First Families of Old Monmouth County, NJ

The application form in PDF format or MS Word format and the application instructions  (in PDF format) are available for printing and download.  However, FIRST read  our source guidlines and requirements document in PDF format.

In addition the following aids for completing the application are available for download in .pdf format:

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.

Levels of Membership

First Family ancestors resided in Monmouth County in 1725 or before .

• Federal Family ancestors resided in Monmouth County in 1800 or before.

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 either in 1725 or before and before or in 1800 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 form in PDF format or MS Word format and the application instructions  (in PDF format) are available for printing and download.  However, FIRST read  our source guidlines and requirements document in PDF format.

• The application will be reviewed by a registrar who may ask for more details or make a suggestion on obtaining proofs. For information on acceptable  proofs read our source guidlines and requirements document in PDF format.

• The application is currently available in MS Word format or in  PDF format .

• Application instructions are available in  PDF format '

• Privacy Issue: You will be asked to state whether or not you wish to share your information.

• Upon admission, you will receive a confirmation letter.  A certificate of membership will be issued later..

Supplemental Applications

Individuals having more than one qualifying ancestor may file supplemental applications for $20 as long as the file was accepted after January 1, 2007.  A supplemental file must connect to an existing file within the first one or two generations.

If you extend your lineage from a Federal Family ancestor back to First Family level, there is an additional $10 fee.

The application and instructions can be printed or downloaded to your computer from this website as described above or you can request a copy of the form from:

Coordinator, FFOMC
Monmouth County Genealogy Society
P.O. Box 5
Lincroft, NJ 07738-0005

A MCGS membership form can be found here  The dues are $25 a year.  By joining MCGS you can save $10 on the application fee for First Families of Old Monmouth County.

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, soon after the British took control of New Amsterdam, Governor Nicolls issued a patent for the territory purchased from the Indians.

This patent listed among the rights of the patentees "free liberty of conscience, without any molestation or disturbance whatsoever in their way or worship."

This is believed to be the first instance that complete freedom of worship became official in the English colonies.  This may well be what attracted so many Baptists and Quakers fleeing religious persecution in New England.

The county of Monmouth became one of the four original counties of New Jersey in 1683.  Its borders extended to the "extreme bounds of the Province" in what is now Ocean County.

The descendants of the pioneers can be found in Monmouth County and all over the world.  We hope that they will want to honor their ancestors by joining First Families of Old Monmouth County.