the NJ Archives in person (50 cents a copy).
3) Ordering the document from Vital Statistics for $25.
4) Recent documents also require proof of relationship.
The date of the document requested determines which one of these options is available. We have created a chart that lists which years are available from each organization. Click here to view the chart.
Accessing Camden County Deeds
Camden County deeds are recorded at the Camden County Clerk’s office from 1844 to the present, and these duplicate copies of every deed can be accessed at Camden City Hall. Prior to 1844, deeds were recorded in Gloucester County and are accessible at the Gloucester County Clerk’s office or the Gloucester County Historical Society in Woodbury. In addition to these recorded deeds, the Camden County Historical Society has almost 4,000 original deeds in our archives (these have the original signatures, and some early ones were never recorded).
The recorded Camden County deeds from 1844 to 1901 and Gloucester County deeds from 1787 to 1901 have now been digitized and are available for free online at www.familysearch.org. We have created instructions for how to access and search the South Jersey deeds. Click here to view the instructions for accessing these deeds.