New England Genealogy

United States

New England

Map of New England

Description

New England is a region located in the northeastern section of the United States which includes six states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Neighboring Places

Portland Headlight & Ram Island Ledge Lighthouse

• North: Canada
• East: Canada, Atlantic Ocean
• West: New York State
• South: Long Island Sound, Atlantic Ocean

Timeline

Vermont Covered Bridge

• New England at Wikipedia
• Earliest known inhabitants were Native American

• Indigenous Peoples of Connecticut
• Indigenous Peoples of Maine
• Indigenous Peoples of Massachusetts
• Indigenous Peoples of New Hampshire
• Indigenous Peoples of Rhode Island
• Indigenous Peoples of Vermont

• 1600 French, Dutch, and English traders began exploring the New World
• 1606 King James I of England issued a charter, one of which was the Plymouth Trading Company

• Plymouth Trading Company, 1606
• Virginia Trading Company, 1606
• Massachusetts Bay Trading Company, 1629

• 1616 English explorer John Smith named the region New England
• 1620 The region of New England was officially sanctioned on November 3, 1620 when the Virginia Company of Plymouth was replaced by a royal charter for the Plymouth Council for New England
• 1620 The Mayflower brought Pilgrims near the tip of Cape Cod, Massachusetts
• 1620 The Mayflower Compact was signed

• Mayflower Passenger List
• Mayflower Pilgrims and Colonists
• Mayflower and Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts Sources

• 1643 Because of French and Indian wars, the colonies of Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, New Haven, and Connecticut joined in a loose compact called the New England Confederation (officially "The United Colonies of New England")
• 1652 Coins were made, including the: Willow, Oak and Pine tree shillings. On the coins, Massachusetts and a tree were on one side, and New England and the year were on the other side
• 1686 King James II established the Dominion of New England, an administrative union comprising all of the New England colonies
• 1689 The "Dominion" collapsed. After the dissolution of the Dominion of New England, the colonies of New England ceased to function as a unified political unit but remained a defined cultural region

New England Records & Research

In New England most original vital records of birth, marriage, and death can be found at the town clerk's office

New England States Genealogy	Online Genealogy Records	Guided Research	Record Finder
Connecticut	CT OGR	CT Guided Research	Connecticut Record Finder
Maine	ME OGR	ME Guided Research	Maine Record Finder
Massachusetts	MA OGR	MA Guided Research	Massachusetts Record Finder
New Hampshire	NH OGR	NH Guided Research	New Hampshire Record Finder
Rhode Island	RI OGR	RI Guided Research	Rhode Island Record Finder
Vermont	VT OGR	VT Guided Research	Vermont Record Finder

New England Driveway

Resources

Ancestral Groups

• African American
• Asia
• Brazil
• Netherlands
• England
• France
• Ireland
• Italy
• Indigenous Peoples
• Jewish
• Portugal

Church Records, Cultural Groups, and Compiled Genealogies

For colonial genealogical resources, refer to the state of interest:

Church Records, Cultural Groups, and Compiled Genealogies	Church Records	Cultural Groups	Compiled Genealogies
Connecticut	Connecticut	Connecticut	Connecticut
Maine	Maine	Maine	Maine
Massachusetts	Massachusetts	Massachusetts	Massachusetts
New Hampshire	New Hampshire	New Hampshire	New Hampshire
Rhode Island	Rhode Island	Rhode Island	Rhode Island
Vermont	Vermont	Vermont	Vermont

• The Colonial Clergy and the Colonial Churches of New England at Ancestry - index & images ($)

Colonial & State Resources

For colonial genealogical resources, refer to the state of interest:

New England Colonial & State Information	Admitted into the Union	Capitol	Website
Connecticut	January 9, 1788 (5th)	Hartford	ct.gov
Maine	March 15, 1820 (23rd)	Augusta	maine.gov
Massachusetts	February 6, 1788 (6th)	Boston	mass.gov
New Hampshire	June 21, 1788 (9th)	Concord	nh.gov
Rhode Island	May 29, 1790 (13th)	Providence	ri.gov
Vermont	March 4, 1791 (14th)	Montpelier	vermont.gov

• United States Colonial Records

Compiled Genealogies

Community Trees

• Community Trees - These compiled family trees contain sources from specific time periods and geographic locations for an entire town or community; Full list of Community Trees

Mayflower Pilgrim Descendants

• Mayflower Pilgrim Genealogies - Community Trees at FamilySearch Genealogies; This database includes: The Mayflower Families through Five Generations: Descendants and documented applications for membership in the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, submitted from 1896 to early 2019.
• Mayflower Families through Five Generations: Descendants of the Pilgrims Who Landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts, December 1620 at Worldcat.org; 30 volumes listed.
• The Mayflower Society at themayflowersociety.org
• The General Society of Mayflower Descendants Application Database at mayflower.americanancestors.org - index & images ($)
• 1620-1920 General Society of Mayflower Descendants Membership Applications, 1620-1920 at American Ancestors — index & images ($)

Compiled Genealogies Online Resources

• 1602-1628 The Real Founders of New England, 1602-1628 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
• 1629-1640 Genealogical Notes On the Founding of New England, 1629-1640 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
• 1845-1900 NEHGS Membership Applications, 1845-1900 at American Ancestors - index & images ($)
• 1847-2011 The New England Historical & Genealogical Register, 1847-2011 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
• New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial at Ancestry - index & images ($)
• English Origins of New England Families: from the New England Historical and Genealogical Register. First Series, Three Volumes, 1984. Second Series, Three Volumes, 1985. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing. Contains and indexes much of what is known about New England immigrant origins. Multi-generation genealogies. Online at: FS Library films 6047919-6047921, First Series(*) and FS Library films 6047922-6047924, Second Series(*). Also at: Ancestry ($) - index & images - First Series: Vol. I, Vol. II, Vol. III; Second Series: Vol. I, Vol. II, Vol. III.
• Research Among the British Archives on the Founders of New England at Ancestry - index & images ($)
• One hundred and Sixty Allied Families at Ancestry - index & images ($). Also at: FamilySearch Digital Library - images.
• Result of Some Researches Among the British Archives for Information Relative to the Founders of New England Made in the Years 1858, 1859 and 1860 at FamilySearch Digital Library.

Heraldry

• 1915-1945 Roll of Arms Registered by NEHGS, 1915-1945 at American Ancestors — index & images ($)

Immigrations, Emigrations, Migrations, & Naturalizations

• 1500s-1900s U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s at Ancestry - Index ($)
• 1620-1635 New England, The Great Migration and The Great Migration Begins, 1620-1635 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
• 1791-1906 US Naturalization Records, New England, 1791-1906 at MyHeritage - index & images ($)
• Topographical Dictionary of 2885 English Emigrants to New England, 1620-1650 at Ancestry ($).
• Atlantic Coast Ports
• Coast Path
• Connecticut River
• Great Trail
• Kennebunk Road
• King's Highway
• Long Island Sound
• Old Connecticut Path
• United States Naturalization and Citizenship Online Genealogy Records

Maps

• Connecticut at FamilySearch Places
• Maine at FamilySearch Places
• Massachusetts at FamilySearch Places
• New Hampshire at FamilySearch Places
• Rhode Island at FamilySearch Places
• Vermont at FamilySearch Places
• Colonial Maps of New England at Oldmaps.com
• McConnell's Historical Maps of the United States at Library of Congress

Military, Land & Court Records

New England Military, Land & Court Records	Military Records	Land and Property Records	Court Records
Connecticut	Connecticut	Connecticut	Connecticut
Maine	Maine	Maine	Maine
Massachusetts	Massachusetts	Massachusetts	Massachusetts
New Hampshire	New Hampshire	New Hampshire	New Hampshire
Rhode Island	Rhode Island	Rhode Island	Rhode Island
Vermont	Vermont	Vermont	Vermont

Occupations

• 1790-1947 United States, New England Seamen Records, 1790-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Publications

Compiled and abstracted records for New England that are available online:

• A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England
• New England Marriages Prior to 1700 by Clarence Almon Torrey
• Sybil Noyes, Charles Thornton Libby, Walter Goodwin Davis, Genealogical dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire 5 volumes. Portland, Maine : Southworth Press, 1928-1939

Research Guides for New England

• edited by Rhonda R. McClure, Genealogist's handbook for New England research 6th edition. Boston, Massachusetts : New England Historic Genealogical Society®, 2022 FS Library 974 D27mr FamilySearch Catalog
• Ralph J. Crandell, Genealogical research in New England Baltimore, Maryland : Genealogical Publishing Company, c1984 FS Library 974 D27gr
• American ancestors : newsmagazine of the New England Historic Genealogical Society Boston, Massachusetts : New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2010- FS Library 974 D25nea
• Patricia Law Hatcher, Researching your colonial New England ancestors Provo, Utah : Ancestry Publishing, c2006 FS Library 974 D27hp
• Genealogy in America : Massachusetts, Connecticut and Maine : Volume 1(*) FamilySearch Catalog
• Handy Tips for Your Genealogical Research in New England(*) FamilySearch Catalog
• New England Genealogy: a Research Guide With Special Emphasis on Massachusetts and Connecticut(*) FamilySearch Catalog
• New England Record Keeping - International Institute

Repositories

FamilySearch Centers & Affiliate Libraries

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

• FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
• FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.
  

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Archives & Libraries

• Connecticut Archives and Libraries
• Maine Archives & Libraries
• Massachusetts Archives & Libraries
• New Hampshire Archives & Libraries
• Rhode Island Archives & Libraries
• Vermont Archives & Libraries

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