Massachusetts Genealogy Guide

United States Massachusetts
This is a genealogic and diachronic guide to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and its state-level records. You will find help with department of state vital records, histories, church archives, newspaper collections, genealogic libraries, understanding the court system, military records, and immigration and naturalization records .Modern county borders in Massachusetts, and her neighbors. Most records useful to genealogists for Massachusetts and other New England states were generated at the town level.
This area of New England was home to many Algonquian-speaking Indians. They had been visited by British and other european countries ‘ fishermen for more than a hundred before the first permanent wave european liquidation. not long before this first settlement began, the native population was decimated by a European-borne disease, likely smallpox, that left many of their villages empty. The breakaway Pilgrims were the first to arrive in 1620 to establish Plymouth Colony Genealogy at Plymouth. There were several early on and later attempts for settlement up the seashore into Maine ( which would be character of Massachusetts until statehood in 1820 ). The second permanent settlement was by Puritans who arrived in 1629 to establish the Massachusetts Bay Colony Genealogy at Salem. These two colonies coexisted for many years, but geography and politics were on the side of the Massachusetts Bay. The Royal Province of New Hampshire was created in 1680 that separated the District of Maine off from the center of population of the colony now firm established at Boston. The british colonies developed more independent practices regarding trade wind, religion, and administration. King Charles II ultimately rescinded the charter for Massachusetts Bay in 1684. This action was implemented by King James II. The colony continued as it was until Sir Edmund Andros arrived to become the Royal Governor of the newly created Dominion of New England Genealogy effectively in 1686. This united the colonies of Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth. Soon New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Haven, New York, and New Jersey would be added to the dominion with the government seated at Boston. Andros quickly moved to take away most familiarity colonists enjoyed and therefore his rule was extremely unpopular. When King James II was overthrown in late 1688 by William and Mary, settler at Boston overthrew Andros and his administration there in 1689. For lack of guidance by England, the colonies resumed their previous shape of governments through 1691.

The future major geo-political event was the amalgamation of the Massachusetts Bay and the Plymouth Colony into the newly rechartered Royal Province of Massachusetts Bay in 1691 that began its new government under Sir William Phips in 1692. The district included what is Maine and the Elizabeth, Martha ‘s Vineyard, and Nantucket Islands ( the islands removed from the control of New York ). major margin disputes were settled as follows : New Hampshire ( 1740 ), Rhode Island ( 1746 – succeeded towns of Barrington, Bristol, Little Compton, Tiverton, Warren, and the newly created Cumberland to R.I. ), Connecticut ( 1749 – succeeded towns of Enfield, Somers, Suffield, and Woodstock to Conn. ), New York ( 1773 – twenty dollar bill miles west of the Hudson ; 1853 – Boston Corners section of Mount Washington to N.Y. ), and Maine ( 1820 – succeeded as modern state in Missouri Compromise ) .

Historical Data [edit |edit source ]

molding Changes [edit |edit source ]

Dates	Events
10 Apr. 1606	The Plymouth Company granted between 38°N (near Md.-Va. border) and 45°N (near Me.-N.B. border) which overlapped with the Virginia Company of London below 41°N (near Conn.-N.Y. border). After a failed attempt to colonize at the Popham Colony near present-day Phippsburg, Me., in 1607 (the settlers all left one year later), the patent fell into disuse. The London Company was re-chartered in 1609 for exclusive use up to 41°N.
3 Mar. 1619/20	Petition for a Charter of New England by the Northern Company of Adventurers settling between 40°N and 45°.
3 Nov. 1620	The Plymouth Council for New England granted a royal patent for land between 34°N and 45°N. Plymouth Colony settled at Plymouth in that year, though not initiated by the Council.
1 June 1621	The Pilgrims acquired a new land patent for the settlement they created at Plymouth.
10 Aug. 1622	The Council granted a patent for the Province of Maine to Ferdinando Gorges and John Mason that covered between the Merrimack and Kennebec rivers. The men agreed to split this patent and Mason received the portion south of the Piscataqua River on 17 Nov. 1629 in a grant. This grant was reconfirmed on 3 Feb. 1634/5. Gorges obtained a royal charter for his portion in 1639.
in 1624	The Council established a fishing village at present-day Gloucester financed and governed by the Dorchester Company. The Company withdrew their support at the end of 1625. A few settlers remained and eventually moved further south.
in 1628	The Council created the “New England Company for a Plantation in Massachusetts Bay” (commonly called the Massachusetts Bay Colony) was established at Salem first with the remaining settlers from the Dorchester Company and 100 new settlers. This grant was for the land between the Charles and Merrimack rivers with a buffer of three miles above and below these borders. In 1629, 300 more settlers were sent to Salem. Concerned about the conflict in land claims, this group sought a royal charter for the colony which it received on 18 Mar. 1628/9. The shareholders decided to move the board to the colony (a first in the North American colonies), and the majority of the shareholders bought out those who did not want to emigrate. They elected John Winthrop to be the Governor of the new colony.
13 Jan. 1629/30	The Charter of New Plymouth defined the colony as east of Narragansett Bay and south from the mouth of the Pawtucket River [now Blackstone River] to the mouth of the Cohasset River.
26 June 1630	The Council for New England patented the Province of Lygonia, being southwest of the Sagadahoc River [now Kennebec River] 40 miles long and 40 miles wide.
7 June 1635	The Plymouth Council for New England surrendered its charter to the King. Basically, all land outside of Massachusetts Bay was under the authority of the Crown.
3 Apr. 1639	King Charles I granted the Province of Maine to Ferinando Gorges as a proprietary colony that included the land between the Kennebec and Piscataqua Rivers inland 120 miles plus the islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. Thomas Gorges, a distant relative of Ferdinando Gorges, established a government there in 1640, creating counties, and conducting the colony until its annexation by Massachusetts Bay in 1652.
14 June 1641	New Hampshire voluntarily accepted the jurisdiction of Massachusetts Bay since the dissolution of the Council for New England and the death of John Mason.
in Oct. 1641	Thomas Mayhew, father and son, of Watertown purchased the title to Nantucket Island, Martha’s Vineyard, and the Elizabeth Islands from Lord Stirling and Ferdinando Gorges. These islands were not part of the Massachusetts Bay.
in 1642	The southern boundary west for Massachusetts Bay was set per the charter of 1629/30 as 3 miles south of the Charles River thus defining the border between it and the colonies of Connecticut and Rhode Island.
27 Aug. 1645	For its participation in the Pequot War (1636-1637), Massachusetts Bay claimed the land between the Thames and Pawcautck Rivers plus Block Island. It tried to secure a patent for this area but was deemed invalid.
in Mar. 1646/7	Lygonia gained the overlapping territory with Maine and reduced Maine to a few settlements.
26 May 1652	Massachusetts Bay interpreted their 1628/9 charter’s northern line as 43° 40′ 12″ North claiming from the Casco Bay in Maine west through central New Hampshire and Vermont to the New York border.
20 Nov. 1652	Using the interpretation above, Massachusetts Bay established Yorkshire County covering the land between the Piscataqua and Kennebec Rivers thus eliminating the Province of Lygonia. This county went into abeyance in Nov. 1664, reinstated as York County on 27 May 1668, eliminated by the creation of the District of Maine on 17 Mar. 1679/80, and reinstated again under the new Massachusetts Bay royal charter of 7 Oct. 1691.
18 Sept. 1658	The Commissioners of the United Colonies of New England settle the border dispute over the Pequot Country settling the border between Connecticut and Massachusetts Bay as the Mystic River, thus leaving Massachusetts Bay with a claim to land between the Mystic and Pawcatuck Rivers. Massachusetts Bay gave up its claim to this land and also Block Island on 19 Oct. 1664.
23 Apr. 1662	King Charles II grant a charter to Connecticut that gave its eastern border as the Narragansett Bay, eliminating the claim by Massachusetts Bay and overlapping with Rhode Island’s patent.
7 May 1662	Massachusetts Bay created Hampshire County out of unregulated area being roughly the center of present-day Worcester County west to the New York border, being all territory within 30 miles of the settlements of Springfield, Northampton, and Hadley.
8 July 1663	King Charles II granted Rhode Island a new charter that moved present-day Cumberland, R.I., out of Massachusetts Bay and some eastern lands out of New Plymouth, but these lines seemed not enforced. New Plymouth protested the infringement of its patent. A royal commission set this boundary as the Blackstone River and the east side of Narragansett Bay pending a royal decision on 27 Feb. 1664/5. The same commission made the Narragansett Country a separate entity ending Connecticut’s claim, but having Rhode Island govern the area on 8 Apr. 1665.
12 Mar. 1663/4	King Charles II granted the Duke of York all land between the Delaware and Connecticut Rivers; the islands of Long Island, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket; and the land between the Kennebec and St. Croix Rivers inland to the St. Lawrence River. In the fall of 1664, royal commissioners arbitrated the conflict with this grant and suggested the border between New York and Massachusetts Bay as 20 miles east of the Hudson River. Though never codified, this was the generally accepted border.
23 June 1665	Royal commissioners placed Ferdinando Gorges’ land under royal authority.
5 Sept. 1665	New York created Cornwall County covering all the land between the Kennebec and St. Croix Rivers.
19 May 1669	The town of Westfield was laid out extending into “the jog” south of the colony line.
7 Oct. 1673	Massachusetts claimed an area east of the Kennebec River that included the Pemaquid settlement later named this Devonshire County on 27 May 1675, but this county ceased when the war with the Abnaki Indians in that area broke out in Sept. 1675.
3 June 1674	Massachusetts Bay created the town of Suffield that now lies wholly within Connecticut.
15 Mar. 1677/8	Massachusetts Bay purchased the grant made to Ferdinando Gorges from him.
18 Sept. 1679	New Hampshire made a royal colony separate from Massachusetts Bay. Old Norfolk County was dissolved and the towns of Amesbury, Haverhill, and Salisbury added to Essex County of Massachusetts Bay.
16 May 1683	Massachusetts Bay created the town of Enfield that now lies wholly within Connecticut.
1 Nov. 1683	New York created Dukes County that included Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, and the Elizabeth Islands until a new royal charter gave these islands to Massachusetts Bay on 7 Oct. 1691. The latter created the new Dukes County for Martha’s Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands and Nantucket County for Nantucket on 22 June 1695. On this day, New York also recreated Cornwall County in Maine.
18 June 1684	The High Court of Chancery of England cancelled the Charter of 1629 for Massachusetts Bay. This places Massachusetts Bay and Maine under royal authority, though in practice nothing changed until the governor arrived on 17 May 1686.
17 May 1686 18 Apr. 1689	The Dominion of New England was established as the first royal govern arrived bringing together Massachusetts Bay, Maine, and the Narragansett Country. New Plymouth and the Pemaquid Country was added on 20 Dec. 1686. New York (thus eliminating Cornwall County) and New Jersey were added on 1 Apr. 1687. King James II was overthrown on 18 Apr. 1689 by King William III and Queen Mary II in England and Bostonians imprisoned the royal government and others to end this consolidation in North America. Previously forms of government resumed.
15 Mar. 1689/90	Massachusetts Bay created the town of Woodstock that now lies wholly within Connecticut.
7 Oct. 1691	The new Charter of Massachusetts Bay issued that included land between 40°N and 48°N. – explicitly stating this being all of the former Colony of Massachusetts Bay, territory called New Plymouth, territory called the Province of Maine, and the territory between the Sagadahoc River and Nova Scotia, and specifically excluded the charter to John Mason now in the hands of Samuel Allen of London, merchant (i.e. New Hampshire) and the colonies of Rhode Island, Connecticut, and the Narragansett Country. Also included were the Isles of Cappawock (i.e. The Elizabeth Islands) and Nantucket (which seemingly included Martha’s Vineyard).
1 Mar. 1691/2	A royal governor was sent to New Hampshire effectively separating it from Massachusetts Bay, but did not further define its borders beyond the 1679 charter.
22 June 1695	Massachusetts Bay established Dukes County for Martha’s Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands and Nantucket County for Nantucket Island.
20 Sept. 1697	The Treaty of Ryswick ending the King William’s War between England and France transferred Acadia to France and separating it from Massachusetts Bay. The formal transfer followed after the Treaty of Utrecht on 15 Apr. 1713 and ended the nominal jurisdiction over Acadia [Nova Scotia].
13 July 1713	Connecticut and Massachusetts Bay accepted a 1702 survey that confirmed the line between them (the current line minus the jogs) and gave Massachusetts Bay jurisdiction over the border towns of Enfield, Suffield, and Woodstock.
26 June 1716	The jurisdiction of York County extended east beyond the Kennebec River to the St. Croix River, though never defining the northern limit.
5 Aug. 1740	King George II settled the border dispute between Massachusetts Bay and New Hampshire for the latter being up the Piscataqua and Salmon Falls Rivers due north 120 miles or to the end of the colony and 3 miles north of the Merricmack River to Pautucket Falls [now in Lowell, Mass.], then straight west and these are the borders in effect today.
28 May 1746	King George II decided (and implemented on 17 Feb. 1746/7) the border between Massachusetts Bay and Rhode Island so that Massachusetts Bay lost the Attleborough Gore [present-day Cumberland, R.I.] and a 3-mile strip of land on the east side of Narragansett Bay starting at the head of the bay.
In May 1749	Connecticut annexed the Massachusetts Bay towns of Enfield, Somers [created from Enfield], Suffield, and Woodstock. Note that the line was now straight except for the “Southwick jog” that exists to this day.
7 Oct. 1763	When the new royal province of Quebec was created with its southern border being the watershed between the St. Lawrence River and the Atlantic Ocean, the northern border of Cumberland, Lincoln, and York counties was established.
18 May 1773	Massachusetts Bay and New York agreed that their boundary was a straight line roughly parallel to being 20 miles east of the Hudson River – in accordance with the informal agreement of 1664.
In 1774	Connecticut took over a small part of land of Southwick that extended below the 1713 provincial boundary.
3 Sept. 1783	The Treaty of Paris defined the northern boundary as the watershed between the St. Croix River and the Atlantic Ocean.
24 Nov. 1817	By the Treaty of Ghent, islands in the Passamadquoddy Bay being Moose, Dudley [now Treat], and Frederick [now Dudley] were assigned to the United States and made part of Washington Co., Me.
15 Mar. 1820	Maine was set off as an independent state as part of the Missouri Compromise.
3 Nov. 1826	There was a slight straightening of the border between northeastern Connecticut and Massachusetts.
11 Jan. 1855	Boston Corners, the southwestern corner of Berkshire County, annexed to New York.
1 Mar. 1862	Implementation of the U.S. Supreme Court settlement of the boundary between Bristol County and that of neighboring Rhode Island.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is divided into fourteen counties. It is there that most motor hotel and land records are found. Most of the other normally used records will be at the township level. Use the guide below to link to the county you want :
Massachusetts was created from two colonies in 1691. So records before that time would be separate of either Massachusetts Bay Colony Genealogy ( 1629 ) or Plymouth Colony Genealogy ( 1620 ). Other Extinct Jurisdictions

• Old Norfolk, 1643-1680, which was all that north of the Merrimack River and south of the Piscataqua River being then the settled part of what became the royal province of New Hampshire in 1680 (except for roughly two to three miles above the Merrimack River).
• Dominion of New England Genealogy, 1686-1689, a brief consolidation of several British Colonies into one that was very unpopular and it collapsed.
• Maine, records for this region called the District of Maine with counties of its own will all be found under Maine. Only high court and legislative records will be found under their Massachusetts headings.

Non-town names This is a tilt of archaic community, district, neighborhood section, and village names in Massachusetts that will not have a page on this wiki but are authoritative to know their location .

Histories and Genealogies [edit |edit source ]

This is a drawn-out and detailed list of books and articles relating to general topics for Massachusetts. The focus was on books published before 1995, thus newer books are welcome additions to this list. The bibliography is divided into respective topical groups plus a general section .

Quick Links to Massachusetts Bibliography
Records	Guides	General

Records

Guides

General

Massachusetts Genealogy Records [edit |edit source ]

full of life Records [edit |edit source ]

The master full of life record resides in the town or city where the consequence occurred ( in colonial times, a syndicate group of give birth can include events from early towns ). The read of these records was ordered by the government vitamin a early as 1639, though not all places followed the jurisprudence. Both Massachusetts Bay Colony Genealogy and Plymouth Colony Genealogy started to collect these records in a cardinal location, but the commit died out by the mid-17th Century. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts was the inaugural express to create a permanent, statewide recording system starting in 1841. It is luminary that the city of Boston lagged behind in reporting to the state and its records do not show up in the submit organization until a tougher regulation was implemented in 1848 ( though the city did record these records locally ). The only full of life records closed to the public are the original births of better records, out-of-wedlock births, and under-age marriages and those can be opened by a judge.
The original record distillery is found with the salesclerk of the town or city. All these records back to the earliest colony of a town can constantly be viewed at the township or city clerk ’ south function. Most all town and city vital records have been microfilmed by the Family History Library and microfiched by the Holbrook Research Institute of Oxford, Mass. [ now Archive Publishing of Provo, Utah ]. This tends to be the most accomplished record of the event. Since 1841, there should be a second copy with the country and sometimes has abbreviated information from the original. This second imitate is the most wide available reservoir for researchers. It has been preserved by the lapp two vendors listed above and can be found on on-line in a kind of places and forms as listed below.

Pre-1850
Before 1900, a few towns started publishing their own full of life records in book form. The records were normally re-arranged into alphabetic decree but separated by births, marriages, and deaths. church and individual records were added to get a more accomplished record and were intelligibly noted. The Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants published a few of these volumes along with the Systematic History Fund ( a state fund ) ; Essex Institute in Salem ; Topsfield Historical Society, and others. The greatest number were published by the New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston, in part from their Eddy Town-Record Fund. About two-thirds of the state ( approximately 236 towns ) has been published from the original township records and a few still are being released nowadays. To learn more about this department of state issue project, see the article on The Publication of Vital Records of Massachusetts Towns written in 1919. Check the Mass. Town Pre-1850 Published Vital Records Guide for a list of the towns published up to 2011. There are links to some on-line versions below. A search in Google will reveal many town / region specific sites that have reproduced the volumes online or pdf versions available for downloading.
Pre-1850 Online
AmericanAncestors.org ($)

• Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850
  [Not complete, but list available by “volume” menu]

Ancestry.com ($)
fold3.com ($)
Free online versions

• The Early Vital Records of Massachusetts website transcribes each page and links it to an image of original of the original page. As of May 2013, Plymouth County was only partially done and Suffolk County had not been started. The rest of the towns across the state were there. Click on the Town tab to get a list of towns by county.
• Frederic William Bailey, comp., Early Massachusetts Marriages Prior to 1800 (New Haven, Conn., 1897-1914, in 7v.; rep. Baltimore, 1968+).
  Digital version for Vol. 1 (Worcester Co.) only at Internet Archive or Google Books.
  Berkshire Genealogist Indexing Committee, Master Index to Early Massachusetts Marriages (Pittsfield, Mass., 1996), 131 leaves, is a single, full-name index to the series of seven volumes.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.

1841 – 1920
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts was the foremost country to create statewide vital records in the modern sense starting in 1841. It is celebrated that the city of Boston lagged behind reporting to the state and its records do not show up at the state until about 1848 ( though the city maintained its own records before then ). The original country records are held by : Massachusetts Archives
220 Morrissey Blvd.
Boston MA 02125
Phone 617-727-2816
Email archives @ sec.state.ma.us
Hours and Directions Visitors can make their own copies from the microfilm copies or request certified copies per their rules. The archives merely has the amended records up to v. 69 ( 1920 ). They have an on-line index to the records for 1841 to 1910 that is searchable for first name, final name, town, depart year, end year, and character of record. Note that this is accurate spelling searches only. Photocopies of records can be ordered by electronic mail and an invoice will be included with the photocopies. Certified copies ( $ 3.00 each ) must be request in person or by mail with prepayment. No more than five requests per order, please.
These records can be viewed on-line in two locations : New England Historic Genealogical Society
99 – 101 Newbury Street
Boston MA 02116
Phone 888-296-3447 The NEHGS has online databases at their american Ancestors website for 1841 to 1920. You must be a member of the Society to access these indexes and the actual records which are linked from this index. The records are searchable in the like manner as the Mass. Archives above, though the last name can be searched by Soundex. If you go to the library, there are book indexes in five-year blocks for births, 1900-1950, marriages, 1900-1955, 1966-1970, and deaths, 1900-1980. They besides have the amended birth records indexes for to 1929 ( 1 v. ) [ going back to 1841 ], to 1944 ( 2 v. ), to 1962 ( 3 v. ), to 1965 ( 1 v. ), and to 1968 ( 1 v. ). These indexes beyond 1920 are not by and large available elsewhere .
Family History Library
35 North West Temple Street
Salt Lake City UT 84150
Phone 866-406-1830
This library and its many branches ( where you can borrow the microfilm for a little fee ) will have all the same records as listed above. You can access online for release :
fold3.com ($) This web site has the statewide full of life records index, 1841-1895 that is searchable, but besides browsable in its original form : separate parturition, marriage, and death with freestanding indexes for each five-year menstruation.
Ancestry has the following Massachusetts Vital Record Indexes :

1921 – present
The original state records are held by : Registry of Vital Records and Statistics
150 Mount Vernon St., 1st Floor
Dorchester MA 02125
Phone 617-740-2600
Email vital.recordsrequest @ state.ma.us
They have limited research hours This agency only makes license copies of full of life records. There are respective ways to purchases copies both on-line and in person. This agency besides has the amended parturition records after v. 69 ( 1920 ) and a statewide index to divorces from 1952 to the present ( though the record itself will be with the probate court ). There is a computerize exponent for the most recent records and five-year block indexes for births, marriages, and deaths onsite. Every five years, another forget of five years is transferred to the State Archives and at the lapp time is made available through the Family History Library. These records are afford to the public, with some restrictions on certain parentage and marriage records. The original town copies are always unfold to the public.
lineage has the following Massachusetts Vital Record Indexes :

Divorce Records
divorce records have been handled by the probate court system since 1922 and normally filed where the couple death lived together. These are public records ( with minor exceptions ). There is a statewide exponent that starts in 1952 at the Registry listed above. Before that, the county Superior Court had jurisdiction. From 1786 to 1887, all cases were administered through the Supreme Judicial Court. All these records are held at the Judicial Archives in the Mass. Archives adeptness. The earliest disassociate records are scattered through a diverseness of courts who held joint jurisdiction. The Supreme Judicial Court created a fact sheet for the public in 2004 and the summary of it is below :

Dates	Description
1639-1692	Divorce petitions were filed in a variety of courts, including the county courts, the General Court, and the Court of Assistants. Records of the General Court and the Court of Assistants have been published. The Original records are available in the Suffolk Files Collection, the Massachusetts Archives Collection, and in the county courts.
1692-1775	Divorces were heard by the Governor and Council (from 1755 to 1757, six petitions were heard by the General Court). The original records are found in the Massachusetts Archives Collection, Suffolk Files Collection, and the county courts.
1775-1785	The Council had jurisdiction then. Search for them in the Massachusetts Archives Collection and the Council records.
1785-1796	The Massachusetts Acts and Resolves granted jurisdiction over divorce to the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC). These original records are in the Suffolk Files Collection. Check the microfilm “county index” in the Archives reading room. They will refer to various SJC Record Books. See the chart below for these record books.
1796-1887	The divorce will be in the Supreme Judicial Court in the county in which the couple was residing. Most of the Record Books are indexed (see location chart below). These records will have a summary of the grounds for divorce, date and place of marriage, where the couple lived until the divorce, and sometimes the names and ages of the children. The file papers are generally in the year and term that the divorce was finalized (i.e. six months after it was granted) and arranged by docket (case) number. Post 1860 file papers are in off-site storage. See the Judicial Archivist for information to see these records.
1887	Jurisdiction over divorces was moved to the Superior Court. These records are indexed chronologically in separate divorce docket books. The Judicial Archives (in the same building with the Mass. Archives) has divorce indexes and/or docket books on microfilm in the Archives reading room for all counties except for Barnstable, Dukes, and Nantucket counties. Those are in their respective Superior Court.
1922	The Probate and Family Court began hearing divorce concurrently with the Superior, though most came to this court. Each probate court kept alphabetical indexes to these records. There is a statewide index since 1952 at the Registry of Vital Records and Statistics (listed above).

For the placement of the records, use the chart below that was created by the Supreme Judicial Court Archives in 2004 :
Location of Massachusetts Divorce Records

County	Supreme Judicial Court	SJC Microfilm	Superior Court	SC Microfilm
Barnstable	All records in courthouse	n/a	n/a	n/a
Berkshire	SJC Record Books in the Judicial Archives and microfilm available at the Berkshire Athenaeum in Pittsfield	n/a	SC records and index card file in Judicial Archives	1888-1927 in Archives Reading Room
Bristol	SJC Record Books in the Judicial Archives	1862-1889 in Archives Reading Room	SC Divorce dockets in the Judicial Archives. The file papers in the Superior Court, Taunton	Divorce Dockets in Archives Reading Room
Dukes	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Essex	SJC Record Books in courthouse, Salem, and file papers in off-site storage. A consolidated index, 1785-1904, on microfilm in Archives Reading Room	1797-1820 in Archives Reading Room	1887-1927 SC Divorce indexes in Judicial Archives and file papers in off-site storage. Probate Court Divorce Index, 1922-1944, in Judicial Archives and file papers in off-site storage	See consolidated index in Archives Reading Room
Franklin	SJC Record Books in Judicial Archives and file papers in off-site storage	1872-1887 in Archives Reading Room	SC Divorce Record Books in Judicial Archives. The index is at the courthouse in Greenfield. The file papers are in off-site storage	In Archives Reading Room
Hampden	SJC Record Books in Judicial Archives and file papers in off-site storage	SJC Divorce Index in Archives Reading Room	SC Divorce Dockets and file papers in off-site storage	Divorce Index in Archives Reading Room
Hampshire	SJC Record Books and file papers in Judicial Archives	n/a	SC Divorce Record Books in Judicial Archives and file papers in off-site storage	n/a
Middlesex	SJC Record Books in Judicial Archives	1807-1887 in Archives Reading Room	SC Divorce Dockets in Judicial Archives and file papers in off-site storage	1887-1938 in Archives Reading Room
Nantucket	All records in courthouse	n/a	n/a	n/a
Norfolk	SJC Record Books in Judicial Archives	n/a	SC Divorce Dockets in Judicial Archives and file papers in off-site storage	n/a
Plymouth	SJC Record Books in Judicial Archives	1813-1889 in Archives Reading Room	SC Dockets and index in Judicial Archives and file papers in off-site storage	Dockets and index in Archives Reading Room
Suffolk	SJC Record Books and file papers in Judicial Archives	1760-1786 in Archives Reading Room and 1786-1804 in Suffolk Files Collection	SC Divorce Record Books and index in Superior Court Civil Clerk’s office and file papers in off-site storage	1887-1916 in Archives Reading Room
Worcester	SJC Record Books in Judicial Archives	1797-1887 in Archives Reading Room	SC Divorce Dockets (1887-1890 vol. missing) and index in Judicial Archives and file papers in off-site storage	1887-1936 Docket Books and index in Archives Reading Room

Adoption Records
Like most all states, Massachusetts seals the records of borrowing that include the original birth certificate with the biological parents. These records stay sealed unless opened by court order. Who can see this seal data is limited by law. There is no means a person can know they are adopted without being told by person. There are several registries online set up to assist adoptees and biological parents help find each other. To orderliness your pre-adoption birth certificate, download the instructions and mannequin.

To learn more about the history of borrowing in Massachusetts, see Joseph Ben-Or, “ The Law of Adoption in the United States : Its Massachusetts Origins and the Statute of 1851 ” in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 130 [ 1976 ] : 259-269, and on-line at american Ancestors ( $ ).

Bibliography
Thanks to the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants for their contributions to this page

land Records [edit |edit source ]

The earliest settlers in this area were issued patents or charters directly or through diverse types of companies established for liquidation and/or barter. See the Historical Data postpone to identify these early documents. once the two major colonies were settled ( i.e. Plymouth Colony Genealogy and Massachusetts Bay Colony Genealogy ), land was distributed by their colonial governments through grants. Massachusetts Bay Colony Genealogy established a county system in 1643 and land was recorded in the county deeds from then on. Plymouth Colony Genealogy used a centralized arrangement and recorded these deeds colony-wide from 1620 to 1685 until it finally established a county system in 1685. The down records for the area immediately called Maine were always kept individually first wholly as was later was called York County. For each of these areas, country was granted for many years after the initial settlement as the colony expanded into chartless district given to it under the respective patents and charters. All subsequent sales were recorded by the county. Though the huge majority of farming transactions were recorded, it was not a necessity that this be done. It was in the best matter to of the owner to do therefore, and legal advantages were given to such recordings. To search for land records, see the guide for the county of interest and use the resources found there.

For counties with on-line records, the “ recorded land ” is what is microfilmed and constitutes the majority of the records. There are “ register domain ” deeds that go through kingdom woo. These are deeds are court approved as having clear title ( i.e. no encumbrances ). It you do not find anything in the first gear section, constantly search registered land for deeds since 1899.

Court System [edit |edit source ]

Understanding the Massachusetts Court System
This is the history of the court system. It is broken up into historical periods and then a discussion of particular courts, records, legal definitions, and bibliography. Realize that except for the upper courts, all records and actions were on the county tied. To find detail information regarding a particular county ‘s courts, see that county page from the links provided above .

Colonial Period (1620-1686) – Plymouth Colony
The Peirce Patent was a charter from the Virginia Company issued to the Merchant Adventurers in 1620 for the settlement of the Pilgrims in the northerly separate of the Virginia territory. This patent was never in habit because the Pilgrims settled outside this territory. frankincense, the adult male passengers created the document they called a “ combination ” and now called the “ Mayflower Compact ” to give a administration structure to the Plymouth settlement. The Second Peirce Patent was issued in 1621 from the Council for New England for the area they settled. The Bradford Patent of 1629 ( of “ purchasers ” ) gave the settlers legal condition as residents, but did not create a basis for laws as royal charters would did for early colonies.

Though having no legal authority to do indeed, but in the best pastime of the settlers, the “ combination ” was an agreement of the pornographic males of the colonization to establish a “ civil soundbox politic ” and make just laws, acts, etc. for the cosmopolitan good of the colony. From this single act, the group elected a governor and respective assistants to govern them ( though we do not have cognition of how that was decided ). On 17 December 1623 ( but recorded in 1627 ), the beginning regulate of the Court was that all criminal acts, matters of trespass, and debts between men would be tried by a jury of twelve honest men. Historians have determined that they cobbled together Common Law and filled it in with Mosaic Law. The laws were first codified in 1636 and revised in 1658, 1672, and 1685.

By 1636, the Governor and seven Assistants were elected annually by the freemen of the colony for the terminus of one class according to the former custom and that constables and early inferior officers besides were chosen. The Governor, Board of Assistants ( being seven freemen of the colony ), and the freemen of the colony met quarterly as the General Court (1623-1692). They functioned as the legislature and court. They heard capital cases of treason, rebellion, willful mangle, conversing with the devil by way of witchcraft, burn of ships or houses, sodomy, rapes, and sodomy. The Magistrate Court (1623?-1692) learn cases of adultery, curse, lying, stealing, embezzling, alcoholism, gambling, lascivious baby buggy, burning fences, defacing boundary markers, using tobacco, setting fires in the woods, counterfeit, stealing populace records, denying the Scriptures as the rule of life sentence, being lacking from church, and keeping the Sabbath. The Court of Assistants (1623-1692) was the meet of the Governor and at least two Assistants and handled all cases under £40 penalty.

County Courts (1685-1692) were established when the counties were created following the model of Massachusetts Bay Colony .

Colonial Period (1629-1686) – Massachusetts Bay
The Charter of 1629 issued by the King established the General Court (1629-1692) that met quarterly to make, ordain, and establish all manner of wholesome and fair orders, laws, statutes, and ordinances, directions, and instructions not contrary to the laws of England and to settle the forms and ceremonies of government and magistracy fit and necessity so that the people may be religiously, peaceably, and civilly governed. All the freemen met and acted as the General Court. The court chose per annum the governor, deputy government, and eighteen assistants who acted as the Court of Assistants (1630-1692) when the General Court was not in session and with its full assurance to correct, punish, pardon, govern, and rule. Members of the Assistants were given the powers of Justices of the Peace and called Magistrates. These magistrates could hear civil suits under than 20 shill ( increased to 40 shillings in 1647 ) and treat misdemeanors such of profanity or drink in their own towns.

The Inferior Quarter Courts were established in 1639 as a racing circuit county woo composed of the county magistrates where the court was sitting with a jury in Ipswich, Salem, Cambridge ( Newtown ), and Boston. This court took over all the cases of the Court of Assistants except those with damages over £10, disassociate, and cases of biography, member, and banishment. These courts were renamed County Court (1636-1692).

This three-tiered system was in space throughout the colonial time period. It focused on the magistrates who controlled the legal affairs. When they sat alone in their town, they handled all the minor cases for the town. The more unplayful cases rose to the horizontal surface where all the magistrates of the county sat in concert with a jury to decide the cases. The most unplayful issues were handled the eighteen magistrates assembled in concert ( called the “ Assistants ” ) with the Governor and Deputy Governor, or with the freemen of the colony, to pass judgment on the major cases of the day.

Dominion of New England (1686-1689)
The charter of Massachusetts Bay was revoked in 1684 by King Charles II who tried to reign in this theocratically ruled colony while besides streamlining the administration of several other nearby colonies. initially, the Dominion comprised Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth Colony, Province of New Hampshire, Province of Maine, and the Narragansett Country of contemporary Washington Co., R.I. Formal change did not occur until 1686 with the arrival of Joseph Dudley in Boston and the assent of King James II. Dudley added the colonies of Connecticut and Rhode Island before Edmund Andros arrived at the end of the year. Andros attempted to design Dominion laws to more closely mirror those in England. By 1688, Andros added the provinces of New York, East Jersey, and West Jersey to the Dominion though government of these areas was unaccented because the distance from the seat at Boston was besides big even with a satellite position in New York City. King James II was overthrown in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. This news traveled back to Boston where the local syndicate jailed Andros in April of 1689 which officially ended the Dominion.

During this period, the General Court was abolished and the Court of Assistants replaced by a Governor and Council (1686-1689) appointed by the Crown. A Superior Court of Judicature (1686-1689) was established as the highest authority. The County Court was split between the Court of Common Pleas for civil cases and the Court of General Sessions for criminal cases. Magistrates were replaced by Justices of the Peace with the same powers. All this ended in April of 1689 and the former colonies and provinces returned to their early structure until new royal charters were issued in 1692.

Provincial Period (1692-1780)
In 1692, the General Court was restored as the legislative body with legal power over all of Massachusetts Bay Colony ( that comprised contemporary Massachusetts and Maine ). The state maintained the three-tiered woo organization. It immediately established the Governor and Council (1692-1780) that had authority over divorce and probate appeals. The Superior Court of Judicature (1692-1780) was the highest appellate ( i.e. appeals court ) and the trial motor hotel for capital criminal cases, civil cases over £10, and some fairness matters. It was a circuit motor hotel moving between counties with a expansive jury and at times two trial juries.

The county Court of General Sessions (1692-1827) learn all criminal cases before a bench of justices of the peace. They besides had authority over county affairs ( levying taxes, highways, licenses for liquor, jails, and administration of poor laws ). Its partner, the Inferior Court of Common Pleas (1692-1859), heard the civil cases of the county. These courts met quarterly and handled no cases under £40 unless it was on appeal from the lower court. The lowest court was the Justice of the Peace (1687-present) and these justices were appointed by the governor. The justices heard criminal cases ( alcoholism, riot, and violations of Sabbath ) and civil cases under £40. This court sat in the judge ’ mho house where he kept the minutes and collected the fines. Defendants appeared by summons via the county sheriff or town constable.

note that though there were interruptions on the courts sitting in Boston in 1775 and 1776, the court ’ s legal power and summons remained unaltered.

Commonwealth Period (1780-present)
The Massachusetts Constitution of 1780 created a interval of powers and allowed that the other branches may require an opinion from the Supreme Judicial Court on questions of law. This was one of the few instances where advisory jurisdiction was given in the state and is found nowhere at the federal horizontal surface. The highest courts from other states needing to rule on a Massachusetts state law that had not been previous rendered could send the question to the court for their opinion. Judges for the Supreme Judicial Court were allowed to hold their office ampere long as they “ behaved themselves ” and all stream appointments anterior to the Constitution were continued thus keeping the legal authority of this court from its administration as the Superior Court of Judicature in 1692, but renaming it as the Supreme Judicial Court (1780-present). Its jurisdiction was codified in 1782 as taking cases by attract, writ of erroneousness, capital offenses, and “ every crime any that is against the public good ” [ St.1782, c.9 ].

Divorce was moved from under the Governor and Council to the Supreme Judicial Court in 1785 [ St.1785, c.69 ]. The court continued as a circuit court, sitting in respective counties by mandate of the legislature. To this sharpen, all records were recorded and maintained by the clerk in Boston ( Suffolk County ). Starting in 1797, the records were recorded in the county the woo sat by the clerk of that county ’ randomness Court of Common Pleas ( being made a clerk of the Supreme Judicial Court for that county when the woo was in school term there ). The exception to that principle was that Suffolk County recorded the sessions held in Nantucket County ; Barnstable County recorded the sessions held in Dukes County ; and Lincoln County recorded the sessions for Lincoln, Hancock, and Washington counties. [ St.1796, c.95 ]

There were two sessions of the motor hotel. One learn capital offenses, appeals from probate, and all issues in law that were tried by three or more judges ( the phone number of judges varied over the years between four and seven ) and the other hear all early actions ( i.e. cases not being appealed by a lower court ) and was tried by a individual judge that was subject to review by the unharmed court. This was besides the year that the Reports of Supreme Judicial Court started publishing annually [ St.1804, c.105 ]. This practice of taking actions not on invoke was called nisi prius ( Latin for “ unless first ” ), meaning it became the court of original jurisdiction. A second trial on the facts on entreaty to this court was abolished in 1817. The legislature clarified the legal power between the Supreme Judicial Court and the then statewide Court of Common Pleas in 1840 [ St.1840, c.87 ] that remained in impression until the reorganization of the court arrangement in 1859.

The changes in 1859 did not affect this court as the streamlining broadly reshaped the lower courts. Over time, the Supreme Judicial Court ’ s stress was narrowed ( see Menand ’ s book, pages 39 to 41, cited in the references ). Divorce was removed to a lower woo in 1887 [ St.1887, c.332 ]. An Appeals Court (1972-present) was added with the Supreme Judicial Court to help with the reserve of cases and covers all the state, but normally sits in Boston [ St.1972, c.740 ]. The Supreme Judicial Court is the superintendent over all subscript courts and maintains wax agency over all court records.

Lower Courts (i.e. Trial Courts)
The middle tier courts continued to function as before the Constitution. specific jurisdictions shifted back and away between the two middle-tier courts. Boston and Suffolk County developed a distinguish court system in this tier. In 1799, the Municipal Court of the Town of Boston (1799-1859) had been given authority over all condemnable cases in Boston [ St.1799, c.81 ] and renamed the Municipal Court of the City of Boston in 1822 [ St.1822, c.13 ]. The Boston Court of Common Pleas (1813-1820) was created to handle all civil case that would have gone to the Suffolk County Court of Common Pleas in 1813 [ St.1813, c.173 ]. After Maine separated from the Commonwealth in 1820, the Circuit Court of Common Pleas and the Boston Court of Common Pleas was replaced by a Court of Common Pleas for the Commonwealth (1820-1859) that heard both civil and criminal cases [ St.1820, c.79 ]. The Court of General Sessions was phased out and by 1827 ceased to exist in all counties. A Superior Court for Suffolk County (1855-1859) was established in 1855 to handle all civil cases in that county [ St.1855, c.449 ].

This entire system was reorganized in 1859 and born out of this was the fresh Superior Court (1859-present) that combined the powers of all the previous courts into one. The woo sat four, alternatively of two, times to accommodate both the criminal and civil case load. There were tweaks to this system along the way. The major changes were bringing general equity jurisdiction to the court in 1883 [ St.1883, c.223 ], having Middlesex and Suffolk counties keep a divide docket for this in 1892 [ St.1892, c.439 – though changed with uniform civil procedures in 1974 ], and the court having exclusive original jurisdiction over capital crimes in 1891 [ St.1891, c.379 ]. See Menand ’ s book, pages 53 to 57, for far details on legal power changes and description of the Appellate Division (1943-present) and the court reorganization in 1978.

The lowest court as discussed above was the Justice of the Peace. The powers established in 1687 were continually eroded away and now they lone have the authority to perform marriages, acknowledgements ( i.e. notary ), administer certain oaths, take depositions, and call meetings of assorted owner groups and corporations. These were technically motor hotel records though the judge sat in their own populate, the records often passed off as personal papers that are normally found in historic societies and university libraries. The Boston Police Court (1821-1866) was established as the first patrol court in the Commonwealth with the authority of the Court of Commons Pleas for the Commonwealth in Suffolk County [ St.1821, c.79 and St.1822, c.109 ]. More such patrol courts were created starting in 1831 with separate parameters for each of them. In every exemplify, the patrol court entirely assumed most of the powers from the Justice of the Peace. condemnable cases were removed from the justices in 1856 [ St.1856, c.138 ] and civil cases in 1877 [ St.1877, c.211 ].

The court reorganization of 1859 standardized the make and function of the patrol courts. The District Court concept started in Berkshire County with the District Court of Central Berkshire that had legal power over Pittsfield and seven adjacent towns with the powers of a patrol court centralized over a larger area [ St. 1869, c. 416 ]. The rest of Berkshire County was divided into two more districts in the following year and this vogue of the lowest court gap across the Commonwealth. By 1921, the remaining thirteen police courts were renamed and the institution of the District Court (1921-present) was solidified and uniform across the stallion Commonwealth [ G.L.1921, c.218 ]. These courts had jurisdiction over crimes penal by jail sentences up to five years and some felony crimes up to ten years, and some juvenile matters where Juvenile Courts did not exist. They shared duty over probate matters involving children. The court sat for small claims and civil actions where the plaintiff did not wish to have a jury trial. An Appellate Division (1922-present) was added for civil actions.

Special Courts
The Massachusetts woo system has maintained a three-tiered system for most of history. As the subject lode of special area grew, the Commonwealth created particular courts for these cases while preserving the basic structure.

Admiralty Court
These maritime cases were beginning heard by the Court of Assistants in Massachusetts Bay Colony. Under the second charter in 1692, this woo was pulled out as a separate civil law court with judges appointed by the King and not separate of the peasant motor hotel system. During the Revolution and after, this court was established in Plymouth, Ipswich, and North Yarmouth. These courts ceased with the adoption of the federal fundamental law in 1786 and these matters transferred to the new U.S. District Court. The records of these courts are separate of the Suffolk Files Collection.

Coroners Court
Appointed coroners along with a jury made inquests on deaths and reported their findings to the County Court. After the second base lease in 1692, the findings were reported to the Court of Assize and the Court of General Sessions.

Boston Municipal Court (1866-present)
Though basically a zone court, it is administered individually [ St.1866, c.279 ]. It is the successor of the Boston Police Court ( 1821-1866 ) which met daily for criminal cases and bi-weekly for civil cases. The jurisdiction extends over all of Suffolk County for certain cases ( see Menand ’ s book, pages 71 to 73, cited in the references ). An Appellate Division was created in 1912 [ St.1912, c.649 ]. With the court reorganization of 1978, it became the Boston Municipal Court Department of the Trial Court [ St.1978, c.478 ].

Probate Court (1783-present)
This character of court case has always been present and the records reach bet on unbroken to the liquidation of the two colonies, but it was first the County Court and then the Governor and Council who handled probate cases. The united states constitution of 1780 mention probate judges, but the legislature codified the oscilloscope as the probate of wills, government of estates, and appointment of guardians for minor and “ perturb persons ” [ St.1783, c.46 ]. It is a court of equity, not common law, and provides remedies. Because of legislation, the probate courts have added legal power over adoption ( 1851 ), disassociate ( 1887/1922 ), change of list ( 1854 ), and domestic relations. marriage was never based in park police in Massachusetts and was performed by magistrates. As such, it has always been a civil sign. The Royal Charter allowed for marriages to be performed by justices of the peace or by a colonized minister in 1692 [ P.L.1692-3, c.25 ], but it remained a contract. All issues relating to marriage are handled by the probate court, such as women ’ sulfur petitions for branch estates, revocation, and affirmation of marriages. The names of this court have evolved from Probate Court (1783-1858) and that had an Insolvency Court (1856-1858). These two combined to be called the Probate and Insolvency (1858-1978). The court reorganization in 1978 renamed it to Probate and Family Court (1978-present).

Land Court (1898-present)
The Court of Registration (1898-1900) was legislated to register title of land to deal with veridical and personal property ( broadly of die persons ) while simplifying land transfers [ St.1898, c.562 ]. The name was changed to the Court of Land Registration (1900-1904) and then the present Land Court in 1904. The court normal sits in Boston, but can sit in other locations and covers the integral Commonwealth. The woo oversees foreclosures, redemption from tax titles, convalescence of freehold estates, petitions to try, and determines the cogency of encumbrances and discharges of mortgage. It has authority over matter to in real estate of the realm and petitions to determine boundaries of flats, county, city, township, or districts, can enforce restrictions, and validate municipal zone ordinances and bylaw. Appeals from zoning board decisions are handled hera.

Juvenile Court
Children were identified as a special course tracing bet on to 1641 in Massachusetts Bay Colony. The probate wing of a woo beginning handled children and then these kin matters fell under the Probate Court. The first speciate court was the Boston Juvenile Court (1906). young offenders were to be treated as children in want of aid, not as a criminal. A derelict child was defined as between seven and seventeen years who violated a town align or committed an crime not penal by death or life imprisonment. Courts have been since been opened in Springfield (1969), Worcester (1969), and New Bedford (1972). These courts were reorganized in 1978 as the Juvenile Court Department.

Housing Court
Matters relating to State Sanitary Code, building rule and inspection, fire caution, rubbish disposal, landlord and tenant disputes, and any early law concerning health, safety, or social welfare of any resident of any place of human habitation are handled by District Courts. A Boston Housing Court (1971), Hampden County Court (1973), and Worcester Housing Court (1983) [ to which Bellingham was added in 1985 ] were created for these areas. They are now all divisions of the Housing Court Department of the Trial Court.

Records
The records from the above courts are reviewed on the Massachusetts, Massachusetts Bay Colony, Plymouth Colony, and allow county pages. All records are under the authority and dominance of the Supreme Judicial Court.

The court records have three general types of records : agenda books, record books, and file papers. Docket books for civil actions outline the actions heard by the woo in chronological order. Cases are routinely continued to another term of the court. In criminal cases, these books are called minute books. record books are summaries made at the goal of a sheath about the plaintiff, defendant, the action, damages sought, and the history of the case. The file papers are the original documents submitted to the court. There are rarely more than a few documents in the subject before the nineteenth century. All documents provide an insight into the case, but genealogists tend to look for the summaries, depositions from witnesses ( to learn more about the witness more than the parties to the case ), and warnings out.

Legal Definition of Age
This series of definitions of the age person can legally do something comes from Giles Jacob, A New Law-Dictionary ( Savoy, 1750 ) :
man :

12: take an oath of Allegiance to the King.

14: “age of discretion” so that he can consent to marriage and chose a guardian.

16: able to bear arms.[1]

21: may alien his lands, goods, and chattels.

24: can be ordained a priest.

30: can be a bishop.

charwoman :

09: is dowable, i.e. able to have / receive a dower.

12: may consent to marriage.

14: “age of discretion” and may chose a guardian.

21: may alien her lands, goods, and chattels.

person :

14: may dispose of goods and personal estate by will, though not of land until 21. They are generally not punishable for crimes, but must pay damages for trespass. They may be witnesses in any court action or function, and in some ages give evidence by age 9.

21: full age to contract and manage for themselves, and can be executor of a will before this time. They can be a member of Parliament.

A person becomes of age at the end of the day preceding the day of their parentage. A minor person may purchase something, but arriving at 21 can disagree to it. Age Prier is an action being brought against a person under old age for lands which he has by lineage. He may petition the court to stay the action until he is of wax age ( 21 ) to which a court general agrees, but this does not hold for if the minor is the buyer of the down.

Bibliography

Guides :
Records and inventories :
References :
Cemeteries are operated privately or by the town or city politics. Massachusetts is fortunate to have a statewide guide for all known cemeteries within the country :

• David Allen Lambert, A Guide to Massachusetts Cemeteries (Boston, 2002, 2nd ed., 2009), xvii, 345 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974.4 V34L (both for 2nd ed.).

State Census [edit |edit source ]

Quick Links to State Census
Records Loss	Bibliography

The foremost census was taken in 1765. It enumerated statistically the phone number of houses, families, and people who were categorized under white males, white females ( each with the total above and below historic period 16 ), Negro and Mulatto, Indians ( each with the number of males and females ), and french Neutrals ( male and female, both above and below age 16 ). The township tallies were published at the end of Benton ‘s book listed below.

The Provincial Congress needing to raise funds in 1775 determined it should be done by the population of the colonies. By an dissemble on 16 Feb. 1776, the General Court of Massachusetts ordered a census to be taken to include the name of the heads of each family, number of white people, number of Negroes and Mulattoes, and the unharmed number within each syndicate. These returned were to be submitted by each town.

The Congress again wanted an enumeration in 1781, but that resulted in creating estimates based on the stream polls at the time. The Congress requested another census on 17 Feb. 1783 and Massachusetts responded in 1784 for an “ accurate account of the quantity of land within this Commonwealth granted to, or surveyed for, any person, the number of buildings thereon, and of its inhabitants. ” Returns by town were to be made to the Secretary of the Commonwealth as of 1 Sept. 1784.

Massachusetts took two censuses in 1837 – one of inhabitants and the early of ratable polls. In 1840, the Commonwealth elected to take their own census along with the one the union government was doing. The submit reckon was roughly 20,000 less than the Federal total for 1840 and 1850. The Commonwealth started its own decennial census in 1855 and these continued through 1975. The merely exist schedules are for 1855 and 1865, and returns for 1915. The Legislature decided to change the basis of representation in the state from inhabitants to legal voters in 1857. At the like time, they repealed the duplicate state of matter census they conducted along side the Federal census. The provision for legal voters was repealed in 1860 and that match was done in junction with the decennial censuses of the express on the fifth year.

For 1855, the census recorded every person by name in the family, long time, sex, color, occupation, stead of birth, and whether a person was deaf, dumb, blind, harebrained, absurd, pauper, or convict. Enumerators in twenty-two ( 22 ) towns listed the accurate place of birth. These towns are :
Abington, Andover, Brimfield, Brookline, Carlisle, Dennis, Enfield, Harwich, Holland, Ipswich, Marshfield, New Ashford, North Attleboro, Pembroke, Provinctown, Shutesbury, Wayland, Wellfleet, Westport, Wilmington, and Yarmouth.
These records are available online at FamilySearch as Massachusetts, State Census, 1855.

For 1865, the census recorded every person by appoint in the family, historic period, sex, color, position of birth, marital condition, occupation, whether a person was deaf, dumb, blind, insane, absurd, pauper, or convict, and whether a man was a ratable poll ( i.e. over 16 with enough property to be taxed ), and a legal voter or a naturalized voter. Enumerators in ninety-six ( 96 ) towns listed the exact locate of birth. These towns are :
Ashburnham, Ashfield, Bedford, Berlin, Bolton, Boxborough, Brimfield, Brookline, Carlisle, Charlestown, Chatham, Cheshire, Chester, Cummington, Dartmouth, Dennis, Dorchester, Dunstable, Edgartown, Essex, Falmouth, Florida, Foxborough, Framingham, Freetown, Gill, Gosnold, Grafton, Greenwich, Groton, Hadley, Halifax, Hancock, Harwich, Hawley, Holland, Hopkinton, Ipswich, Lee, Leicester, Lenox, Lexington, Leyden, Littleton, Lunenburg, Lynn ( Wds. 3-5 ), Lynnfield, Marlborough, Marshfield, Melrose, Middleton, Milton, Monroe, Monson, Monterey, Needham, New Ashford, New Bedford ( Wd. 4 ), New Salem, North Bridgewater [ now Brockton ], North Reading, Northfield, Palmer, Pepperell, Quincy, Reading, Rehoboth, Rochester, Rockport, Russell, Scituate, Sharon, Sherborn, Shutesbury, Somerset, South Danvers [ now Peabody ], Stoughton, Sutton, Swampscott, Tisbury, Uxbridge, Ware, Wareham, Watertown, Wayland, Wellfleet, Wendell, Westborough, Westford, Westminister, Weymouth, Williamsburg, Wilmington, Winthrop, and Yarmouth.
These records are available online at FamilySearch as Massachusetts, State Census, 1865.

This is a short bibliography on the subject of censuses in Massachusetts :
Records Loss

State Censuses of Massachusetts
1945	Lost
1935	Lost
1925	Lost
1915	Lost
1905	Lost
1895	Lost
1885	Lost
1875	Lost
1865 May 1	Exist
1855 June 1	Exist
1850	Lost
1840	Lost
1837 May 1	Lost

Bibliography

• Josiah Henry Benton, Early Census Making in Massachusetts, 1643-1765, with a reproduction of the lost census of 1765 (recently found) and documents relating thereto (Boston, 1905), 104 pp.
  Digital versions at Internet Archive or Google Books.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
• William H. Dumont, “A Short Census of Massachusetts – 1779” in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, 49: 14-20, 96-100, 137-141; 50: 26-28, 207-214; 51: 44-48.
  This is included because of the title, but it should be noted that this is not a census.
• Charles Ferris Gettemy, An Historical Survey of Census Taking in Massachusetts (Boston, 1919), 57 pp.
  Digital version at Google Books.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
• Samuel Abbott Green, “The First Census of Massachusetts” [i.e. 1765] in Publications of the American Statistical Association, New Ser., 2 [1890-1891]: 182-185.
  Digital version at Jstor (free).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
• Ann S. Lainhart, State Census Records (Baltimore, 1992), 116 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 973 X2Lai.
• Ann Smith Lainhart, 1855 and 1865 Massachusetts State Censuses For … (Boston, 1986-1992), in 64 volumes for the seventy-three (73) towns of Acton, Bedford, Billerica, Boxboro, Boxford, Bradford, Bridgewater, Brighton, Burlington, Charlestown (2v.), Chelmsford, Concord, Dracut, Dunstable, Duxbury, East Bridgewater, Essex, Georgetown, Groton, Groveland, Halifax, Hamilton, Hanover, Hanson, Hingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hull, Ipswich, Lexington, Lincoln, Littleton, Lynnfield, Manchester, Marlborough, Marshfield, Mattapoisett, Medford, Melrose, Middleborough, Middleton, Nahant, Natick, Newbury, North Andover, North Bridgewater [now Brockton], Pembroke, Plympton, Rochester, Rockport, Saugus, South Reading [now Wakefield], Sherborn, Shirley, Stoneham, Stow, Sudbury, Swampscott, Tewksbury, Topsfield, Townsend, Tyngsborough, Wareham, Watertown, Wayland, Wenham, West Bridgewater, West Cambridge [now Arlington], West Newbury, Westford, Weston, Wilmington, and Winchester.
• “Old Census of Massachusetts” [1764-65] published in the Columbian Centinel, issue 17 Aug. 1822, p. 1, cols. 2-3.

Federal Census [edit |edit source ]

Massachusetts: Existing and Lost Federal Census Schedules[2]
Exact Date	Population Schedules	Veterans/ Pensioners	Slave Owners	Mortality	Agricultural	Industrial/ Manufacturers	Defective	Indian[3]
1940 Apr. 1	Exist	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
1930 Apr. 1	Exist	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
1920 Jan. 1	Exist	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
1910 Apr. 15	Exist	–	–	–	–	–	–	Exist
1900 June 1	Exist	–	–	–	–	–	–	Exist
1890 June 2	Lost	Exist	–	–	–	–	–	–
1880 June 1	Exist	–	–	Exist	Exist	Exist	Exist	–
1870 June 1	Exist	–	–	Exist	Exist	Exist	–	–
1860 June 1	Exist	–	–	Exist	Exist	Exist	–	–
1850 June 1	Exist	–	–	Exist	Exist	Exist	–	–
1840 June 1	Exist	Exist	–	–	–	–	–	–
1830 June 1	Exist	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
1820 Aug. 7	Exist	–	–	–	–	Exist	–	–
1810 Aug. 6	Exist	–	–	–	–	Lost	–	–
1800 Aug. 4	Most of Suffolk County missing	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
1790 Aug. 2	Exist	–	–	–	–	–	–	–

Online Federal Non-Population Schedules for Massachusetts
		Free		Free at Some Libraries (usually with library card)			Pay
Year	Type	Census Bureau	Google Book	Heritage Quest	Ancestry FHL	Ancestry Library	Ancestry Home
1890	Veterans	–	–	–	Link	Link	Link
1880	Defective	–	–	–	Link	Link	Link
1880	Mortality	–	–	–	Link	Link	Link
1870	Mortality	–	–	–	Link	Link	Link
1860	Mortality	–	–	–	Link	Link	Link
1850	Mortality	–	–	–	Link	Link	Link
1840	Pensioners	BookLink	BookLink	–	Link	Link	Link

Online Census [edit |edit source ]

Online Federal Non-Population Schedules for Massachusetts
		Free		Free at Some Libraries (usually with library card)			Pay
Year	Type	Census Bureau	Google Book	Heritage Quest	Ancestry FHL	Ancestry Library	Ancestry Home
1890	Veterans	–	–	–	Link	Link	Link
1880	Defective	–	–	–	Link	Link	Link
1880	Mortality	–	–	–	Link	Link	Link
1870	Mortality	–	–	–	Link	Link	Link
1860	Mortality	–	–	–	Link	Link	Link
1850	Mortality	–	–	–	Link	Link	Link
1840	Pensioners	BookLink	BookLink	–	Link	Link	Link

information regarding specific churches is best found on the township pages. This guidebook will list demoninational archives followed by a bibliography of histories of the respective churches in Massachusetts.
General:
Baptist:
Congregational:
Episcopal:
Jewish:
Methodist Episcopal:

• Souvenir History of the New England Southern Conference, Vol. 1, New Bedford District (Nantucket, Mass., 1897), 3 v.
  Digital versions of volume 1 at Internet Archive and Google Books.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.

Presbyterian:

• “Complete List of the Congregational and Presbyterian Ministers in Massachusetts from the settlement of the colonies of Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay to the present time” [Note: Only covers Suffolk and Berkshire counties] in American Quarterly Register, 7 [1834-1835]: 28-38.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.

Quaker:
Roman Catholic:
Unitarian:

• George Madison Bodge, Historical Sketch of the Norfolk Conference of Unitarian and other Christian Churches … with brief sketches of the churches now belonging to the conference and lists of their ministers … ([Randolph, Mass.?], 1900), 48 pp.
  Digital version at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
• George Edward Ellis, A Half-Century of the Unitarian Controversy, with particular reference to its origin, its course, and its prominent subjects among the Congregationalists of Massachusetts (Boston, 1857), xxiv, 511 pp.
  Digital versions at Internet Archive and Google Books.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
• Frederick Lewis Weir, “Early Records of the Seventeenth-century Churches in Massachusetts which became Unitarian” in The Proceedings of the Unitarian Historical Society, 7, Pt. 2 [1941]: 11-22.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
• Conrad Wright, “Unitarian Beginnings in Western Massachusetts” in The Proceedings of the Unitarian Historical Society, 21: 2 [1989]: 27-40.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.

Universalist:
With the first permanent wave village at Plymouth, militia were formed to protect the early settlers. The most celebrated is the honest Artillery Company of Massachusetts Bay established in 1637. This template is an overview, war-by-war, of histories and published records for those who served. There were other skirmishes of a lesser academic degree not listed here. To learn about the myriad involvements, consult the wikipedia entry for United States Wars .

General Bibliography

Colonial Wars (pre-1754)
Records: [ note : Published records drawn from the originals in the Massachusetts Archives Collection ]
History:

French and Indian Wars (1754-1763)
[Called Seven Years’ War in Europe (war declared in 1756)]
Records: [ note : Published records drawn from the originals in the Massachusetts Archives Collection ]
History:

• Benjamin Doolittle, A Short Narrative of Mischief Done by the French and Indian Enemy, on the western frontiers of the province of Massachusetts-Bay (Boston, 1750; rep. New York, 1909), 27 pp.
  No digital version found.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
• William M. Fowler, Empires at War: the French and Indian War and the Struggle for North America, 1754-1763 (New York, 2005), xxv, 332 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.

Loyalists Resources
Loyalists, in general, are those people living in the colonies who remained loyal to the Crown in the Revolutionary War period. Those who fled to Canada are referred to as United Empire Loyalists.

Mass. History:
General History / Guides:

Revolutionary War
This is the first war where there are a big number of governmental and individual records created for us to better understand the war and the individuals who served in it. State Records:

• Massachusetts Revolutionary rolls are located at the Massachusetts Archives. This collection is the source for the published version listed below.

Published Records:

• Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War. A compilation from the archives (Boston, 1896-1908), 17v.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974.4 M23m v.# or film 238343 (1st of 17) or fiche 6046890.
  Note: Entries are under the exact spelling in the record; therefore, always look for variant spellings. The most common spelling with have an entry listing all the other variants found in the records.
  Digital database with all volumes found at Ancestry ( $ ). Select the digital link for individual volumes from the table below.

Federal Records: The Revolutionary War rolls, 1775-1783, are held at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. The records were microfilmed as NARA ‘s M246 series and as FHL film 830280 ( 1st of 138 ) ( Massachusetts 830304-830321 ). These records are arranged by jacket count ( see list below ).
This solicitation is ONLINE at at FamilySearch.org is a browsable mannequin ( as of Aug. 2013 ) by jacket numbers. It is besides available at fold3.com ( $ ) where it is index.

Roll	Regiment	Years	Jacket #	Roll	Regiment	Years	Jacket #
35	1st Regt.	1777-1781	1-2	41	Cowell’s Co. of Militia	1776	55
35	2nd Regt.	1777-1781	3	41	Crandon’s Co.	1779	56
36	3rd Regt.	1777-1782	4	41	Cushing’s Regt. of Militia	1777	57
36	3rd Regt.	1783	5	41	Denny’s Regt. of Militia	no date	58
36	4th Regt.	1781-1783	6	41	Durfee’s Co.	1778	59
36	5th Regt.	1778-1781	7	41	Fellow’s Regt.	1775	60
36	5th Regt.	1777-1782	8	41	French’s Regt.	1777	61
37	6th Regt.	1777-1780	9	41	Frye’s Regt.	1775	62
37	7th Regt.	1777-1781	10	41	Gerrish’s Regt.	1778	63
37	8th Regt.	1778-1780	11	41	Goodrich’s Command	1780	64
37	9th Regt.	1778-1781	12	41	Holman’s Regt. of Foot	1776	65
38	10th Regt.	1778-1780	13-14	41	Jacob’s Regt.	1778-1779	66
38	12th Regt.	1777-1779	15-17	41	Hyde’s Detachment of Militia	1777	67
38	13th Regt.	1777	18	41	Keyes’ Regt.	1777	68
38	15th Regt.	1777-1780	19	41	Leach’s Co. of Matrosses	1776-1777	69
39	15th Regt.	1777-1779	20	41	Leach’s Co.	no date	70
39	16th Regt.	1777-1780	21-26	41	Leonard’s Regt. of Militia	no date	71
40	n/a	n/a	27-34	41	Molten’s Co. of Guards	1779	72
40	1st Regt. of Militia	1776	35	41	Murray’s Regt. of Militia	1780	73
40	1st Regt. of Militia, Lincoln Co.	1776	36	41	Perce’s Battalion of Militia	1779	74
40	1st Regt. of Guards	1778	37	41	Perry’s Co. of Minute Men	1775	75
40	3rd Regt. of Militia	1779	38	41	Poors Regt. of Militia	1778	76
40	4th Regt. of Militia	1777	39	41	Pope’s Regt.	1777	77
40	4th Regt. of Militia	1778-1780	40	41	Porter’s Regt. of Militia	1776	78
40	18th Regt.	1775	41	41	Rand’s Regt. of Levies	1776	79
40	25th Regt. of Foot	1775	42	41	Richardson’s Co. of Militia	1776-1777	80
40	32nd Regt. of Militia	1775	43	41	Robinson’s Co. of Militia	1777	81
40	Bailey’s Regt. of Militia	no dates	44	41	Robinson’s Regt. of Militia	1777	82
40	Brewer’s Regt.	1776	45	41	Simmond’s Regt. of Militia	1777	83
40	Brooks’ Regt. of Militia	1778	46	41	Smith’s Regt. of Foot	1776	84
40	Bullards’ Regt. of Militia	1776	47	41	Saprhawk’s Regt. of Militia	1778	85
40	Burt’s Co. of Militia	1776-1777	48	41	Stearn’s Regt. of Militia	1778	86
40	Cady’s Detachment (or Regt.)	1776	49	41	Turner’s Regt.	1781	87
40	Carpenter’s Co. of Militia	1779	50	41	Williams’ Regt.	1777	88
40	Carpenter’s Regt. of Militia	1776-1778	51	41	Williams’ Regt. of Milita	1777	89
40	Cary’s Regt. of Militia	1780	52	41	Wood’s Regt. of Militia	1778-1779	90
40	Cary’s Regt.	1776	53	42	[Various organizations]	no dates	91
40	Cogwell’s Regt. of Militia	1778	54

other selected Federal military records include :
Published Records (General):
Regimental History: Frank A. Gardner wrote a series of articles on the history of the respective regiments raised from Massachusetts that fought in the Revolution. They were published in The Massachusetts Magazine: a quarterly magazine devoted to Massachusetts history, genealogy, and biography, v. 1 – 11 ( 1908-1918 ).
WorldCat ( early Libraries ) ; FHL book 974.4 B2mm.
Below is a list of the individual articles with digital links for each.

• Frank A. Gardner, “Col. John Glover’s Marblehead Regiment” in The Massachusetts Magazine, 1 [1908]: 14-20, 85-102.
• Frank A. Gardner, “Col. William Prescott’s Regiment. Colonel William Prescott’s Minute-Men’s Regiment 1775. Tenth Regiment Army of the United Colonies 1775. Seventh Regiment Continental Army 1776” in The Massachusetts Magazine, 1 [1908]: 149-167, 235-259.
• Frank A. Gardner, “Colonel Ephraim Doolittle’s Regiment. Colonel Ephraim Doolittle’s Minute-Men’s Regiment 1775. Twenty-Fourth Regiment, Army of the United Colonies 1775” in The Massachusetts Magazine, 2 [1909]: 11-29.
• Frank A. Gardner, “Colonel Timothy Daneilson’s Regiment. Colonel Timothy Danielson’s Minute-Men’s Regiment 1775. 18th Regiment Army of the United Colonies 1775” in The Massachusetts Magazine, 2 [1909]: 69-83.
• Frank A. Gardner, “Colonel John Fellows’ Regiment. Colonel John Fellows’ Minute Men’s Regiment 1775. 8th Regiment Army of the United Colonies 1775” in The Massachusetts Magazine, 2 [1909]: 141-161.
• Frank A. Gardner, “Colonel Ebenezer Bridge’s Regiment” in The Massachusetts Magazine, 2 [1909]: 203-227.
• Frank A. Gardner, “Colonel Timothy Walker’s Regiment. Colonel Timothy Walker’s Minute Men’s Regiment 1775. Twenty-Second Regiment, Army of the United Colonies 1775” in The Massachusetts Magazine, 3 [1910]: 25-39.
• Frank A. Gardner, “Colonel Theophilus Cotton’s Regiment. Colonel Theophilus Cotton’s Minute Men’s Regiment 1775. 16th Regiment Army of the United Colonies 1775” in The Massachusetts Magazine, 3 [1910]: 99-116.
• Frank A. Gardner, “Colonel James Frye’s Regiment. Colonel James Frye’s Minute Men’s Regiment 1775. First Regiment Army of the United Colonies 1775” in The Massachusetts Magazine, 3 [1910]: 187-198, 246-256.
• Frank A. Gardner, “Colonel Ruggles Woodbridge’s Regiment. Colonel B. Woodbridge’s Minute Men’s Regiment 1775. Colonel B. Woodbridge’s Regiment, Army of the United Colonies” in The Massachusetts Magazine, 4 [1911]: 29-42, 82-95.
• Frank A. Gardner, “Colonel Thomas Gardner’s Regiment. Colonel Thomas Gardner’s Regiment, Lexington Alarm, April 19, 1775. Late Colonel Thomas Gardner’s 37th Regiment, Army of the U.C. 1775” in The Massachusetts Magazine, 4 [1911]: 153-173.
• Frank A. Gardner, “Colonel Samuel Gerrish’s Regiment. Colonel Samuel Gerrish’s (2nd Essex County) Regiment, April 19, 1775. 25th Regiment, Provincial Army, April-July, 1775; 38th Regiment, Army of the United Colonies, July-August 19, 1775. Lieut. Colonel Loammi Baldwin’s 38th Regiment, A. U.C. August 19-December 31, 1775” in The Massachusetts Magazine, 4 [1911]: 221-243.
• Frank A. Gardner, “Colonel William Heath’s and Colonel John Greaton’s Regiments. Colonel William Heath’s Regiment April 19, 1775. Colonel John Greaton’s Regiment April 19, 1775. Colonel William Heath’s 21st Regiment, 21st Regiment, Provincial Army, April-July, 1775. Colonel John Greaton’s 36th Regiment, Army of the United Colonies, July-December, 1775” in The Massachusetts Magazine, 5 [1912]: 15-28, 55-72.
• Frank A. Gardner, “Colonel Ebenzer Learned’s Regiment. Colonel Ebnenezer Learned’s Minute Men’s Regiment April 19, 1775. Colonel Ebenezer Learned’s 14th Regiment, Provincial Army April-July, 1775. Colonel Ebenezer Learned’s 4th Regiment, Army of the United Colonies, July-December, 1775” in The Massachusetts Magazine, 5 [1912]: 73-101.
• Frank A. Gardner, “Colonel Paul Dudley Sargent’s Regiment. Colonel Paul Dudley Sargent’s Lexington Alarm Regiment April 19, 1775. Colonel Paul Dudley Sargent’s 28th Regiment, Army United Colonies July-December, 1775” in The Massachusetts Magazine, 6 [1913]: 82-94, 125-136.
• Frank A. Gardner, “Colonel John Mansfield’s Regiment. Colonel John Mansfield’s 7th Regiment, Provincial Army, May to July, 1775. Colonel John Mansfield’s 19th Regiment, Army United Colonies, July to September 15, 1775. Lieutenant Colonel Israel Hutchinson’s 19th Regiment, Army United Colonies, September 15th to December, 1775” in The Massachusetts Magazine, 6 [1913]: 147-158; 7 [1914]: 32-45.
• Frank A. Gardner, “Colonel Asa Whitcomb’s Regiment. Colonel Asa Whitcomb’s Regiment, April 19, 1775. Colonel Asa Whitecomb’s 5th Regiment, Provincial Army, April-July, 1775. Colonel Asa Whitcomb’s 23rd Regiment, Army United Colonies, July-December, 1775” in The Massachusetts Magazine, 7 [1914]: 99-123.
• Frank A. Gardner, “General John Thomas’ and Colonel John Bailey’s Regiments. Colonel John Bailey’s or General John Thomas’s Regiment April 19, 1775. General John Thomas’ 2nd Regiment, Provincial Army, April-July, 1775. Colonel John Bailey’s 35th Regiment, Army of the United Colonies, July-December, 1775” in The Massachusetts Magazine, 7 [1914]: 158-182.
• Frank A. Gardner, “Colonel John Paterson’s Regiment. Colonel John Paterson’s Minute Men’s and Militia Regiment, April 19, 175. Colonel John Paterson’s 12th Regiment, Provincial Army, May-June 1775. Colonel John Paterson’s 26th Regiment, Army of the United Colonies, July-December, 1775” in The Massachusetts Magazine, 8 [1915]: 27-42, 75-83.
• Frank A. Gardner, “General Artemas Ward’s and Colonel Jonathan Ward’s Regiments. General Artemas Ward’s Regiment, Lexington Alarm, April 19, 1775. General Artemas Ward’s 1st Regiment, Provincial Army, May-June, 1775. Colonel Jonathan Ward’s 32nd Regiment, Army of the United Colonies, July-December, 1775” in The Massachusetts Magazine, 8 [1915]: 123-152, 185-200.
• Frank A. Gardner, “Colonel Moses Little’s Regiment. Colonel Moses Little’s 24th Regiment, Provincial Army, April-July, 1775. Colonel Moses Little’s 17th Regiment Army of the United Colonies, July-December, 1775″ in The Massachusetts Magazine, 9 [1916]: 18-44.
• Frank A. Gardner, “Colonel Joseph Read’s Regiment. Colonel Joseph Read’s 6th Regiment, Provincial Army, April-July, 1775. Colonel Joseph Read’s 20th Regiment, Army of the United Colonies, July-October 1775” in The Massachusetts Magazine, 9 [1916]: 87-106.
• Frank A. Gardner, “Colonel Jonathan Brewer’s Regiment. Colonel Jonathan Brewer’s 19th Regiment, Provincial Army, April-July, 1775. Colonel Jonathan Brewer’s 6th Regiment, Army United Colonies, July-December, 1775” in The Massachusetts Magazine, 9 [1916]: 137-153, 189-204.

History:
General Guides:

Shays’ Rebellion
The Shays ‘ Rebellion, named after one of the leaders, Daniel Shays, was an armed rise in western Massachusetts in 1786 and 1787. Court records and newspapers chronicle this event, but there were no military records.
History:

War of 1812
During the War of 1812, Massachusetts supplied 43,321 infantry men, 446 cavalry men, 2,714 artillery men, and 200 men in many-sided troops for a sum of 46,681 men. [ 4 ] Records:
Published Records:
History:
Guides:

Civil War
much work has gone into this section to create a excellent template to Civil War resources relating to Massachusetts. Areas to improve are to add the regimental histories in the tables below under history and to cull out all relevant material from the National Archives holdings as has been done with the previous wars. Federal Records: The following are home records where information regarding Massachusetts soldiers and sailors may be found. This list was not compared to or include records found at the National Archives. It is only the list of ONLINE records from FamilySearch.org, Ancestry.com, and fold3.com.
State Records:
Guides:

• National Park Service’s Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database is searchable by name, regiment, cemetery, battle, prisoner, medal of honor, or monument.

History:
Regimental Lists:

Abbreviations fo Mass. Civil War Unit Table
Art.	Artillery	Ass.	Assigned to	Batt.	Battalion	Cav.	Cavalry
Co.	Company	Col.	Colored	Disc.	Discharged	H. Art.	Heavy Artillery
Ind.	Independent	Inf.	Infantry	L. Art.	Light Artillery	Mil.	Militia
Mass.	Massachusetts	Must-I	Mustered In	Must-O	Mustered Out	Org.	Organized
Regt.	Regiment	Rif.	Riflemen	Ss.	Sharpshooter	Un.	Unassigned
Vol.	Volunteer

Massachusetts Civil War Units
1st through 11th Infantry

Massachusetts Civil War Units
12th through 24th Infantry

Massachusetts Civil War Units
25th through 37th Infantry

Massachusetts Civil War Units
38th through 57th Infantry

Massachusetts Civil War Units
58th Infantry, Light Artillery, and through 3rd Heavy Artillery

Massachusetts Civil War Units
4th+ Heavy Artillery, Calvary, Mass. Men in other States, and U.S. Army

Massachusetts Civil War Units
Mass. Men in U.S. Army, Veteran Reserve Corps, Colored Troops, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Marine Corps

Spanish-American War
Federal Records: The following are national records where information regarding Massachusetts soldiers and sailors may be found. This list was not compared to or include records found at the National Archives. It is only the list of ONLINE records from FamilySearch.org, Ancestry.com, and fold3.com .

• General Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers who Served During the War with Spain, FamilySearch.org, the national archives and records administration series was NOT identified, browsable only in alphabetical order; Ancestry ( $ ) (searchable), national archives and records administration M871 series.
• General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934, FamilySearch.org [59% completed in Aug. 2013] and Ancestry ( $ ), being national archives and records administration T288 series.
• Civil War and later Pension Index, 1861-1917, FamilySearch.org and fold3.com ( $ ), being national archives and records administration T289 series.

State Records:
History:

World War I
Federal Records: The following are national records where data regarding Massachusetts soldiers and sailors may be found. This list was not compared to or include records found at the National Archives. It is entirely the list of ONLINE records from FamilySearch.org, Ancestry.com, and fold3.com.
State Records:
History:

World War II
Federal Records: The following are national records where information regarding Massachusetts soldiers and sailors may be found. This list was not compared to or include records found at the National Archives. It is merely the list of ONLINE records from FamilySearch.org, Ancestry.com, and fold3.com.

• World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946, at FamilySearch.org, Ancestry ( $ ), and fold3.com (free).
• World War II Navy Muster Rolls, 1938-1949, at Ancestry ( $ ) and fold3.com ( $ ) [50% complete in Aug. 2013].
• Selective Service System registration cards [World War II] : fourth registration, 1942, FHL film 2371930 (1st of 166).
  Note: This “Old Man’s” draft was for those born between 28 Apr. 1877 and 16 Feb. 1897, being national archives and records administration M2090 series.
  ONLINE at FamilySearch.org and Ancestry ( $ ).
• World War II Cadet Nursing Corps Card Files, 1942-1948, at Ancestry ( $ ).
• World War II Prisoners of War, 1941-1946, at Ancestry ( $ ).
• Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939-1945, at Ancestry ( $ ).
• World War II Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Casualties, 1941-1945, at Ancestry ( $ ).
• World War II and Korean Conflict Veterans Interred Overseas, at Ancestry ( $ ).
• Veterans Affairs Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS) Death File, at Ancestry ( $ ) and fold3.com (free).

State Records: master state records held by the Military War Records Office in Milford. General access to these records is restricted.

Korean Conflict
Federal Records: many of the personnel files for this conflict were lost in a fire at the National Personnel Records Center burn in St. Louis. For more cosmopolitan information about researching this war, see this wiki ‘s Korean War page.
The following are national records where information regarding Massachusetts soldiers and sailors may be found. This list was not compared to or include records found at the National Archives. It is merely the list of ONLINE records from FamilySearch.org, Ancestry.com, and fold3.com.

• Korean War Battle Deaths, 1950-1957, at FamilySearch.org and Ancestry ( $ ).
• Korean War Dead and Army Wounded, 1950-1953, at FamilySearch.org and fold3.com ( $ ).
• Korean War Prisoners of War, 1950-1954, at Ancestry ( $ ).
• Korean War Repatriated Prisoners of War, 1950-1954, at FamilySearch.org.
• World War II and Korean Conflict Veterans Interred Overseas, at Ancestry ( $ ).

State Records:

• Original state records held by the Military War Records Office in Milford. General access to these records is restricted.

History:

Vietnam Conflict
For general information on inquiry this war, see this wiki ‘s Vietnam War page.
Federal Records: The following are national records where information regarding Massachusetts soldiers and sailors may be found. This number was not compared to or include records found at the National Archives. It is lone the list of ONLINE records from FamilySearch.org, Ancestry.com, and fold3.com.

• Military Fatal Casualties of the Vietnam War for Massachusetts, download pdf file here.
• Military Personnel who Died During the Vietnam War, 1956-2003, at FamilySearch.org.
• Records on Military Personnel Who Died, Were Missing in Action or Prisoners of War as a Result of the Vietnam War, documenting the period 8 June 1956 – 21 Jan. 1998, search online database and Ancestry ( $ ).
• Vietnam War, Casualties Returned Alive, 1962-1979, at Ancestry ( $ ).
• Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C., images at fold3.com (free).

State Records: original state records held by the National Guard Museum & Archives in Concord ( see their holdings on-line )
There are many types of records to help researchers with a better understanding of their immigrant ‘s arrival to the United States. Presented here are the two main groups : passenger lists and naturalization records. other records would include passports, border crossings, and particular collections. Each section has a particular bibliography and a general list is found from the links above .

passenger Lists [edit |edit source ]

Introduction
immigration records, i.e. passenger lists, started in the mod sense by the Commonwealth in 1848, though customs manifest records survive back to 1820 for Boston. Federal law required manifests in 1883 and took over the initiation of these records in 1891. The earlier original records are at the Massachusetts Archives and the post-1890 record with the National Archives and Records Administration. The touch information for both archives is found below.
These passenger lists get more detail as time goes on. The earliest records include the mention of the vessel, the master of the vessel, boarding port, arrival interface, arrival date, names of passengers ( their age, sex, occupation, country of beginning ). More details such as a contact/nearest relative at home, who they are coming to see in the U.S., and early such information.
It was frequently cheaper to go to Canada first and then continue on to the United States. Between 1 Aug. 1891 and 30 Apr. 1904, records of immigrants traveling from or via Halifax, St. John, and Yarmouth to Boston were filed at Boston. Between 1 May 1904 and 30 June 1929, these records were examined in Canada and not examined in Boston, so their records were filed with the canadian Border Arrival Records ( St. Albans records, NARA publications M1461, M1463, M1464 ). eminence : national archives and records administration is used below to mean the National Archives and Records Administration.
Records
[Note: national archives and records administration link will give location of records]
Boston [ ONLINE records ]
[ MICROFILM records ]
Chicopee

• Passenger and Crew Manifests of Airplanes Arriving at Westover Air Force Base, Chicopee, 28 Jan. 1946-28 June 1955, NARA HMS P454.
• Passenger and Crew Manifests of Airplanes Departing from Westover Air Force Base in Chicopee, 1 May 1948-31 May 1955, NARA HMS P455.

Fall River

• [Fall River District] Passenger Lists, June 1834-Nov. 1855, NARA no number.
  Note: There are no records for the period October 1836 to June 1838, October 1838 to July 1840, and November 1847 to September 1855.
• [Fall River District] List of Passengers Arriving from Foreign Countries and Returns of the Agent of the Marine Hospital, Apr. 1862-Dec. 1865, NARA no number.
• Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at Providence, Davisville, Melville, Newport, Quonset Point, and Tiverton, R.I.; Fall River, Mass.; and New London, Conn., Aug. 1918-Nov. 1954, NARA A3468.
• Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at Fall River, Mar. 1955-Mar. 1957, NARA HMS P456.

Gloucester
New Bedford
Provincetown

• Passenger Lists for Provincetown, 1887-1895, and Abstracts of Passenger Lists, 1820-1826, NARA RG 36 NC-154 Inv. 554-555.

Salem and Beverly District

• Reports of Alien Passengers Used in the Settlement of French Spoliation Claims, 1798-1800, NARA NC-154 442.
• Passenger Lists, 1815-1883, NARA no number.

Woods Hole

• Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at Woods Hole, 9 Mar. 1955-19 Sept. 1968, NARA HMS P529 (records over 50 years accessible).

Miscellaneous Ports

• Copies of Lists of Passengers Arriving at Miscellaneous Ports on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts and at Ports on the Great Lakes, 1820-1873, NARA M575.
  A Supplemental Index to Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Atlantic and Gulf Coast Ports (excluding New York) 1820–1874, NARA M334, FHL films 418161–4181348.
  These records include the ports of Barnstable (1820-1826), Dighton (1820-1836), Edgartown (1820-1870), Fall River (1837-1865), Gloucester (1820-1870), Marblehead (1820-1849), Nantucket (1830-1862), New Bedford (1826-1852), Newburyport (1821-1839), and Plymouth (1821-1844).

Online records

• Massachusetts, Boston Passenger Lists, 1820-1891 at FamilySearch.org.
  This is the National Archives M277 series. There are gaps in the records from 1855-1856, and between 31 Mar. 1874 to April 1883. The latter gap can be found in the records at the Massachusetts Archives.
• Massachusetts, Boston Passenger Lists, 1891-1943, at FamilySearch.org.
  This is the National Archives T843 series. It is currently [July 2013] only browsable by volumes (records are in chronological order).

naturalization Records [edit |edit source ]

Introduction
The first uniform laws to govern the naturalization process were enacted in 1790. The purpose was to give rights to the foreign-born man ( and charwoman after 1922 ) as if he was a native-born man. Depending on the period, this would include own land and vote. Any court in the farming could naturalize a homo, but all that was consolidated under a federal system in 1906. The announcement of purpose, with some exceptions, was the first measure in the march ( sometimes called first papers ). This much was files within the first couple years of residency. The second and third steps were to prayer for citizenship and to receive a certificate of citizenship from the court petitioned. This could be filed equally soon as one to three years after the announcement, though it may not be in the same court or submit as the declaration. These were sometimes called the final or second papers ). This usher is to the records covering the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is broken down into those records held by the federal government and those held by the state. index cards normally include the identify of the immigrant, senesce, give birth date, position and date of certificate of admission, request phone number, and occasionally the spouse ‘s name. Read the Naturalization and Citizenship section for the United States to learn more about the solid procedure.
Federal Naturalization Records for Massachusetts

The information regarding the express naturalization records comes from a fly created in 2008 and an inventory conducted by the writer in 2012 for microfilms. The “ judicial Archives ” in the submit table is the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Archives located in Boston. note that some substantial may be stored off-site, indeed call in advance to schedule an appointment. The location of “ Mass. Arch. RR ” is the Massachusetts Archives Reading Room located in the same building.
Massachusetts Naturalization Records

Bibliography

other Records

Read more: What is the Maritime Industry?

[edit |edit source ]

Newspapers were first published in Massachusetts in 1690. The Commonwealth has a rich history documented within these pages. Most all libraries have copies of their local anesthetic newspapers and research / university libraries include more. There are two libraries whose collection rivals all others :

• American Antiquarian Society, Worcester (see details below under Libraries), collects all things in print before 1876. They hold the largest single collection of original newspapers in the country.
• Boston Public Library, Boston (see details below under Libraries), is the repository for Massachusetts part of the national effort to microfilm all known existing copies of newspapers called the Massachusetts Newspaper Program. For their holdings, see the online guide for newspapers.

Massachusetts Repositories [edit |edit source ]

Libraries and Societies [edit |edit source ]

Thanks to the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants for their contributions to this page .

source : https://mindovermetal.org/en
Category : Maritime