Massachusetts Genealogy Guide

United States

Massachusetts

This is a genealogical and historical guide to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and its state-level records. You will find help with state vital records, histories, church archives, newspaper collections, genealogical 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.

History

This region 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 century before the first permanent European settlement. 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 Separatist Pilgrims were the first to arrive in 1620 to establish Plymouth Colony at Plymouth. There were several early and later attempts for settlement up the coast into Maine (which would be part of Massachusetts until statehood in 1820). The second permanent settlement was by Puritans who arrived in 1629 to establish the Massachusetts Bay Colony 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 firmly established at Boston. The British colonies developed more independent practices regarding trade, religion, and governance. King Charles II finally rescinded the charter for Massachusetts Bay in 1684.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 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 liberties colonists enjoyed and thus his rule was extremely unpopular. When King James II was overthrown in late 1688 by William and Mary, colonist at Boston overthrew Andros and his administration there in 1689. For lack of guidance by England, the colonies resumed their previous form of governments through 1691.

The next major geo-political event was the merger 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 territory included what is Maine and the Elizabeth, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket Islands (the islands removed from the control of New York). Major border 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 miles west of the Hudson; 1853 - Boston Corners section of Mount Washington to N.Y.), and Maine (1820 - succeeded as new state in Missouri Compromise).

Historical Data

Border Changes

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.

Top of Page

Counties

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is divided into fourteen counties. It is there that most court and land records are found. Most of the other commonly used records will be at the town level. Use the guide below to link to the county you want:

• Barnstable (1685)
• Berkshire (1761)
• Bristol (1685)
• Dukes (1683/1695)
• Essex (1643)
• Franklin (1811)
• Hampden (1812)
• Hampshire (1662)
• Middlesex (1643)
• Nantucket (1695)
• Norfolk (1793)
• Plymouth (1685)
• Suffolk (1643)
• Worcester (1731)

Massachusetts was created from two colonies in 1691. So records before that time would be part of either Massachusetts Bay Colony (1629) or Plymouth Colony (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, 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 list of archaic community, district, neighborhood section, and village names in Massachusetts that will not have a page on this wiki but are important to know their location.

• Secretary of the Commonwealth's Archaic Names List.

Histories and Genealogies

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

Quick Links to Massachusetts Bibliography
Records	Guides	General

Records

• The Acts and Resolves, Public and Private, of the Province of the Massachusetts Bay ... (Boston, 1869-1922), 21v.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries).
  Digital versions at:
  Vol. 1 - Provincial charters, Acts, 1692-1714 - Internet Archive
  Vol. 2 - Acts, 1715-1741 - Internet Archive
  Vol. 3 - Acts, 1742-1756 - Internet Archive
  Vol. 4 - Acts, 1757-1768 - Internet Archive
  Vol. 5 - Acts, 1769-1780 - Internet Archive
  Vol. 6 - Private Acts, 1692-1780 - Google Books
  Vol. 7 - Resolves, etc., 1692-1702 - Internet Archive
  Vol. 8 - Resolves, etc., 1703-1707 - Internet Archive
  Vol. 9 - Resolves, etc., 1708-1720 - Internet Archive
  Vol. 10 - Resolves, etc., 1720-1726 - Internet Archive
  Vol. 11 - Resolves, etc., 1726-1734 - Internet Archive
  Vol. 12 - Resolves, etc., 1734-1741 - Internet Archive
  Vol. 13 - Resolves, etc., 1741-1746 - Internet Archive
  Vol. 14 - Resolves, etc., 1747-1753 - Internet Archive
  Vol. 15 - Resolves, etc., 1753-1756 - Internet Archive
  Vol. 16 - Resolves, etc., 1757-1760 - Internet Archive
  Vol. 17 - Resolves, etc., 1761-1764 - Internet Archive
  Vol. 18 - Resolves, etc., 1765-1774 - Internet Archive
  Vol. 19 - Resolves, etc., 1775-1776 - Internet Archive
  Vol. 20 - Resolves, etc., 1777-1778 - Internet Archive
  Vol. 21 - Resolves, etc., 1779-1780, Establishment of towns, etc. - Internet Archive
  
• William Brigham, The Compact with the Charter and Laws of the Colony of New Plymouth: Together with the charter of the Council at Plymouth and an Appendix (Boston, 1836), x, 357 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  Digital versions at Internet Archive.
  
• Samuel F. Haven, ed., Records of the Company, from 1628 to 1641, as contained in the first volume of the archives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (Cambridge, Mass., 1850), cxxxviii, 107 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  Online at Internet Archive.
  
• John Noble and John F. Cronin, eds., Records of the Court of Assistants of the Colony of the Massachusetts Bay, 1630-1692 (Boston, 1901-1928), 3v.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 P2rc or film 496679 Items 4-6 (with digital links).
  Online at:
  Vol. 1, 1673-1692, Internet Archive.
  Vol. 2, pt. 1, 1630-1641, Internet Archive.
  Vol. 2, pt. 2, 1641-1644, no digital version found.
  Vol. 3, 1642-1673, Internet Archive.
  
• Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, ed., Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay New England (Boston, 1853-1854; rep. New York 1968), 5v. in 6.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 N2s also film and fiche (with digtal links) or reprint digital links.
  Online at:
  Vol. 1, 1628-1641, Internet Archive.
  Vol. 2, 1642-1649, Internet Archive.
  Vol. 3, 1644-1657, Internet Archive.
  Vol. 4, pt. 1, 1650-1660, Internet Archive.
  Vol. 4, pt. 2, 1661-1674, Internet Archive.
  Vol. 5, 1674-1686, Internet Archive.
  
• Nathaniel B. Shurtleff and David Pulsifer, eds., Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, in New England (Boston, 1855-1861), 12 volumes.
  Brief guide to this series is at MassMayflower.org.
  Online at: Links to online volumes at FamilySearch Digital Library
  Also at: Vols. 1-12 - HathiTrust;
  Vol. 1, Court Orders, v. I, 1633-1640, and Vol. 2, Court Orders, v. II, 1641-1651, Internet Archive.
  Vol. 3, Court Orders, v. III, 1651-1661, and Vol. 4, Court Orders, v. IV, 1661-1668, Internet Archive.
  Vol. 5, Court Orders, v. V, 1668-1678, Internet Archive.
  Vol. 6, Court Orders, v. VI, 1678-1691, Internet Archive.
  Vol. 7, Judicial Acts, 1636-1692, Internet Archive.
  Vol. 8, Miscellaneous Records [includes vital records], 1633-1689, Internet Archive.
  Vol. 9, Acts of the Commissioners of the United Colonies of New England, v. I, Internet Archive.
  Vol. 10, Acts of the Commissioners of the United Colonies of New England, v. II, Internet Archive.
  Vol. 11, Laws, Internet Archive.
  Vol. 12, Deeds &c. [i.e. Plymouth Colony Deeds, v. I] and Book of Indian Records for Their Lands, Internet Archive.
  Original: WorldCat (Other Libraries); Reprint: WorldCat (Other Libraries).

Top of Page || Top of Histories and Genealogies

Guides

• Richard Le Baron Bowen, Massachusetts Records; a handbook for genealogists, historians, lawyers, and other researchers (Rehoboth, Mass., 1957), 66 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Jeremiah Colburn, Bibliography of the Local History of Massachusetts (Boston, 1871), 119 pp.
  This is a reprint from the New England Historical and Genealogical Register from 1867 to 1871.
  Online at Ancestry ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Library fiche 6078735.
  
• Martin Kaufman, John W. Ifkovic, and Joseph Carvalho III, eds., A Guide to the History of Massachusetts (New York, 1988), xii, 313 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 H23g.
  
• Charles Allcott Flagg, A Guide to Massachusetts Local History (Salem, Mass., 1907), ix, 256 pp.
  No digital version available.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 A3f or film 1321013 Item 6.
  
• John D. Haskell Jr., ed., Massachusetts: A Bibliography of its History (Boston, 1976), xxx, 583 pp.
  Digital version at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 H23m; Note: This was reprinted in 1983 and FS Library has both copies.
  
• John Hayward, A Gazetteer of Massachusetts (Boston, 1846; rev. ed., 1849), 452 pp.
  Online at Internet Archive, Ancestry ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Library film 1730151 (1846 ed.).
  
• Historical Records Survey - Massachusetts, Inventory of City and Town Archives of Massachusetts (Boston, 1939-1942), 22v.
  Many digital versions - search on internet for specific title or find the listing under the town page.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Library has 19 of 22 volumes cataloged individually.
  
• Charles Henry Pope, The Pioneers of Massachusetts (Boston, 1900), 549 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries) (1965 ed. only); FS Catalog book 974.4 D2p (several editions and formats separately cataloged).
  Digital versions at Internet Archive and Ancestry ($).
  Supplement to the Pioneers of Massachusetts ([Boston, 1901]), xv pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries).
  
• William Henry Whitmore, The Massachusetts Civil List for the Colonial and Provincial Periods, 1630-1774, being a list of the names and dates of appointment of all the civil officers constituted by authority of the charters, or the local government (Albany, N.Y., 1870), 172 pp.
  Online at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries) (many other editions); FS Catalog book 974.4 N2w (1969 ed., also digital version cataloged separately).
  
• Carroll D. Wright, Report on the Custody and Condition of the Public Records of Parishes, Towns, and Counties (Boston, 1889), Courts, 379 pp.
  Online at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 A3cr, fiche 6046869, or film 176644.
  

Top of Page || Top of Histories and Genealogies

General

• Brooks Adams, The Emancipation of Massachusetts: the dream and the reality (S.l., 1887; rev. and enl. ed., Boston, 1919), vi, 534 pp.
  Online at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries) (1887 ed.).
  
• Charles Francis Adams, Three Episodes in Massachusetts History: the settlement of Boston Bay; the Antinomian controversy; a study of church and town government (Boston, 1892), 2v.
  Online at Internet Archive (v. 1, v. 2).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries) (1892 ed.).
  
• Charles Francis Adams, "Genesis of the Massachusetts Town and the Origin of the Town-Meeting Government" in Proceedings of Massachusetts Historical Society, 2nd Ser., 7 [1891-1892]: 172-263, 441-449.
  Online at Jstor.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); 974.4 C4p.
  
• Charles Francis Adams, ed., Antinomianism in the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, 1636-1638 (Boston, 1894), 415 pp.
  Online at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries).
  
• Walter Spooner Allen, Street Railways; development of street railways in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts ([New Bedford, Mass., 1899?]), 26 pp.
  Digital version at Hathi Trust.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries).
  
• The Andros Tracts: being a collection of pamphlets and official papers issued during the period between the overthrow of the Andros government and the establishment of the second charter of Massachusetts (Boston, 1868-1874), 3v.
  Online at Internet Archive (v. 1, v. 2, and v. 3).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries).
  
• George Lowell Austin, The History of Massachusetts, from the landing of the Pilgrims to the present time (Boston, 1884), xx, 598 pp.
  Online at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries).
  
• Foy Spencer Baldwin, "Early Evolution of the Public School in Massachusetts" in New England Magazine, New Ser., 34 [1906]: 424-431.
  No digital version available
  WorldCat (Other Libraries).
  
• James M. Banner Jr., To the Hartford Convention: the Federalists and the Origins of Party Politics in Massachusetts, 1789-1815 (New York, 1970), xiii, 378 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries).
  
• Charles Edward Banks, The Winthrop Fleet of 1630: an account of the vessels, the voyage, the passengers and their English homes, from original authorities (Boston, 1930; rep. many times), ix, 118 pp.
  Digital version at Ancestry ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 W2b.
  
• John Warner Barber, Historical Collections, being a general collection of interesting facts, traditions, biographical sketches, anecdotes &c., relating to the history and antiquities of every town in Massachusetts, with geographical descriptions (Worcester, Mass., 1839), viii, 624 pp.
  Online at Internet Archive (1844 ed.).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries) (plus other editions); FS Library book 974.4 H2b (more editions available).
  
• John Stetson Barry, The History of Massachusetts (Boston, 4th ed., 1856-1857), 3v.
  Online at Internet Archive (v. 1, v. 2, and v. 3).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Library film 1000062 Item 2-4.
  
• Emery John Battis, Saints and Secretaries: Anne Hutchinson and the Antinomian Controversy in the Massachusetts Bay Colony (Chapel Hill, N.C., 1962), xv, 379 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Pierre Belliveau, French Neutrals in Massachusetts; the story of Acadians rounded up by soldiers from Massachusetts and their captivity in the Bay Province, 1755-1766 (Boston, 1972), xiv, 259 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Richard Le Baron Bowen, "The 1690 Tax Revolt of Plymouth Colony Towns" in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 112 [1958]: 4-14.
  Digital version at AmericanAncestors ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974 B2ne v. 112.
  
• George Ernest Bowman, The Mayflower Compact and its Signers, with facsimiles and a list of the Mayflower Passengers, 1620-1920 (Boston, 1920), 19 pp.
  Digital version at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• George Ernest Bowman, "The Bowman Files," research into the Mayflower descendants for five or more generations.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Library fiche 6331448-6331471 (232 fiche).
  Derivative works from this collection:
  
  • Susan E. Roser, Mayflower Marriages from the files of George Ernest Bowman at the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants (Baltimore, 1990), xi, 415 pp.
    Digital version at Ancestry ($).
    WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 V2r.
    
  • Susan E. Roser, Mayflower Births & Deaths from the files of George Ernest Bowman at the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants (Baltimore, 1992), 2v.
    Digital version at Ancestry ($).
    WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 V2ra.
    
  • Susan E. Roser, Mayflower Deeds & Probates from the files of George Ernest Bowman at the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants (Baltimore, 1994), xvii, 659 pp.
    Digital version at Ancestry ($).
    WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 R2r.
    
  • Susan E. Roser, Mayflower Increasings (Baltimore, 1989, 2nd ed., 1995), xvi, 158 pp.
    Digital version at Ancestry ($).
    WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.482 D2r.
    
• Alden Bradford, History of Massachusetts (Boston, 1822-1829), 3v.
  Online at: Internet Archive (v. 1, v. 2, and v. 3), Hathi Trust.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Alden Bradford, History of Massachusetts, for two hundred years: from the year 1620 to 1820 (Boston, 1835), xii, 480 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Library film 1463287.
  
• William Bradford, History of Plymouth Plantation (Boston, 1856), xix, 476 pp.
  Online at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  William Bradford, Bradford's History "of Plimouth Plantation" from the original manuscript (Boston, 1898), lxxvii, 555 pp.
  Online at Internet Archive (1899 printing).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Library book 974.482/P3 H2b (plus digital link).
  William T. Davis, ed., Bradford's History of Plymouth Plantation, 1606-1646 (New York, 1908), xv, 437 pp.
  Digital versions at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Library book 974.4 H2bw (1964 ed.).
  Worthington C. Ford, ed., History of Plymouth Plantation, 1620-1647 (Boston, 1912), 2v.
  Online at: Vol. 1 -Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  Samuel Eliot Morison, ed., Of Plymouth Plantation, 1620-1647 (New York, 1952), xlii, 448, xiv pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Library book 974.482 H2br.
  Caleb H. Johnson, ed., Of Plymouth Plantation: Along with the full text of the Pilgrims' journals for their first year at Plymouth ([Philadelphia], 2006), 622 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• William Bradford and Edward Winslow, Henry Martyn Dexter, ed., Mourt's Relation or Journal of the Plantation of Plymouth (London, 1622; many editions), xlvii, 176 pp.
  Online at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries) (1865 ed.); FS Catalog book 974.4 H2m 1985.
  
• William Brandt, "The Massachusetts Slave Trade" in New England Magazine, New Ser., 21 [1899-1900]: 83-96.
  No digital version available.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Timothy Hall Breen and Stephen C. Foster, "Moving to the New World: The Character of Early Massachusetts Immigration" in William and Mary Quarterly, 3rd Ser., 30 [1973]: 189-222.
  Digital version at Jstor ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 H25w ser. 3 v. 30 1973.
  
• B. Katherine Brown, "Freemanship in Puritan Massachusetts" in American Historical Review, 59 [1953-1954]: 865-883.
  Digital version at Jstor (free online).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• David Bushnell, "The Treatment of the Indians in Plymouth Colony" in New England Quarterly, 26 [1953]: 193-218 pp.
  Digital version at Jstor ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Harry Alonzo Cushing, History of the Transition from provincial to Commonwealth Government in Massachusetts (New York, 1896), vi, 281 pp.
  Online at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Daughters of the American Revolution, Massachusetts, Genealogical Records Collection, FS Library film 859313 (first of 39), filmed complete in 1971, but series has continued. This important collection includes transcripts of many Bible, cemetery, church, obituary, and other records of individuals born about 1700–1900. This collection is being indexed nationally by the headquarters. To search the DAR Genealogical Research System for the GRC content, click on Massachusetts and conduct your search. For more information on this index, see the overview of the national index and/or the list of volumes included.
  
• John Demos, A Little Commonwealth: Family Life in Plymouth Colony (New York, 1970), xvi, 201 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries) (several other editions); Not at FS Library.
  
• Charles Henry James Douglas, The Financial History of Massachusetts, from the organization of the Massachusetts Bay Company to the American Revolution (New York, 1892; 2nd ed., 1897), 148 pp.
  Digital version at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• George Edward Ellis, The Puritan Age and Rule in the Colony of the Massachusetts Bay, 1629-1685 (Boston, 1888; 3rd ed., 1891), xix, 576 pp.
  Digital version at Internet Archive (1888 ed.).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• George Barrell Emerson, Education in Massachusetts: Early legislation and history ... (Boston, 1869), 36 pp.
  Digital versions at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Joel N. Eno, "The Expansion of Massachusetts -- chronological -- based on the official records" in Americana, 24 [1930]: 28-40.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries).
  
• Joel N. Eno, "The Expansion of New England as begun in Plymouth" [i.e. Plymouth Colony] in Americana, 23 [1929]: 403-410.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 B2a v. 23 or film 1697459 Item 5.
  
• Allan W. Forbes, "Apprenticeship in Massachusetts, its early importance and later neglect" in Worcester Historical Society Publications, New Ser., 2 [1936-1943]: 5-25.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• George E. Gay, comp., Origin and Organization of the Normal Schools in Massachusetts (Boston, 1900), 130 pp.
  No digital version available.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• William Prescott Greenlaw, The Greenlaw Index of the New England Historic Genealogical Society (Boston, 1979), 2v.
  This is an index to many local histories and genealogies published between 1900 and about 1940.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974 D22g.
  
• David D. Hall, ed., The Antinomian Controversy, 1636-1638: a documentary history (Middletown, Conn., 1968; Durham, N.C., 2nd ed., 1990), xxi, 453 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Frederick F. Harling, "The Indians of Eastern Massachusetts 1620-1645" in Historical Journal of Western Massachusetts, 1 [1972]: 28-36.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• George Lee Haskins, "The Beginning of the Recording System in Massachusetts" [i.e. deeds, mortgages, etc.] in Boston University Law Review, 21 [1941]: 281-304.
  Digital version at HeinOnline ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• "History of Free Schools in Plymouth Colony" in Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, 2nd Ser., 10 [1816]: 79-85.
  NO digital version found.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• William Hubbard, A General History of New England from the Discovery to MDCLXXX [i.e. 1680] (Boston, 1815; 2nd ed., 1848), vi, v, xvii, 768 pp.
  Digital versions at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries) (also many modern editions); FS Catalog book 974 H2hg 1972 or film 1320665 Item 2.
  
• Joseph Hunter, Collections Concerning the Church or Congregation of Protestant Separatists formed at Scrooby in North Nottinghamshire, in the time of King James I: the Founders of New-Plymouth, the parent-colony of New-England (London, 1854), xiv, 205 pp.
  Digital versions at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Edward Alfred Jones, The Loyalists of Massachusetts, their Memorials, Petitions and Claims (London, 1930), xxiv, 341 pp.
  Digital version for searches only at Hathi Trust.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• George D. Langdon Jr., "Bibliographic Essay [on published and manuscript sources for the study of Plymouth Colony in the seventeenth century]" in Occasional Papers in Old Colony Studies, 1 [1969]: 41-50.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Douglas Edward Leach, "The Military System of Plymouth Colony" in New England Quarterly, 24 [1951]: 342-364.
  Digital version at Jstor ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Theodore Burnham Lewis Jr., "Massachusetts and the Glorious Revolution, 1660-1692," Ph.D. Dissertation, Univ. of Wisconsin, 1967, ix 455 pp.
  Digital version for limited searches only at Hathi Trust.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• List of Persons Whose Names Have Been Changed in Massachusetts: 1780-1892 (Boston, 1893), 522 pp.
  Digital versions at Internet Archive (1885 ed.).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Library film 496747 Item 5 (with digital copy - other editions available).
  
• George Henry Martin, The Evolution of the Massachusetts Public School System; a historical sketch (New York, 1894), xx, 284 pp.
  Digital version at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• David Edward Mass, The Return of the Massachusetts Loyalists(New York, 1989), 592 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Ruth A. McIntyre, Debts, Hopeful and Desperate: Financing the Plymouth Colony (Plymouth, Mass., 1963), 86 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Stewart Mitchell, ed., "The Founding of Massachusetts: a selection from the sources of the history of the settlement, 1628-1631" (Boston, 1930), 211 pp.
  Reprint from the Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society, v. 62 [1929].
  Digital version limited to search at Hathi Trust.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 C4p v. 62.
  
• Robert Earle Moody and Richard Clive Simmons, eds., The Glorious Revolution in Massachusetts: Selected Documents, 1689-1692 being Colonial Society of Massachusetts Publications, vol. 64 (Boston, 1988), xxviii, 647 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Samuel Eliot Morison, Builders of the Bay Colony (Boston, 1930; rev. and enl., 1964), vi, 405 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 D3ms.
  
• Samuel Eliot Morison, The Story of the 'Old Colony' of New Plymouth, 1620-1692 (New York, 1956), 296 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Nathaniel Morton, New England's Memorial (Cambridge, Mass., 1669; Boston, 6th ed., 1855), xxii, 515 pp.
  Digital versions at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Library film 1421589 Item 3 (1826 ed.).
  
• Thomas Morton, The New English Canaan of Thomas Morton (Amsterdam, 1637; Boston, Prince Soc. ed., 1883), vi 381 pp.
  Digital versions at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries) (1637 ed. - click for all 27 editions); Not at FS Library.
  
• Daniel Plooij, The Pilgrim Fathers from a Dutch Point of View (New York, 1932), xi, 154 pp.
  Digital version for searching only at Hathi Trust.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974 D3p.
  
• William Frederic Poole, "The Witchcraft Delusion of 1692 by Gov. Thomas Hutchinson" in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 24 [1870]: 381-414.
  Digital versions at Internet Archive and AmericanAncestors ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974 B2ne v. 24 or film 962857 Item 1.
  
• Edwin Powers, Crime and Punishment in Early Massachusetts, 1620-1692 (Boston, 1966), xii, 647 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Bettye Hobbs Pruitt, ed., The Massachusetts Tax Valuation List of 1771 (Boston, 1978; rep. Camden, Me., 1998), 924 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries) / reprint; FS Catalog book Q974.4 R4m / reprint.
  
• George A. Rawlyk, Nova Scotia's Massachusetts: a study of Massachusetts-Nova Scotia relations 1630 to 1784 (Montreal, 1973), xviii, 298 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Fremont Rider, ed., American Genealogical-Biographical Index (Middletown, Conn., 1952-2000), 206v.+
  Digital version at Ancestry ($)
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 D22am.
  Fremont Rider, ed., 'Key Title Index to the American Genealogical-Biographical Index(Middletown, Conn., 199?), 36 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 D22am index (different version).
  
• Maurice Robbins, "Indians of the Old Colony: their relation with and their contributions to the settlement of the area" in Bulletin of the Massachusetts Archaeological Society, 17 [1955-1956]: 59-74.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Frances James Rose-Troup, The Massachusetts Bay Company and its Predecessors (New York, 1930), xi, 176 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Library film 1321018 Item 3.
  
• Aldophus Egerton Ryerson, The Loyalists of America and Their Times: from 1620 to 1816 (Toronto, 2nd ed., 1880; rep. New York, 1970), 2v.
  Digital versions at Internet Archive (v. 1 and v. 2).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries) (rep.); FS Catalog book 973 F2Lr or film 928088 Items 1-2 (see other editions).
  
• Edwin G. Sanford, The Pilgrim Fathers and Plymouth Colony: a bibliographical survey of books and articles published published during the past fifty years (Boston, 1970), 29 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.482/P3 H23s.
  
• John Fairfield Sly, Town Government in Massachusetts, 1620-1930 (Cambridge, Mass., 1930; rep. Hamden, Conn., 1967), viii, 244 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries) (rep.); FS Catalog book 974.4 N2sL.
  
• Daniel Scott Smith, "Continuity and Discontinuity in Puritan Naming: Massachusetts, 1771" in William and Mary Quarterly, 3rd Ser., 51 [1994]: 67-91.
  Naming practices.
  Digital version at Jstor (free).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries) (see other listings); FS Catalog book 973 H25w ser. 3 v. 51.
  
• James Henry Stark, The Loyalists of Massachusetts and the other side of the American Revolution (Boston, 1910), vii, 509 pp.
  Digital versions at FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Gutenberg Project.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries).
  
• Robert C. Twombly and Richard H. Moore, "Black Puritan: the Negro in Seventeenth-century Massachusetts" in William and Mary Quarterly, 3rd Ser., 24 [1967]: 224-242.
  Digital version at Jstor (free).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries) (see other listings); FS Catalog book 973 H25w ser. 3 v. 24.
  
• Lyman Horace Weeks and Edwin M. Bacon, eds., An Historical Digest of the Provincial Press; being a collation of all items of personal and historic reference relating to American affairs ... Massachusetts series, volume one [no more published] (Boston, 1911), xiii, 564 pp.
  Digital version at University of Alberta.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 H2wL.
  
• Richard Mark Weisman, Witchcraft, Magic and Religion in 17th-Century Massachusetts (Amherst, Mass., 1984), xiv, 267 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• George Findlay Willison, Saints and Strangers, being the lives of the Pilgrim Fathers & their families, with their friends & foes ... (New York, 1945), ix, 513 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 H2w (with digital link).
  
• George Findlay Willison, ed., The Pilgrim Reader; the story of the Pilgrims as told by themselves & their contemporaries, friendly & unfriendly (Garden City, N.Y., 1953), xvii, 585 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• William Wood, Wood's New England's Prospect (London, 1634; many editions), xxxi, 131 pp.
  Digital versions at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974 B4ds v. 5 (1980 update).
  
• Carter G. Woodson, "The Relations of Negroes and Indians in Massachusetts" in Journal of Negro History, 5 [1920]: 45-7.
  Digital version at Jstor (free).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Carroll D. Wright, ed., History of Wages and Prices in Massachusetts: 1752-1883 (Boston, 1885), 313, 57 pp.
  Digital version at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries) (see other entries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Alexander Young, Chronicles of the Pilgrim Fathers of the Colony of Plymouth, from 1602-1625 (Boston, 1841; 27 editions), xvi, 504 pp.
  Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($) (rep. of 2nd ed., 1844).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 H2y or film 1697445 Item 2 (2nd ed., 1844).
  
• Alexander Young, Chronicles of the First Planters of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, 1623 to 1636 (Boston, 1846), viii, 571 pp.
  Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($) or Ancestry ($) (rep.).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 H2ya or film 896651 Item 1 (with digital link).
  

Top of Page || Top of Histories and Genealogies

Massachusetts Genealogy Records

Vital Records

The original vital record resides in the town or city where the event occurred (in colonial times, a family group of birth can include events from other towns). The recording of these records was ordered by the government as early as 1639, though not all places followed the law. Both Massachusetts Bay Colony and Plymouth Colony started to collect these records in a central location, but the practice died out by the mid-17th Century. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts was the first state to create a permanent, statewide recording system starting in 1841. It is notable that the city of Boston lagged behind in reporting to the state and its records do not show up in the state system until a tougher regulation was implemented in 1848 (though the city did record these records locally). The only vital records closed to the public are the original births of amended records, out-of-wedlock births, and under-age marriages and those can be opened by a judge.

The original record still is found with the clerk of the town or city. All these records back to the earliest settlement of a town can always be viewed at the town or city clerk’s office. Most all town and city vital records have been microfilmed by the FamilySearch Library and microfiched by the Holbrook Research Institute of Oxford, Mass. [now Archive Publishing of Provo, Utah]. This tends to be the most complete record of the event. Since 1841, there should be a second copy with the state and sometimes has abbreviated information from the original. This second copy is the most widely available source for researchers. It has been preserved by the same two vendors listed above and can be found on online in a variety of places and forms as listed below.

Quick Links to Vital Records
Pre-1850	Pre-1850 (online)
1841-1920	1921-present
Divorce Records	Adoption Records
Bibliography

Top of Page || Top of VRs

Pre-1850

Before 1900, a few towns started publishing their own vital records in book form. The records were usually re-arranged into alphabetical order but separated by births, marriages, and deaths. Church and private records were added to get a more complete record and were clearly 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 (roughly 236 towns) has been published from the original town records and a few still are being released today. Check the Mass. Town Pre-1850 Published Vital Records Guide for a listing of the towns published up to 2011. There are links to some online 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 ($)

• Massachusetts Town Birth Records
• Massachusetts Town Marriage Records
• Massachusetts Town Death Records
  [Only a handful of volume have been uploaded]
• Massachusetts Marriages, 1633-1850
  [extracted from FS Library films of original records, not complete, but extensive]
• Frederic W. Bailey, Early Massachusetts Marriages Prior to 1800 [church records only]
  

fold3.com ($)

• Massachusetts Printed Vital Records, search collection or browse by town and page
• Massachusetts Vital Record Transcripts, manuscript versions of the printed books for 178 towns
• Massachusetts Vital Records, being a portion of the Holbrook Collection
• Boston Vital Records, 1630-1895, from Holbrook Collection

Free online versions

• 1600-1850 - Massachusetts Vital Records. Links to digital books with vital records transcriptions for most Massachusetts towns. Includes births, marriages, and deaths. Downloadable pdf: "Vital Records to 1850".
• 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.
  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 FS Library.
  

Top of Page || Top of VRs

1841 - 1920

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts was the first state to create statewide vital records in the modern sense starting in 1841. It is notable 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 state 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 microfilmed copies or request certified copies per their rules. The archives only has the amended records up to v. 69 (1920). They have an online index to the records for 1841 to 1910 that is searchable for first name, last name, town, start year, end year, and type of record. Note that this is exact spelling searches only. Photocopies of records can be ordered by email 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 online 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 same 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 also 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 generally available elsewhere.

• Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1910 ($)
  [all indexes, records, and amended births]
  
• Massachusetts Vital Records, 1911-1915 ($)
  [all indexes, records, and amended births]
  
• Massachusetts Vital Records, 1916-1920 ($)
  [all indexes, records, and amended births]

FamilySearch 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 small fee) will have all the same records as listed above. You can access online for free:

• Massachusetts Births, 1841-1915
• Massachusetts Marriages, 1841-1915
• Massachusetts Deaths, 1841-1915, 1921-1924
• Massachusetts State Vital Records, 1841-1920 This collection contains only 1916 to 1920 plus amended and delayed records, 1841-1920]

fold3.com ($)

This site has the statewide vital records index, 1841-1895 that is searchable, but also browsable in its original form: separate birth, marriage, and death with separate indexes for each five-year period.

Ancestry has the following Massachusetts Vital Record Indexes:

• Mass. Birth Index, 1840-1915 ($) [the NEHGS index].
  
• Mass. Marriage Index, 1840-1915 ($) [the NEHGS index].
  
• Mass. Death Index, 1841-1915 ($) [the NEHGS index].
  
• Mass. Birth Index, 1901-1960, 1967-1970 ($).
  
• Mass. Marriage Index, 1901-1955, 1966-1970 ($).
  
• Mass. Death Index, 1901-1980 ($).
  

Top of Page || Top of VRs

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@mass.gov
They have limited research hours

This office only makes certified copies of vital records. There are several ways to purchase copies both online and in person. This office also has the amended birth 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 computerized index for the most recent records and five-year block indexes for births, marriages, and deaths onsite.

Every five years, another block of five years is transferred to the State Archives and at the same time is made available through the FamilySearch Library. These records are open to the public, with some restrictions on certain birth and marriage records. The original town copies are always open to the public.

Ancestry has the following Massachusetts Vital Record Indexes:

• Mass. Birth Index, 1901-1960, 1967-1970 ($).
  
• Mass. Marriage Index, 1901-1955, 1966-1970 ($).
  
• Mass. Death Index, 1901-1980 ($).
  
• Death Index, 1970-2003 ($).
  

Top of Page || Top of VRs

Divorce Records

Divorce records have been handled by the probate court system since 1922 and commonly filed where the couple last lived together. These are public records (with minor exceptions). There is a statewide index 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 facility. The earliest divorce records are scattered through a variety 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 location 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

Top of Page || Top of VRs

Adoption Records

Like most all states, Massachusetts seals the records of adoption that include the original birth certificate with the biological parents. These records stay sealed unless opened by court order. Who can see this sealed information is limited by law. There is no way a person can know they are adopted without being told by someone. There are several registries online set up to assist adoptees and biological parents help find each other. Apply for pre-adoption birth record at Registry of Vital Records and Statistics.

To learn more about the history of adoption 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 online at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).

Top of Page || Top of VRs

Bibliography

• John Ballard Blake, "The Early History of Vital Statistics in Massachusetts" in Bulletin of the History of Medicine, 29 [1955]: 46-68.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Charles Cowley, "Judicial Falsifications of History" in the New England Magazine and Bay State Monthly, May 1886.
  Digital version at New England Magazine.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• David Cressy, "The Seasonality of Marriage in Old and New England" in Journal of Interdisciplinary History, 16 [1985]: 1-21.
  Digital version at Jstor ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Historical Records Survey - Massachusetts, Guide to the Public Vital Records in Massachusetts (Boston, 1942), 342 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 A3hr (Los Angeles and Logan only).
  
• Robert Rene Kuczynski, "The Registration Laws in the Colonies of Massachusetts Bay and New Plymouth" in American Statistical Association Publications, 7 [1900-1901]: 65-73.
  Digital version at Jstor (free).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Chester F. Sanger, "The Divorce Legislation of Massachusetts" in Bay State Monthly, 3 [1885]: 27-32.
  Digital version as a text file at Gutenberg, search text for title.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  

Thanks to the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants for their contributions to this page Top of Page || Top of VRs

Land Records

The earliest settlers in this region were issued patents or charters directly or through various types of companies established for settlement and/or trade. See the Historical Data table to identify these early documents. Once the two major colonies were settled (i.e. Plymouth Colony and Massachusetts Bay Colony), land was distributed by their colonial governments through grants. Massachusetts Bay Colony established a county system in 1643 and land was recorded in the county deeds from then on. Plymouth Colony used a centralized system and recorded these deeds colony-wide from 1620 to 1685 until it finally established a county system in 1685. The land records for the area now called Maine were always kept separately first entirely as was later was called York County. For each of these areas, land was granted for many years after the initial settlement as the colony expanded into uncharted territory given to it under the various patents and charters. All subsequent sales were recorded by the county. Though the vast majority of land transactions were recorded, it was not a requirement that this be done. It was in the best interest of the owner to do so, 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 online records, the "recorded land" is what is microfilmed and constitutes the majority of the records. There are "registered land" deeds that go through land court. These are deeds are court approved as having clear title (i.e. no encumbrances). It you do not find anything in the first section, always search registered land for deeds since 1899.

Court System

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 special courts, records, legal definitions, and bibliography. Realize that except for the upper courts, all records and actions were on the county level. To find detailed information regarding a particular county's courts, see that county page from the links provided above.

Quick Links to court history
Plymouth Colony	Massachusetts Bay	Dominion of New England
Provincial Period	Commonwealth Period	Lower/Trial Courts
	Special Courts
Admiralty Court	Coroners Court	Boston Municipal
Probate Court	Land Court	Juvenile Court
	Housing Court
Records	Legal Age	Bibliography

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 part of the Virginia territory. This patent was never in use because the Pilgrims settled outside this territory. Thus, the adult male passengers created the document they called a “combination” and now called the “Mayflower Compact” to give a governance 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 status as residents, but did not create a basis for laws as royal charters would did for other colonies.

Though having no legal authority to do so, but in the best interest of the settlers, the “combination” was an agreement of the adult males of the settlement to establish a “civil body politic” and make just laws, acts, etc. for the general good of the colony. From this single act, the group elected a governor and several assistants to govern them (though we do not have knowledge of how that was decided). On 17 December 1623 (but recorded in 1627), the first order 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 term of one year according to the former custom and that constables and other inferior officers also 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 murder, conversing with the devil by way of witchcraft, burning of ships or houses, sodomy, rapes, and buggery. The Magistrate Court (1623?-1692) heard cases of fornication, swearing, lying, stealing, embezzling, drunkenness, gaming, lascivious carriage, burning fences, defacing boundary markers, using tobacco, setting fires in the woods, forgery, stealing public records, denying the Scriptures as the rule of life, being absent from church, and keeping the Sabbath. The Court of Assistants (1623-1692) was the meeting 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.

Top of Page || Top of Courts

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 reasonable 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 necessary so that the people may be religiously, peaceably, and civilly governed. All the freemen met and acted as the General Court. The court chose annually 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 authority 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 shilling (increased to 40 shillings in 1647) and handle misdemeanors such of profanity or drunkenness in their own towns.

The Inferior Quarter Courts were established in 1639 as a circuit county court 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, divorce, and cases of life, member, and banishment. These courts were renamed County Court (1636-1692).

This three-tiered system was in place throughout the colonial 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 serious cases rose to the level where all the magistrates of the county sat together with a jury to decide the cases. The most serious issues were handled the eighteen magistrates assembled together (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.

Top of Page || Top of Courts

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 also 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 present-day 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 governance of these areas was weak because the distance from the seat at Boston was too great even with a satellite office in New York City. King James II was overthrown in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. This news traveled back to Boston where the local mob 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 former structure until new royal charters were issued in 1692.

Top of Page || Top of Courts

Provincial Period (1692-1780)

In 1692, the General Court was restored as the legislative body with jurisdiction over all of Massachusetts Bay Colony (that comprised present-day Massachusetts and Maine). The province maintained the three-tiered court system. 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 court for capital criminal cases, civil cases over £10, and some equity matters. It was a circuit court moving between counties with a grand jury and at times two trial juries.

The county Court of General Sessions (1692-1827) heard all criminal cases before a bench of justices of the peace. They also 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 (drunkenness, rioting, and violations of Sabbath) and civil cases under £40. This court sat in the justice’s 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 jurisdiction and process remained unchanged.

Top of Page || Top of Courts

Commonwealth Period (1780-present)

The Massachusetts Constitution of 1780 created a separation 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 country and is found nowhere at the federal level. 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 ruling. Judges for the Supreme Judicial Court were allowed to hold their office as long as they “behaved themselves” and all current appointments prior to the Constitution were continued thus keeping the legal authority of this court from its establishment 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 appeal, writ of error, capital offenses, and “every Crime whatsoever 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 various counties by mandate of the legislature. To this point, all records were recorded and maintained by the clerk in Boston (Suffolk County). Starting in 1797, the records were recorded in the county the court sat by the clerk of that county’s Court of Common Pleas (being made a clerk of the Supreme Judicial Court for that county when the court was in session there). The exception to that rule 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 court. One heard capital offenses, appeals from probate, and all issues in law that were tried by three or more judges (the number of judges varied over the years between four and seven) and the other heard all other actions (i.e. cases not being appealed by a lower court) and was tried by a single judge that was subject to review by the whole court. This was also the year that the Reports of Supreme Judicial Court started publishing annually [St.1804, c.105]. This practice of taking actions not on appeal was called nisi prius (Latin for “unless first”), meaning it became the court of original jurisdiction. A second trial on the facts on appeal to this court was abolished in 1817. The legislature clarified the jurisdiction between the Supreme Judicial Court and the then statewide Court of Common Pleas in 1840 [St.1840, c.87] that remained in effect until the reorganization of the court system in 1859.

The changes in 1859 did not affect this court as the streamlining generally reshaped the lower courts. Over time, the Supreme Judicial Court’s focus was narrowed (see Menand’s book, pages 39 to 41, cited in the references). Divorce was removed to a lower court in 1887 [St.1887, c.332]. An Appeals Court (1972-present) was added with the Supreme Judicial Court to help with the backlog 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 inferior courts and maintains full authority over all court records.

Top of Page || Top of Courts

Lower Courts (i.e. Trial Courts)

The middle tier courts continued to function as before the Constitution. Specific jurisdictions shifted back and forth between the two middle-tier courts. Boston and Suffolk County developed a separate court system in this tier. In 1799, the Municipal Court of the Town of Boston (1799-1859) had been given authority over all criminal 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 new Superior Court (1859-present) that combined the powers of all the previous courts into one. The court sat four, instead 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 separate 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 further details on jurisdiction 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 only have the authority to perform marriages, acknowledgements (i.e. notary), administer certain oaths, take depositions, and call meetings of various proprietor groups and corporations. These were technically court records though the justice sat in their own dwelling, the records often passed off as personal papers that are commonly found in historical societies and university libraries. The Boston Police Court (1821-1866) was established as the first police 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 police courts were created starting in 1831 with separate parameters for each of them. In every instance, the police court exclusively assumed most of the powers from the Justice of the Peace. Criminal 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 work and function of the police courts. The District Court concept started in Berkshire County with the District Court of Central Berkshire that had jurisdiction over Pittsfield and seven adjacent towns with the powers of a police 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 style of the lowest court spread across the Commonwealth. By 1921, the remaining thirteen police courts were renamed and the establishment of the District Court (1921-present) was solidified and uniform across the entire Commonwealth [G.L.1921, c.218]. These courts had jurisdiction over crimes punishable 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 responsibility 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.

Top of Page || Top of Courts

Special Courts

The Massachusetts court system has maintained a three-tiered system for most of history. As the case load of special area grew, the Commonwealth created special courts for these cases while preserving the basic structure.

Top of Page || Top of Courts

Admiralty Court

These maritime cases were first heard by the Court of Assistants in Massachusetts Bay Colony. Under the second charter in 1692, this court was pulled out as a separate civil law court with judges appointed by the King and not part of the provincial court 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 constitution in 1786 and these matters transferred to the new U.S. District Court. The records of these courts are part of the Suffolk Files Collection.

Top of Page || Top of Courts

Coroners Court

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

Top of Page || Top of Courts

Boston Municipal Court (1866-present)

Though basically a district court, it is administered separately [St.1866, c.279]. It is the heir 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].

Top of Page || Top of Courts

Probate Court (1783-present)

This type of court case has always been present and the records reach back unbroken to the settlement of the two colonies, but it was first the County Court and then the Governor and Council who handled probate cases. The Constitution of 1780 mentioned probate judges, but the legislature codified the scope as the probate of wills, administration of estates, and appointment of guardians for minor and “distracted 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 jurisdiction over adoption (1851), divorce (1887/1922), change of name (1854), and domestic relations. Marriage was never based in common law in Massachusetts and was performed by magistrates. As such, it has always been a civil contract. The Royal Charter allowed for marriages to be performed by justices of the peace or by a settled 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’s petitions for separate estates, annulment, 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).

Top of Page || Top of Courts

Land Court (1898-present)

The Court of Registration (1898-1900) was legislated to register title of land to deal with real and personal property (generally of deceased 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 entire Commonwealth. The court oversees foreclosures, redemption from tax titles, recovery of freehold estates, petitions to try, and determines the validity of encumbrances and discharges of mortgage. It has authority over interest in real estate and petitions to determine boundaries of flats, county, city, town, or districts, can enforce restrictions, and validate municipal zoning ordinances and bylaws. Appeals from zoning board decisions are handled here.

Top of Page || Top of Courts

Juvenile Court

Children were identified as a special class tracing back to 1641 in Massachusetts Bay Colony. The probate wing of a court first handled children and then these family matters fell under the Probate Court. The first specialized court was the Boston Juvenile Court (1906). Young offenders were to be treated as children in need of aid, not as a criminal. A delinquent child was defined as between seven and seventeen years who violated a town ordinate or committed an offense not punishable 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.

Top of Page || Top of Courts

Housing Court

Matters relating to State Sanitary Code, building regulation and inspection, fire precaution, rubbish disposal, landlord and tenant disputes, and any other law concerning health, safety, or welfare of any occupant 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.

Top of Page || Top of Courts

Records

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

The court records have three general types of records: docket books, record books, and file papers. Docket books for civil actions outline the actions heard by the court 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 end of a case 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 case 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.

Top of Page || Top of Courts

Legal Definition of Age

This series of definitions of the age someone 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.

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

24: can be ordained a priest.

30: can be a bishop.

Woman:

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 birth. 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 age for lands which he has by descent. He may petition the court to stay the action until he is of full age (21) to which a court general agrees, but this does not hold for if the minor is the purchaser of the land.

Top of Page || Top of Courts

Bibliography

Guides | Records | References

Guides:

• Edmund Hatch Bennett, Russell Gray, and Henry W. Swift, Massachusetts Digest of the reported decisions of the Supreme Judicial Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts ... September, 1804 - December, 1879 (Boston, 1906), 8v.
  No digital version online.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Daniel R. Coquillette, "Law in Colonial Massachusetts, 1630-1800" as Colonial Society of Massachusetts Publications, vol. 62 (Boston, 1984), lxviii, 608 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 P3L.
  
• John D. Cushing, comp., A Bibliography of the Laws and Resolves of the Massachusetts Bay, 1642-1780 (Wilmington, Del., 1984), xxiv, 372 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Catherine S. Menand, A Research Guide to the Massachusetts Courts and Their Records (Boston, 1987), 135 pp., 1 microfiche.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 P2m.
• Michael S. Hindus, et al., The Records of the Massachusetts Superior Court and Its Predecessors: An Inventory and Guide (Boston, 1977), 93 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
• William Jeffrey, Early New England Court Records: A Bibliography of Published Materials (Cambridge, Mass., 1954), 27 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Library film 234519.
• Mary Ann Neary, et al., Handbook of Legal Research in Massachusetts (Boston, rev. ed., 2002), 1v. (loose-leaf).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
• Diane Rapaport, New England Court Records: A Research Guide for Genealogists and Historians (Burlington, Mass., 2006), xv, 470 pp..
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974 P27r.
  

Top of Page || Top of Courts || Top of Bibliography

Records and inventories:

• Catalogue of the Records and Files of the Office of the Clerk, Supreme Judicial Court of the County of Suffolk (Boston, 1890; rev. ed., 1897), 181 pp.
  Relates to the entire state; gives dates and places where court was held 1692-1797.
  Online at Internet Archives, Ancestry ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.46 A3c or film 908077 Item 2 or FS Library fiche 6078747.
  
• David T. Konig, ed., Plymouth Court Records, 1686-1859 (Wilmington, Del., 1978-1981), in 16v. and computer file (Boston, 2002).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries) or WorldCat (Other Libraries) [computer file]; FS Catalog book 974.482 P2p v. # with computer link.
• Charles T. Libby, Robert E. Moody, and Neal W. Allen Jr., Province and Court Records of Maine (Portland, Me., 1928-1975), in 6v.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.1 P2p v. #; film 982043, or fiche 6046855.
• List of Persons Whose Names Have Been Changed in Massachusetts, 1780-1892 (Boston, 1893; rep. Baltimore, 1972).
  Online at Ancestry ($).
  Original: WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Library film 496747 Item 5 with digital link. Reprint: WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 D4L 1893.
• Nathan Murphy, "Early Files of the County Courts of Massachusetts" in Massachusetts Historical Society Publications, 57 [1923-1924]: 20-28.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 C4p v. 57.
  
• John Noble, “The Early Court Files of Suffolk County” in the Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, 3 [1900]: 317-326.
  Online at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 B4cs v. # or film 844519 Item 1.
• John Noble, “The Records and Files of the Superior Court of Judicature, and of the Supreme Judicial Court, Their History and Places of Deposit” in the Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, 5 [1902]: 5-26.
  Online at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 B4cs v. # or film 844520.
• John Noble and John F. Cronin, eds., Records of the Court of Assistants of the Colony of the Massachusetts Bay, 1630-1692 (Boston, 1901-1928), in 3v.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 P2rc v. 2-3 or film 496679 Items 4-6 with digital link.
• Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, ed., Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England (Boston, 1853-1854; rep. New York, 1968; computer file, Columbia, Md., 2006), 5v. in 6.
  Online at Internet Archive: v. 1, v. 2, v. 3, v. 4, pt. 1, v. 4, pt. 2, v. 5
  Original: WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 N2s v. #, fiche 6046893, or various filmings with digital link. Reprint: WorldCat (Other Libraries); as digital links for v.3-5. Computer file: WorldCat (Other Libraries).
• Nathaniel B. Shurtleff and David Pulsifer, eds., Records of the Colony of New Plymouth in New England (Boston, 1855-1861; rep. New York, 1968), 12v. in 10. Brief guide to this series is at MassMayflower.org.
  Online at: Links to online volumes at FamilySearch Digital Library
  Also at: Vols. 1-12 - HathiTrust;
  Vol. 1, Court Orders, v. I, 1633-1640, and Vol. 2, Court Orders, v. II, 1641-1651, Internet Archive.
  Vol. 3, Court Orders, v. III, 1651-1661, and Vol. 4, Court Orders, v. IV, 1661-1668, Internet Archive.
  Vol. 5, Court Orders, v. V, 1668-1678, Internet Archive.
  Vol. 6, Court Orders, v. VI, 1678-1691, Internet Archive.
  Vol. 7, Judicial Acts, 1636-1692, Internet Archive.
  Vol. 8, Miscellaneous Records [includes vital records], 1633-1689, Internet Archive.
  Vol. 9, Acts of the Commissioners of the United Colonies of New England, v. I, Internet Archive.
  Vol. 10, Acts of the Commissioners of the United Colonies of New England, v. II, Internet Archive.
  Vol. 11, Laws, Internet Archive.
  Vol. 12, Deeds &c. [i.e. Plymouth Colony Deeds, v. I] and Book of Indian Records for Their Lands, Internet Archive.
  Original: WorldCat (Other Libraries); Reprint: WorldCat (Other Libraries).
• Robert N. Toppan, “Council Records of Massachusetts under the Administration of President Joseph Dudley” in Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society, 2nd Series, 13 [1899]: 237-268.
  Online at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries).
• Robert N. Toppan, ed., “Andros Records” in Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society, New Series, 13 [1900]: 237-168, 463-499.
  No digital copy found.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries).
• Carroll D. Wright, Report on the Custody and Condition of the Public Records of Parishes, Towns, and Counties (Boston, 1889), Courts, pp. 305-379.
  Online at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 A3cr, fiche 6046869, or film 176644.
  

Top of Page || Top of Courts || Top of Bibliography

References:

• David Grayson Allen, In English Ways: The Movement of societies and the transferal of English local law and custom to Massachusetts Bay in the Seventeenth Century (Chapel Hill, N.C., 1981), xxi, 312 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 H6a.
  
• Thomas E. Atkinson, "The Development of the Massachusetts Probate System" in Michigan Law Review, 42 [1943-1944]: 425-452.
  Digital versions at [www.jstor.org/stable/1283518 Jstor] ($) or HeinOnline ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Viola F. Barnes, The Dominion of New England, a study in British Colonial Policy (New Haven, Conn., 1923), viii, 303 pp..
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); not at FS Library.
  
• Melville Madison Bigelow, "Primogeniture in Massachusetts" in Massachusetts Historical Society Publications, 45 [1911-1912]: 34-35.
  Digital version at Jstor (free).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 C4p v. 45.
  
• Barbara Aronstein Black, "The Judicial Power and the General Court in Early Massachusetts (1634-1686)," Ph.D. Dissertation, Yale Univ., 1975, vii, 373 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Frank E. Bradbury, "Laws and Courts of the Massachusetts Bay Colony" in Bostonian Society Publications, 10 [1913]: 129-159.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.461 H25b v. 10.
  
• Ellen Elizabeth Brennan, "The Massachusetts Council of the Magistrates" in New England Quarterly, 4 [1931]: 54-93.
  Digital version at Jstor ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Virginia G. Cartoof, "Massachusetts' Parental Consent Law: Origins, Implementation and Impact," Ph.D. Dissertation, Brandeis Univ., 1985, 228 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Zechariah Chafee Jr., “Colonial Courts and the Common Law” in David F. Flaherty, ed., Essays in the History of Early American Law (Chapel Hill, N.C., 1969), x, 534 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); not at FS Library.
  
• Daniel R. Coquillette, ed., Law in Colonial Massachusetts 1630-1800 (Boston, 1984), being v. 62 of the Publications of The Colonial Society of Massachusetts, lxviii, 608 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 P3L.
  
• Cornelius Dalton, John Clark Wirkkala, and Anne Thomas, Leading the Way: A History of the Massachusetts General Court, 1629-1980 (Boston, 1985), 489 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• William T. Davis, History of the Judiciary of Massachusetts, including the Plymouth and Massachusetts Colonies, the province of the Massachusetts Bay, and the Commonwealth (Boston, 1900), xxiv, 446 pp.
  Online at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 P2d.
  
• James Deetz and Patricia Scott Deetz, The Times of Their Lives: Life, Love, and Death in Plymouth Colony (New York, 2000), xvi, 366 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries).
  
• Alan J. Dimond, The Superior Court of Massachusetts: Its Origin and Development (Boston, 1960), xii, 187 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); not at FS Library.
  
• James Smith Garland, Massachusetts Town Law; a digest of statutes and decisions concerning towns and town officers ... (Boston, 1908), iv, 226 pp.
  Digital version of 1906 edition at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Julius Goebel Jr., “King’s Law and Local Custom in Seventeenth Century New England” in David F. Flaherty, ed., Essays in the History of Early American Law (Chapel Hill, N.C., 1969), x, 534 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); not at FS Library.
  Julius Goebel, "King's Law and Local Custom in Seventeenth-Century New England" [for Plymouth Colony] in the Columbia Law Review, 31 [1931]: 416-448.
  Digital version at Jstor ($).
  .WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• George Lee Haskins, "The Beginning of the Recording System in Massachusetts" [i.e. deeds, morgages, etc.] in Boston University Law Review, 21 [1941]: 281-304.
  Digital version at HeinOnline ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• George L. Haskins, Law and Authority in Early Massachusetts: A Study in Tradition and Design (New York, 1960), xvi, 298 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); not at FS Library.
  
• George L. Haskins, “Reception of the Common Law in Seventeenth Century Massachusetts: A Case Study” in George Althan Billias, ed., Law and Authority in Colonial America (Barre, Mass., 1965), xxi, 208 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); not at FS Library.
  
• George L. Haskins, “The Legal Heritage of Plymouth Colony” in David F. Flaherty, ed., Essays in the History of Early American Law (Chapel Hill, N.C., 1969), x, 534 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); not at FS Library.
  
• George L. Haskins, “The Beginnings of Partible Inheritance in the American Colonies” in David F. Flaherty, ed., Essays in the History of Early American Law (Chapel Hill, N.C., 1969), x, 534 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); not at FS Library.
  
• Hendrik Hartog, “The Public Law of a County Court; Judicial Government in Eighteenth Century Massachusetts” in American Journal of Legal History, 20 [1976]: 282-329.
  Digital version online at Jstor ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 B2ajL v. 20.
  
• Charles Joseph Hilkey, Legal Development in Colonial Massachusetts, 1630-1686 (New York, 1910), 148 pp.
  Digital version at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Mark de Wolfe Howe and Louis F. Eaton, "The Supreme Judicial Power in the Colony of Massachusetts" in New England Quarterly, 20 [1947]: 291-316.
  Digital version at Jstor ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries).
  
• George D. Langdon Jr., Pilgrim Colony: A History of New Plymouth, 1620-1691 (New Haven, Conn., 1966), xi, 257 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries).
  
• Albert Mason, "A Short History of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts" in Massachusetts Law Quarterly, 2 [1916-1917]: 82-100.
  Online at Google Books.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries).
  
• William E. Nelson, Americanization of the Common Law: The Impact of Legal Change in Massachusetts Society, 1760-1830 (Cambridge, Mass., 1975), ix, 269 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); not at FS Library.
  
• John Noble, “A Few Notes on Admiralty Jurisdiction in the Colony and in the Province of the Massachusetts Bay” in the Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, 8 [1905]: 3-38 and Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts: Transactions, 1902-1904, 8 [1906]: 150-186.
  Online at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Library film 844521.
  
• Russell K. Osgood, ed., The History of the Law in Massachusetts: The Supreme Judicial Court 1692-1992 (Boston, 1992), 790 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries).
  
• D. C. Parnes, Plymouth and the Common Law, 1620-1775 (Kingston, 1971), 59 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); not at FS Library.
  
• George E. Pearson, "The Great and General Court of Massachusetts, 1628-1691: A Study of its Early History with Special Reference to its Organization," Ph.D. Dissertation, Tufts Univ., 1910, viii, 116 pp.
  No digital version.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries).
  
• George E. Pearson, "Origin of the Massachusetts General Court" in New England Magazine, 54 [1915-1916]: 33-38.
  No digital version.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Plymouth Colony Archives Project at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, “Legal Structure” at www.histarch.uiuc.edu/plymouth/ccflaw.html.
  
• Edwin Powers, Crime and Punishment in Early Massachusetts, 1620-1692: A Documentary History (Boston, 1966), xiii, 647 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); not at FS Library.
  
• James P. Ronda, "Red and White at the bench: Indians and the Law in Plymouth Colony" in Essex Institute Historical Collections, 110 [1974]: 200-215.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974 B2e v. 110.
  
• Ronald Kingman Snell, "The County Magistracy in Eighteenth-Century Massachusetts: 1692-1750," Ph.D. Dissertation, Princeton Univ., 1971, ix, 384 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Joseph H. Smith, Colonial Justice in Western Massachusetts (1639-1702) (Cambridge, Mass., 1961), ix, 426 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 P2c.
  
• Eugene Aubrey Stratton, Plymouth Colony: Its History & People 1620-1691 (Salt Lake City, 1986), xi, 481 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 H2s.
  
• Emory Washburn, Sketches of the Judicial History of Massachusetts from 1630 to the Revolution in 1775 (Boston, 1840), 407 pp.
  Online at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries).
  
• William Henry Whitmore, A Bibliographical Sketch of the Laws of the Massachusetts Colony from 1630 to 1686 (Boston, 1890), xliii, 150 pp.
  Online at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries).
  
  

Top of Page || Top of Courts || Top of Bibliography

Cemeteries

Cemeteries are operated privately or by the town or city government. Massachusetts is fortunate to have a statewide guide for all known cemeteries within the state:

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

Top of Page

Census

State Census

Quick Links to State Census
Records Loss	Bibliography

The first census was taken in 1765. It enumerated statistically the number of houses, families, and people who were categorized under white males, white females (each with the number above and below age 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 town 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 act 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 whole number within each family. 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 current 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 other of ratable polls. In 1840, the Commonwealth elected to take their own census along with the one the Federal government was doing. The state count was roughly 20,000 less than the Federal tally for 1840 and 1850. The Commonwealth started its own decennial census in 1855 and these continued through 1975. The only surviving 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 same time, they repealed the duplicate state census they conducted along side the Federal census. The provision for legal voters was repealed in 1860 and that tally was done in conjunction with the decennial censuses of the state on the fifth year.

For 1855, the census recorded every person by name in the household, age, sex, color, occupation, place of birth, and whether a person was deaf, dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, pauper, or convict. Enumerators in twenty-two (22) towns listed the exact 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 name in the household, age, sex, color, place of birth, marital status, occupation, whether a person was deaf, dumb, blind, insane, idiotic, 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 place 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:

Top of Page | Top of Census

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

Top of Page | Top of Census

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.
  Online at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries).
  
• 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.
  Online at Google Books.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries).
  
• 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 FS Library.
  
• Ann S. Lainhart, State Census Records (Baltimore, 1992), 116 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog 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.
  

Top of Page | Top of Census

Federal Census

Massachusetts: Existing and Lost Federal Census Schedules
Exact Date	Population Schedules	Veterans/ Pensioners	Slave Owners	Mortality	Agricultural	Industrial/ Manufacturers	Defective	Indian
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 FS Library	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		-	Link	Link	Link

Top of Page | Top of Census

Online Census

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 FS Library	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		-	Link	Link	Link

Top of Page | Top of Census

Churches

Information regarding specific churches is best found on the town pages. This guide will list demoninational archives followed by a bibliography of histories of the various churches in Massachusetts.

Demonination	Archive	Description
Baptist	Andover Newton Theological School 210 Herrick Rd. Newton Centre MA 02459 617-964-1100 website	The Franklin Trask Library hold several dozen local area church records of now defunct churches.
Congregational	The Congregational Library 14 Beacon St. Boston MA 02108 617-523-0470 website	This library has a wealth of books on Congregationalism and there are online guides to finding aids for manuscript collections. Online Congregational Church Records, images
Episcopal	Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts 138 Tremont St. Boston MA 02111 617-482-5800 website	The Archives does not maintain a list of records they hold, but consult the guide to their holdings in the bibliography below.
Episcopal	Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts 37 Chestnut St. Springfield MA 01103 413-737-4786 website	This Archives has an online guide (pdf file) that shows the few church records they hold.
Jewish	American Jewish Historical Society 99-101 Newbury St. Boston MA 02116 617-226-1245 website	This library is within the New England Historic Genealogical Society, but maintains their own reference desk and collections. Their manuscript holdings are online.
Lutheran	The Lutheran Theological Seminary of Philadelphia 7301 Germantown Ave. Philadelphia PA 19119 215-248-6383 website	The Lutheran Archives Center at Philadelphia holds the records of defunct churches and other records given to them, but there is no inventory of them online.
Methodist	Boston University School of Theology Library 745 Commonwealth Ave., 2nd Flr. Boston MA 02215 617-353-1323 website	The library holds a large number of church records and their online guides. Their holdings of Boston church records is a separate list. Also check their historical files for non-church record material. All New England, Select United Methodist Church Records, 1787-1922 Online, index & images, incomplete. ($)
Presbyterian	Presbyterian Historical Society 425 Lombard St. Philadelphia PA 19147 215-627-1852 website	The library does not hold any Massachusetts church records, but they have Hall's Index Database that will list all the churches by town and give some historical data.
Roman Catholic	Archives of the Archdiocese of Boston 66 Brooks Dr. Braintree MA 02184 617-746-5795 website	This diocese serves Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, and Suffolk Counties. There are online guides to parish establishments, church and cemetery records held by the archives, and other resources from their main page. Archdiocese of Boston Sacramental Records, 1789-1920 Online
Roman Catholic	Diocese of Fall River 362 Highland Ave. PO Box 2577 Fall River MA 02722 508-675-1311 website	This diocese serves Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes and Nantucket Counties. This Archives collects, organizes, and preserves records, documents and memorabilia of the Diocese for administrative and historical purposes, but is not open to the general public.
Roman Catholic	Diocese of Springfield 65 Elliott St. PO Box 1730 Springfield MA 01102 413-732-3175 website	This diocese serves Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire Counties, but does not maintain an Archive.
Roman Catholic	Diocese of Worcester 49 Elm St. Worcester MA 01609 508-791-7171 website	This diocese serves Worcester County, but does not maintain an Archive.
Society of Friends (Quakers)	Rhode Island Historical Society 121 Hope St. Providence RI 02906 401-273-8107 website	The membership library holds the records of the New England Yearly Meetings.
Unitarian/Universalist	Harvard Divinity School 45 Francis Ave. Cambridge MA 02138 617-495-5788 website	The Andover-Harvard Theological Library maintains a detailed list of their holdings online.

General:

• Leonard Bacon, The Genesis of the New England Churches (New York, 1874), xiv, 485 pp.
  Online at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Library film 1549735.
  
• 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.
  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 FS Library.
  
• John Michael Bumsted, The Pilgrims' Progress: The Ecclesiastical History of the Old Colony, 1620-1775 (Ph.D. Dissertation, Brown Univ., 1965), v, 478 pp., and published (New York, 1989), iii, 403 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• John Eliot, "Ecclesiastical History of Massachusetts and the Old Colony of Plymouth" in Massachusetts Historical Society Collections, 7 [1800]: 262-280.
  Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries).
  
• John Eliot, "Ecclesiastical History of Massachusetts" in Massachusetts Historical Society Collections, 9 [1804]: 1-49; 10 [1809]: 1-37; 2nd Ser., 1 [1814]: 194-210.
  No digital version found.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Henry Lawrence Southwick, The Policy of the Early Colonists of Massachusetts toward Quakers and others whom they regarded as intruders (Boston, 1885), viii, 21 pp.
  Online at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Conrad Wright, "Arminianism in Massachusetts, 1723-1780," Ph.D. Dissertation, Harvard Univ., 1943, iii, 418 pp.
  Only at Andover-Harvard Theology School Library.
  
• Carroll D. Wright, Report on the Custody and Condition of the Public Records of Parishes, Towns, and Counties (Boston, 1889), Courts, 379 pp.
  Online at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 A3cr, fiche 6046869, or film 176644.
  

Baptist:

• Thomas E. Buckley, "Church and State in Massachusetts Bay: A Case Study of Baptist Dissenters, 1651" in Journal of Church and State, 23 [1981]: 309-322.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• John Woolman Brush, Baptists in Massachusetts (Valley Forge, Pa., 1970), 78 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 K2bj.
  
• Consolidated History of the Fifteen Churches of the Framingham Baptist Association (South Framingham, Mass., 1902), 131 pp.
  No digital version found.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• William Harrison Eaton, Historical Sketch of the Massachusetts Baptist Missionary Society and Convention, 1802-1902 (Boston, 1903), x, 240 pp.
  Online at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  Note: "Pastors of Baptist churches in Massachusetts, 1802-1902," p. 137-213.
  
• History of the Baptist Churches Composing the Sturbridge Association, from their Origin to 1843 (New York, 1844), 54 pp.
  Online at Internet Archive, HathiTrust.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• W. G. McLaughlin, New England Dissent, 1630-1833, The Baptists and Separation of Church and State (Cambridge, 1971), 2v.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Carla Gardina Pestana, Quakers and Baptists in Colonial Massachusetts (New York, 1991), xii, 197 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 K2p.
  
• David Porter, "The Baptist Struggle for Religious Freedom in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1650-1670" in Foundation, 14 [1971]: 24-32.
  Not in WorldCat; Not at FS Library.
  

Congregational:

• Joseph S. Clark, A Historical Sketch of the Congregational Churches in Massachusetts from 1620 to 1858 (Boston, 1858), xii, 344 pp.
  Online at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• "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 FS Library.
  
• "The Congregational Churches of Massachusetts" in Spirit of the Pilgrims, 1 [1828]: 57-74, 113-140.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• B. B. Edwards, "Complete List of the Congregational Ministers in the Old County of Hampshire, Ms. (including the present counties of Hampshire, Franklin, Hampden) from the first settlement to the present times" in American Quarterly Register, 10 [1837-1838]: 260-276, 379-407.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Henry Tilton Lummus, "The Established Church of Massachusetts" in Lynn Historical Society Register, no. 5 [1901]: 34-52.
  No digital version found.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.45/L2 H25L no. 1-5 or film 1320530 Item 3.
  
• Mary Frederica Rhinelander Morgan, Manuscript Collections of The Congregational Library at Boston: A Survey (Boston, 1982), xiv, 111 leaves.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.461 A3m or film 1421832 Item 3.
  
• Richard H. Taylor, The Churches of Christ of the Congregational Way in New England (Benton Harbor, Mich., 1989), vii, 308 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974 K27t.
  
• Harold Field Worthley, An Inventory of the Records of the Particular (Congregational) Churches of Massachusetts Gathered 1620-1805 (Cambridge, Mass., 1970), xiv, 716 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 K23w.
  

Episcopal:

• Donald Nelson Alexander, The Diocese of Western Massachusetts, 1901-1951 (Springfield, Mass., [1951]), 85 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Joseph Breed Berry, History of the Diocese of Massachusetts, 1810-1872 (Boston, 1959), vi, 252 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Mark J. Duffy, Guide to the Parochial Archives of the Episcopal Church In Boston (Boston, 1981), v, 212 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.461 K23d.
  
• Mark J. Duffy, ed., The Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, 1784-1984 (Boston, 1984), xvi, 737 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 K2e.
  
• Edward Midwinter, "The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel and the Church in the American Colonies, III: Massachusetts" in Historical Magazine of the Protestant Episcopal Church, 4 [1935]: 100-115.
  No digital version found.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Edgar Legare Pennington, "Anglican Beginnings in Massachusetts" in Historical Magazine of the Protestant Episcopal Church, 10 [1941]: 242-289.
  No digital version found.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• William Stevens Perry, ed., Papers Relating to the History of the [Episcopal] Church in Massachusetts, A.D. 1676-1785 (Boston, 1873), 720 pp.
  Online at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries).
  
• Dudley Tyng, Massachusetts Episcopalians, 1607-1957 (Boston, 1960?), x, 142 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 K2t.
  

Jewish:

• Samuel Broches, Jews in New England: Pt. I, Historical study of the Jews in Massachusetts (1650-1750) (New York, 1942), 68 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Albert Ehrenfried, A Chronicle of Boston Jewry from the Colonial Settlement to 1900 (Boston, 1963), viii, 771 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries).
  
• Lee Max Friedman, "Early Jewish Residents in Massachusetts" in Publications of the American Jewish Historical Society, 23 [1915]: 79-90.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 B2jh no. 23.
  
• Jonathan Sarna and Ellen Smith, The Jews of Boston (Boston, 1995; rep. New Haven, Conn., 2005), 370 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries).
  
• Solomon Schindler, Israelites in Boston: A Tale Describing the Development of Judaism in Boston (Boston, 1889), 1v. (unpaginated).
  No digital version found.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries).
  

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.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries).
  

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).
  

Quaker:

• Richard Price Hallowell, The Quaker Invasion of Massachusetts (Boston, 1883; rep. Bowie, Md., 1987), vi, 227 pp.
  Online at Internet Archive, Ancestry ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Library digital link only or FS Catalog book 974.4 K2h.
  
• Robert J. Leach, Nantucket Quaker Genealogy, Volumes one and two bound together (S.l., 19??; rep. Hillsboro, Ore., 1990), 2 v.
  No digital version found.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries) (rep.); FS Catalog book 974.497 D2L.
  
• Carla Gardina Pestana, Quakers and Baptists in Colonial Massachusetts (New York, 1991), xii, 197 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 K2p.
  
• George A. Selleck, Quakers in Boston (Cambridge, 1976), xii, 349 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 K2sg.
  

Roman Catholic:

• A Brief Historical Review of the Archdiocese of Boston, 1907-1923 (Boston, 1925), viii, 263 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• J. M. Finotti, "Chronology of Catholicity in Massachusetts" in United States Catholic Historical Magazine, 1 [1887]: 314-315.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• William H. J. Kennedy, "Catholics in Massachusetts before 1750" in Catholic Historical Review, 17 [1931-1932]: 10-28.
  Digital version at Jstor ($ to download).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Mary C. McAvoy, "Catholic Origins in Massachusetts" in Catholic World, 132 [1930]: 174-182.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• John J. McCoy, History of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Springfield (Boston, 1900), 283 pp.
  No digital version found.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Library digital link only.
  
• James Michael O'Toole, Guide to the Archives of the Archdiocese of Boston' (New York, 1982), xxciii, 238 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.461 K23o.
  
• Michael J. Shea, ed. A Century of Catholicism in Western Massachusetts (Springfield, Mass., 1931), 350, cxxxii pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Library film 1598330 Item 5.
  
• James Sullivan, One Hundred Years of Progress; a graphic, historical, and pictorial account of the Catholic Church of New England: Archdiocese of Boston (Boston, 1895), 842 pp.
  Digital version at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  

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 FS Library.
  
• 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.
  Online at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• 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 FS Library.
  
• 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 FS Library.
  

Universalist:

• Historical Records Survey - Massachusetts, An Inventory of Universalist Archives in Massachusetts (Boston, 1942), iii, 489 pp.
  Digital version at Hathi Trust.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Library film 1597561 Item 3.
  
• David H. MacPherson, "The Massachusetts Universalist Convention" in Annual Journal of the Universalist Historical Society, 6 [1966]: 5-24.
  About the decline of Universalism, 1900-1950.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Russell E. Miller, The Larger Hope, The First Century of the Universalist Church in America, 1770-1870 (Boston, 1979), 2 v.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  

Top of Page

Military

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

Quick Links to military history and records
General Bibliography	Colonial Wars (pre-1754)	French and Indian Wars (1754-1763)
Loyalist Resources	Revolutionary War (1776-1783)	Shays' Rebellion (1786-1787)
War of 1812 (1812-1815)	American Civil War (1861-1865)	Spanish-American War (1898)
World War I (1914-1918)	World War II (1941-1945)	Korean Conflict (1950-1953)
	Vietnam Conflict (1961-1973)

General Bibliography

• Ellery Bicknell Crane, "The Early Militia System of Massachusetts" in Proceedings of the Worcester Society of Antiquity, 1888: 105-127.
  No digital version found.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Charles Winslow Hall, ed., Regiments and Armories of Massachusetts; an historical narration of the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, with portraits and biographies of officers past and present (Boston, 1899-1901), 2v.
  Digital versions at Internet Archive (v. 1 and v. 2) and Ancestry ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Jeffrey Rogers Hummel, "The American Militia and the Origin of Conscription: A Reassessment" in Journal of Libertarian Studies, 15 [2001]: 29-77.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• James C. Neagles, U.S. Military Records, A Guide to Federal and State Sources, Colonial America to the Present (Salt Lake City, 1994), xiv, 441 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 M23nu.
  
• Jack Sheldon Radabaugh, "The Military System of Colonial Massachusetts, 1690-1740," Ph.D. Dissertation, Univ. Southern California, 1965, ix, 598 leaves.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• George Alfred Raikes, The History of the Honourable Artillery Company (London, 1878), 2v. (For Mass., see 1: 324-365, 453-459; 2: 436-473).
  Online at HathiTrust.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Oliver Ayer Roberts, History of the Military Company of Massachusetts, now called the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts, 1637-1888 (Boston, 1895-1901), 4v.
  Online at Internet Archive (v. 1, v. 2, v. 3, and v.4), Ancestry ($) (v. 4 only).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Library digital link.
  
• Christine K. Schaefer, The Great War: a guide to the service Records of all the World’s Fighting Men and Volunteers (Baltimore, 1998), xiv, 189 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 940.41 Sch13g.
  
• Zachariah Gardner Whitman, The History of the Massachusetts Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company from its formation in 1637 ... to the present time (Boston, 1820; 2nd ed., 1842), iv, 463 pp.
  Online at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  

Top of Page | Top of Military

Colonial Wars (pre-1754)

Records: [Note: Published records drawn from the originals in the Massachusetts Archives Collection]

• George M. Bodge, Soldiers in King Philip's War; being a critical account of that war, with a concise history of the Indian wars of New England from 1620-1677, official lists of the soldiers of Massachusetts colony serving in Philip's war, and sketches of the principal officers, copies of ancient documents and records relating to the war, also lists of the Narragansett grantees of the United colonies, Massachusetts, Plymouth and Connecticut (Leominster, Mass., 2nd ed., 1896; rep. Baltimore, 1967+), xiii, 502 pp.
  Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974 M2b.
  
• Carole Doreski, ed., Massachusetts Officers and Soldiers in the Seventeenth-century Conflicts (Boston, 1982), xxvii, 260 pp.
  Introduction online at AmericanAncestors.org.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 M24d or film 1320664 Item 8.
  
• Mary E. Donahue, ed., Massachusetts Officers and Soldiers, 1702-1722: Queen Anne's War to Dummer's War (Boston, 1980), xxviii, 197 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 M2d.
  
• Myron O. Stachiw, ed., Massachusetts Officers and Soldiers, 1723-1743: Dummer's War to the War of Jenkins' Ear (Boston, 1979), xxvii, 282 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 M2s.
  

History:

• Benjamin Church and Henry Martyn Dexter, The History of King Philip's War (Boston, 1865), 2v.
  Online at Internet Archive, Hathi Trust.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Samuel G. Drake, A Particular History of the Five Years French and Indian War in New England and Parts Adjacent ... sometimes called Governor Shirley's War [1744-1749] (Albany, 1870), 312 pp.
  Online at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974 M2d (198? rep.).
  
• Michael J. Puglisi, Puritans Besieged: The Legacies of King Philip's War in the Massachusetts Bay Colony (Lanham, Md., 1991), xii, 244 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• William F. Ricketson, "To Be Young, Poor, and Alone: The Experiences of Widowhood in the Massachusetts Bay Colony" in New England Quarterly, 64 [1991]: 113-127.
  Based on a sampling of women, widowed in the King Philip's War, who petitioned the legislature.
  Digital version at Jstor ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Eric B. Schultz and Michael J. Tougias, King Philip's War: The History and Legacy of America's Forgotten Conflict (Woodstock, Vt., 1999), xv, 416 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  

Top of Page | Top of Military

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]

• Nancy S. Voye, ed., Massachusetts Officers in the French and Indian Wars 1748-1763 (Boston, 1975), xviii, unpaginated [ca. 475].
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 M2v.
  
• Robert E. MacKay, ed., Massachusetts Soldiers in the French and Indian Wars 1744-1755 (Boston, 1978), xii, 505 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 M2mc.
  
• K. David Goss and David Zarowin, eds., Massachusetts Soldiers in the French and Indian Wars 1755-1756 (Boston, 1985), xxiv, 357 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 M2mo.
  

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 FS Library.
  
• 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 FS Library.
  

Top of Page | Top of Military

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:

• John T. Hassam, The Confiscated Estates of Boston Loyalists (Cambridge, Mass., 1895), 27 pp.
  Online at Internet Archive.
  Reprint from the Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society for May 1895.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• E. Alfred Jones, The Loyalists of Massachusetts, their memorials, petitions and claims (London, 1930; rep. Baltimore, 1969+), xxiv, 341 pp.
  Digital version at Ancestry ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 D3je (1969 ed. - have others).
  
• David Edward Maas, "The Return of the Massachusetts Loyalists" (New York, 1989), 592 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• David E. Maas, ed., Divided Hearts: Massachusetts Loyalists 1765-1790, A Biographical Directory (Boston, 1980), xxxiv, 169 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 F2m.
  
• James H. Stark, The Loyalists of Massachusetts and the other side of the American Revolution (Boston, 1907; rep. 1910), 509 pp.
  Online at FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries).
  
• William H. B. Thomas, Remarkable High Tories: supporters of King and Parliament in Revolutionary Massachusetts (Bowie, Md., 2001), 282 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  

General History / Guides:

• W. Bruce Antliff, Loyalist Settlements, 1783-1789: new evidence of Canadian Loyalist claims ([Toronto], 1985), xv, 423 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 971 N29L.
  
• Paul J. Bunnell, Research Guide to Loyalist Ancestors (Bowie, Med., 1990; rev. ed., 2000), ix, 129 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 970 D23b.
  
• Paul J. Bunnell, The New Loyalist Index (Bowie, Md., 1989-2005), 4v.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 M2bun.
  
• Peter Wilson Coldham, American Loyalist Claims (Washington, D.C., 1980), 1v.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 R2cp (with digital link).
  Actual records: American Loyalist Claims, 1730-1835, FS Library film 944044 (1st of 181), and American Loyalists Claims, AO 12, FS Library film 1401498 (1st of 32).
  
• Peter Wilson Coldham, American Migrations, 1765-1799: the lives, times, and families of colonial Americans who remained loyal to the British crown before, during, and after the Revolutionary War, as related in their own words and through their correspondence (Baltimore, 2000), xii, 931 pp.
  Digital version at Ancestry ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 D3cam (with digital link).
  
• Linda Corupe, The Loyalists of the Eastern Townships of Quebec ([Stanbridge East, Que.], 1984; rep. Belleville, Ont., 1992), 210, 58 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 971.4 H2Le.
  
• E. Keith Fitzgerald, Loyalist Lists: Over 2000 Loyalist Names and Families from the Haldimand Papers (Toronto, 1984), x, 125 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 971 M2fe or fiche 6010886.
  
• Alexander Fraser, United Empire Loyalists: enquiry into the losses and services in consequence of their loyalty, evidence in the Canadian claims ([Ottawa], 1905; rep. Baltimore, 1994), 2v.
  Digital version at: Part 1 - FamilySearch Digital Library, Part 2 - FamilySearch Digital Library, United Empire Loyalists, Part I at Ancestry ($), United Empire Loyalists, Part II at Ancestry ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 971.3 A5o 1904.
  
• Graham Russell Hodges, ed., The Black Loyalist Directory (New York, 1996), li, 318 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 F24bL.
  
• Gail Bonsall Pipes, Loyalists All: stories told about New Brunswick loyalists by their descendants (St. John, N.B., 1985), ix, 192 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 971.5 D2p.
  
• William D. Reid, The Loyalists in Ontario: the sons and daughters of the American Loyalists of Upper Canada (Lambertville, N.J., 1973; rep. Baltimore, 1994), vii, 418 pp.
  Digital version at Ancestry ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 971.3 V2r (with digital link).
  
• B. Wood-Holt, The King's Loyal Americans: The Canadian fact: marriage licenses for Sunbury County, 1788-1829, passenger lists and other lists, etc. (St. John, N.B., 1990), vi 455 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Esther Clark Wright, The Loyalists of New Brunswick (Wolfville, N.S., 1955), 364 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 971.5 F2w (with digital link).
  

Top of Page | Top of Military

Revolutionary War

Quick Links to Revolutionary War topics
State Records	Published Records	Federal Records	Published Records (Gen.)
Regimental History	History	General Guides

This is the first war where there are a large number of governmental and private 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); FS Catalog 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.
  

Digital versions of Mass. Soldiers and Sailors
Vol. 01	Aac - Ber	Internet Archive
Vol. 02	Bes - Byx	Internet Archive
Vol. 03	Caa - Cor	Internet Archive
Vol. 04	Cos - Dry	Internet Archive
Vol. 05	Dua - Foy	Internet Archive
Vol. 06	Fra - Gyp	Internet Archive
Vol. 07	Haa - Hix	Internet Archive
Vol. 08	Hme - Jyp	Internet Archive
Vol. 09	Kab - Lsu	Internet Archive
Vol. 10	Lua - Mop	Internet Archive
Vol. 11	Mor - Paz	Internet Archive
Vol. 12	Pea - Raz	Internet Archive
Vol. 13	Rea - Sey	Internet Archive
Vol. 14	Sha - Sth	Internet Archive
Vol. 15	Sti - Toz	Internet Archive
Vol. 16	Tra - Whe	Internet Archive
Vol. 17	Whi - Zyr	Internet Archive

• Charles E. Hambrick-Stowe and Donna D. Smerlas, eds., Massachusetts Militia Companies and Officers in the Lexington Alarm (Boston, 1976), xlii, 72 pp.
  [Note: Published records drawn from the originals in the Massachusetts Archives Collection]
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 M2h.
  
• Rufus Lincoln, James Minor Lincoln, ed., The Papers of Captain Rufus Lincoln, of Wareham, Mass. [i.e. Mass. 7th Infantry Regt.] (Cambridge, Mass., 1904; rep. New York, 1971), 272 pp.
  Online at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Library film 924669 Item 2 or fiche 6078176 (with digital link).
  

Top of Page | Top of Military | Top of Revolutionary War

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 FS Library film 830280 (1st of 138) (Massachusetts 830304-830321). These records are arranged by jacket number (see list below).
This collection is ONLINE at at FamilySearch.org is a browsable form (as of Aug. 2013) by jacket numbers. It is also available at fold3.com ($) where it is indexed.

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:

• Compiled Service Records of Soldiers who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War, NARA M881 series, and Index, NARA M860, FS Library film 882842 (1st of 1175).
  ONLINE at FamilySearch.org and fold3.com ($).
  Also scanned from the Index arranged by unit and then alphabetical on Internet Archive, see Don Krieger's Rev. War Service Guide.
  
• Compiled Service Records of American Naval Personnel Who Served in the Revolutionary War, 1894 - ca. 1912, NARA M880, FS Library film 1004872 (1st of 6).
  ONLINE at fold3.com ($).
  
• Lists of Records of Military Organizations Used to Create Volunteer Compiled Military Service Records [i.e. Ainsworth Lists], NARA T817 series, Rolls 2-3 for Revolutionary War Massachusetts Lists, 1-71, FS Library films 1715878-1715879 (for same).
  
• Index to Selected Final Pension Payment Vouchers, 1818-1864, Records, NARA HMS A1 722 (not microfilmed except for Delaware and Georgia), and Index NARA HMS A1 722A (not microfilmed).
  Index slips for the selected (pulled) from the pension agents' accounts by the NARA staff that was the final payment to an individual and cover more than 65,000 veterans. This collection can include death dates, dependent children, or maiden name of the widow.
  ONLINE at fold3.com ($).
  
• Numbered Record Books, NARA M853 series, FS Library film 1025091 (1st of 41).
  Original war department records include orderly books, oaths of allegiance, lists of men and officers in state regiments, quartermaster accounts, correspondence, supply records and many more military records relating to the Revolutionary War and later compiled to comprise this collection.
  ONLINE at fold3.com ($).
  
• Case Files of Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Applications Based on Revolutionary War Service, ca. 1800 - ca. 1912, NARA M804 series, FS Library film 970001 (1st of 2670).
  ONLINE at FamilySearch.org; National Archives and fold3.com ($).
  
• Revolutionary War Prize Cases, 1780 - 1787, NARA M162 series, FS Library film 1534331 (1st of 27).
  ONLINE at fold3.com ($).
  
• Cards Concerning Revolutionary War Service and Imprisonment, NARA HMS I-18 523.
  ONLINE at fold3.com ($).
  
• Revolutionary War Pension Payment Ledgers, 1818-1872, [NOT found on NARA website under T718 series], FS Library film 1319381 (1st of 23).
  ONLINE at FamilySearch.org, only browsable by volumes A through V.
  

Top of Page | Top of Military | Top of Revolutionary War

Published Records (General):

• A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services; with their names, ages, and places of residence, as returned by the marshals of the several judicial districts, under the act for taking the sixth census (Washington, D.C., 1841; rep. Baltimore, 1954+), 195 pp. (unindexed).
  Online at Internet Archive, Ancestry ($) or Ancestry ($) (with index), and Don Krieger's site.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries) (1967 ed.).
  
• Murtie June Clark, The Pension Roll of 1835 and originally Report from the Secretary of War in Obedience to Resolutions of the Senate of the 5th and 30th of June, 1834, and the 3rd of March, 1835, in Relation to the Pension Establishment of the United States (Washington, D.C., 1835; rep. Baltimore, 1968+), 3v. rep. in 4v.
  Online at Ancestry ($) (v. 1, v. 2, v. 3, and v. 4.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries) (1968 ed.); FS Catalog book 973 M24ua v. # (1992 ed.).
  
• Trevor K. Plante, Military Service Records at the National Archives as Reference Information Paper 109 (Washington, D.C., 2007), vii, 119 pp.
  Digital version at NARA (pdf file).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 J53p v. 109.
  
• Virgil D. White, Genealogical Abstracts of the Revolutionary War Pension Files (Waynesboro, Tenn., 1990-1992), 4v.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Library book 973 M28g.
  
• Virgil D. White, Index to Revolutionary War Service Records (Waynesboro, Tenn., 1995), 4v.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 M22wv.
  

Top of Page | Top of Military | Top of Revolutionary War

Regimental History:

Frank A. Gardner wrote a series of articles on the history of the various 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 (Other Libraries); FS Catalog 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.
  

Top of Page | Top of Military | Top of Revolutionary War

History:

• Gardner Weld Allen, Massachusetts Privateers of the Revolution (Boston, 1927), vi, 356 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 B4m v. 77.
  
• "Confiscated Estates" in New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 12 [1858]: 71-73.
  Confiscated Loyalist estates after the Revolution.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974 B2ne v. 12.
  
• Bell Merril Draper, Honor Roll of Massachusetts Patriots Heretofore Unknown: Being a List of Men and Women Who Loaned Money to the Federal Government During the Years 1777-1779 (Boston, 1899), 34 pp.
  Online at Internet Archive, Genealogy Center.info.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Library film 1486549.
  
• Dirk Hoeder, People and Mobs: Crowd action in Massachusetts during the American Revolution, 1765-1780 (Berlin, 1971), vii, 700 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• John W. Lynn, Massachusetts Lineages of Revolutionary War Regiments (Grand Junction, Colo., 1986), 47 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 M2Lj.
  

Top of Page | Top of Military | Top of Revolutionary War

General Guides:

• Lloyd DeWitt Bockstuck, Revolutionary War Bounty Land Grants Awarded by State Governments (Baltimore, 1996, rep. 2005), xxvii, 608 pp.
  Digital version at Ancestry ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 R2bo.
  
• Murtie June Clark, Index to U.S. Invalid Pension Records 1801-1815 (Baltimore, 1991), xxvii, 132 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 M22c.
  
• Murtie June Clark, The Pension Lists of 1792-1795 with other Revolutionary War Pension Records (Baltimore, 1991), xi, 200 pp.
  Digital version at Ancestry ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 M2cmj.
  
• DAR Patriot Index (Washington, D.C., Centennial ed., 1990), 3v.
  Digital version part of DAR Genealogical Research System database.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries) (1986 ed.); FS Catalog book 973 C42da 1990 (with restricted digital link).
  
• Trevor N. Dupuy and Gay M. Hammerman, eds., People & Events of the American Revolution (New York, 1974), xi, 473 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Walter S. Franklin, Resolutions, Laws, and Ordinances, relating to the Pay, Half Pay, Commutation of Half Pay, Bounty Lands, and other Promises made by Congress to the Officers and Soliders of the Revolution (Washington, D.C., 1838; rep. Baltimore, 1998), 506, 13 pp.
  Online at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries) (1838 ed.) or WorldCat (Other Libraries) (1998 ed.); FS Library film 599643 Item 3 (1838 ed.) or FS Catalog book 973 M2uh 1998.
  
• Patricia Law Hatcher, Abstract of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots (Dallas, Tex., 1987-1988; rep. Westminster, Md., 2001), 4v.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 V38h v. #.
  
• Marion and Jack Kaminkow, Mariners of the American Revolution (Baltimore, 1967), xxv, 248 pp.
  Digital version at Ancestry ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 M25k (with digital link).
  
• Clarence Stewart Peterson, Known Military Dead During The American Revolutionary War 1775-1783 (Baltimore, 1959; rep. 1967+), [x], 186 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 M23pb (has other editions).
  
• Christine Rose, Military Pension Laws 1776-1858 from the Journals of the Continental Congress and the United States Statutes-at-Large (San Jose, Cal., 2001), xii, 32 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 M2rm.
  
• Constance B. Schultz, "Revolutionary War Pension Applications: A Neglectd Source for Social and Family History" in Prologue, 15 [1983]: 103-114.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 B2p.
  
• Craig R. Scott, The "Lost" Pensions: Settled Accounts of the Act of 6 April 1838 (Lovettsville, Va., 1996), [xi], 374 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 M2sL.
  
• Craig R. Scott, Revolutionary War Genealogy Research ([Baltimore], 2011), [4] pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 M27scr.
  

Top of Page | Top of Military | Top of Revolutionary War

Shays' Rebellion

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

History:

• Rock Brynner, "'Fire Beneath Our Feet': Shay's Rebellion and its Constitutional Impact," Ph.D. Dissertation, Columbia Univ., 1993, vii, 320 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Bernard Donovan, "The Massachusetts Insurrection of 1786," Ph.D. Dissertation, Boston College, 1938.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Robert A. Feer, Shays's Rebellion (New York, 1988), vi, 597 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• George Richards Minot, The History of the Insurrections in Massachusetts, in the year MDCCLXXVI, and the Rebellion Consequent thereon (Boston, 1788; 2nd ed., 1810; rep. New York, 1970+), iv, 192 pp.
  Online at Internet Archive (1810 ed.).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Leonard L. Richards, Shays's Rebellion: the American Revolution's final battle (Philadelphia, 2002), x, 204 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 M2rL.
  
• Jonathan Smith, "The Depression of 1785 and Daniel Shays' Rebellion" in William and Mary Quarterly, 3rd Ser., 5 [1948]: 77-94.
  Digital version at Jstor (free online).
  Jstor (free).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 H25w ser. 3 v. #.
  
• David Peter Szatmary, Shays' Rebellion: The Making of an Agrarian Insurrection (Amherst, Mass., 1980), xiv, 184 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  

Top of Page | Top of Military

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 miscellaneous troops for a total of 46,681 men.

Records:

• Muster Rolls and Payrolls of the Massachusetts Militia, 1812-1815, 9v. at the Massachusetts Archive.
  FS Library film 2109974 (1st of 7).
  
• Carded Records Showing Military Service of Soldiers Who Fought in Volunteer Organizations During the War of 1812, 1899-1927, NARA ARC Identifier 654501.
  "Receipts for Pay" rolls that are filed with the series "Muster Rolls of Volunteer Organizations During the War of 1812, 1812-1815" (ARC Identifier 654644) were not carded, and it is sometimes necessary to consult that series to obtain the complete service of an individual. Arranged by alphabetically by state, thereunder numerically by regiment, thereunder by name of commanding officer (chronologically thereunder for various periods of service), and thereunder alphabetically by name of soldier. Records for U.S. Volunteer Organizations, Indian Regiments, Prisoners of War, Spies, and Quartermaster Department are arranged similarly at the end of the state file.
  -----
  Indexes to the Carded Records of Soldiers Who Served in Volunteer Organizations During the War of 1812, NARA ARC Identifier 654644, M602 series, FS Library film 882519 (1st of 234).
  ONLINE:
  FamilySearch.org (browsable alpha index); fold3.com (browsable by name to Miller); Ancestry ($) (indexed); Scanned on Internet Archive, but use Don Krieger's Guide for better access.
  
• War of 1812 Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files, NARA Archives Identifier 564415 (never microfilmed), and Indexed, NARA M313 series, FS Library film 840431 (1st of 102); ALSO see book index below.
  ONLINE:
  Pension Files, fold3.com (free) [browse up to "Dexter" as of Aug. 2013].
  Pension index, Ancestry ($) (indexed); FamilySearch.org (browsable, but sections are scan batches).
  
• Lists of Records of Military Organizations Used to Create Volunteer Compiled Military Service Records [i.e. Ainsworth Lists], NARA T817 series, Rolls 18-20 for War of 1812 Massachusetts Lists, 1-126, FS Library films 1490260, 1715892-1715893 (for same).
  
• Muster Rolls of Volunteer Organizations During the War of 1812 [i.e. Sea Fencibles and six companies of Rangers], NARA Archives Identifier 654644 (not microfilmed or digitized).
  
• Numerical Index, arranged by state and then by number, NARA ARC Identifier 654505 (not microfilmed).
  ONLINE:
  fold3.com ($) (10% finished in Aug. 2013).
  
• Military Bounty Land Warrants under the Act of 1812, 1815-1858, NARA M848 series, FS Library film 983163 (1st of 15).
  ONLINE:
  Ancestry ($) (inc. Rev. War). Digital scan of manuscript index, see Don Krieger's site.
  
• War of 1812 Prize Case Files, 1812-1815, District of Massachusetts, NARA Archives Identifier 608051 (not microfilmed or digitized).
  

Published Records:

• John Baker, comp., Records of the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia called out by the Governor of Massachusetts to suppress a threatened invasion during the War of 1812-1814 (Boston, 1913).
  Digital versions at FamilySearch Digital Library, Internet Archive, Ancestry ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries).
  
• Jack Bilow, A War of 1812 Death Register "Whispers in the Dark"' (Plattsburgh, N.Y., 2011), 520 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Mrs. Henry James Carr [Deborah E. W. Carr], Index to certified copy of list of American prisoners of war, 1812-1815: as recorded in General entry book, Ottawa, Canada. List of American prisoners of war, who died at Princetown, Dartmoor, England, 1812-1815 (S.l., [1924]), 25 pp.
  Digital version at GenealogyCenter.info or download from freebookse.com.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Library film 962585 Item 5 (with digital link).
  
• Clarence Stewart Peterson, Known Military Dead During the War of 1812 (Baltimore, 1955; rep. Baltimore, 2002), 74 leaves.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 M23p or fiche 6051255.
  
• Virgil D. White, Index to War of 1812 Pension Files (Waynesboro, Tenn., 1989), 3v.
  Transcribed from the National Archives M313 series.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 M22i.
  

Top of Page | Top of Military | Top of War of 1812

History:

• George Coggeshall, History of the American privateers, and letters-of-marque, during our war with England in the years 1812, '13, and '14 (New York, 1856, 3rd ed., 1861), lv, 482 pp.
  Digital version at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Paris M. Davis, An authentic history of the late war between the United States and Great Britain (New York, 1836), 360 pp.
  Online at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• William S. Dudley, The Naval War of 1812: A Documentary History (Washington, D.C., 1985-2002), 3v.
  Digital version at American Naval Records Society.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• James H. Ellis, A Ruinous and Unhappy War: New England and the War of 1812 (New York, 2009), ebook (315 pp.).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Donald R. Hickey, The War of 1812, a Forgotten Conflict (Urbana, Ill., 1989; rep. 2012). 457 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 H2hi.
  
• Jon Latimer, 1812: War with America (Cambridge, Mass., 2007), xiv, 637 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Benson J. Lossing, The pictorial field-book of the War of 1812: or, Illustrations, by Pen and Pencil, of the history, biography, scenery, relics, and traditions of the last war for American independence (New York, 1869), xvi, 1084 pp.
  Digital versions at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Library digital book.
  
• Robert Malcomson, Historical Dictionary of the War of 1812 (Lanham, Md., 2006), 701 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 H26m.
  
• Theodore Roosevelt, The Naval War of 1812; or, The history of the United States Navy during the last war with Great Britain, to which is appended an account of the Battle of New Orleans (New York, 1882; rep. many times), xvii, 498 pp.
  Digital versions at Internet Archive (1910 ed.), Gutenberg.org (ebook).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 M3r or FS Library digital book (1902 ed., 2v.).
  
• John Lewis Thomson, Historical sketches of the late war, between the United States and Great Britain (Philadelphia, 2nd ed., 1816), xii, 367 pp.
  Digital versions at Internet Archive (1818 ed.).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Walter Kendall Watkins, The defense of Boston in the War of 1812-15: with an appendix containing a bibliography of the War and a list of the officers of the Massachusetts Militia engaged in the defense ([Boston?], 1899; rep. North Clarendon, Vt., 1990), 42 pp.
  No digital version found.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.461 M2w (1990 ed.).
  

Guides:

• 1812 Ancestor Index: National Society, United States Daughters of 1812 (Washington, D.C., 1970-2003), 3v.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 C4sd (with digital link) and FS Catalog book 973 C4sd 1970-1992 (v. 2 - 1970).
  
• Dennis F. Blizzard, The Roster of the General Society of the War of 1812 (Mendelhall, Pa., 1989), xi, 241 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 C4bL (with digital link).
  
• Stuart L. Butler, "Genealogical Records of the War of 1812" in Prologue, 23 [1991]: 420-425.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 B2p.
  
• John C. Fredriksen, Resource Guide for the War of 1812 (S.l., 1979), vii, 156 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 M23f.
  
• George K. Schweitzer, War of 1812 Genealogy (Knoxville, Tenn., 1983, 1995 ed.), 69 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 H27s 1995 (with digital link).
  

Top of Page | Top of Military | Top of War of 1812

Civil War

Quick Links to Civil War
Records	Guides	History
	Regimental Lists
1st-11th Infantry	12th-24th Infantry	25th-37th Infantry
38th-57th Infantry	58th Inf.+, Misc., Lt. Art., H. Art.	H. Art. (4th+), Cav., Mass. Men (states), USA
	USA (M-Z), Colored Troops, USN, Marine Corps

Much work has gone into this section to create a first-class guide 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 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.

• Civil War Soldiers Index, FamilySearch.org and Ancestry ($).
  This is an index to the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System maintained by the National Park Service.
  
• Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865, Ancestry ($), compiled from published sources
  
• Consolidated Enrollment Lists, 1863-1865, NARA ARC 4213514, Ancestry ($).
  
• Compiled Records showing service of Military Units in Volunteer Union Organizations, being NARA M594 series, 225 reels, Mass. on reels 75-82, scanned on Internet Archive.
  
• Civil War Prisoner of War Records, 1861-1865, database derived from NARA M598, M918, M1303, and M2072 series, Ancestry ($).
  
• Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1864-1866, FamilySearch.org, being NARA M1017 series.
  
• Civil War Service Records of Union Colored Troops, 1863-1865, FamilySearch.org, the NARA series was NOT identified.
  
• General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934, FamilySearch.org [59% completed in Aug. 2013] and Ancestry ($), being NARA T288 series.
  
• Civil War and later Pension Index, 1861-1917, FamilySearch.org and fold3.com ($), being NARA T289 series.
  
• Civil War Widows and Other Dependents Pension Files, FamilySearch.org [4% indexing completed in Aug. 2013] and fold3.com ($) [5% complete], the NARA series was NOT identified.
  
• Remarried Widows Index to Pension Applications, 1887-1942, FamilySearch.org and Ancestry ($), being NARA M1784 and M1785 series.
  
• Naval Enlistment Weekly Returns, 1855-1891, fold3.com, being NARA M1953 series.
  
• Navy Pension Index, 1861-1910, derived from NARA M1274, M1279, M1408, and M1469 (see next four entries), Ancestry ($).
  
• Navy Survivors' Certificates, fold3.com ($), being NARA M1469 series.
  
• Navy Survivors' Originals (Disapproved), fold3.com($), being NARA M1408 series.
  
• Navy Widows' Certificates, 1861-1910, FamilySearch.org or fold3.com ($), being NARA M1279 series.
  
• Navy Widows' Originals (Disapproved), 1861-1910, fold3.com ($), being NARA M1274 series.
  
• Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914, FamilySearch.org, being NARA M233 series [12% completed in Aug. 2013].
  
• Records of Headstones of Deceased Union Veterans, 1879-1903, FamilySearch.org and Ancestry ($), being NARA M1845 series.
  
• Civil War Service Index - Union - Massachusetts (index cards), fold3.com ($), being NARA M544 series.
  
• Mass. 54th Infantry Regt. Records, fold3.com ($), being part of NARA M1659 series.
  

State Records:

• Original state records are split between the Massachusetts Archives and the National Guard Museum & Archives in Concord (see their holdings online).
  
• Massachusetts Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines in the Civil War (Norwood or Brookline, Mass., 1931-1935), 8v.
  Digital versions at Internet Archive (V. 1, v. 2, v. 3, v. 4, v. 5, v. 6, v. 7, and v. 8) and Ancestry ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 M2ma v. # (with digital link) or FS Library fiche 6083040.
  Massachusetts Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines in the Civil War - Index to Army Records (Boston, 1937), 634 pp.
  Digital versions at Internet Archive and Ancestry ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 M2ma index or film 238370.
  
• A list of the soldiers, sailors, and marines of the war of the rebellion in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on May 1, 1905, by cities and towns, arranged alphabetically (Boston, 1907), 201 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• A list of the soldiers, sailors, and marines of the Civil War surviving and resident in Massachusetts on April 1, 1915 (Boston, 1916), 342 pp.
  digital versions at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Library film 1416911 Item 4.
  

Top of Page | Top of Military | Top of Civil War

Guides:

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

Top of Page | Top of Military | Top of Civil War

History:

• Massachusetts Regiments in the Civil War, 1861-1865, their town, city or county origins and engagements in which they took part ([Boston], 1961), unpaginated.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Charles Emil Dornbusch, Military Bibliography of the Civil War (New York, 1971-2003), 4v.
  Volume One has a list of regimental publications.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 M23d v. # or film 1036612 Items 1-3.
  
• James Lorenzo Bowen, Massachusetts in the War, 1861-1865 (Springfield, Mass., 1889), xv, 1029 pp.
  Digital versions at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Library film 1482275 or FS Library fiche 6083019.
  
• Phineas Camp Headley, Massachusetts in the Rebellion, a record of the historical position of the Commonwealth, and the services of the leading statesmen, the military, the colleges, and the people, in the Civil War of 1861-1865 (Boston, 1866), xii 688 pp.
  Digital versions at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Massachusetts in the Army and Navy during the War of 1861-65 (Boston, 1895-1896), 2v.
  Digital versions at Internet Archive (v. 1, v. 2, pt. 1, and v. 2, pt. 2), Ancestry ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 M2ht or film 238371-238372 or fiche 6051395-6051396 (with digital links).
  
• David Allen Lambert, "Vital Records of New England Civil War Veterans Abstracted from the organization Pension File Index" online at American Ancestors.org ($) (Part 1 and Part 2).
  
• William Schouler, A History of Massachusetts in the Civil War (Boston, 1868-1871), 2v.
  Digital versions at Internet Archive (v. 1 and v. 2).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries) (2009 ed.); FS Catalog book 974.4 M2scw v. # or fiche 6047929-6047930.
  

Top of Page | Top of Military | Top of Civil War

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

The information in the lists of Massachusetts Military Units comes from the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors web site. This web site can also be searched by the name of a soldier.
Unit Name	Type	Roster	Service	History
1st Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years)	Co. A-K, Un.	May 1861 - May 1864 Details	---
2nd Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years - Re-enlisted)	Co. A-K, Un.	May 1861 - July 1865 Details	---
3rd Regt.	Mass. Vol. Mil. (Inf. - 3 months)	Co. A-L	Apr. 1861 - July 1861 Details	---
3rd Regt.	Mass. Vol. Mil. (Inf. - 9 months)	Co. A-K	Sept. 1862 - June 1863 Details	---
4th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Mil. (Inf. - 3 months)	Co. A-I	Apr. 1861 - July 1861 Details	---
4th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Mil. (Inf. - 9 months)	Co. A-K	Sept. 1862 - June 1863 Details	---
5th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Mil. (Inf. - 3 months)	Co. A-K	Apr. 1861 - Aug. 1861 Details	---
5th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Mil. (Inf. - 9 months)	Co. A-K	Sept. 1862 - July 1862 Details	---
5th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Militia (Inf. - 100 days)	Co. A-K	July 1864 - Nov. 1864 Details	---
6th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Militia (Inf. - 3 months)	Co. A-L	Apr. 1861 - Aug. 1861 Details	---
6th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (Mil. - 9 months)	Co. A-K	Sept. 1862 - June 1863 Details	---
6th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Mil. (Inf. - 100 days)	Co. A-K	July 1864 - Oct. 1864 Details	---
7th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years)	Co. A-K	June 1861 - June 1864 Details	---
8th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Mil. (Inf. - 3 months)	Co. A-K	Apr. 1861 - Aug. 1861 Details	---
8th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Mil. (Inf. - 9 months)	Co. A-K	Sept. 1862 - Aug. 1863 Details	---
8th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Mil. (Inf. - 100 days)	Co. A-K	July 1864 - Nov. 1864 Details	---
9th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years)	Co. A-K, Un.	June 1861 - June 1864 Details	---
10th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years)	Co. A-K, Un.	June 1861 - July 1864 Details	---
11th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years - Re-enlisted)	Co. A-K, Un.	June 1861 - July 1865 Details	---

Top of Page | Top of Military | Top of Civil War

Massachusetts Civil War Units
12th through 24th Infantry

The information in the lists of Massachusetts Military Units comes from the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors web site. This web site can also be searched by the name of a soldier.
Unit Name	Type	Roster	Service	History
12th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years)	Co. A-K, Un.	Apr. 1861 - July 1864 Details	---
13th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years)	Co. A-K, Un.	May 1861 - Aug. 1864 Details	---
14th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf.	n/a	n/a	Became 1st Regt. Mass. Vol. H. Art.
15th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years)	Co. A-K, Un.	June 1861 - July 1864 Details	---
1st Co.	Mass. Vol. Ss. (3 years)	Single unit	Aug. 1861 - June 1865 Details	Attached to 15th, 19th, & 20th Regt. Mass. Vol. Inf. as "Andrew Sharpshooters."
16th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years)	Co. A-K, Un.	Apr. 1861 - July 1865 Details	---
17th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years - Re-enlisted)	Co. A-K, Un.	May 1861 - July 1865 Details	---
18th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years - Re-enlisted)	Co. A-K, Un.	Aug. 1861 - Sept. 1864 Details	---
19th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years - Re-enlisted)	Co. A-K, Un.	Aug. 1861 - July 1864 Details	---
20th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years - Re-enlisted)	Co. A-K, Un.	Aug. 1861 - July 1864 Details	---
21st Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years - Re-enlisted)	Co. A-K, Un.	July 1861 - July 1865 Details	---
22nd Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years)	Co. A-K, Un.	Aug. 1861 - Oct. 1864 Details	---
2nd Co.	Mass. Vol. Ss. (3 years)	Single unit	Sept. 1861 - Oct. 1864 Details	Attached to 22nd Regt. Mass. Vol. Inf.
23rd Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years - Re-enlisted)	Co. A-K, Un.	Apr. 1861 - July 1865 Details	---
24th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years - Re-enlisted)	Co. A-K, Un.	Sept. 1861 - Jan. 1866 Details	---

Top of Page | Top of Military | Top of Civil War

Massachusetts Civil War Units
25th through 37th Infantry

The information in the lists of Massachusetts Military Units comes from the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors web site. This web site can also be searched by the name of a soldier.
Unit Name	Type	Roster	Service	History
25th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years - Re-enlisted)	Co. A-K, Un.	Sept. 1861 - July 1865 Details	---
26th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years - Re-enlisted)	Co. A-K, Un.	Sept. 1861 - Sept. 1865 Details	---
27th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years - Re-enlisted)	Co. A-K, Un.	Sept. 1861 - July 1865 Details	---
28th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years - Re-enlisted)	Co. A-K, Un.	Sept. 1861 - July 1865 Details	---
29th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years - Re-enlisted)	Co. A-K, Un.	May 1861 - Aug. 1865 Details	---
30th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years - Re-enlisted)	Co. A-K, Un.	Sept. 1861 - July 1866 Details	---
31st Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years - Re-enlisted)	Co. A-K, Un.	Nov. 1861 - Sept. 1865 Details	---
32nd Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years - Re-enlisted)	Co. A-K, Un.	Nov. 1861 - July 1865 Details	---
33rd Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years)	Co. A-K, Un.	June 1862 - July 1865 Details	---
34th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years)	Co. A-K, Un.	July 1862 - July 1865 Details	---
35th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years)	Co. A-K, Un.	July 1862 - June 1865 Details	---
36th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years)	Co. A-K, Un.	Aug. 1862 - June 1865 Details	---
37th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years)	Co. A-K, Un.	Aug. 1862 - July 1865 Details	---

Top of Page | Top of Military | Top of Civil War

Massachusetts Civil War Units
38th through 57th Infantry

The information in the lists of Massachusetts Military Units comes from the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors web site. This web site can also be searched by the name of a soldier.
Unit Name	Type	Roster	Service	History
38th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years)	Co. A-K, Un.	July 1862 - July 1865 Details	---
39th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years)	Co. A-K, Un.	Sept. 1862 - June 1865 Details	---
40th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years)	Co. A-K, Un.	Aug. 1862 - June 1865 Details	---
41st Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf.	n/a	n/a	Became 3rd Regt. Mass. Vol. Cav.
42nd Regt.	Mass. Vol. Mil. (Inf. - 9 months)	Co. A-K	Aug. 1862 - July 1864 Details	---
43rd Regt.	Mass. Vol. Mil. (Inf. - 9 months)	Co. A-K	Aug. 1862 - July 1863 Details	---
44th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Mil. (Inf. - 9 months)	Co. A-K	Aug. 1862 - June 1863 Details	---
45th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Mil. (Inf. - 9 months)	Co. A-K	Aug. 1862 - July 1863 Details	---
46th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Mil. (Inf. - 9 months)	Co. A-K	Aug. 1862 - July 1863 Details	---
47th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Mil. (Inf. - 9 months)	Co. A-K	Sept. 1862 - Sept. 1863 Details	---
48th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Mil. (Inf. - 9 months)	Co. A-K	Sept. 1862 - Sept. 1863 Details	---
49th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Mil. (Inf. - 9 months)	Co. A-K	Aug. 1862 - Sept. 1863 Details	---
50th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Mil. (Inf. - 9 months)	Co. A-K	Aug. 1862 - Aug. 1863 Details	---
51st Regt.	Mass. Vol. Mil. (Inf. - 9 months)	Co. A-K	Sept. 1862 - July 1863 Details	---
52nd Regt.	Mass. Vol. Mil. (Inf. - 9 months)	Co. A-K	Aug. 1862 - Aug. 1863 Details	---
53rd Regt.	Mass. Vol. Mil. (Inf. - 9 months)	Co. A-K	Aug. 1862 - Aug. 1863 Details	---
54th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (Col.) (3 years)	Co. A-K, Un.	Feb. 1863 - Feb 1865 Details	---
55th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (Col.) (3 years)	Co. A-K, Un.	May 1863 - Sept. 1865 Details	---
56th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years)	Co. A-K, Un.	Dec. 1862 - July 1865 Details	---
57th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years)	Co. A-K, Un.	Dec. 1863 - July 1865 Details	---

Top of Page | Top of Military | Top of Civil War

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

The information in the lists of Massachusetts Military Units comes from the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors web site. This web site can also be searched by the name of a soldier.
Unit Name	Type	Roster	Service	History
58th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years)	Co. A-K, Un.	Jan. 1864 - July 1865 Details	---
59th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (3 years)	Co. A-K, Un.	Dec. 1863 - July 1865 Details	---
60th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Mil. (Inf. - 100 days)	Co. A-K	Aug. 1864 - Nov. 1864 Details	---
61st Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (1 year)	Co. A-K	Aug. 1864 - Aug. 1865 Details	---
62nd Regt.	Mass. Vol. Inf. (1 year)	Co. A-D, Un.	Mar. 1865 - May 1865 Details	Regt. never fully organized; officers never mustered in
1st-13th Unattached Co.	Mass. Vol. Mil. (Inf. - 90 days)	Single Cos.	Apr. 1864 - Aug. 1864 Details for: 1st; 2nd; 3rd; 4th; 5th; 6th; 7th; 8th; 9th; 10th; 11th; 12th; 13th	---
2nd, 15th-23rd Unattached Co.	Mass. Vol. Mil. (Inf. - 100 days)	Single Cos.	July 1864 - Nov. 1864 Details for: 2nd; 15th; 16th; 17th; 18th; 19th; 20th; 21th; 22nd; 23rd	---
2nd, 17th-21st, 24th-27th Unattached Co.	Mass. Vol. Mil. (Inf. - 100 days re-enlisted) (Inf. - 1 year)	Single Cos.	Nov. 1864 - July 1865 Details for: 2nd; 17th; 18th; 19th; 20th; 21th; 24th; 25th; 26th; 27th	---
3rd Batt. of Rifles	Mass. Vol. Mil. (3 months)	Co. A-D	Apr. 1861 - July 1861 Details	---
4th Batt. of Inf.	Mass. Vol. Mil.	Single Cadet Units, Co. A-B	May 1862 - Oct. 1862 Details	Includes Boston and Salem Cadets Militia
Co. B, 7th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Militia (Inf. - 6 months)	Single Co.	June 1862 - Dec. 1862	---
1st Battery L. Art.	Mass. Vol. Mil. (3 months)	Single Co.	Apr. 1861 - Aug. 1861 Details	Called Cook's Battery
1st [Ind.] Battery	Mass. Vol. L. Art. (3 years)	Single Co.	Aug. 1861 - Oct. 1864 Details	---
2nd [Ind.] Battery	Mass. Vol. L. Art. (3 years - Re-enlisted)	Single Co.	Apr. 1861 - Aug. 1865 Details	---
3rd [Ind.] Battery	Mass. Vol. L. Art. (3 years)	Single Co.	Sept. 1861 - Sept. 1864 Details	---
4th [Ind.] Battery	Mass. Vol. L. Art. (3 years - Re-enlisted)	Single Co.	Sept. 1861 - Nov. 1864 Details	---
5th [Ind.] Battery	Mass. Vol. L. Art. (3 years - Re-enlisted)	Single Co.	Sept. 1961 - June 1865 Details	---
6th [Ind.] Battery	Mass. Vol. L. Art. (3 years - Re-enlisted)	Single Co.	Fall 1861 - Aug. 1865 Details	---
7th [Ind.] Battery	Mass. Vol. L. Art. (3 years - Re-enlisted)	Single Co.	Apr. 1861 - Nov. 1865 Details	---
8th [Ind.] Battery	Mass. Vol. L. Art. (6 months)	Single Co.	May 1862 - Nov. 1862 Details	Called Cook's Battery
9th [Ind.] Battery	Mass. Vol. L. Art. (3 years)	Single Co.	July 1862 - June 1865 Details	---
10th [Ind.] Battery	Mass. Vol. L. Art. (3 years)	Single Co.	Aug. 1862 - June 1865 Details	---
11th [Ind.] Battery	Mass. Vol. L. Art. (9 months)	Single Co.	Aug. 1862 - July 1863 Details	Called Jones' Battery
11th [Ind.] Battery	Mass. Vol. L. Art. (3 years)	Single Co.	Dec. 1863 - June 1865 Details	Enlarged from 11th Ind. Battery (9 months)
12th [Ind.] Battery	Mass. Vol. L. Art. (3 years)	Single Co.	Sept. 1862 - July 1865 Details	---
13th [Ind.] Battery	Mass. Vol. L. Art. (3 years)	Single Co.	Oct. 1862 - July 1865 Details	---
14th [Ind.] Battery	Mass. Vol. L. Art. (3 years)	Single Co.	Jan. 1864 - June 1865 Details	---
15th [Ind.] Battery	Mass. Vol. L. Art. (3 years)	Single Co.	Winter 1862 - Aug. 1865 Details	---
16th [Ind.] Battery	Mass. Vol. L. Art. (3 years)	Single Co.	Mar. 1864 - July 1865 Details	---
1st Regt.	Mass. Vol. H. Art. (3 years)	Co. A-M, Un.	June 1861 - Aug. 1865 Details	---
2nd Regt.	Mass. Vol. H. Art. (3 years)	Co. A-M, Un.	May 1863 - Sept. 1865 Details	---
3rd Regt.	Mass. Vol. H. Art. (3 years)	Co. A-M, Un.	May 1863 - June 1865 Details	---

Top of Page | Top of Military | Top of Civil War

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

The information in the lists of Massachusetts Military Units comes from the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors web site. This web site can also be searched by the name of a soldier.
Unit Name	Type	Roster	Service	History
4th Regt.	Mass. Vol. H. Art. (3 years)	Co. A-M	Aug. 1864 - June 1865 Details	---
29th & 30th Unattached Cos.	Mass. Vol. H. Art. (1 year)	Two Cos.	Sept. 1864 - June 1865 Details: 29th and 30th	---
1st Batt.	Mass. Vol. H. Art. (3 years)	Co. A-F, Un.	Feb. 1862 - Oct. 1865 Details	---
1st Regt.	Mass. Vol. Cav. (3 years)	Co. A-M, Un.	Sept. 1861 - June 1865 Details	---
2nd Regt.	Mass. Vol. Cav. (3 years)	Co. A-M, Un.	Dec. 1862 - Aug. 1865 Details	Cos. A, E, F, L, and M raised in California
3rd Regt.	Mass. Vol. Cav. (3 years)	Co. A-M, Read's Co., Un.	Sept. 1861 - Oct. 1865 Details	---
4th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Cav. (3 years)	Co. A-M, Un.	Feb. 1864 - Nov. 1865 Details	---
5th Regt.	Mass. Vol. Cav. (Col.) (3 years)	Co. A-M, Un.	Fall 1863 - Nov. 1865 Details	---
1st Batt.	Mass. Vol. Cav. (1 year)	Co. A-E, Un.	Winter 1864 - June 1865	Attached to 26th Regt., N.Y. Cav., Frontier Cav.
n/a	n/a	by State served	n/a	List of Mass. Men who served in 29 other states
n/a	Mass. Officers	alphabetical	n/a	In the U.S. Army and U.S. Vol.
n/a	Mass. Soldiers	alphabetical, A-L	n/a	In the U.S. Army and U.S. Vol.

Top of Page | Top of Military | Top of Civil War

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

The information in the lists of Massachusetts Military Units comes from the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors web site. This web site can also be searched by the name of a soldier.
Unit Name	Type	Roster	Service	History
n/a	Mass. Soldiers	alphabetical, M-Z	n/a	In the U.S. Army and U.S. Vol.
n/a	Mass. Soldiers	alphabetical by Unit	n/a	Misc. Units in U.S. Army and U.S. Vol.
n/a	Mass. Enlistments	alphabetical	n/a	In Veteran Reserve Corps, originally the Invalid Corps
n/a	Mass. Officers	alphabetical	n/a	In U.S. Colored Troops
n/a	Mass. Soldiers	alphabetical	n/a	In U.S. Colored Troops
n/a	Mass. Officers	alphabetical	n/a	In U.S. Navy
n/a	Enlisted Men	alphabetical, A-E	n/a	In U.S. Navy
n/a	Enlisted Men	alphabetical, F-Z	n/a	In U.S. Navy
n/a	Mass. Officers	alphabetical	n/a	In U.S. Marine Corps
n/a	Mass. Enlisted Men	alphabetical	n/a	In U.S. Marine Corps

Top of Page | Top of Military | Top of Civil War

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 NARA series was NOT identified, browsable only in alphabetical order; Ancestry ($) (searchable), NARA M871 series.
  
• General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934, FamilySearch.org [59% completed in Aug. 2013] and Ancestry ($), being NARA T288 series.
  
• Civil War and later Pension Index, 1861-1917, FamilySearch.org and fold3.com ($), being NARA T289 series.
  

State Records:

• Original state records held by the National Guard Museum & Archives in Concord (see their holdings online) and a small collection at the Massachusetts Archives (see their holdings online).
  
• Massachusetts Military records, 1817-1915, FS Library film (see catalog entry for correct reel), the Spanish-American War arranged alphabetically by town name by branch of service.
  
• Military records, 1862-1865, 1898-1899, FS Library film 2110413.
  

History:

• Frank E. Edwards, The '98 campaign of the 6th Massachusetts, U.S.V. (Boston, 1899), xix 360 pp.
  Digital versions at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• James A. Frye, The First Regiment Massachusetts Heavy Artillery: United States Volunteers, in the Spanish-American War of 1898 (Boston, 1899), xvi, 258 pp.
  Digital versions at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 M2fj or film 1415264.
  
• Herbert O. Hicks and Fred A. Simmons, Company M and Adams in the War with Spain ([Adams, Mass.], 1899), 110 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.41/A2 M2h.
  Digital versions at Internet Archive.
  Berkshire Genealogist Indexing Committee, Index to Company M and Adams in the war with Spain (Pittsfield, Mass., 1995), 3 leaves.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.41/A2 M2h index.
  
• John J. McCoy, "The Irish Element in the Second Massachusetts Volunteers in the Recent War (with Spain)" in American Irish Historical Society Journal, 2 [1899]: 85-88.
  Digital version at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 B2i v. 1-2.
  
• Harry E. Webber, Twelve Months with the Eighth Massachusetts Infantry in the Service of the United States (Salem, Mass., 1908), 391 pp.
  Digital versions at Internet Archive, Ancestry ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 M2whe or film 1425573 Item 5 (with digital link).
  

Top of Page | Top of Military

World War I

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.

• World War I Selective Service System draft registration cards, 1917-1918 - Massachusetts, FS Library film 1684875 (1st of 162).
  Part of World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918, ONLINE at FamilySearch.org or Ancestry ($).
  
• Selective service records, and, exemptions as aliens for 1917-1918 - Massachusetts, FS Library film 1846563 Items 3-4.
  
• Index to Naturalizations of World War I Soldiers, 1918 , FamilySearch.org or fold3.com ($), being NARA M1952 series.
  

State Records:

• Original state records held by the National Guard Museum & Archives in Concord (see their holdings online) or FS Library film and FS Library film (see catalog entry for correct film).
  
• Casualties from Massachusetts in World War I, 1918, Enlistments, Enrollments, Medical Examinations, Detachments, FS Library film 1544205 (1st of 15).
  

History:

• William Mitchell Haulsee, Soldiers of the Great War [Registers of Dead] (Washington, D.C., 1920), 3v. (Mass. in v. 2).
  Digital versions at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 M23s or fiche 6051244 (with digital link for v. 2 - Massachusetts).
  
• David Allen Lambert, "World War I Resources at NEHGS - A Bibliography" online at AmericanAncestors.org ($).
  
• Francis Andrew March, History of the World War: an authentic narrative of the World’s greatest war, including the treaty of peace and the League of Nation’s covenant (Philadelphia, 1919), 736 pp.
  Digital versions at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Ashley Kay Nuckols, Deaths, American Expeditionary Force, W.W.I, 1917, 1918. Massachusetts ([Tazewell, Va.?, 1995]), 1v.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 M2nda v. 6.
  
• Eben Putnam, Report of the Commission on Massachusetts' Part in the World War (Boston, 1929-1931), 2v.
  Digital version at Internet Archive (v. 1 andv. 2).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 M2pe v. # or film 1698087 Item 12.
  
• United States Bureau of Naval Personnel, Officers and enlisted personnel of the United States Naval Services who died during the World War (Washington, D.C., 1920; rep. Fairfield, Ca., 1989), 812 pp.
  No digital version found.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries) or WorldCat (Other Libraries) (reprint); Not at FS Library.
  

Top of Page | Top of Military

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 only 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, FS Library film 2371930 (1st of 166).
  Note: This "Old Man's" draft was for those born between 28 Apr. 1877 and 16 Feb. 1897, being NARA 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:

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

Top of Page | Top of Military

Korean Conflict

Federal Records:

Many of the personnel files for this conflict were lost in a fire at the National Personnel Records Center fire in St. Louis. For more general 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 only 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:

• Bevin R. Alexander, Korea: The First War We Lost (New York, 1986; rep. 2004), xv, 558 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Richard M. Bassett, And the Wind Blew Cold: The Story of an American POW in North Korea (Kent, Ohio, 2002), xiii, 117 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Albert D. Biderman, March to Calumny: The Story of American POW's in Korea (New York, 1963; rep. 1979), 326 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• T. R. Fehrenbach, This Kind of War (New York, 1963; rep. many times), xi, 483 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• James I. Matray, ed., Historical Dictionary of the Korean War (New York, 1991), xxxiii, 626 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 M26h.
  
• Jarry G. Summers, Korean War Almanac (New York, 1990), xv, 330 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 M2su.
  

Top of Page | Top of Military

Vietnam Conflict

For general information on research 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 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.

• 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 online)

Top of Page | Top of Military

Immigration

Quick Links to Immigration Records
Passenger Lists	Naturalization Records
Other Records	Bibliography

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 special collections. Each section has a specific bibliography and a general list is found from the links above.

Passenger Lists

Quick Links to Passenger Lists
	Introduction
	Records:
Boston	Chicopee	Fall River
Gloucester	New Bedford	Provincetown
Salem/Beverly	Woods Hole	Misc. Ports
	Online Records

Introduction

Immigration records, i.e. passenger lists, started in the modern 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 creation 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 contact information for both archives is found below.

These passenger lists get more detailed as time goes on. The earliest records include the name of the vessel, the Master of the vessel, embarkation port, arrival port, arrival date, names of passengers (their age, sex, occupation, country of origin). More details such as a contact/nearest relative at home, who they are coming to see in the U.S., and other such information.

It was often 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).

NOTE: NARA is used below to mean the National Archives and Records Administration.

Top of Page || Top of Immigration || Top of Passenger Lists Records
[Note: NARA link will give location of records]

Boston

[ONLINE records]

• Massachusetts, Boston Passenger Lists, 1820-1891.
  Note: There are gaps in the records from 1855-1856, and between 31 Mar. 1874 to April 1883. The Massachusetts Archives records below do not have the second gap of nine years.
  
• Massachusetts, Boston Passenger Lists, 1891-1943.
  
• Massachusetts, Boston Passenger Lists Index, 1899-1940 [browsable only].
  
• Massachusetts, Boston Crew Lists, 1917-1943.
  

[MICROFILM records]

• Records Relating to Passengers [Boston District], 1820-1891, NARA RG 36 NC-154 Inv. 511A (copies or abstracts only).
  Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Boston, 1820–1891: with index 1848–1891, FS Library film 205656 (first of 397 films).
  Note: There are gaps in the records from 1855-1856, and between 31 Mar. 1874 to April 1883. The Massachusetts Archives records below do not have the second gap of nine years.
  
• Registers of passengers arriving in Massachusetts ports, 1848-1891, at the Massachusetts Archives, FS Library film 2412195 (first of 42).
  
• Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Boston, 1891-1943, NARA T843.
  
• Book Indexes to Boston Passenger Lists, 1899-1940, NARA T790 (chronological).
  
• Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Boston, Jan. 1944-Nov. 1954, NARA HMS P116.
  
• Passenger Lists of Vessels Departing from Boston, 06/1948-11/1954, NARA HMS P172.
  
• Index to Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Boston, 1 Jan. 1902-31 Dec. 1920, NARA HMS A1-48.
  Records, 1902-1906, microfilmed on T617 series and indexed on T521 series.
  Records, 1906-1920, unpublished microfilm and index.
  
• Index to Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Boston, 1921-1949, NARA A3453.
  
• Passenger and Crew Manifests of Airplanes Arriving at Boston, Feb. 1945-Nov. 1954, NARA HMS P119.
  
• Passenger Lists of Vessels Departing from Boston and Arriving at Yarmouth, N.S., June 1948-Sept. 1953, NARA HMS P173.
  
• Passenger and Crew Manifests of Airplanes Departing from Boston, Jan. 1948-Nov. 1954, NARA HMS P169.
  
• Passenger Lists of Vessels Departing from Yarmouth, N.S., and Arriving at Boston, June 1949-Sept. 1954, NARA MHS P114.
  
• Passenger and Crew Manifests of Vessels and Airplanes Arriving at Boston, Dec. 1954-June 1983, NARA HMS P117 (records over 50 years accessible).
  
• Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels and Airplanes Departing from Boston, Dec. 1954-Nov. 1974, NARA HMS P171 (records over 50 years accessible).
  
• Passenger and Crew Manifests of Airplanes Arriving at Boston, Dec. 1957-Nov. 1969, NARA HMS P120.
  
• Passenger and Crew Manifests of Airplanes Departing from Boston, Dec. 1957-Nov. 1969, NARA HMS P170.
  

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.
  

Top of Page || Top of Immigration || Top of Passenger Lists

Gloucester

• [Gloucester District] Passenger Lists, 1905-1905, NARA RG 36 NC-154 Inv. 402.
  
• Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at Gloucester, Oct. 1906-Mar. 1942, NARA M1321.
  Guide at FS Catalog book 973 J53m no. 1321 or FS Library film 2155646.
  
• Passenger Lists of Vessels Departing from Gloucester, Dec. 1960-Jan. 1966, NARA HMS P215 (records over 50 years accessible).
  

New Bedford

• [New Bedford District] Records Relating to Passengers, 1820-1940, NARA RG 36 NC-154 Inv. 588-591.
  Includes Inward Passenger Lists, 1821-1899 (588); Outward Passenger Lists, 1867-1870, 1872-1899 (589); Abstracts of Passenger Lists, 1820-1852, 1861-1865, 1877-1894 (590); Abstracts of Passenger Departures, 1877-1893 (590A); Index to Inward Passenger Lists, 1875-1894 (591).
  
• Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New Bedford, 1 July 1902-July 1942, NARA T944.
  
• Index to Passengers Arriving at New Bedford, 1 July 1902-18 Nov. 1954, NARA T522.
  
• Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New Bedford, May 1917-Dec. 1943, NARA T942.
  
• Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New Bedford, 14 Dec. 1945-18 Nov. 1954, NARA HMS P463.
  
• Passenger Lists of Vessels Departing from New Bedford, 27 Feb. 1959-11 Aug. 1966, NARA HMS P620 (records over 50 years accessible).
  
• Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New Bedford, 5 Apr. 1945-7 July 1978, NARA HMS P464 (records over 50 years accessible).
  

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, FS Library 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).
  

Top of Page || Top of Immigration || Top of Passenger Lists

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).
  

Top of Page || Top of Immigration || Top of Passenger Lists

Naturalization Records

Quick Links to Naturalization Records
	Introduction	Bibliography
Federal:	Barnstable	Berkshire	Bristol
Dukes	Essex	Franklin	Hampden
Hampshire	Middlesex	Nantucket	Norfolk
Plymouth	Suffolk	Worcester
State:	Barnstable	Berkshire	Bristol
Dukes	Essex	Franklin	Hampden
Hampshire	Middlesex	Nantucket	Norfolk
Plymouth	Suffolk	Worcester	Sec. of State

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 woman after 1922) as if he was a native-born man. Depending on the period, this would include owning land and voting. Any court in the land could naturalize a man, but all that was consolidated under a federal system in 1906. The declaration of intent, with some exceptions, was the first step in the process (sometimes called first papers). This often was files within the first couple years of residency. The second and third steps were to petition for citizenship and to receive a certificate of citizenship from the court petitioned. This could be filed as soon as one to three years after the declaration, though it may not be in the same court or state as the declaration. These were sometimes called the final or second papers). This guide 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 usually include the name of the immigrant, age, birth date, place and date of certificate of admission, petition number, and occasionally the spouse's name. Read the Naturalization and Citizenship section for the United States to learn more about the whole process.

Federal Naturalization Records for Massachusetts

Record	Dates	Location	Index	Microfilm/Online
U.S. District Court of Massachusetts	1789-1991	National Archives - Waltham, RG 21		Petitions and Records of Naturalization of the U.S. District Court and Circuit Courts of the District of Massachusetts, 1906-1929, M1368. Petitions and Records, FS Library film 1578248 (1st of 55) ONLINE at fold3 ($). ----- Index to Naturalization Petitions and Records of the U.S. District Court, 1906-1966, and the U.S. Circuit Court, 1906-1911, for the District of Massachusetts, M1545, FS Library film 1429671 (first of 117). ONLINE at Massachusetts Naturalization Index, 1906-1966 at FamilySearch.org, Ancestry ($), and fold3 ($). ----- NARA, RG 21, Primary declarations, 1798-1946, Naturalization records, 1790-1906, Petitions, #1195587-2353923, Certified declarations, v. 131-257, Index to declarations, 1912-1940, FS Library film 2416289 (1st of 498) ----- NARA, RG 21, Naturalization records, 1845-1906 (#1-449-103), Declarations, 1845-1911, Depositions of witnesses (#1-290739), and Index to declarations, 1906-1911, FS Library film 2414774 (1st of 191) ----- Petitions, v. 1 (ca. 1787-1906) [film only], v. 2-252 (1847-1902) [digital only], FS Library Digital Capture 7048053 (1st of 254) (part of index below) ----- Repatriation of soldiers, 1918-1941, FS Library film 2416188 Item 1 ----- Repatriation of women who married non-American citizens, 1936-1945, FS Library film 2416188, 2416217 ----- Overseas military naturalization petitions, 1943-1945, FS Library film 2416218 ----- Index to declarations, 1943-1955, FS Library films 2371827-2371828
U.S. Circuit Court of Massachusetts	1790-1911	See above.	See above.	See above.
Consolidated court index	1790-1906 1907-1926	U.S. District Court, Boston	An index	FS Library film 1420205 (1st of 17)
Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service	1787-1955	National Archives - Waltham, RG 85	Soundex index card file at NARA - Waltham United States, New England, Petitions for Naturalization, 1787-1906 (browsable by county, then court, as of July 2013 - no Dukes, Essex, Franklin, Hampden, or Hampshire county records). Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, M1299. ONLINE at United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906.
Barnstable Co.
Supreme Judicial Ct.	1827-1886	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7469485 (part of above); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Berkshire Co.
Southern Dist. Ct. (Gt. Barrington) - Naturalization records	1886-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7469512-7469514 (part of above); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Fourth Dist. Ct. (Adams) - Petitions and Naturalizations	1895-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7469515-7469519 (part of above); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Lee Police Ct. - Naturalization records	1900-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7469519 (part of above); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
North Adams Dist. Ct. - Naturalization records	1891-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7469497-7469511 (part of above); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Pittsfield Court of Common Pleas - Naturalization records	1787-1860	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7469486-7469496 (part of above); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Pittsfield Dist. Ct. - Naturalization records	1885-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7485672-7485676 (part of above); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Supreme Judicial Court (Pittsfield) - Naturalization records	1787-1876	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7485685-7485695 (part of above); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Bristol Co.	1st Dist.	Taunton
Supreme Judicial Ct.	1814-1885	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7510302 (1st of 4) (part of above); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Ct. of Common Pleas	1805-1867	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7510270 (1st of 6) (part of above); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Superior Court	1856-1885	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7510290 (1st of 6) (part of above); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
District Court	1885-1895	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7510282 (1st of 3) (part of above); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Bristol Co.	2nd Dist.	Fall River
District Court	1885-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7485697 (1st of 31) (part of above); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Bristol Co.	3rd Dist.	New Bedford
District Court	1885-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7497800 (1st of 13) (part of above); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Bristol Co.	4th Dist.	Attleboro
District Court	1904-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7485696 (part of above); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Dukes Co.	No federal records as yet digitized at NARA
Essex Co.	No federal records as yet digitized at NARA
Franklin Co.	No federal records as yet digitized at NARA
Hampden Co.	No federal records as yet digitized at NARA
Hampshire Co.	No federal records as yet digitized at NARA
Middlesex Co.
Ct. of Common Pleas Supreme Judicial Ct.	1809-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7117754 (1st of 15) (part of above); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
First Dist. Ct. No. Middlesex (Ayer) - Records	1887-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7117737, 7117739 (part of above); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
First Dist. Ct. So. Middlesex (Framingham) - Records	1885-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7137302 (1st of 3) (part of above); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
First Dist. Ct. E. Middlesex (Malden) - Records	1885-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7156001 (1st of 13) (part of above); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
First Dist. Ct. E. Middlesex (Waltham) - Records	1885-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7173060-7173066 (part of above); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Fourth Dist. Ct. E. Middlesex (Woburn) - Records	1885-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7173043-7173047 (part of above); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Lowell Dist Ct. - Records	1836-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7137236 (1st of 55) (part of above); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Marlborough Dist. Ct. - Records	1885-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7173056-7173059 (part of above); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Nantucket Co.
Court of Common Pleas Supreme Judicial Ct.	1804-1903	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7173072-7173083; Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Norfolk Co.
Superior Court Court of Common Pleas Supreme Judicial Court Dist. Ct. (Dedham)	1804-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7187235 (1st of 8); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Dist. Ct. (Quincy)	1886-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7187245-7187252; Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Dist. Ct. (Stoughton)	1891-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7187241-7187242; Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Dist. Ct. (Walpole)	1900-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7187243-7187244; Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Plymouth Co.
Court of Common Pleas	1812-1858	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7187259-7187263; Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Supreme Judicial Court	1818-1877	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7187319; Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Superior Court	1860-1885	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7187293 (1st of 9); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
[First?] District Court (Brockton)	1886-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7187264 (1st of 16); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Second District Court (Abington/Hingham)	1887-1903	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7187254-7187256; Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Third District Court (Plymouth)	1885-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7187321 (1st of 3); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Fourth District Court (Middleborough/Wareham)	1885-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	FS Library Digital Capture 7187257-7187258; Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Suffolk Co.				NOTE: The only court hearing naturalizations in Suffolk County from Sept. 1906 to 1991 was the U.S. Federal District Court
Supreme Judicial Court	1790-1845	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	Petitions, FS Library Digital Capture 7208356 (1st of 15); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
U.S. Circuit Court	1845-1878	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	Petitions, FS Library Digital Capture 7239020 (1st of 471); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Superior Court (Civil)	1856-1884	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	Petitions, FS Library Digital Capture 7208272 (1st of 29); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Superior Court (Criminal)	1860-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	Petitions, FS Library Digital Capture 7208301 (1st of 33); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Boston Municipal Court	1806-1859 1885-1905	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	Petitions, 1806-1859, FS Library Digital Capture 7221557 (1st of 36); Petitions, 1885-1905, FS Library Digital Capture 7221555 All part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Charlestown District Municipal Court	1902-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	Petitions, FS Library Digital Capture 7221654 (1st of 3); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Chelsea Police Court	1886-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	Petitions, FS Library Digital Capture 7221660 (1st of 8); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Dorchester District Municipal Court	1902-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	Petitions, FS Library Digital Capture 7239072; Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Roxbury District Municipal Court	1885-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	Petitions, FS Library Digital Capture 7239038 (1st of 4); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
West Roxbury District Municipal Court	1892-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	Petitions, FS Library Digital Capture 7239057; Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Worcester Co.
Superior Court	1837-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	Petitions, v. 1-37, FS Library Digital Capture 7254629 (1st of 50); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Court of Common Pleas	1798-1859	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	Petitions, FS Library Digital Capture 7254571 (1st of 5); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Western Worcester District Court (Brookfield)	1902-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	Petitions, FS Library Digital Capture 7239085; Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
First Eastern Worcester District Court (Westborough)	1892-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	Petitions, FS Library Digital Capture 7254581; Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Second Eastern Worcester District Court (Clinton)	1885-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	Petitions, FS Library Digital Capture 7239092 (1st of 9); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
First Northern Worcester District Court (Gardner)	1883-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	Petitions (#2-1244), FS Library Digital Capture 7254585 (1st of 6); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
First Southern Worcester District Court (Southbridge)	1898-1905	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	Petitions (#1-576), FS Library Digital Capture 7254595; Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Third Southern Worcester District Court (Milford)	1900-1903	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	Petitions (#1-445), FS Library Digital Capture 7254634-7254635; Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Central Worcester District Court	1885-1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	Petitions, v. 1-29, FS Library Digital Capture 7270457 (1st of 29); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Fitchburg Police Court	1885-1904	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	Petitions (#1-2272), FS Library Digital Capture 7239079 (1st of 7); Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Winchendon District Court	1906	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	Petitions (#9-46), FS Library Digital Capture 7254559; Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906
Worcester Police Court	1851-1854	National Archives - Waltham	Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FS Library film 1429671 (1st of 117)	Petitions, FS Library Digital Capture 7283185-7283187; Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906

Top of Page || Top of Immigration || Top of Naturalization

The information regarding the state naturalization records comes from a flyer created in 2008 and an inventory conducted by the author in 2012 for microfilms. The "Judicial Archives" in the state table is the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Archives located in Boston. Note that some material may be stored off-site, so 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

Record	Dates	Location	Index	Microfilm/Online
Secretary of State
Superior Court	1920-1923, 1924-1925	Mass. Archives	Consolidated index of all courts	FS Library film 1940387 (1st of 7)
District Court	1885-1931	Mass. Archives	Records chronological, each volume indexed	FS Library film 1901984 (1st of 9)

Top of Page || Top of Immigration || Top of Naturalization

Bibliography

• Frank G. Franklin, The Legislative History of Naturalization in the United States from the Revolutionary War to 1861 (PhD Thesis, 1900; Chicago, 1906; rep. New York, 1969+), ix, 308 pp.
  Digital version at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Guide to the Records in the National Archives - New England Region (Washington, D.C., 1989), v, 25 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 J53t (similar work).
  
• Walter V. Hickey, "A gold mine of naturalization records in New England" in the Bulletin of the Cape Cape Genealogical Society, 31: 101-106
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Library digital link (downloads entire issue).
  
• Sidney Kansas, Immigration, Exclusion, Deportation and Citizenship of the United States (New York, 3rd ed., 1948), x, 460 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 W2ka.
  
• James H. Kettner, The Development of American Citizenship, 1608-1870 (Chapel Hill, N.C., 1978), xi, 391 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 P4k.
  
• James C. Neagles and Lila Lee Neagles, Locating Your Immigrant Ancestor: A Guide to Naturalization Records (Logan, Utah, rev. ed., 1986), xi, 153 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 P47n; FS Library 1995 book (with digital link).
  
• John J. Newman, American Naturalization Processes and Procedures, 1790-1985 (Indianapolis, Ind., 1985), 43 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 P4n.
  
• Christina K. Schaefer, Guide to Naturalization Records of the United States (Baltimore, 1997), xii, 394 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 P4s.
  
• Marian L. Smith, An Immigrant Nation: United States Regulation of Immigration, 1798-1991 (Washington, D.C., 1991), v, 41 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• U.S. Department of Justice, Directory of Courts Having Jurisdiction in Naturalization Proceedings (Washington, D.C., 1908; rep. many times through 1979), 252 pp.
  Digital versions at Internet Archive, Harvard University.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Library film 1730286 (1963 ed.).
  

Top of Page || Top of Immigration || Top of Naturalization

Other Records

• Canadian Border Crossings, 1908-1935 [from the U.S.], Ancestry ($).
  
• St. Albans Border Crossings, 1895-1960 [from Canada], Ancestry ($).
  If the ship's name and date of sail are known, use Don Krieger's Passenger List Guide for these records which link to the scanned NARA microfilm on Internet Archive.
  
• Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society card file I-96, 1882-1929, from the American Jewish Historical Society, FS Library film 2318189-2318392, 2318509-2318512.
  
• U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925, Ancestry ($) or fold3 ($).
  
• U.S. Consular Posts, Emergency Passport Applications, 1915-1925, Ancestry ($).
  

Top of Page || Top of Immigration

Bibliography

• Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1623–1633 (Boston, 1995), 3v.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog books 974 W2a.
  
• Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634–1635 (Boston, 1999-2011), 7v.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974 W2aa.
  
• Robert Charles Anderson, The Pilgrim Migration: Immigrants to Plymouth Colony, 1620-1629 (Boston, 2004), lxviii, 638 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 D3a.
  
• Robert Charles Anderson, The Winthrop Fleet: Massachusetts Bay Company Immigrants to New England, 1629-1630 (Boston, 2012), ixxviii, 832 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Charles Edward Banks, The English Ancestry and Homes of the Pilgrim Fathers, who came to Plymouth on the "Mayflower" in 1620, the "Fortune" in 1621, and the "Anne" and the "Little James" in 1623 (New York, 1929; rep. many times), xi, 187 pp.
  Digital versions at Internet Archive, Ancestry ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries) (1962 ed.); FS Library book 974 W2be.
  
• Charles Edward Banks, The Planters of the Commonwealth; a study of the emigrants and emigration in colonial times: to which are added lists of passengers to Boston and to the Bay Colony; the ships which brought them; their English homes, and the places of their settlement in Massachusetts, 1620-1640 (Boston, 1930; rep. many times), xii, 231 pp.
  Digital version at Ancestry ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries) (1967 ed.); FS Library book 974 W2bf.
  
• Charles Edward Banks, The Winthrop Fleet (Boston, 1930; rep. Baltimore, 1961+), ix, 118 pp.
  Digital version at Ancestry ($) (1999 ed.).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries) (1968 ed. only); FS Library book 974.4 W2b (many editions).
  
• Charles Edward Banks, The Topographical Dictionary of 2,885 English Emigrants to New England (Philadelphia, 1937; rep. Baltimore, 1957+).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries) (1969 ed.); FS Library book 974 W2ba (many editions).
  
• Ethel Stanwood Bolton, Immigrants to New England, 1700–1775 (Salem, Mass., 1931; rep. Baltimore, 1966+), 235 pp.
  Digital version at FamilySearch Digital Library, Ancestry ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries).
  
• Carl Boyer 3rd, ed., Ship Passenger Lists: National and New England (1600-1825) (Newhall, Cal., 1977), 270 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 W3s or fiche 6049470 (with digital link).
  
• Joseph William Carlevale, Leading Americans of Italian Descent in Massachusetts (Plymouth, Mass., 1946), 861 pp.
  Digital version at Ancestry ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Peter Wilson Coldham, The Complete Book of Emigrants in Bondage, 1614–1775 (Baltimore, 1988; supp. 1992), xv, 920, 86 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); WorldCat (Other Libraries) (supp.); FS Catalog book 973 W2c.
  
• Peter Wilson Coldham, The Complete Book of Emigrants, 1607–1660 (Baltimore, 1987), xviii, 600 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 W2coL.
  
• Peter Wilson Coldham, The Complete Book of Emigrants, 1661–1669 (Baltimore, 1990), vii, 894 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 W2coL.
  
• Peter Wilson Coldham, The Complete Book of Emigrants, 1700–1750 (Baltimore, 1992), ix, 743 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 W2coL.
  
• Peter Wilson Coldham, The Complete Book of Emigrants, 1751–1776 (Baltimore, 1992), viii, 349 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 W2coL.
  
• Peter Wilson Coldham, The Complete Book of Emigrants, 1607–1776, and Emigrants in Bondage 1614–1775 ([Novato, Ca.], 1996), 1 CD.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog Collection.
  
• William Isaac Cole, Immigrant Races in Massachusetts: The Greeks (Boston?, 1919?), [6] pp.
  Digital version at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Meridith B. Colket Jr., Founders of Early American Families: Emigrants from Europe 1607–1657 (Cleveland, Ohio, 1975; second rev. ed., 2002), xlv, 443 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries) (1975 ed.); FS Catalog book 973 W2cm. (1985 ed.).
  
• George Francis Donovan, The Pre-Revolutionary Irish in Massachusetts, 1620-1775 (Menasha, Wisc., 1932), 158 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Library film 1466004 Item 8 or FS Catalog book 974.4 F2dg (200? ed.).
  
• Federal Writers' Project, Massachusetts, The Armenians in Massachusetts (Boston, 1937; rep. New York, 1973), 148 pp.
  Digital version at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries) (1937 ed.); Not at FS Library.
  
• P. William Filby, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index (Detroit, Mich., 1981-2005), 29v..
  WorldCat (Other Libraries) (see other eds.); (FS Catalog book 973 W32p.
  
• Lucie M. Gardner, "Settlers about Boston Bay prior to 1630" in The Massachusetts Magazine, 2 [1909]: 115-117, 176-183.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 B2mm v. 1-2.
  
• Edward A. Hall, "The Irish Pioneers of the Connecticut Valley" in The Journal of the American Irish Historical Society, 4 [1904]: 43-54.
  Digital version at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 B2i v. 4 (with digital link).
  
• Marilyn B. Halter, "Cape Verdean-American Immigration and Patterns of Settlement, 1860-1940," Ph.D. Dissertation, Boston Univ., 1986, xiii, 270 leaves.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
  
• Edward W. Hanson, "The Non-English New Englanders" in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 139 [1985]: 3-20.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974 B2ne v. 139.
  
• Ruth-Ann M. Harris and Donald M. Jacobs, eds., The Search for Missing Friends (Boston, 1989–2002), 8v.
  Searchable database at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.461 H29s.
  
• Martin E. Hollick, New Englanders in the 1600s: A guide to genealogical research published between 1980 and 2010 (Boston, 2006; expanded ed., 2012), xxvii, 282 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974 D22h (2006 ed.).
  
• John Camden Hotten, The Original Lists of Persons of Quality: Emigrants, etc., Who Went from Great Britain to the American Plantations, 1600-1700 (London, 1874; rep. New York, 1931+), xxxvi, 580 pp.
  Digital version at Ancestry ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries) (1962 ed.); FS Library book 973 W2hot (many editions).
  
• The Irish in New England: Immigration of the Irish to New England; Sources of Irish-American Genealogy; The Kennedys of Massachusetts (Boston, 1985), iv, 44 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974 F2k.
  
• Charles Boardman Jewson, Transcript of Three Registers of Passengers from Great Yarmouth to Holland and New England, 1637-1639 ([Norfolk], Eng., 1954; rep. Baltimore, 1964), 98 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974 W3j.
  
• John C. Linehan, "Irish Pioneers in Boston and Vicinity" in The Journal of the American Irish Historical Society, 6 [1906]: 75-84.
  Digital version at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 B2i v. 5-6.
  
• John J. McCoy, "The Irish Element in the Second Massachusetts Volunteers in the Recent War (with Spain)" in The Journal of the American Irish Historical Society, 2 [1899]: 85-88.
  Digital version at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 B2i v. 1-2.
  
• Patty Barthell Myers, Female Index to Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England by James Savage (Baltimore, 2008), 344 pp.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974 D2s index.
  
• 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.
• Michael Joseph O'Brien, "Some Traces of Irish Settlers in the Colony of Massachusetts Bay" in The Journal of the American Irish Historical Society, 18 [1919]: 145-162.
  Digital version at Internet Archive.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Library CD-ROM no. 327 (no hard copy).
  
• Eben Putnam, "Two Early Passenger Lists, 1635-1637" in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 75 [1921]: American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974 B2ne.
  
• Melinde Lutz Sanborn, Third Supplement to Torrey's New England Marriages Prior to 1700 (Baltimore, 2003), xviii, 379 pp.
  Digital version at Ancestry ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974 V2t supp. 3.
  
• A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England. Four Volumes. 1860-62. By James Savage. Reprint. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1965. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England - description and online availability.
• Kenneth Scott, British Aliens in the United States During the War of 1812 (Baltimore, 1979), vii, 420 pp.
  Digital version at Ancestry ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 W4s.
  
• George Sherwood, American Colonists in English Records: A Guide to direct references in authentic records, Passenger Lists not in "Hotten," &c., &c., &c. (London, 1932-1933; rep. Baltimore, 1961+), 2v., 215 pp.
  Digital version at Ancestry ($) (1969 ed.).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries) (1961 ed.); FS Catalog book 973 W2k (1982 ed.).
  
• Michael Tepper, Passengers to America: A Consolidation of Ship Passenger Lists from the "New England Historical and Genealogical Register" (Baltimore, 1977+), xii, 554 pp.
  Digital version at Ancestry ($) (1980 ed.)
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 973 W3t.
  
• Mrs. Nathaniel Thayer, "The Immigrants (1830-1929)" in Albert Bushnell Hart, Commonwealth History of Massachusetts (New York, 1927-1930), 4: 142–171.
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 H2ha.
  
• Clarence Almon Torrey, New England Marriages Prior to 1700 (Baltimore, 1985+), xvi, 1009 pp.
  Digital version at Ancestry ($) (2004 ed.)
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974 V2t.
  Based on original manuscript at the New England Historic Genealogical Society (no catalog record for original), microfilm of manuscript at NEHGS, 12v. on 7 reels, WorldCat (Other Libraries) and FS Library film 929494-929500.
  Transcript on CD (Boston, 2001), 1 Disc, Not on WorldCat; FS Library CD-ROM no. 1261, searchable database at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($).
  New edition with bibliographic references and index (Boston, 2011), 3v., WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974 V2tc.
  

Top of Page || Top of Immigration

Newspapers

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 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.
  

Top of Page

Massachusetts Repositories

Archives

Location	Archive	Description
Boston	Massachusetts Archives 220 Morrissey Blvd. Boston MA 02125 617-727-2816 website	The Archives holds the official records created by all parts of state government from 1629 to the present. The earliest material is found in the Massachusetts Archives Collection. Common resources for genealogists and historians detailed in their online guide are state vital records (starting in 1841), passenger lists, census, military records, the Suffolk Files, naturalizations, divorces, probate, name changes, adoptions, Suffolk Deeds, and many other records. ----- The Massachusetts Archives Collection contains 328 volumes about early Massachusetts history (1629-1799). It is also called the Felt Collection. Rev. Joseph Felt organized most of the collection in the 1830s; the last third was added in the late nineteenth century. Most of the collection is available on microfilm. Volumes 1-239 on FS Library film 2294195 (1st of 184). Volumes 240-328 on FS Library film 2318834 (1st of 74). Several finding aids are available to help locate records of interest. Search the Archive's online index. Only 18 of the 328 volumes are indexed. View an online list of volumes 1-99. View an online list of volumes 100-199. View an online list of volumes 200-238. View the card index on FS Library film 543878 (1st of 57). Tables of content and name indexes are available for many of the volumes.
Boston	Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Archives 3 Pemberton Sq. Boston MA 02108 617-557-1082 website	The Judicial Archives offices are in downtown Boston, but their holdings are in shared space at the State Archives at 220 Morrissey Blvd., Boston, and several off-site storage facilities. The Archives contains the pre-1860 records of the predecessor courts of the Superior Court (Court of General Sessions of the Peace and Inferior Court of Common Pleas) for 9 counties. Other records in the Judicial Archives include Supreme Judicial Court and Superior Court of Judicature; predominantly pre-1900 probate records of Essex, Middlesex, Suffolk, Plymouth, and Worcester counties; a limited number of County Court records; records of some Justices of the Peace, naturalization records and records of a small number of special courts. Probate, naturalization and divorce records are especially useful for those doing genealogical research.
Waltham	National Archives and Records Administration 380 Trapelo Rd. Waltham MA 02452 866-406-2379 website	This branch of the National Archives serves Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The paper records of this branch are extensive and listed in detail on their online guide to holdings. The major group researchers use is the records of the district and circuit courts. These courts had jurisdiction over naturalization, bankruptcy, civil (law, equity, and admiralty), and criminal cases. The records of the immigration and naturalization service (INS) hold the "dexigraph" copies of naturalization declarations, petitions, and other documents dated 1787-1906, from Federal, State, and local courts in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. An accompanying card index covers all six New England States, 1787-1906 (Connecticut courts, 1787-1940). Related material on passenger lists and Canadian border crossings are held here.
Worcester	Massachusetts National Guard Museum and Archives 44 Salisbury St. Worcester MA 06109 508-797-0334 website	This archive was established in 1995 and documents the Massachusetts National Guard organized in 1636 and the archives of the Office of the Adjutant General that includes Massachusetts military records from 1775 to 1940. Researchers should call at least one day in advance for a free appointment.

Top of Page

Libraries and Societies

Location	Library	Description
Amherst	W. E. B. Dubois Library University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst MA 01003 413-545-0150 website	An academic library with wide reference collection. Their strength is in the microfilm holdings that include the Mass. Archives Collection, some probate and town records from Franklin, Hampshire, and Suffolk counties, and special focus on the Conn. River Valley towns. Their online catalog includes the five area colleges. Check their online guide to genealogy first.
Barnstable	Sturgis Library 3090 Main St., PO Box 606 Barnstable MA 02630 508-362-6636 website	This is the largest research library on Cape Cod. It has an extensive Mass. reference collection with many manuscripts and original material for Barnstable County including a collection of pre-fire (i.e. 1827) deeds. Their online catalog is part of a network on the Cape. Finding aids are available for most archival collections.
Boston	Massachusetts Historical Society 1154 Boylston St. Boston MA 02215 617-536-1608 website	This library specifically does not try to duplicate the collections of the NEHGS (below), but has many things useful when dealing with probelmatic research. This is the oldest historical society in the nation and thus has extensive and broad manuscript holdings. Their holdings are in their online catalog Abigail.
Boston	Boston Public Library Copley Square Boston MA 02117 617-536-5400 website	The library has a huge collection though it is in closed stacks. They have extensive microforms holdings feature the newspapers of New England and elsewhere, city directories (a pdf list), town records and other useful original material in the Rare Books Department, and the complete set of Holbrook fiche of town records. There are many databases available from their electronic resources page - some may require a free library card number. Their online catalog does not include everything from their "old catalog" file.
Boston	New England Historic Genealogical Society 99-101 Newbury St. Boston MA 02116 617-536-5740 website user fee	This is the oldest genealogical library in the country. Its print and manuscript collections are legendary. Patrons have access to many online subscription and society-produced databases (available to members only). The focus is New England (vital records to at least 1900 and probates for most of the six states), New York, Quebec, and the Maritimes. They feature a large city directory collection, the most extensive Quebec collection in one location, and a manuscripts collection that occupies one entire floor. The online catalog has all the print collection and a large majority of the manuscript collection. This is a loan center for FS Library microfilm.
Boston	State Library of Massachusetts 24 Beacon St. State House, Room 341 Boston MA 02133 617-727-2590 website	The library is the source for any government publication, but has many state and local history resources that include city directories, town histories, tax valuations, maps, newspapers, and many more. It hosts the Zimmer Newspaper Indexes of current events from 1878 to 1937 from prominent Boston papers.
Haverhill	Haverhill Public Library 99 Main St. Haverhill MA 01830 978-373-1586 website	Good collection of published books for New England and an extensive holding of genealogical periodicals. They have the Mass. Vital Records to 1900. They have access to all the major genealogical databases online. The Mass. DAR Collection is no longer (2009) here.
Lynnfield	Lynnfield Public Library 18 Summer St. Lynnfield MA 01940 781-334-5411 website	Good collection of Essex County research material maintained by the Essex Society of Genealogist.
New Bedford	New Bedford Public Library 613 Pleasant St. New Bedford MA 02740 508-991-6276 website	This library focuses on southeastern Mass., bordering Rhode Island towns, and French-Canadian material. They hold the local newspapers, Mass. Vital Records to 1900, and immigration records that documents the large Portguese-Azores-Cape Verdean population. Their online catalog is part of a consortium.
Pittsfield	Berkshire Athenaeum One Wendell Ave. Pittsfield MA 01201 413-499-9480 website	The collection focuses on the Berkshires, but it houses important collections beyond this region such as the Barbour Collection of Connecticut Vital Records and the Vermont Vital Records card index to 1908. In Sept. 2012, it received the 71,000 microfilm collection of the National Archives and Records Administration branch in Pittsfield and its computers.
Salem	James Duncan Phillips Library Peabody Essex Museum 132 Essex St. Salem MA 01970 978-745-9500 x3053 website	This is the premier repository for Essex County research. The have large print and manuscript collections focused on pre-1860 material. This is the facility for government records on Essex County including the original court records, customhouse records, maritime records, and (on microfilm) probate records. The paper catalog is in process of conversion to their online catalog.
Springfield	Springfield History Library and Archives 21 Edwards St. Springfield MA 01103 800-625-7738 website	The holdings of the Conn. River Valley focus on Springfield, but include a large French-Canadian collection, Mass. Vital Records to 1905, large microfilm collection, and an extensive manuscript collection.
Taunton	Old Colony Historical Society 66 Church Green Taunton MA 02780 508-822-1622 website user fee	The "Old Colony" refers to Plymouth Colony, the focus of their collection that is now further refined to the Taunton area. It has a good local print collection and manuscripts that include some local churches. A general guide to their holdings is online.
Worcester	American Antiquarian Society 185 Salisbury St. Worcester MA 01609 508-755-5221 website	This is the largest collection of U.S. printed material to 1876 in the United States. It has extensive newspaper and manuscripts holdings and a strong genealogical collection. A detailed guide to the collection by subject is available online. Their catalog is online, but see the caveat.

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

References

Adjacent states: Connecticut | Maine | New Hampshire | New York | Rhode Island | Vermont

This website requires a paid subscription for full access. Some subscription websites are available for free at your local FamilySearch Center or Affiliate Library.

To access available information, first log into FamilySearch.

National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C.

Due to contractual agreements, some images and/or databases on FamilySearch.org may only be viewed at a FamilySearch Center or FamilySearch Affiliate Library.