In 1664, the lands that would make up Elizabeth, NJ, were purchased from the Native American Indians by a group of men from Long Island known as the Elizabethtown Associates. Chartered as a borough in 1740 and 1789, Elizabeth became a city in 1855.
City of Elizabeth
Elizabeth City Hall
50 East Winfield Scott Plaza
Elizabeth, NJ 07201
City of Elizabeth official site
Books
- Elizabeth Then and Now by Richard J. Baptista (2015)
- Elizabethtown & Union County: A pictorial history by Charles Aquilina, Richard Koles, and Jean-Rae Turner (Donning, 1982)
- Elizabeth: The First Capital of New Jersey (NJ) (Making of America) by Jean-Rae Turner and Richard T. Koles (Arcadia, 2003)
- As We Were: The Story of Old Elizabethan (New Jersey Historical Society Collections) by Theodore Thayer (Elizabeth, NJ: Grassmann Publishing Co, 1964).
- City of Elizabeth Illustrated by Elizabeth Daily Journal, 1889.
- Historic Elizabeth 1664-1914 by Frank Bergen Kelly (Elizabeth: Elizabeth Daily Journal, 1914).
- History Of Elizabeth, New Jersey: Including The Early History Of Union County… by Rev. Edwin A. Hatfield (New York: Careton and Lanahan, 1868).
- Inscriptions on Tombstones and Monuments in the Burying Grounds of the First Presbyterian Church and St. Johns Church at Elizabeth, New Jersey 1664-1892, compiled by William Ogden Wheeler and Edmund Drake Halsey (1892).
- Notes Concerning Elizabethtown by Rev. Nicholas Murray (Elizabeth: E Sanderson, 1844).
- A Walking Tour of Elizabeth, New Jersey (Look Up, America!) by Doug Gelbert
by Charles Aquilina, Richard Koles, and Jean-Rae Turner (Donning, 1982)
by Jean-Rae Turner and Richard T. Koles (Arcadia, 2003)
by Theodore Thayer (Elizabeth, NJ: Grassmann Publishing Co, 1964).
by Rev. Edwin A. Hatfield (New York: Careton and Lanahan, 1868).
by Doug Gelbert
Cemeteries
- B’Nai Israel Cemetery, 111 Edgewood Rd., Elizabeth, NJ 07208
- B’Nai Jeshurun Cemetery Association, 1334 Carrington St., Elizabeth, NJ 07208
- Evergreen Cemetery, see Hillside
- First Presbyterian Church, 42 Broad St., Elizabeth, NJ 07201. See Inscriptions on Tombstones and Monuments in the Burying Grounds of the First Presbyterian Church and St. Johns Church at Elizabeth, New Jersey 1664-1892, compiled by William Ogden Wheeler and Edmund Drake Halsey (1892); pages online: Part I, Part II, Part III; also Audrey Shields Hancock web page for this cemetery
- Linden Park Cemetery, Elizabeth, NJ
- Rosemont Memorial Park, 1109 Neck Ln., Elizabeth, NJ, 07207. In business since 1953. Cemetery records housed on-site and available for searches. Staff available for assistance.
- St. John’s Churchyard. See Inscriptions on Tombstones and Monuments in the Burying Grounds of the First Presbyterian Church and St. Johns Church at Elizabeth, New Jersey 1664-1892, compiled by William Ogden Wheeler and Edmund Drake Halsey (1892)
- St Mary’s of the Assumption, Lidgerwood Ave., Elizabeth, NJ. Extractions from handwritten records on microfilm, burials 1849-1859, 1860-1898.
Historic Sites & Museums
- Belcher-Ogden Mansion, 1046 E. Jersey Ave., Elizabeth, NJ 07201. Restored Georgian mansion and colonial meeting place.
- Bonnell House, 1045 East Jersey St., Elizabeth, NJ 07201. Oldest house in Elizabeth (circa 1682). Historical Society of Elizabeth, NJ.
- Boxwood Hall State Historic Site, 1073 E. Jersey St., Elizabeth, NJ 07201. Home of Elias Boudinot, president of the Continental Congress.
- First Presbyterian Church, 42 Broad St., Elizabeth, NJ 07201. Colonial church, cemetery, and museum. Includes 17-foot monument to James and Hannah Caldwell, killed during Revolutionary War.
Libraries & Historical Societies
- Elizabeth Free Public Library, 11 S. Broad St., Elizabeth, NJ 07207. Provides research services for a fee.
- Historical Society of Elizabeth, NJ, 1045 East Jersey St. #101, Elizabeth, NJ 07201
- Elizabeth Plan Inc., PO Box 218, Elizabeth, NJ 07207
- Elizabethtown Historical Foundation, PO Box 1, Elizabeth, NJ 07207
Other Resources
- Elizabeth Daily Journal 1872-1937+ (old newspaper issues)
- St John’s Church marriage transcriptions 1751-1856
- St Patrick’s Church: births 1865; baptisms Aug-Sep 1916; marriages May-June 1872
- Elizabeth, NJ, records compiled by Elmer T. Hutchinson are indexed in the New Jersey Biographical Card Index at the New Jersey Historical Society, 52 Park Place, Newark, NJ 07102
- Elizabeth Tax List 1743
- Elizabeth City Directory 1921
- Elizabeth Orphan Asylum, 1900
- Alms House (aka The Poor House), Elizabeth, NJ
- Battin High School Class of February 1929
- Battin High School Class of 1956
- Battin High School Class of 1957
- Church Officials in Elizabeth City Directories 1884-1891
- First Presbyterian Church Pastors 1668-1962
- Westminster Presbyterian Church 1876 Officers and Members
- Fulton Street Methodist Episcopal Church newspaper articles on church seceding from the Newark Conference and the aftermath
- Elizabeth Fire Department: members from Annual Report 1926
- Elizabeth Fire Department: Fire Chiefs (to 1992)
- Elizabeth Fire Department: Last Alarm Memorial (1989) for firefighters who died in the line of duty
- Mayors of Elizabeth, NJ, 1739-2008
- Undertakers in Elizabeth and Newark, NJ, and Surrounding Areas 1859-1891
Maps