Historic Red Bank Walking Tours
We hold monthly Red Bank walking tours during the spring and fall, so check in with our calendar to register for one! Or, if you'd rather take your own time, try our self-guided interactive walking tour below.
Historic Newspapers
Asbury Park Press
Dates of Publication: Published under various titles since 1879.
Format: Available in print and online.
Access:
1905-present available online via newspaper website. Access to issues prior to 1999 restricted to paid subscribers.
1898-present available on microfilm at the Asbury Park Public Library.
1908-present available on microfilm, 1999-present available via database at the Monmouth County Library. Must be on site or library cardholder for database access.
1968-present available on microfilm at the New Jersey State Library.
2010-present available via searchable database at Brookdale Community College. Must be on campus or a student to use.
The Echo
The ECHO newspaper was published between 1904 and 1943, with publisher listed as Rock and Howard, originally in Long Branch, NJ and then, after 1910, in Red Bank, NJ. It is described in Vol. 1, # 22, Jan. 12, 1095, as "Published weekly in the interest of the Negro Race," and "The oldest colored paper in New Jersey."
With a grant in by Investors Foundation in 2017, the holdings from between 1904 and 1937 were digitized and is now available on the Red Bank Public Library Web Site. Many issues are fragmented and damaged and the holdings are incomplete.
Click here to access the Echo/Express files online.
The Mail & Express
It is described as a Historical African-American-owned newspaper covering Red Bank area with Lewis O. Summersett listed as publisher. With a grant in by Investors Foundation in 2017, material from March 31, 1905 to April 20, 1906 was digitized and is now available on the Red Bank Public Library website.
Click here to access the Echo/Express files online.
Red Bank Register
Dates of publication: Published under various titles 1878-1991.
Format: Available online.
Access: Available via Red Bank Register Historical Newspapers (fully searchable).
Matawan Independent
Dates of publication: Published since 1970.
Archival Holdings: 1972-2000.
Format: Available online.
Access:
Archival issues available via Matawan Aberdeen Public Library website (fully searchable).
The Independent is currently published weekly on Thursdays by Greater Media Inc. and can also be found online here.
Local History Room Links
Useful links for those interested in local history.
Local History
Red Bank History Links
History of Long Branch: There are some sections devoted to Red Bank.
History of Red Bank on Wikipedia: Wikipedia is not an academic site but still worth a look.
T. Thomas Fortune House
Historic new Jersey
MONMOUTH COUNTY
Monmouth County Archives - General information, policies and holdings.
NEW JERSEY
REsearch Your Home
Architectural Timeline: House of Antique Hardware visual guide to home architecture.
Open Public Records: Deeds 1976-2014, Subdivision Maps, Tax Plat Maps 1906-1995.
Monmouth County Archives - Maps - Maps viewable by appointment.
Monmouth County Surrogates Office Index to Probate Records 1991-
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office
New Jersey State Archives - Land Records 1650-1801
Genealogy
GENERAL GENEALOGY REFERENCE
American Ethnicity - Map of the population concentration by ethnicity.
Cyndi's List - Free access to hundreds of helpful websites.
Find a Grave - Grave locations and cemeteries.
HeritageQuest — An Ancestry service available anywhere with your library card.
NEW JERSEY GENEALOGY REFERENCE & STATISTICS
Ancestry.com New Jersey Death Records, 1798-1971.
New Jersey Center for Health Statistics - Public health data analysis.
New Jersey State Archives - Searchable databases for New Jersey.
New Jersey State Department of Health - Archives - Contact this archives to obtain vital statistics from May 1848 to December 1913.
New Jersey State Department of Health - Vital Statistics - General information on where to find death certificates and other vital records after 1914.
New Jersey State Health Assessment Data - Births and deaths, public health datasets.
Obituaries
Asbury Park Press - 1999-present available online.
Monmouth County Library - Owns America's Obituaries database. Must be on site or cardholder to use.
Red Bank Register - 1878-1991
Red Bank-Shrewsbury Patch - 2007-