NJ Historical Literature

In addition to its copious collections of books, audio and video discs, periodicals, reference materials and ephemera, the Mercer County Library has a panoply of reference and historical materials that offer glimpses into the life and history of Mercer County, its towns and environs, stretching back to the earliest days of settlement, commerce, and social and political life in what was to become Mercer County.

A sizable collection of monographs, indexes, catalogs, directories, and photographic compendia are available at branches of the Mercer County Library System, especially at the Hopewell and Lawrence Branches, all of which are available to the general public for consultation, research, and just plain enjoyment.

The central part of New Jersey has a rich and vibrant history that spans several centuries and has witnessed many important developments in U.S. history.  In this blog entry, we will examine some of the works that have helped to preserve elements of our history, including significant developments in politics, culture, commerce, agriculture, literature, and a variety of other fields, as well as sources for genealogical investigation.

Samples of the works available through the Library System, categorized by subject, appear below.

General History:

Lambertville, NJ from the beginning as Coryell’s Ferry
Early History of Lambertville, NJ, 1703-1903
The First Laws of the State of New Jersey
Bridges Over the Delaware River: A History of Crossings
Shipwrecks of New Jersey: A Popular Dive Guide (1988)
Lenape / Delaware Indian Heritage, 10,000 B.C. to 2000 A.D.
Regimental Flags and History of the New Jersey Volunteers During the Civil War
The New Jersey Book of Lists
New Jersey Quilts: 1777 to 1950
Clocks and Watches of New Jersey
The First Laws of the State of New Jersey
New Jersey Cemeteries and Tombstones: History in the Landscape


Geography and Development:
Hopewell: A Historical Geography
A Stroll Through Historic Hopewell
Rambles Through Old Highways and Byways of West Jersey


Collections of Records:

New Jersey Index of Wills
New Jersey Marriage Records, 1665-1800
Official Register of the Officers and Men of New Jersey in the Revolutionary War


Records of Officers and Men of New Jersey in Wars, 1791—1815'

St. Clair’s Campaign [1791]
Pennsylvania Insurrection [1794]
Naval War With France [1798—1801]
Naval War With Tripoli [1801—1805]
War of 1812 With Great Britain
Naval War With Algiers, 1815


Directories:

Farm and Business Directory of Mercer and Middlesex Counties, NJ (1914)
Fitzgerald’s Trenton and Mercer County, NJ Directory [1887-1935]
Polk’s Princeton City Directory [1948 +]
Polk’s Trenton City Directory

(Editorial Note: Fitzgerald’s and Polk’s Directories are a combined residential and business directory; entries for residents will frequently include, in addition to an address and telephone number, a notation on the profession or occupation of the individual named in the listing.)

- Jim S., Lawrence Headquarters Branch