Massachusetts Land and Property

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Massachusetts

Land and Property

Massachusetts Land

Online Resources

• 1620-1986 Massachusetts Land Records, 1620-1986 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only
• 1671-1673 Massachusetts: Plymouth Colony Deeds, 1671-1673 at American Ancestors - index & images ($)
• 1805-1845 Massachusetts Revolutionary War Bounty Land Applications 1805-1845 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only
• Indexes to the Massachusetts land records are online by district/county, mostly post 1948, downloadable pdf's.
• Full-Text Search - Land Records at FamilySearch - index & images; dates, records, and places vary; How to Search

Brief History

1620: The Plymouth Colony was established. It eventually spread over today's Plymouth, Barnstable, and Bristol Counties.

1630: Massachusetts Bay Colony was founded. It expanded to today's area of Essex, Middlesex, Old Norfolk (now part of New Hampshire), and Suffolk Counties.

1652: Maine became part of Massachusetts. Maine land records often were recorded in Massachusetts state land records and can be found in the Massachusetts State Archives.

1691: A new charter was granted to Massachusetts Bay Colony, uniting it with Plymouth Colony. Parts of Maine and Nova Scotia were also added to Massachusetts.

1700: Massachusetts created the 1st 'Committee for the Sale of Eastern Lands', including Maine.

1783: Massachusetts created the 2nd 'Committee for the Sale of Eastern Lands', specifically to survey, appraise and sell land in Maine.

1786: The Ohio Land Company was formed, resulting in the emigration of many Massachusetts residents to Ohio.

1819: Maine separated from Massachusetts, but Massachusetts retained ownership of half the available land.

1853: Maine bought the rest of the land still owned by Massachusetts within Maine borders.

Proprietor Records

During the colonial period, land was granted by the General Court to proprietors, who also granted land. These records are located at the Massachusetts State Archives and other repositories. The state archives also has records and papers relating to proprietary grants, land claims, grants of bounty lands to soldiers, boundary disputes, and surveyors' records.

Town Records

After proprietors sold their land or a town was incorporated, town clerks recorded deeds and mortgages. These records are at the town halls; and the FamilySearch Library has copies of most of them. After a county was created, the land records were and still are kept by the county registry of deeds office (see the County Records section below).

Plymouth Colony records (1632–1701)

The original Plymouth Colony papers, including deeds, are at the Plymouth County Commissioners Office.

The Massachusetts State Archives has transcripts of these papers with indexes.

Some of these records and records from the Commissioners of the United Colonies are in:

• Shurtleff, N. B. and David Pulsifer, eds. Records of the Colony of New Plymouth in New England. 12 Volumes. Boston, Massachusetts: William White, 1855-61. Links to online volumes at FamilySearch Digital Library
• New Plymouth Colony, Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, 1643-1679, approx, (microfilm of original manuscript, filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1972. FS Library film 912074 items 1-3
• New Plymouth Colony, Plymouth Colony Records, Scrap Book, 1636-1695, microfilm of original manuscript, filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1972. FS Library film 912073 item 1.

For information about land transactions between Plymouth Colony and Indians, see:

• Bangs, Jeremy Dupertuis, Indian Deeds: Land Transactions in Plymouth Colony, 1620-1691, (Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society, c2002). FS Catalog book 970.1 B225i

Massachusetts Bay Colony records (1628–1685)

Shurtleff, Nathaniel B. Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England. Five Volumes. Boston, Massachusetts: W. White, 1853-54. FS Catalog book 974.4 N2s and FS Library fiche 6046893

County Records

After a county was created, land records were recorded at the county registry of deeds offices. Berkshire, Bristol, Essex, Middlesex, and Worcester counties have more than one office because they are divided into two or more land districts.

For a list of towns and cities with their Registry of Deeds, see the City/Town to Registry Guide.

For links to the addresses, phone numbers and web sites of the Registry of Deeds offices, see Registry of Deeds Links.

Indexes to the land records are online by district/county though mostly post 1948.

The FamilySearch Library has most county land records and indexes from the county's creation to the early 1900s. For example:

• Suffolk County (Massachusetts). Register of Deeds: Records of Deeds, 1639–1885; Indexes to Deeds, 1639–1920. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1969. (on 1128 FS Library films.)

Boston and Suffolk County records (1629–1697)

Suffolk Deeds. 14 Volumes. Boston, Massachusetts: Rockwell and Churchill, 1880-1906. FS Catalog book 974.46 R2s; Volumes. 1-14 are on FS Library film 1033902; vols. 1-2, 4-7, 9-11, and 14 are on FS Library fiche 6046903