First Families of Old Monmouth County, NJ

The application form (in MS Word format), and application instructions (also in MS Word format) are available for printing/download.

Objectives

• To honor the memory of the settlers of Monmouth County, New Jersey.
• To encourage the preservation of family records, manuscripts, documents, and any other items which are connected with the development of the county.
• To foster interest in the people who contributed so much to building Monmouth County.
• To inspire people to compile their family history and to pass it down to their children and grandchildren.
• To instill great pride in the descendants of the early settlers of the New Jersey counties of Monmouth and Ocean for the role their ancestors played in the history of the state and the nation.

Eligibility

Any individual who can prove direct descent from a person who resided in the area now encompassed by the counties of Monmouth and Ocean by the year 1725 and before may become a member of the First Families of Monmouth County upon acceptance of the application and payment of the fee.

Payment of a one-time, non-refundable fee of $40.00 must accompany the application. The fee for members of the Monmouth County Genealogy Society is $30.00.

Application

• The application will be reviewed by the registrar who may ask for more details or make a suggestion on obtaining proofs. The application is currently available in MS Word format.
• Detailed instructions will be included in the application. The instructions are available in MS Word format and as a web page.
• Privacy Issue: You will be asked to state whether or not you wish to share your information.
• Upon admission, you will receive a certificate of membership.

Supplemental Applications

Individuals having more than one qualifying ancestor may file supplemental applications for $25 or $20 for members of MCGS.

Charter Members

Charter members shall be those whose applications have been submitted and approved by Octover 31, 2002.

You may also request a membership application to MCGS at $20.00 a year to benefit from the lower application fee to First Families of Old Monmouth County, NJ.

Old Monmouth County

Monmouth County is said to have been sighted in 1524 by Giovanni da Verrazzano. Henry Hudson's vessel, the Half Moon, anchored at Sandy Hook on September 2, 1609. He wrote: "This is a very good land to fall in with and a pleasant land to see." So it has been ever since!

Home to the Lenape Indians, the County was left mostly unsettled until 1663 when a party of Englishmen from Gravesend, Long Island crossed the bay to Sandy Hook and bought land from the Indians.

In April 1665, after the Dutch had ceded New Amsterdam to the British, Governor Nichols issued a patent for the territory purchased from the Indians.

Of the twelve original patentees, many were from Gravesend in Long Island while others were Baptists and Quakers from New England fleeing persecution.

The county of Monmouth was erected as one of the four original counties of New Jersey in 1683 with its borders extending to the "extreme bounds of the Province" to what is now Ocean County.

Several members of the Monmouth County Genealogy Society are descendants of the early settlers. Surnames like Brown, Golding, Holmes, Spicer, Tilton, Mount, Perrine, Throckmorton, and many others are still prevalent in Monmouth County and we hope that their descendants will honor their ancestors by becoming members of First Families of Old Monmouth County, NJ.