Annual Reports

This collection of Annual Reports begins with the report of 1838, which was the first submitted in response to legislation requiring a legislative committee audit the Treasurer's accounts. The earliest reports in this collection can be considered snapshot reports, providing brief information on the State's accounts. Later reports provide more detailed information beyond just the status of accounts. For example, reports submitted between 1844 and 1913 provide the names of individuals and organizations that submitted or received monies from the State.



The reports provide a variety of valuable historical, sociological, and genealogical information, including the names and occupations of State employees, the recipients of State pensions, and information on Civil War era veterans, including their names, regimental information, discharge status, and beneficiaries.



Detailed accounts of State departments and agencies show line item purchases (individual volumes purchased by the State Library, for example). Probated estates and their respective beneficiaries are listed in some years’ reports, as are the names of executed prisoners. Taxes paid by railroad companies, licenses issued for driving or hunting, the first purchases of voting machines, and information on a host of social initiatives funded by the State can all be found among the reports. The content provided gives a glimpse into the history, culture, and personal lives of past New Jerseyans.