Reference Works on NJ

The study of New Jersey, for reasons that go back to how aboriginal peoples settled within the watersheds of the Delaware and Hudson, is often split into two geographies. These areas were called East and West Jersey during the colonial period. Even today, much of the historical and geographic literature on NJ is oriented either toward New York City or Philadelphia.

One of the works unifying this split is the masterful Encyclopedia of New Jersey, edited by Maxine N. Lurie and Marc Mappen, (Rutgers University Press, 2004). Available in digital format at large research libraries.

For aspects of NJ near the NYC border: Jackson, Kenneth T., New-York Historical Society, eds. The Encyclopedia of New York City. 2nd ed. New Haven : New York: Yale University Press ; New-York Historical Society, 2010. Available in digital format at large research libraries.

Finally, open access encyclopedias are especially useful. (The world should have many more of these.) An example, produced out of Rutgers Camden, is The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia.

Also useful:

Kuzma, David, and Rutgers University Libraries. “Research Guides: New Jersey: General State History.” Accessed June 8, 2024. https://libguides.rutgers.edu/c.php?g=336758&p=2267189.

Kuzma, David, and Rutgers University Libraries. “Research Guides: New Jersey: Geography / Geology.” Accessed June 8, 2024. https://libguides.rutgers.edu/c.php?g=336758&p=2267187.