Massachusetts Genealogy Guide: Difference between revisions

== Massachusetts 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|Plymouth Colony]] at [[Plymouth Massachusetts genealogy|Plymouth]]. There were several early and later attempts for settlement up the coast into [[Maine|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|Massachusetts Bay Colony]] at [[Salem, Massachusetts|Salem]].<br>  

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).<br>  

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

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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.<br>  

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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|Massachusetts Bay Colony]] and [[Plymouth Colony|Plymouth Colony]] started to collect these records in a central location, but the practice died out by the mid-17th Century. The [[Massachusetts|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 1850 (though the city did record these records locally). The only vital records closed to the public are the original births of amended records and those can be opened by a judge.<br>  

*Chester F. Sanger, "The Divorce Legislation of Massachusetts" in ''Bay State Monthly'', 3 [1885]: 27-32.<br>Digital version at [http://www.bookmate.com/r#d=b3cju2Qz Bookmate], page 68 of this file, or as a text file at [http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17721/17721-8.txt Gutenberg], search text for title.<br>[http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/9960776 WorldCat (Other Libraries)]; Not at FHL.<br>

<center>Thanks to the [http://massmayflower.org Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants] for their contributions to this page </center> <center>[[#top|Top of Page]] || [[#vr00|Top of VRs]]</center>  

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<center>'''Understanding the Massachusetts Court System'''</center>  

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 [[Massachusetts Genealogy Guide#Massachusetts_Counties|links provided above]].  

*Emory Washburn, ''Sketches of the Judicial History of Massachusetts from 1630 to the Revolution in 1775'' (Boston, 1840), 407 pp.<br>Digital versions at [http://archive.org/details/sketchesofjudici00washuoft Internet Archive] and [http://books.google.com/books?id=gpssAAAAIAAJ Google Books].<br>[http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/681506733 WorldCat (Other Libraries)]; Not at FHL.<br><br>

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== Massachusetts Repositories  ==

== Massachusetts References  ==