Sorted by Massachusetts census & voter lists | Sort by Count |
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Massachusetts, U.S., State Census, 1865 | 1,273,140 |
Massachusetts, U.S., State Census, 1855 | 1,138,563 |
Massachusetts, U.S., Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1790-1890 | 18,744 |
Heads of Families at the First Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1790: Massachusetts | 365 |
Index to the 1800 Census of Massachusetts | 315 |
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Sorted by Massachusetts birth, marriage & death | Sort by Count |
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Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 | 44,485,257 |
Massachusetts, U.S., Marriage Records, 1840-1915 | 8,857,072 |
Massachusetts, U.S., Boston Archdiocese Roman Catholic Sacramental Records, 1789-1920 | 8,846,329 |
Massachusetts, U.S., Death Records, 1841-1915 | 7,077,279 |
Massachusetts, U.S., Marriage Index, 1901-1955 and 1966-1970 | 5,803,964 |
View all Massachusetts birth, marriage & death (85) |
Sorted by Massachusetts military | Sort by Count |
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U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 | 14,501,913 |
U.S., Army Transport Service Arriving and Departing Passenger Lists, 1910-1939 | 12,889,430 |
Massachusetts, U.S., Soldiers and Sailors in the Revolutionary WarFree | 181,581 |
Massachusetts, U.S., Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1790-1890 | 18,744 |
Chelsea, Massachusetts, U.S., Navy General Register of Patients, 1872-1917 | 13,154 |
View all Massachusetts military (32) |
Sorted by Massachusetts immigration & emigration | Sort by Count |
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Massachusetts, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists, 1820-1963 | 7,630,329 |
U.S., Naturalization Record Indexes, 1791-1992 (Indexed in World Archives Project)Free | 5,810,303 |
Massachusetts, U.S., State and Federal Naturalization Records, 1798-1950 | 4,858,658 |
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., Book Indexes to Passenger Lists, 1899-1940 | 1,498,736 |
Salem and Beverly, Massachusetts, U.S., Crew Lists and Shipping Articles, 1797-1934 | 215,124 |
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Sorted by Massachusetts newspapers & periodicals | Sort by Count |
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Massachusetts, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-current | 305,826,442 |
U.S., Newspaper Extractions from the Northeast, 1704-1930Free | 833,843 |
The Boston Jewish Advocate Wedding Announcements, 1905-2007Free | 103,719 |
Massachusetts, U.S., Marriage Index, 1784-1840 | 31,687 |
Genealogical Advertiser: A quarterly Magazine of Family History, Vol. I-4 | 15,616 |
View other newspapers & periodicals collections related to Massachusetts (36) |
Sorted by Massachusetts pictures | Sort by Count |
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There are no pictures collections unique to Massachusetts | |
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Sorted by Massachusetts directories & member lists | Sort by Count |
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Massachusetts, U.S., City Directories | 698,391 |
New England, Select United Methodist Church Records, 1787-1922 | 374,894 |
Massachusetts, U.S., Mason Membership Cards, 1733-1990 | 336,032 |
U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Membership Records, 1856-1970 | 210,143 |
U.S., Dutch Christian Reformed Church Vital Records, 1856-1970 | 52,945 |
View all Massachusetts directories & member lists (23) |
Sorted by Massachusetts court, land, wills & financial | Sort by Count |
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Massachusetts, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1991 | 1,858,298 |
Massachusetts, U.S., Tax Lists, 1914-1917 | 75,241 |
Mayflower Deeds and Probates, 1600-1850Free | 18,601 |
Massachusetts, U.S., Name Changes, 1780-1892 | 7,975 |
Massachusetts, U.S., Applications of Freemen, 1630-1691 | 4,826 |
View all Massachusetts court, land, wills & financial (18) |
Sorted by Massachusetts dictionaries, encyclopedias & reference | Sort by Count |
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Mayflower Source Records | 844 |
A gazetteer of the state of Massachusetts : with numerous illustrations on wood and steel | 576 |
A biographical dictionary | 520 |
Memorial encyclopedia of the state of Massachusetts | 480 |
A gazetteer of Massachusetts : containing descriptions of all the counties, towns and districts in the commonwealth : also, of | 457 |
View all Massachusetts dictionaries, encyclopedias & reference (22) |
Sorted by Massachusetts maps, atlases & gazetteers | Sort by Count |
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A gazetteer of the state of Massachusetts : with numerous illustrations on wood and steel | 576 |
A gazetteer of Massachusetts : containing descriptions of all the counties, towns and districts in the commonwealth : also, of | 457 |
Early maps of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts | 13 |
View other maps, atlases & gazetteers collections related to Massachusetts (11) |
Sorted by Massachusetts stories, memories & histories | Sort by Count |
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The New England Historical & Genealogical Register, 1847-2011 | 300,569 |
Colonial Families of the USA, 1607-1775Free | 119,305 |
New England, The Great Migration and The Great Migration Begins, 1620-1635 | 62,840 |
Massachusetts Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines in the Civil War, Vols I-VIII | 6,852 |
Western Massachusetts : a history : 1636-1925 | 2,249 |
View all Massachusetts stories, memories & histories (315) |
A genealogical history
Statehood: February 6, 1788
Capital: Boston
Largest City: Boston
Counties: 14 (seven of which have no county-level government)
State motto: Ense Petit Placidam Sub Libertate Quietem (By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty)
State nickname: The Bay State,
Neighboring states: New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York
City of Boston from Dorchester Heights, by Robt. Havell, c. 1841
Interesting facts
- It's estimated that 20,000 people emigrated from England to Plymouth Colony and the Massachusetts Bay Colony between 1620 and 1643, during the "Great Migration." In 1691 the two colonies merged to become the Province of Massachusetts.
- Massachusetts was a hotbed of political dissent before and during the American Revolutionary War, as the birthplace of the Sons of Liberty, the site of the Boston Massacre in 1770, the Boston Tea Party in 1773, and of course the "shot heard around the world" on Lexington Green, as well as other Revolutionary War engagements.
- During the Irish Potato Famine, 100,000 Irish refugees immigrated to Boston, making the Irish the largest immigrant group in that city.
Featured Massachusetts collections
Famous people
Help and advice
Resources
Massachusetts Census Research
Federal censuses for Massachusetts exist from the first census in 1790, and are available through 1920 with the exceptions of the mostly destroyed census of 1890. The 1800 census does not include enumerations for Boston and much of Suffolk County; however, the 1798 U.S. Direct Tax list serves as a partial substitute.
Massachusetts State censuses were taken in 1855 and 1865, and are available at FamilySearch.org. Original state copies and microfilm copies of the federal population, mortality, industry, and agriculture schedules are held by the Massachusetts State Archives.
Massachusetts Vital Records
No state in the Union can boast the depth and breadth of vital records sources that is available in Massachusetts. Starting with the arrival of the Pilgrims, vital events have been diligently, although not completely, recorded, preserved, and published. Vital records have been registered in Massachusetts since 1635. Statewide data collection began in 1841. Of 364 towns, 206 had published vital records to 1850.
The Registry of Vital Records and Statistics in the Department of Public Health has the records of births, deaths and marriages for Massachusetts from 1906 to the present. Every five years the earliest five years of records maintained at the Registry are transferred to the custody of the State Archives.
Records from 1841-1905 are located at The State Archives. The city or town clerk in the city or town where the event occurred has all records prior to 1841. Copies of records since 1841 are available at the city or town where the event occurred.
- Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics: Holds records of births, marriages, and deaths since 1906.
- Massachusetts State Archives Index to Vital Records
Massachusetts Research Resources
The organizations listed below provide information about Massachusetts history and genealogy. In addition to these state-level resources, many counties and towns maintain important genealogical collections in local libraries, genealogical societies, or historical societies, so check for a local resource when researching.
- Massachusetts Archives: The genealogy and family history page lists a wide range of collections, including passenger lists, census, vital records, and military records.
- Massachusetts State Library:The genealogy resources page lists the Library's holdings for researchers, including town and vital records, probate records, tax valuations, and newspapers.
- Massachusetts Historical Society
- Massachusetts GenWeb
- New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS): In addition to the extensive collections in the NEHGS research library (Boston), NEGHS maintains a wide range of databases specific to Massachusetts.
- American Antiquarian Society (AAS): Some highlights of the Society’s collection include family bibles; state, county, and local histories; and over 17,000 family histories. See the genealogy research page for information.
- The National Archives at Boston: This facility maintains records from Federal agencies and courts in Massachusetts, including census, military, court, naturalization, and immigration records. See the Genealogy/Family History link for details of the collection
- Boston Public Library