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Suffolk County, Massachusetts Genealogy

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Guide to Suffolk County, Massachusetts ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

County Facts
County seat: Boston
Organized: 10 May 1643[1]
Parent County(s): Original County[2]
Neighboring Counties
Essex • Middlesex • Norfolk • Plymouth
See County Maps
Courthouse
Massachusetts, Suffolk County Courthouse.png
Location Map
Ma-suffolk.png

County Information

Description

The county was named for Suffolk, England, which means "southern folk." It is located in the central area of the state.[3]

County Courthouse

Suffolk County Courthouse
3 Pemberton Square
Boston, MA 02108
Phone: 617-788-8175

Suffolk County, Massachusetts Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Government County Records[4]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
at town creation at town creation at town creation 1671 1639 1636 1779
* Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1841. General compliance year unknown. See also Town Records

Record Loss

There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Boundary Changes

Populated Places

MassachusettsSuffolk CountyNorfolk CountyPlymouth CountyMiddlesex CountyEssex CountyNorfolk CountyBostonChelseaRevereWinthropNeedhamBrooklineDedhamWestwoodNorwoodCantonRandolphBraintreeWeymouthHinghamHullQuincyMiltonNewtonWatertownWalthamLexingtonWoburnWinchesterArlingtonBelmontCambridgeSomervilleMedfordStonehamMelroseMaldenEverettSaugusLynnNanhant
Modern city and town borders in Suffolk County, Massachusetts.


For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[7]

Cities
Towns

Boston needed to grow its tax base, so over the years, various towns were annexed to Boston. These towns had a vibrant history and their own set of records before they became part of Boston and thus Suffolk County. These towns are:

Historic communities


History Timeline

Suffolk County was one of the four original counties when Massachusetts Bay Colony created counties in 1643 and had an undefined western border. It established and claimed as far west as Woodstock, Connecticut. Initially, the county included Boston, Roxbury, Dorchester, Dedham, Braintree, Weymouth, Hingham, and Nantasket [now Hull]. In 1671, Mendon was added from Middlesex County. For a brief time, the county was part of the Dominion of New England from 1686 to 1689. The county eventually became part of the Royal colony of Massachusetts Bay. All towns to the south were lost to the creation of Norfolk County in 1793, leaving only Boston and Chelsea. Hingham and Hull protested their removal and thus remained in Suffolk County until they were transferred to Plymouth County in 1803. Boston was incorporated as a city in 1822. The city started annexing towns back: Roxbury (1868), Dorchester (1870), Brighton (1874), Charlestown (1874), West Roxbury (1874), and Hyde Park (1912). The county government was abolished on 1 July 1999, but its former jurisdiction is used for state offices as a district.[8]

The basic data are from the historical county boundary series[9] with additions from various sources.

Dates Events
10 May 1643 Suffolk County created as one of the four original counties formed out of Massachusetts Bay Colony. [Mass. Rec., 2: 38]
8 July 1663 Lost the section now called the northeast corner of Rhode Island when King Charles II granted that colony a charter that defined its borders. [Bowen's Disputes, 33; Swindler, 8: 368]
-- May 1664 Lost to New Plymouth Colony when provincial line is demarcated to what is now referred to as the "Old County Line." [Bradford, 427n]
27 Feb. 1664/5 Gained from Rhode Island Colony as royal commissioners set that colony's borders as the Blackstone River and the east side of Narragansett Bay. [Arnold, 1: 315]
15 Mar. 1689/90 Gained on county's undefined western border when Massachusetts created the town of Woodstock (now wholly within the state of Connecticut). [Bowen's Disputes, 53-58; Bowen's Woodstock, 1: 31]
7 Oct. 1691 Massachusetts Bay Colony given new provincial charter by King William III and Queen Mary II, but does not affect the borders. [Mass. Col. Acts, 1: ch. 27 (1692-1693), sec. 1, p. 63; Swindler, 5: 80]
18 Mar. 1711/2 The "Old Colony Line" declared the border between Suffolk, Bristol and Plymouth counties with no change in boundaries. [Mass. Col. Acts, 21: ch. 152 (1711), p. 799]
10 July 1731 Part of the western section set off with the western half of Middlesex County to form Worcester County. [Mass. Col. Acts, 2: ch. 8 (1730-1731), sec. 1, p. 584]
17 Feb. 1746/7 Southwestern tip annexed to Providence Plantations by royal settlement in 1746. [Arnold, 2: 157; R.I. Rec., 5: 207-209]
20 Nov. 1770 Small area changed to Plymouth County when Bridgewater gained from Stoughton. [Mass. Col. Acts, 5: ch. 15 (1770-1771), sec. 1, p. 116]
3 Mar. 1792 When Medway and Sherburne redefined their border, that also redefined the line between Suffolk and Middlesex County. [Mass. Acts 1792, ch. 23, sec. 1, p. 155]
20 June 1793 Southwestern three-quarters and town of Cohasset set off as new county of Norfolk. [Mass. Acts 1793, ch. 43, sec. 1, p. 272 and ch. 9, sec. 1, p. 314]
18 June 1803 Towns of Hingham and Hull annexed to Plymouth County. [Mass. Acts 1803, ch. 14, sec. 1, p. 246]
6 Mar. 1804 The northern part of Dorchester, Norfolk County, called "Dorchester Neck" annexed and now called the neighborhood of "South Boston."
22 Feb. 1825 Minute change between Boston and Brookline adjusts border between Suffolk and Norfolk counties. [Mass. Acts 1825, ch. 90, p. 73]
25 Mar. 1834 Boston annexed Thompson Island from Dorchester, Norfolk County. [Mass. Acts 1834, ch. 102, p. 129]
16 Mar. 1836 Border between Boston and Roxbury, Norfolk County, established. [Mass. Acts 1836, ch. 37, p. 681]
19 Apr. 1837 Water border between Boston and Roxbury, Norfolk County, established. [Mass. Acts 1837, ch. 202, sec. 1, p. 222]
22 Feb. 1841 Chelsea lost northern long but narrow strip of land to Saugus, Norfolk County. [Mass. Acts 1841, ch. 30, sec. 1, p. 350]
3 May 1850 Water border between Boston and Roxbury, Norfolk County, established. [Mass. Acts 1850, ch. 281, sec. 1, p. 460]
21 May 1855 Boston gained from Dorchester, Norfolk County, a very small piece of land. [Mass. Acts 1855, ch. 468, sec. 1, p. 907]
3 Apr. 1860 Border changed slightly when line changed from the center of the street between Boston and Roxbury to the side of the street. [Mass. 1860, ch. 172, sec. 1, p. 138]
6 Jan. 1868 Border changed when Boston annexed the town of Roxbury from Norfolk County. [Mass. Acts 1867, ch. 359, sec. 1, p. 754]
3 Jan. 1870 Border changed when Boston annexed the town of Dorchester from Norfolk County. [Mass. Acts 1869, ch. 349, sec. 1, p. 646]
2 Apr. 1870 Border changed slightly when line changed from the center of the street between Boston and West Roxbury to the side of the street. [Mass. 1870, ch. 146, sec. 1, p. 21, 95]
18 June 1870 Boston gained a small piece of land from Brookline, Norfolk County. [Mass. 1870, ch. 374, sec. 1, p. 290]
12 Apr. 1872 Boston gained Mt. Hope Cemetery from West Roxbury, Norfolk County. [Mass. 1872, ch. 197, sec. 1, p. 143]
5 Jan. 1874 Boston annexed towns of Brighton and Charlestown from Middlesex County.
Boston annexed town of West Roxbury from Norfolk County. [Mass. Acts 1873, ch. 286, sec. 1, p. 716; ch. 303, sec. 1, p. 747; ch. 314, sec. 1, p. 810]
8 May 1874 Border changed slightly when a small piece of land gained from Brookline, Norfolk County. [Mass. Acts 1874, ch. 220, sec. 1, p. 143]
29 May 1874 Border changed slightly when line between Boston and Newton, Middlesex County was adjusted. [Mass. Acts 1874, ch. 277, sec. 1, p. 189]
1 July 1875 Border changed slightly when a small piece of land was lost to Newton, Middlesex County. [Mass. Acts 1875, ch. 184, sec. 1, p. 773]
27 May 1890 Border changed slightly when the line between Boston and Brookline, Norfolk County, was adjusted. [Mass. Acts 1890, ch. 339, sec. 1, p. 299]
4 May 1891 Border changed slightly when the line between Boston and Somerville, Middlesex County, was adjusted. [Mass. Acts 1891, ch. 294, sec. 1, p. 856]
13 Apr. 1894 Border changed slightly when the line between Boston and Brookline, Norfolk County, was adjusted. [Mass. Acts 1894, ch. 242, sec. 1, p. 219]
29 Mar. 1898 Border changed slightly when the line between Boston and Cambridge and Newton, Middlesex County, was adjusted along the Charles River. [Mass. Acts 1898, ch. 251, sec. 1, p. 185]
13 May 1898 Border changed slightly when the line between Boston and Newton, Norfolk County, was adjusted. [Mass. Acts 1898, ch. 431, sec. 1, p. 376]
29 Mar. 1910 Border changed slightly when the line between Boston and Cambridge, Middlesex County, was adjusted along the Charles River. [Mass. Acts 1910, ch. 312, sec. 1, p. 239]
1 Jan. 1912 Boston annexed the town of Hyde Park, Norfolk County. [Mass. Acts 1911, ch. 469, sec. 1, p. 450, and ch. 583, sec. 1, p. 600]

Resources

Bible Records

Biographies

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Suffolk County, Massachusetts online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See Massachusetts Cemeteries for more information.


Census Records

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1790 44,865 —
1800 28,015 −37.6%
1810 34,381 22.7%
1820 43,940 27.8%
1830 62,163 41.5%
1840 95,773 54.1%
1850 144,517 50.9%
1860 192,700 33.3%
1870 270,802 40.5%
1880 387,927 43.3%
1890 484,780 25.0%
1900 611,417 26.1%
1910 731,388 19.6%
1920 835,522 14.2%
1930 879,536 5.3%
1940 863,248 −1.9%
1950 896,615 3.9%
1960 791,329 −11.7%
1970 735,190 −7.1%
1980 650,142 −11.6%
1990 663,906 2.1%
2000 689,807 3.9%
2010 722,023 4.7%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".


Church Records

List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records

The court system can appear to be complex. The system was reorganized in 1686/1692, 1859, and 1978. Described below are the most commonly used records for history and genealogy, but realize that this list is incomplete. For more detailed information regarding court structure, see Understanding the Massachusetts Court System. For all Original records Contact Court Archivist

Older records are held by:
Supreme Judicial Court Archives
(administration - records stored in several off-site facilities and the Mass. Archives)
16th Floor, Highrise Court House
3 Pemberton Square
Boston, MA 02109
Phone: 617-557-1087
Email: archives@jud.state.ma.us

County Court
This court was active from 1636 (called a quarterly court and then the county court when Suffolk was created in 1643) to 1692. The court heard all civil causes up to 10 shillings (raised to 40 shillings in 1647) and all criminal causes not concerning life, limb, or banishment. These were all jury trials. These records are included in the Suffolk Files mentioned above.

Online Court Indexes and Records

Quarterly Court of General Sessions of the Peace
This court was active from 1692 to 1827. The court heard criminal cases and had authority over county affairs that included levying taxes, reviewing town bylaws, highways, licensed liquor, regulated jails, supervised the administration of the poor laws, and appointed some county officials. A county copy of marriages were recorded here from 1726 to 1737.

Online Court Indexes and Records

  • 1735-1780 Court Records, 1702-1780(*) Suffolk County Court of General Sessions of Peace at FamilySearch Catalog - images

Microfilm Originals at the Massachusetts Archives:

  • Record books, 1702-1855 (141 reels)

Inferior Court of Common Pleas
This court was active from 1692 to 1859. The court heard all civil cases over 40s unless a case involved freehold or was appealed from a justice of the peace.

Online Court Indexes and Records


Originals at the Massachusetts Archives:

  • Docket books, 1719-1824 (fiche)

Published Records:

Superior Court
This court was created in 1859 and combines the authority of the two courts listed above. The Superior Court has original jurisdiction in civil actions over ($)25,000, and in matters where equitable relief is sought. It also has original jurisdiction in actions involving labor disputes where injunctive relief is sought, and has exclusive authority to convene medical malpractice tribunals. The Court has exclusive original jurisdiction in first degree murder cases and original jurisdiction for all other crimes. It has jurisdiction over all felony matters, although it shares jurisdiction over crimes where other Trial Court Departments have concurrent jurisdiction. Finally, the Superior Court has appellate jurisdiction over certain administrative proceedings.

Superior Court Administrative Office
Suffolk County Courthouse, 13th Floor
Three Pemberton Square
Boston MA 02108
Phone 617-788-8130

Older records are held by:
Supreme Judicial Court Archives
(administration)
16th Floor, Highrise Court House
3 Pemberton Square
Boston, MA 02109
Phone: 617-557-1087
Email: archives@jud.state.ma.us

Online Court Indexes and Records

Originals at the Massachusetts Archives:

  • Divorce records, 1888-1915, divorce dockets, 1888-1916 and index to libellants, 1903-1910.

Supreme Judicial Court for The County of Suffolk
This is the highest court in the state and taking cases by appeal, writ of error, capital offenses, and "every Crime whatsoever that is against the public good."

Older records are held by:
Supreme Judicial Court Archives
(administration)
16th Floor, Highrise Court House
3 Pemberton Square
Boston, MA 02109
Phone: 617-557-1087
Email: archives@jud.state.ma.us

Online Court Indexes and Records

Original and Microfilmed Originals at the Massachusetts Archives:

  • Greenough Collection of old court records, 1647-1828
  • Court Records, 1686-1799 [was called the Superior Court of Judicature and includes the records from the Dominion of New England], Maritime Court Records, 1779-1788, and Court Minutes, 1702-1797
  • Partitions and executions, v. 1-12, 1694-1856
  • Court docket and minute books, 1702-1797 [for all counties] (9 reels)
  • Court dockets and index, 1-16, 1790-1870
  • Index to dockets, equity and probate, 1862-1870

Published Records:

Court of Admiralty
Online Court Indexes and Records

County Sheriff
Originals at the Massachusetts Archives:

  • Criminal calendar, v. 1-80, 1799-1930
  • Debtors calendar, v. 1-11, 1799-1930

Miscellaneous Court Records
Online Court Indexes and Records

Microfilm Available at the Massachusetts Archives Reading Room:

Published Records:

Suffolk Files
The Suffolk Files contain the earliest file papers of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and its predecessors, the Court of Assistants and the Superior Court of Judicature (1620-1800). There are also some records of the county courts and the Court of Common Pleas and General Sessions of the Peace. The records contain cases not just from Suffolk County, but from Massachusetts and parts of Maine and New Hampshire. This was the result of the circuit nature of several of the courts and the fact that most of the action brought before the upper courts had been appealed from lower courts throughout the region. Extensive indices of every person, place, and subject, as well as date and calendar indices were prepared. It is available online at FamilySearch and on microfilm of the Suffolk Files and indices is available at the Massachusetts Archives Reading Room.

Online Court Indexes and Records

Microfilm Available at the Massachusetts Archives Reading Room:

  • Suffolk Files
  • Index to calendar index, 1629-1700
  • Calendar index, #1-4878, 1643-1700; undated 24362-28991, 98505-98885, 129996-130016, 162001-162525, 1629-1700
  • Index to Suffolk Files, A-Z, 1629-1729
  • Index to Suffolk Files, A-Z, 1730-1799
  • Misc. index to Court Files, A-Z, 1629-1795
  • County index, #100001-108682, 129726-130072, 1687-1799
  • County index, #13700-141578, York, Cumberland, Lincoln, Hancock, Washington counties, 1734-1797
  • County index, Essex, Norfolk, Middlesex counties, 1731-1797
  • County index, Barnstable, Berkshire, Bristol, Dukes, Hampshire, Plymouth counties, 1733-1797
  • County index, #15200-156870, Worcester, 1736-1797
  • Date index, 1618-1693
  • Index to fragments, #1-1590, 1629-1700, undated
  • Suffolk Files, #1-175581, v. 1-1287 (738 reels)

Adlow Collection
 Some of the records are with library and others are with the Judicial Archives. Some topics:

  • Writs of attachment; writs of execution; criminal complaints; recognizances; writs of commitment; militia delinquencies; warrant to order persons out of town; petitions from poor prisoners; notices concerning depositions; health dept. complaints; opinions and judgments; summonses; jury material
  • Court of General Sessions, Court of Sessions, and General Sessions of the Peace all for Suffolk County, ca. 1760 to 1825
  • bound volumes for Barnstable, Berkshire, Bristol, Cumberland, Dukes, Hampshire, Kennebec, Lincoln, Middlesex, Plymouth, and Suffolk Supreme Judicial Court, 1780s-1800
  • Suffolk County Coroner's inquests, 1775-1860 (calendar of these)
  • Warnings out, Boston, 1763-1779, and other towns (all calendared)
  • Court of Common Pleas, writs (calendared)
  • Prisoners lists, sheriffs' and jailers' accounts, prison doctor's accounts, jail inspections, Court Street addition, Leverett Street construction, and Courthouse construction (calendared)

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

Funeral Homes

Genealogies

Guardianship

Land and Property Records

Land transfers, commonly called deeds, are recorded on the county level in Massachusetts. Not all deeds were recorded as is common practice today. The earliest transactions were charters or grants from the English Crown. Once local government was established, the colony would grant land to settlers directly or to towns to dole out. Some towns first start out as proprietorship and records were recorded there. Once towns were established, deeds were recorded on the county level. For Suffolk County, they start in 1639.

Suffolk Registry of Deeds
24 New Chardon St
P.O. Box 9660
Boston, MA 02114
617-788-6221
Suffolk.Deeds@sec.state.ma.us
Website

Online Land Indexes and Records

  • Boston, 1874, 1890 (w/Roxbury), 1899, 1910, 1917, 1938 (all w/S. Boston).
  • Brighton, 1897, 1917, 1925.
  • Charlestown, 1875, 1901, 1912 (W/E. Boston).
  • Chelsea, 1874, 1914, 1981.
  • Dorchester, 1904, 1910, 1933.
  • East Boston, 1892, 1901, 1912 (see Charlestown).
  • Hyde Park, 1912.
  • Roxbury, 1890 (see Boston), 1895, 1899, 1906, 1931.
  • West Roxbury, 1874, 1896, 1905, 1914.


On-Site Record location:

  • Deeds, v. 7871 (1964) to present are in the main section of the Registry.
  • Deeds, v. 4553-7870 (1924-1964) are in the "Old" Bookroom at the back of the Registry building.
    Deeds, v. 2171-4552 (1893-1924) are not currently physically accessible (but are online as mentioned above).

Originals and Microfilm at the Massachusetts Archives

  • Deeds, v. 101-2170 (1800-1893)
  • Deeds, v. 1-100 (1639-1799) - restricted. These deeds can be seen on microfilm and have been transcribed verbatim to 1688 (see published records below).
  • Land Court records.
  • Grantor/Grantee index, 1961-1978
  • Old Recorded Land Plan books, v. 1-5, 7 (from 1800s).
  • Recorded Land Plan Index, 1935-1999
  • Suffolk County Deeds, 1639-1885, grantor/grantee index, 1639-1920, miscellaneous index, 1639-1799; index up to 1799

Published records

  1. - 1629-1653 - Internet Archive and Google books.
  2. - 1653-1656 - Internet Archive and Google books.
  3. - 1656-1661 - Internet Archive and Google books.
  4. - 1661-1665 - Internet Archive and Google books.
  5. - 1665-1668 - Internet Archive and Google books.
  6. - 1668-1672 - Internet Archive and Google books.
  7. - 1670-1672 - Internet Archive and Google books.
  8. - 1672-1674 - Internet Archive and Google books.
  9. - 1674-1676 - Internet Archive and Google books.
  10. - 1676-1678 - Internet Archive and Google books.
  11. - 1678-1680 - Internet Archive and Google books.
  12. - 1680-1683 - Internet Archive and Google books.
  13. - 1683-1686 - [No Internet Archive version found] and Google books.
  14. - 1686-1688, 1697 - Internet Archive andGoogle books.

Local Histories

Works written on the county include:

Maps and Gazetteers

Essex CountyNorfolk CountyMiddlesex CountyMA SUFFOLK.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

This list includes maps of particular interest to genealogists, and is not an effort to trace the vast cartographic history of the county in full.

Migration

New England Migration Routes.png

Migration routes for early European settlers to and from Suffolk County included:[10]

Military Records

Revolutionary War

Naturalization and Citizenship

Naturalization records were created on a variety of governmental levels from the Federal down to the city at the same time. The county records for all levels are outlines below. For more information, see the Massachusetts state page for more on naturalization. NOTE: The only court hearing naturalizations in Suffolk County from Sept. 1906 to 1991 was the U.S. Federal District Court

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records - Covering Multiple Courts

Federal Naturalization Records for Suffolk County

Record Dates Original Records Online Indexes Online Records
Supreme Judicial Court 1790-1845 NARA M1299 - National Archives - Waltham
U.S. Circuit Court 1845-1878 NARA M1299 - National Archives - Waltham
Superior Court (Civil) 1856-1884 NARA M1299 - National Archives - Waltham
Superior Court (Criminal) 1860-1906 NARA M1299 - National Archives - Waltham
Boston Municipal Court 1806-1859
1885-1905 		NARA M1299 - National Archives - Waltham
Charlestown District Municipal Court 1902-1906 NARA M1299 - National Archives - Waltham
Chelsea Police Court 1886-1906 NARA M1299 - National Archives - Waltham
Dorchester District Municipal Court 1902-1906 NARA M1299 - National Archives - Waltham
Roxbury District Municipal Court 1885-1906 NARA M1299 - National Archives - Waltham
West Roxbury District Municipal Court 1892-1906 NARA M1299 - National Archives - Waltham


Suffolk County Naturalization Records to 1906

Record Dates Original Records Online Indexes Online Records
Supreme Judicial Court 1790-1864 Judicial Archives Card index
Court of Common Pleas 1790-1856 Judicial Archives No index - in NARA soundex?
Boston Municipal Court 1800-1860
1885-1905 		File papers and summaries found in Records Books in Judicial Archives; | NARA M1299 - National Archives - Waltham
Superior Court 1782-1910 Superior Court, in 1988

Index in each volume

Superior Court 1856-1884 Judicial Archives (with gaps) Card index
Chelsea District Court 1885-1906 Judicial Archives Indexed
Dorchester District Court 1902-1906 Judicial Archives
East Boston District Court 1885-1906 District clerk's office, in 1988 Indexed

Newspapers

Obituaries

Other Records

Voting Records

Periodicals

Probate Records

Probate and Family Court is organized on a county level in Massachusetts since the creation of the counties. The main records genealogists seek are testate (wills), intestate (administrations), guardianships, and divorces (since 1922), though there are many more that are valuable to any researcher, too. See a further discussion of the topic in general on the Massachusetts page.

Suffolk County Probate and Family Court
PO Box 9667
24 New Chardon Street - 3rd Floor
Boston MA 02114
Phone 617-788-8300

Older records are held by:

Supreme Judicial Court Archives
(administration - records stored in several off-site facilities and the Mass. Archives)
16th Floor, Highrise Court House
3 Pemberton Square
Boston, MA 02109
Phone: 617-557-1087
Email: archives@jud.state.ma.us

Online Probate Indexes and Records


Published Indexes

Original Microfilmed Records at Massachusetts Archives and American Ancestors ($)

  • Probate records, 1636-1899, with published index (1636-1893, 1894-1909), miscellaneous docket (1636-1923) [lists estates not appearing in files, etc.], docket books nos. 1-118206 (1636-1901), record books v. 1-769 (1628-1899), New Series record books v. 1-42 (1636-1766).
  • Probate records, 1901-1916, docket books v.95-144, no. 118207-172206 (1901-1916) and record books v. 770-1102 (1900-1916).

Published Records

  • Winifred Lovering Holman and Mary Lovering Holman, "Suffolk County Probate (1686-1692)" in The American Genealogist. These were the probate records during the unpopular Andros Administration, which combined several colonies into one seated at Boston. This article starts with a Miscellaneous Index of estates that do not appear in the probate file papers. The bulk is the regular docket entries. Online at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($). Volume and page numbers (see below):
  • 12 [1935-36], 175-184, 222-234
  • 13 [1936-37], 98-106
  • 14 [1937-38], 34-45
Also at FS Catalog book 973 D25aga v. #; WorldCat (Other Libraries).
  • Suffolk County Wills: Abstracts of the earliest wills upon record in the County of Suffolk, Massachusetts: from the New England Historical and Genealogical Register (Baltimore, 1984), 432 pp.
    Digital version at Ancestry ($).
    WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.46 P2s or film 1320548 Item 1.
  • Melinde Lutz Sanborn, Miscellaneous Docket Index, Suffolk County, Mass. Probate Records, 1639-1866 (Derry, N.H., 1997 or Rockport, Me., 1997), 31 pp.
    This booklet indexes several hundred early Suffolk County probate records where the original file papers were lost prior to the Civil War and only the entries in the copybook remain today. The booklet includes the individual's name, date of the earliest entry, type of entry, and volume and page reference in the copybook series.
    WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.46 P2sm.

School Records

Social Security Records

Tax Records

Town Records

Suffolk County, Massachusetts Genealogy

Vital Records

It is easiest to start with the state vital records indexes (listed below) for births, marriages, and deaths since 1841. Massachusetts was the first to require a consistent recording of these events statewide. Original vital records (starting as early as 1639) are found with the clerk of the town or city where the event occurred. See the Massachusetts Genealogy Guide and Massachusetts Vital Records pages for more details.

Birth

Marriage

Death

Divorce

Jurisdiction over divorce matters changes over time. The Governor and Council heard cases before 1785, then it was the Supreme Judicial Court until 1887, followed by the Superior Court until 1922, and presently this is a matter for the Probate and Family Court (with minor exceptions in all periods). See the various court records above and learn more about divorce on the Massachusetts state page.

Research Facilities

Archives

For state-wide and regional facilities, see Massachusetts Archives and Libraries.

For information on additional archives and repositories, see:

FamilySearch Centers

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

Libraries

Listed below are libraries in Suffolk County. For state-wide library facilities, see Massachusetts Archives and Libraries.

Museums

Societies

Listed below are societies in Suffolk County. For state-wide genealogical and historical societies, see Massachusetts Societies.

  • Massachusetts Historical Society
    1154 Boylston Street
    Boston MA 02215
    Phone 617-536-1608
    Website
    This is the oldest historical society in the country founded in 1791. It is a private library with no fee for access. They are not a genealogical library, though they hold historical material useful for genealogical research. Their strength is their vast manuscript holdings and pre-1820 print collection. They are the home for the Adams Family Papers. The library has free wifi access and their catalog is online
  • New England Historic Genealogical Society
    99-101 Newbury Street
    Boston MA 02116
    Phone 617-536-5740
    American Ancestors ($)
    This is the oldest genealogical society in the United States founded in 1845 by members of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Its strengths are colonial period, New England, northeast United States, Eastern Canada, and United Kingdom. They have an extensive manuscript collection and a large genealogical database online that includes the Massachusetts Vital Records from 1841 to 1920. It is a private membership organization which grants the user access to their library holdings and online databases. There is free wifi in the library and their catalog is online.

Suffolk County MA Historical Societies CountyOffice.orgWebsite

Websites

  • FamilySearch Catalog – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.

Research Guides

References

  1. ↑ Massachusetts Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library; accessed on 11 April 2021.
  2. ↑ Massachusetts Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library; accessed on 11 April 2021.
  3. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Suffolk County, Massachusetts" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suffolk_County,_Massachusetts
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Suffolk County, Massachusetts . Page 329-331 At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 322-323.
  5. ↑ Massachusetts Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library; accessed on 11 April 2021.
  6. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Massachusetts. At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  7. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Suffolk County, Massachusetts," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suffolk_County,_Massachusetts, accessed 5 March 2020.
  8. ↑ Abolished County Governments - Secretary of State.
  9. ↑ Massachusetts Atlas of Historical County Boundaries
  10. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), 847-61. WorldCat entry; FS Library Book 973 D27e 2002.
  11. ↑ Handybook, 847, 856.
  12. ↑ Boston Post Road in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia (accessed 16 October 2014).
  13. ↑ Handybook, 848, 856.
  14. ↑ Agnes Edwards (Rothery), PDF Book: The Old Coast Road From Boston to Plymouth (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1920), 7. At various libraries (WorldCat).
  15. ↑ Handybook, 850, 856.
  16. ↑ Edgar Allen Beem, Maine Road Trip: Route 1: Many Names, One History in Down East - The Magazine of Maine (accessed 27 October 2014).
  17. ↑ William Dollarhide, Map Guide to American Migration Routes 1735-1815 (Bountiful, Utah: Heritage Quest, 1997), 2-4, and 7. (FS Catalog Collection Book 973 E3d). WorldCat entry.
  18. ↑ King's Highway (Charleston to Boston) in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia (accessed 21 November 2014).
  19. ↑ Handybook, 851, 856.
  20. ↑ Mohawk Trail in Routes in the Northeastern United States: Historic Trail, Roads, and Migration Routes in RootsWeb (accessed 6 October 2014).
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Handybook, 852, 856.
  22. ↑ Old Connecticut Path in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia (accessed 28 October 2014).
  23. ↑ Boston Post Road in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia (accessed 28 October 2014).
  24. ↑ Cobb's Tavern in Rising Star Lodge, A.F. and A.M. (accessed 16 October 2014).
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