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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)

Property Records
  • 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.