Massachusetts Census

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United States  >  U.S. Census  >  Massachusetts  >  Census

Tips
  • If at first you don't find a name, try again under another spelling.
  • Photocopy each ancestor's census. Identify where you found it.
  • Look for an ancestor in every census during her or his lifetime.
  • On the family group record show each person's census listings.
  • Study others in the same household, neighbors, and anyone with the similar names nearby on the census in community context.


  • For a list of the exact date of each federal census, click here.

Online Massachusetts indexes and images

Template:Census Online Massachusetts

Federal population schedules

Microfilm images

Indexes: fiche, film, or book

For a list of microform and book indexes for the population schedules of Massachusetts, click here

Federal non-population schedules

Online indexes and images

Online Federal Non-Population Schedules for Massachusetts

Free Free at Some Libraries (usually with library card) Pay
Year Type Record Search Census Bureau Google Book Heritage Quest Ancestry FHL Ancestry Library Ancestry Home
1890 Veterans - - - - Link Link Link
1880 Defective - - - - Link Link Link
1880 Mortality - - - - Link Link Link
1870 Mortality - - - - Link Link Link
1860 Mortality - - - - Link Link Link
1850 Mortality Link - - - Link Link Link
1840 Pensioners - BookLink BookLink - Link Link Link

Microfilm images

Indexes: fiche, film, or book

For a list of microform and book indexes for the non-population schedules of Massachusetts, click here.

State and colonial censuses

1855 and 1865 State Censuses--The original censuses are at the Massachusetts State Archives. The Family History Library has copies of:

  • Massachusetts, Secretary of the Commonwealth. State Census, 1855–1865. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1974. These records are arranged by county and town. They list an individual's name, age, state or country of birth, and occupation.
State and Colonial Censuses of Massachusetts
1945  Lost[1][2]
1935  Lost[1][2]
1925  Lost[1][2]
1915  Lost[1][2]
1905  Lost[1][2]
1895  Lost[1][2]
1885  Lost[1][2]
1875  Lost[1][2]
1865 May 1  Exist[1][2]
1855 June 1  Exist[1][2]
1850  Lost[1]
1840  Lost[1]
1837 May 1  Lost[1]

Existing and lost censuses

For a list of available and missing Massachusetts censuses, click here.

Why use a census?

A well-indexed census is one of the easiest ways to locate where an ancestor's family lived and when they lived there. You can also use censuses to follow the changes in a family over time, and identify neighbors. These and other clues provided by censuses are important because they help find additional kinds of records about the family.

More about censuses

Click here for additional details about how to use censuses, such as:

Sources and footnotes

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Ann S. Lainhart, State Census Records (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1992)[[Template:Lainha]], 57-61.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 Henry J. Dubester, State Censuses: An Annotated Bibliography of Censuses of Population Taken After the Year 1790 by States and Territories of the United States (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1948) [[Template:Dubester]], 24-29.
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