Richard L. Strickler Research Center
Home to Many Stories of Ocean County
Welcome to the Richard L. Strickler Research Center,
an invaluable source of information on the history
of Ocean County.
Guidelines for Visiting
Genealogy Holdings
Genealogy Web Links
Ocean County Family Names
Photograph Requests
Research Requests
Digital Camera Policy
We're open from 1:00-4:00 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and the first Saturday of the month. E-mail us at ochs_research@verizon.net or call 732-341-1880.
We will be closed on Saturday September 4 for our annual Antiques and Collectibles Faire.
We currently have a catalog of more than 8,000 volumes. We also have a large collection of historic documents, maps, cemetery records, census data, and Ocean County newspapers dating back to 1852. Our holdings include records on over 500 families.
Families of Old Dover: A Series
Each of the booklets in this series focuses on a specific family name and contains resource materials that can be used for genealogical research. Click here for details and purchase information.
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Guidelines for Visiting
We are open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 1-4 PM and the first Saturday of the month from 1-4 PM.
If you are not an OCHS member, there is a daily fee of $2.00 to use the Research Center.
Kindly sign the guest book each time you visit.
Tote bags, backpacks, or carrying cases are not permitted.
Patrons are asked to use pencil only.
The reference staff will retrieve and re-file all materials for you.
Only one box or family file is permitted on the table at a time.
Use care in handling research materials. Do not mark, bend, or lean on them. Patrons may be asked to wear gloves when handling sensitive materials.
Keep items in the order in which they were found.
Materials cannot be borrowed or checked out.
Laptop computers are allowed; however, we do not provide electrical outlets or Internet service.
Should you require photocopies, the reference staff will make them for you for a fee of .10 each (members) or .25 each (non-members). Be aware that some items may be too fragile for copying.
Handheld scanners are permitted under the same conditions that apply to digital cameras. Please refer to the Use of Digital Cameras policy for rules and fees.
With the exception of the various OCHS committee members and paid staff, no one is permitted to use the Research Center collections during off hours.
Food and beverages are not permitted.
Please refrain from using a cell phone in the Research Center.
We welcome your visit and hope to see you soon.
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Genealogy Holdings
Our records include:
Ocean County births, marriages and deaths on microfilm 1848-1867
Ocean County marriage records 1850-1900
Marriage licenses on microfilm 1711-1797, 1853-1878
Funeral home records from the 1850's to the 1960's
Obituaries, marriages and birth announcements indexed from local newspapers:
Ocean Emblem: 12/10/1852 to 3/4/1868
New Jersey Courier: 6/23/1864 to 1/25/1968
Ocean County Democrat: 4/11/1878 to 4/3/1879, 1884 to 1885, 1886 to 1887, 4/10/1890 to 3/24/1892, 3/31/1892 to 4/12/1894, Jan-Dec 1918
Civil War soldiers lists
Federal Census for Ocean, Monmouth, Burlington, and other NJ counties for 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900 and 1930. Civil War Veterans and Widows schedule for 1890
NJ State Census for Ocean and Monmouth counties for 1885, 1895, 1905, and 1915
Society of Friends, Little Egg Harbor monthly meeting minutes, 1715-1901
Family history books of genealogy research for various Ocean County families. To see if we have a book for a particular family name, go to Family Names of Ocean County
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Genealogy Web Links
FAMILYSEARCH
Free access to the records of the LDS Church, including births, deaths, and marriages
The USGenWeb Project
A free, volunteer driven website which allows you to focus in on one particular location and find all genealogical resources available there.
ancestry
Fee-based, but available free at any Ocean County Library branch. Especially good for censuses, it contains all types of historical records.
rootsweb
Family information compiled by other researchers
Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet
Over 250,000 links to family history websites
Olive Tree Genealogy
Over 1500 links to subject specific websites. Also includes guides for new researchers and lots of general, useful information about genealogy.
Europe Genealogy Links
Many links for those who are researching European ancestors
Ellis Island
Free searches of the Ellis Island arrivals from 1892-1924.
New Jersey State Archives
Monmouth County Archives
New Jersey State Department of Health (Vital records after 1900)
Monmouth County Historical Association
Ocean County Library
Ocean County Genealogical Society
Southern New Jersey Genealogy Group
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Photograph Requests
The Society maintains a collection of over 5,000 historical images of Ocean County people, places, and events. Reproductions may be purchased for a fee of $20.00 per image for non-commercial use and $75.00 per image for commercial use. For more details, please read our Photograph Policy. To purchase an image, contact the Research Center during our hours of operation (Tuesday and Wednesday 1-4) or e-mail us at ochs_research@verizon.net. Give a description of the image(s) desired and we’ll search and get back to you with the results. Then, should you decide to make a purchase, submit payment along with a signed Photograph Agreement and a signed Photograph Order Form , and we will process your order.
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Research Requests
In order to assist those who are unable to visit, a member of our volunteer staff will conduct research for a per-hour fee, with a minimum one hour charge. E-mail or call us with a request about a person, family, place, or event, and we will let you know if we think we have the resources to satisfy your inquiry. Then, upon receipt of your check or money order (in U.S. dollars), we will begin researching. Although we try our best to find answers to all requests, we cannot guarantee results. The more details you can provide, the better the chances for a successful search, so please be as specific as possible to facilitate our efforts on your behalf. Results are usually provided in 4 to 6 weeks.
Research Fees
Full Search
$15.00 (non-members)
$ 5.00 (members)
Includes research time, photocopies, and postage
Look-up
For requests for a specific piece of information from a specific source of information, there is a charge of $5.00 for each item. (For example: an obituary request that includes the name of the deceased and date of death)
E-mail requests to: ochs_research@verizon.net
Phone: 732-341-1880 (during Research Center hours)
Mail payment to:
Ocean County Historical Society
26 Hadley Avenue
Toms River, NJ 08753
Attn: Research Center
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Use of Digital Cameras
Non-flash, handheld digital cameras are permitted under the following conditions:
Staff permission is required.
Images are for personal study, scholarship, or research only and may not be used for commercial publication without permission from the OCHS.
Published or displayed images must be credited with “Collection of the Ocean County Historical Society”.
No more than 5 images may be taken from a single collection.
There is a charge of .25 per digital image for non-members and .10 for members.
Preservation is paramount, so photography is not permitted on items in fragile condition or on items available in other formats (e.g. microfilm).
Materials must be handled with great care. Items must be kept flat on the table, may not be bent or pressed, and may not be removed from folders or plastic sleeves.
Standing on chairs or rearranging tables to get a better image is prohibited.
OCHS reserves the right to refuse photographic access to the research center collection.
Should a work be published, it is the researcher’s responsibility to refer to the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) and to obtain the required permissions from copyright owners.
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New!
Families of Old Dover
The Ocean County Historical Society Research Department is supporting a continuing project of publishing a series of booklets entitled “Families of Old Dover”. A starting point for those who are beginning to trace their ancestry, each booklet focuses on a specific family name and contains information compiled from census records, marriage and death records, cemetery and funeral home records, and newspaper articles. Booklets can be ordered by contacting the Research Department at 732-341-1880 (during research center hours) or at ochs_research@verizon.net.
Cost: $12.00 per booklet (plus $3.00 mailing charge when mailing is requested)
Book 1 - Applegate
Part A Jacob Applegate (1723-1818)& Esther Irons (1732-1803)
Part B Thomas Applegate (1792-1868) & Hannah T. Thompson (1796-1871)
Book 2 - Wilbur/Wilber/Wilbert
Edward Wilbur (1730-1812+)
Book 3 - Vaughn
Asher Vaughn (1768-1850) & Charity Stout (1782-1871)
Book 4 - Hyers/Hyer/Heyer
Walter Hyer (1645-1700) & Tryntje Bickers
Book 5 - Leming/Liming/Lemon
John Leming (1650-1690) & Prudence Wainright
Book 6 - McKelvey
Robert McKelvey (ca. 1740-1818) & Abigail Wright
Book 7 - Worth
Peter Worth (ca. 1777-1859) & Mercy Cotteral
Book 8 - Johnston/Johnson
Part A Benjamin Johnson (1715-1784) & Sarah
Part B Other Johnsons - Ocean and Southern Monmouth
Book 9 - Clayton
John (1776-1845), Miles (1774-1863), and William (1804-?)
Book 10 - Jeffrey
John Jeffrey (1728-1794) & Elizabeth Irons (1738-1808)
Book 11 - Asay
Barzilla (1818-?) & Achash Gordon (1819-1901)
Book 12 - Phillips
Richard (ca. 1760-?)
Book 13 - Tilton
Peter (1775-1854) and others
Book 14 - Polhemus
Joseph (1779-1855) & Freelove Woolley
Book 15 - Hagaman
Barnet (ca. 1760-?) and others
Book 16 - Hankins
Zachariah (1754-1850)
Book 17 - Lawrence
Benjamin (ca. 1744-1811) and others
Book 18 Bogert
Joseph (1798-1861) and others
Book 19 - Cornellius
James (ca. 1775?) and others
Book 20 - Irons
Book 21 - Grant
John (ca.1700) and other
Book 22 - Giberson
Book 23 - Rogers Families
Book 24 - Camburn
Book 25 - Cook Families
Book 26 - Decendants of Timothy Page (b.1763) and Mary Conward (b.1768)
Book 27 - Thompson (Cornelius b. 1779, Miller b. 1804, Timothy b.1768)
Book 28 - Sherman Families
Book 29 - Truax
Book 30 - Stout Families
Book 31 - Osborn Families
Book 32 - Tice Families
Book 33 - Potter Families
Book 34 - White Families
Book 35 - Cowdrick Families
Book 36 - Britton Families
Book 37 - Bunnell Families
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