Essex County, Massachusetts Genealogy
This is a historical and genealogical guide to the county of Essex. You will find help with town histories, vital records, deeds and land records, city directories, cemetery records and cemeteries, churches, town records, newspapers, maps, and libraries.
- Massachusetts Genealogy Guide - Guide to Massachusetts State-wide Records
Contents
- 1 County Information
- 2 Essex County Massachusetts History
- 3 Essex County Massachusetts Genealogy Resources
- 4 Essex County Massachusetts Libraries and Genealogy Societies
- 5 Populated Places
- 6 Essex County Massachusetts Genealogy References
County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The county was named for the English county of Essex. It is located in the Northeastern area of the state.[1]
Essex County, Massachusetts Record Dates[edit | edit source]
Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
at town creation | at town creation | at town creation | 1636 | 1640 | 1635 | 1779 |
Essex County Massachusetts History[edit | edit source]
Brief History[edit | edit source]
Essex County was one of the four original counties when Massachusetts Bay Colony Genealogy created counties in 1643 which includes the area known as Cape Ann. The only major change came with the addition of three miles on the northern border when the Old Norfolk County was eliminated in 1680. It was first settled in 1623. This was a major port for the United States through the late 1800s. Fishing was a thriving industry from the beginning, and is still notable in Gloucester. The most popular historical event was the witch trials of Salem in 1692. Haverhill, on the Merrimack River, became one of the centers of the Industrial Revolution in the mid-1800s. As the city expanded with all the immigrant growth, the city annexed the town of Bradford on the south side of the river. The county government was abolished on 1 July 1999, but its former jurisdiction is used for state offices as a district.[3]
Historical Data[edit | edit source]
The basic data are from the historical county boundary series[4] with additions from various sources.
Dates | Events |
---|---|
10 May 1643 | Essex County created as one of the four original counties formed out of Massachusetts Bay Colony. [Mass. Rec., 2: 38] |
26 May 1658 | Andover gained 15 acres from Billerica, Middlesex Co. |
18 Sept. 1679 | Gained three miles north of the Merrimack River when the Old Norfolk County was dissolved adding the then towns of Haverhill and Salisbury. |
22 Feb. 1841 | Gained from part of Chelsea, Suffolk Co., annexed to Saugus. |
10 Apr. 1854 | Loss from part of Lynnfield annexed to Reading, Middlesex Co. |
7 Jan. 1858 | Lost from part of Lynnfield annexed to North Reading, Middlesex Co. |
18 Sept. 1933 | Loss from part of Saugus annexed to Wakefield, Middlesex Co. |
10 Apr. 1947 | Land exchanged between Lynnfield and Reading, Middlesex Co. |
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.
County Histories[edit | edit source]
Works written on the county include:
- Benjamin F. Arrington, ed., Municipal History of Essex County in Massachusetts (New York, 1922), 4v.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974.45 H2a v. 3-4 only or film 1000068 (all 4v.) (with digital link).
Digital versions at Internet Archive (v. 1, v. 2, v. 3, and v. 4) and Google Books (v. 1, v. 2, v. 3, and v. 4). - Thomas E. Babson, "Evolution of Cape Ann Roads and Transportation, 1623-1955" in Essex Institute Historical Collections, 91 [1955]: 302-328.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974 B2e v. #. - Henry Wyckoff Belnap, Trades and tradesmen of Essex County, Massachusetts, chiefly of the seventeenth century (Salem, Mass., 1929), 96 pp.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. - John James Currier, Historical Sketch of Ship Building on the Merrimac River (Newburyport, Mass., 1877), 80 pp.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
No digital version found. - William I. Davisson and Dennis T. Dugan, "Commerce in Seventeenth-Century Essex County, Massachusetts" in Essex Institute Historical Collections, 107 [1971]: 113-142.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974 B2e v. #. - George Francis Dow, comp., Two Centuries of Travel in Essex County, Massachusetts, a collection of narratives and observations made by travelers, 1605-1799 (Topsfield, Mass., 1921), xvi, 189 pp.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL fiche 6081398.
Digital versions at Internet Archive, Hathi Trust, and Ancestry ($). - "Essex County Loyalists" in Essex Institute Historical Collections, 43 [1907]: 289-316.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974 B2e v. #. - Dean A. Fales, "A List of Congregational and Presbyterian Ministers who have been settled in the county of Essex, Mass. from its first settlement to the year 1834" in American Quarterly Register, 7 [1834-1835]: 246-261.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
Digital versions on Internet Archive and Google Books. - Stephen C. Foster, "Gravestone Carving and Artistic Intent in Essex County" in Old-Time New England, 64 [1973]: 43-54.
Note: This author's Master thesis was on Massachusetts Gravestones (Univ. of Ill., 1969).
WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. - "A Forgotten Horror" [Smallpox epidemics and their treatment in Essex County] in Essex Institute Historical Collections, 35 [1899]: 304.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974 B2e v. #. - Historical Records Survey, Inventory of the County Archives of Massachusetts, no. 5, Essex County (Boston, 1937), 370 leaves.
Note: The only county in Massachusetts that was published.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974.45 A3i or film 897367 Item 1.
Digital version at Internet Archive. - D. Hamilton Hurd, ed., History of Essex County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men (Philadelphia, 1888), 2v.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974.45 H2h v. # (with digital link).
Digital versions at Internet Archive (v. 1 and v. 2), Google Books (v. 1 and v. 2, pt. 1), Hathi Trust, and Ancestry ($) (v. 1 only). - "Indians of Essex County, Massachusetts" in Essex County Historical and Genealogical Register, 2 [1895]: 74-75, 93-94.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974.45 D2e or film 847632. - David Thomas Konig, "Community Custom and Common Law: Social Change and Development of Land Law in Seventeenth-Century Massachusetts" in American Journal of Legal History, 18 [1974]: 137-177.
The article is limited to Essex County.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 973 B2ajL.
Digital version at Jstor ($). - David Thomas Konig, "A New Look at the Essex 'French': Ethnic Frictions and Community Tensions in Seventeenth-Century Essex County, Massachusetts" in Essex Institute Historical Collections, 110 [1974]: 137-177.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974 B2e v. #. - David Thomas Konig, Law and Society in Puritan Massachusetts: Essex County, 1629-1692 (Chapel Hill, N.C., 1979), xxi, 215 pp.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. - Darius Francis Lamson, "Emigration from New England to New Brunswick, 1763-1764" in Magazine of American History, 25 [1891]: 118-119.
Focused solely on Essex County.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 973 B2mah.
Digital versions at Internet Archive and Google Books. - Paul Donald Marsella, "The Court of General Sessions of the Peace in the Eighteenth Century" in Essex Institute Historical Collections, 117 [1981]: 105-118.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974 B2e v. #. - Paul Donald Marsella, Crime and community in early Massachusetts: Essex County, 1700-1785, 1700-1785 (Lexington, Mass., 1983), xiii, 146 pp.
Reprint of the author's thesis presented to the University of New Hampshire, 1983, under title: Criminal cases at the Essex County, Massachusetts, Court of General Sessions, 1700-1785.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. - Susan L. Norton, "Marital Migration in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the Colonial and early Federal Periods" in Journal of Marriage and the Family, 35 [1973]: 406-418.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
Digital version at Jstor ($). - Susan Linda Norton, "Age at Marriage and Marital Migration in Three Massachusetts Towns, 1600-1850," Ph.D. Dissertation, Univ. of Mich., 1981, 211 pp.
The three towns studied were Boxford, Topsfield, and Wenham in Essex Co.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. - Michael Joseph O'Brien, "The Pioneer Irish of Essex County, Massachusetts" in Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society, 26 [1927]: 137-149.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 973 B2i v. 26 or film 1421880 Item 11 or FHL CD-ROM no. 327 (available FHL-wide). - Sidney Perley, The Indian Land Titles of Essex County, Massachusetts (Salem, Mass., 1912), 144 pp.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL film 1703851.
Digital versions at Internet Archive, Google Books, and Hathi Trust. - Sidney Perley, "Persecution of the Quakers in Essex County" in Essex Antiquarian, 1 [1897]: 135-140.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974.45 B2a or FHL digital link.
Digital versions at Internet Archive, Google Books. - Eben Putnam, "Militia Officers, Essex Co., Mass. 1761-1771" in Essex Institute Historical Collections, 29 [1892]: 177-183.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974 B2e v. #. - Sylvanus Smith, Fisheries of Cape Ann ([Gloucester], Mass., 1915), vi, 131 pp.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
No digital version found. - Barbara Miller Solomon, "The Growth of the Population in Essex County 1850-1960" in Essex Institute Historical Collections, 95 [1959]: 82-103.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974 B2e v. #. - John Wingate Thornton, The Landing at Cape Anne; or, the charter of the first permanent colony on the territory of the Massachusetts Company ... (Boston, 1854), xii, 84 pp.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
Digital versions at Internet Archive and Google Books. - Cyrus Mason Tracy, Standard History of Essex County, Massachusetts, embracing a history of the county from its first settlement to the present tie, with a history and description of its towns and cities (Boston, 1878), 424 pp.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL film 301113.
Digital versions at Internet Archive and Google Books. - The Essex County MAGenWeb Project, an member of The MAGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
- The USGenWeb Archives Project for Essex County.
- The USGenWeb Archives Project for Essex County (backup site).
- FamilySearch.org FamilySearch Catalog for Essex County.
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
- FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
for more resources
Essex County Massachusetts Genealogy Resources[edit | edit source]
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
In Massachusetts, the original vital records (of births, marriages, marriage intentions, and deaths) have been created and maintained by the town or city in which the event occurred. In very early colonial times, copies of these records (except the intentions) were submitted to the county court. These copies can be found in the list of Miscellaneous Court Records below. There were marriage intentions commonly recorded in the bride's home town and additional recordings maybe found in the groom's home town and their current residence.
Massachusetts was the first state to bring a unified state-level recording of these events (but not marriage intentions) in 1841 (Boston excluded until 1850). The associated records of divorce and adoption are handled by the courts. The state has maintained a state-wide index to divorces since 1952, but adoption records will require more researching to discover.
It is easiest to start with the state vital records for events since 1841, though realize the original record is with the town or city. More details can be found on the Massachusetts Genealogy Guide page.
Online Vital Records
- 1626-2001 - Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1638-1961 - Massachusetts Town Records, ca. 1638-1961 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1841-1920 - Massachusetts State Vital Records, 1841-1920 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
Birth[edit | edit source]
- 1666-1970 - Massachusetts, Delayed and Corrected Vital Records, 1753-1900 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1600-1961 - Massachusetts, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
- 1841-1915 - Massachusetts Marriages, 1841-1915 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
cemetery[edit | edit source]
Tombstone Transcriptions Online | Tombstone Transcriptions in Print | List of Cemeteries in the county |
Findagrave.com | Family History Library | Findagrave.com |
USGenWeb | WorldCat | Billion Graves |
MAGenWeb Archives | FamilySearch Places | |
Tombstone Project | ||
MAInterment | ||
MAGravestones | ||
Billion Graves | ||
See Massachusetts Cemeteries for more information. |
Census[edit | edit source]
Historical populations | ||
---|---|---|
Census | Pop. | %± |
1790 | 57,879 | — |
1800 | 61,196 | 5.7% |
1810 | 71,888 | 17.5% |
1820 | 74,655 | 3.8% |
1830 | 82,859 | 11.0% |
1840 | 94,987 | 14.6% |
1850 | 131,300 | 38.2% |
1860 | 165,611 | 26.1% |
1870 | 200,843 | 21.3% |
1880 | 244,535 | 21.8% |
1890 | 299,995 | 22.7% |
1900 | 357,030 | 19.0% |
1910 | 436,477 | 22.3% |
1920 | 482,156 | 10.5% |
1930 | 498,040 | 3.3% |
1940 | 496,313 | −0.3% |
1950 | 522,384 | 5.3% |
1960 | 568,831 | 8.9% |
1970 | 637,887 | 12.1% |
1980 | 633,632 | −0.7% |
1990 | 670,080 | 5.8% |
2000 | 723,419 | 8.0% |
2010 | 743,159 | 2.7% |
Source: "Wikipedia.org". |
Church Records[edit | edit source]
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
- 1837 - 1965 - Maine & Massachusetts Case Files of Deceased and Deserted Seamen 1837-1965 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1906-1943 - Massachusetts, Gloucester Passenger and Crew Lists, 1906-1943 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
Land Records and Atlases[edit | edit source]
Land transfers, commonly called deeds, are recorded on the county level in Massachusetts. Not all deeds were recorded as is common practice today. The earliest transactions were charters or grants from the English Crown. Once local government was established, the colony would grant land to settlers directly or to towns to dole out. Some towns first start out as proprietorship and records were recorded there. Once towns were established, deeds were recorded on the county level. Essex County is divided into two districts. The county was one district until the creation of the Northern District in 1869.
Northern Essex Registry of Deeds
354 Merrimack Street Suite #304 (Entry C)
Lawrence MA 01843
Phone 978-683-2745
Email Lawrence.Deeds@sec.state.ma.us
This district includes Andover, Lawrence, Methuen, and North Andover.
Southern Essex Registry of Deeds
45 Congress Street Suite 4100
Salem MA 01970
Phone 978-542-1700
This district covered the entire county until 1869.
- Land deeds, 1640-present. Southern Essex District Registry of Deeds has images from 1640-present; indexes from 1951-present.
- Deeds, 1639-1866; index to deeds, 1640-1879. FamilySearch (microfilm of original records in the Essex County courthouse, Salem, Massachusetts).
- Unregistered deeds, ca. 1700-1820. FamilySearch (microfilm of original records in the Essex County courthouse, Salem, Massachusetts).
- Deed records, 1865-1940. FamilySearch (digital images of originals housed at the Registry of Deeds, Salem, Massachusetts).
- Southern Essex District Registry of Deeds has different search options available, and each option has additional subsearches available: Recorded Land, Registered Land, Plans/Engineering, Index Books.
- Essex County Atlases: (Select Essex County from Town dropdown list, then specific year desired from Atlas list)
Essex County, 1795 (mss.).
Essex County, 1830 (mss.).
Essex County, 1872.
Essex County, 1884. - Essex County miscellaneous probate records and deeds, 1779-1846.
FHL film 893111 Item 6.
- Essex County Deeds 1639-1678 abstracts of volumes 1-4, copy books, Essex County, Massachusetts (Bowie, Md., 2003), [2], 389 pp.
WorldCat (Other Libraries);FHL book 974.45 R28. - Essex County Deeds 1675 abstract of volume 5, copy books, Essex County Massachusetts (Bowie, Md., 2008), [2], 104 pp.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
- H. F. Walling, "Essex County, Massachusetts Land Ownership Map, 1856.
FHL fiche 6079547. - George H. Walker & Co., Essex County, Massachusetts, Map, 1884.
FHL book 974.45 E7om (southern) and FHL book 974.45 E7o (northern).
Town Records[edit | edit source]
- 1626-2001 - Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection
Military Records[edit | edit source]
Revolutionary War[edit | edit source]
- 1775 - 1783 - Massachusetts, Revolutionary War, Index Cards to Muster Rolls, 1775-1783 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1805 - 1845 - Massachusetts Revolutionary War Bounty Land Applications, 1805-1845 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
Probate and Family Court is organized on a county level in Massachusetts since the creation of the counties. The main records genealogists seek are testate (wills), intestate (administrations), guardianships, and divorces (since 1922), though there are many more that are valuable to any researcher, too. See a further discussion of the topic in general on the Massachusetts page.
Essex Probate and Family Court
36 Federal Street
Salem MA 01970
Phone 978-744-1020 x383
Lawrence Satellite Office
2 Appleton Street
Lawrence MA 01840
Phone 978-686-9692
This office, starting sometime before 1990, serves Andover, Lawrence, Methuen, and North Andover. All records are maintained in Salem.
- 1635 – 1991 Massachusetts Wills and Probate Records 1635-1991 at Ancestry.com — index and images, $
- 1638 – 1840 Essex, Massachusetts Probate Records 1638-1840 at Ancestry.com — index only, $
Older records (before 1882) are held by:
Supreme Judicial Court Archives
(administration - records stored in several off-site facilities and the Mass. Archives)
16th Floor, Highrise Court House
3 Pemberton Square
Boston MA 02109
Phone 617-557-1082
Email Elizabeth.Bouvier@sjc.state.ma.us
Note: By early 2014, another block of older records will be moved to the archives.
- Old series, 1638-1881:
Docket index:
1638-1840, v. 1-16
1841-1881, v. 17-37.
Probate records:
Original volumes renumbers, so add 300 to original number.
Books 1 - 124 (1671-1867), 425 - 737 (1867-1916). - New series, 1816-1885:
Probate records:
Books 1 - 300 (1816-1885). - Second series, 1882-1917:
Index, 1882-1917.
Probate docket, v. 38 - 76, #58039-124204 (1882-1916).
Note: These volumes index the continuous of the records listed above.
The records above are also microfilmed at FHL film 873023 (1st of 267) and at the Massachusetts Archives. The records are stored at the Supreme Judicial Archives at the same location. The original file papers exist at the archives, never microfilmed, but have been digitized in 2011 and 2012, though the Supreme Judicial Archives has yet to make that public (as of Aug. 2013).
- Probate records, 1638-1691, FHL films 876180-876181.
Note: It is not clear from the cataloging if this is an earlier filming of the earliest records or something else.
- William P. Upham, Melinde Lutz Sanborn, trans., Essex County, Massachusetts, Probate Index, 1638-1840 (Boston, 1987), 2v.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974.45 P22e v. # or films 6105139-6105140.
Digital version at Ancestry ($).
Also, the surname's beginning with "P" in a database style derived from these indexes at Ancestry ($). - George Francis Dow, Probate Records of Essex County, Massachusetts, [1635-1681] (Salem, Mass., 1916-1920), 3v.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974.45 P2p v. # or film 1033717 or FHL digital link.
Digital versions at Internet Archive (v. 1, v. 2, and v. 3), Google Books (v. 1, v. 2, and v. 3), and Ancestry ($). - Melinde Lutz Sanborn, "Essex County, Massachusetts Probate Records, Supplement" ([Derry, N.H.], 1998), a database, online at Ancestry ($).
Regarding the source records: If the volume is a Roman numeral the records were published in Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Massachusetts, volumes 1-9 (Salem: The Essex Institute, 1911-1975). If the volume number is an Arabic numeral the records can be found in the unpublished typescript copies done by the WPA, and in the custody of the Peabody Essex Museum at the James Duncan Phillips Library. Volume 53 is missing from that collection, and as a result there are no entries in this database from the September 1692 to March 1693 courts.
Other Court Records[edit | edit source]
The court system can appear to be complex. The system was reorganized in 1686/1692, 1859, and 1978. Described below are the most commonly used records for history and genealogy, but realize that this list is incomplete. For more detailed information regarding court structure, see Understanding the Massachusetts Court System. Some records may be found in the Old Norfolk County records.
Older records are held by:
Supreme Judicial Court Archives
(administration - records stored in several off-site facilities and the Mass. Archives)
16th Floor, Highrise Court House
3 Pemberton Square
Boston MA 02109
Phone 617-557-1082
Email Elizabeth.Bouvier@sjc.state.ma.us
County Court[edit | edit source]
This court was active from 1636 (called a quarterly court and then the county court when Suffolk was created in 1643) to 1692. The court heard all civil causes up to 10 shillings (raised to 40 shillings in 1647) and all criminal causes not concerning life, limb, or banishment. These were all jury trials. Some records can be found in the Suffolk Files.
The records microfilmed:
- County Quarterly Court, 1634-1686:
WPA transcript at Mass. Archives.
Court records, 1638-1692; Court papers, 1655-1666; and Court paper index, 1636-1671, FHL film 877428 (1st of 14).
Court records, 1636-1641, FHL film 877461 Item 1. - County Court, 1682-1685, at the Mass. Archives.
- Essex County Court index, 1636-1692, and Court of Common Pleas index, 1692-1694 [seven double-paged typescript volumes], at the Mass. Archives.
The records published:
- Records and files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County Massachusetts [1636-1686] (Salem, Mass., 1911-1921, 1975), 9v.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974.45 P2e v. # or films 873951-873954. All nine volumes are available online at http://salem.lib.virginia.edu/Essex/index.html -- the Internet Archive and Google Books provide more robust access, but do not have all nine volumes (see the table below for coverage):
Digital versions of the Essex Quarterly Court | |||
---|---|---|---|
Vol. 1 | 1636-1656 | Internet Archive | Google Books |
Vol. 2 | 1656-1662 | Internet Archive | |
Vol. 3 | 1662-1667 | Internet Archive | Google Books |
Vol. 4 | 1667-1671 | Internet Archive | Google Books |
Vol. 5 | 1672-1674 | Internet Archive | Google Books |
Vol. 6 | 1675-1678 | Internet Archive | Google Books |
Vol. 7 | 1678-1680 | Internet Archive | Google Books |
Vol. 8 | 1680-1683 | Internet Archive | |
Vol. 9 | 1683-1686 | n/a | n/a |
The published volumes' coverage stops in 1685 or 1686 (depending on the court location). For quarterly courts held after that (i.e. from about 1685 to 1694) it may be necessary to search the 57 typescript volumes of Archie N. Frost, comp., Verbatim Transcriptions of the Records of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Massachusetts, 1636-1694 (Salem, Mass., 1939). These were at one point held at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem.
Derivative records published:
- Melinde Lutz Sanborn, Ages from Court Records 1636 to 1700 (Baltimore, 2003), 227 pp.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974.4 P22s v. 1.
Digital version at Ancestry ($). - Melinde Lutz Sanborn, "Essex County, Massachusetts Depositions, 1636-86" online at Ancestry ($).
- Else L. Hambleton, Daughters of Eve: Pregnant Brides and Unwed Mothers in Seventeenth-Century Massachusetts (New York, 2004), xix, 192 pp.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
A study of cases of fornication, bastardy, and paternity cases brought before the courts in Essex County between 1640 and 1692.
Quarterly Court of General Sessions of the Peace[edit | edit source]
This court was active from 1692 to 1827. The court heard criminal cases and had authority over county affairs that included levying taxes, reviewing town bylaws, highways, licensed liquor, regulated jails, supervised the administration of the poor laws, and appointed some county officials.
The records microfilmed:
- Court of General Sessions, record book, 1693-1719, 1726-1744, 1749-1778; index, 1726-1744, at the Mass. Archives and FHL film 877466 (1st of 4) (records to 1796).
Derivative records published:
- Melinde Lutz Sanborn, Lost Babes: Fornication Abstracts From Court Records Essex County, Massachusetts 1692 to 1745 (Derry, N.H., 1992), xvii, 84 pp.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974.45 V2s or fiche 6111002.
Inferior Court of Common Pleas[edit | edit source]
This court was active from 1692 to 1859. The court heard all civil cases over 40s unless a case involved freehold or was appealed from a justice of the peace.
The records microfilmed:
- Court of Common Pleas, record books, 1692-1726, at the Mass. Archives and FHL film 877465 (1st of 5).
- Court of Common Pleas, court records, v. 1-142, 1749-1865 (inc. divorces), at the Mass. Archives, FHL films 877220-877223 (1749-1782), FHL film 877223 (1st of 29) (1782-1811, 1821-1859), and FHL films 877720-877727 (1811-1821).
- Court of Common Pleas, court records, 1686-1726, at the Mass. Archives.
- Court of Common Pleas, executions, 1686-1783, at the Mass. Archives and FHL films 877463 Item 2 and 877467 Item 3.
- Essex County Court index, 1636-1692, and Court of Common Pleas index, 1692-1694 [seven double-paged typescript volumes], at the Mass. Archives.
- Essex County Consolidated Index (Court of Common Pleas, 1749-1859; Superior Court, 1859-1904; Supreme Judicial Court, 1797-1904), at the Mass. Archives.
Superior Court[edit | edit source]
The Quarterly Court of General Sessions was merged into the Inferior Court of Common Pleas in 1827, and that court was reorganized in 1859 to created the Superior Court as the new lower (i.e. trial) court. It covers both criminal and civil matters.
- Court records, v. 130-142 (1859-1865), FHL films 877458-877460.
- Essex County Consolidated Index (Court of Common Pleas, 1749-1859; Superior Court, 1859-1904; Supreme Judicial Court, 1797-1904), at the Mass. Archives.
Supreme Judicial Court[edit | edit source]
The Supreme Judicial Court was established by the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780 that combined the former Governor and Council with the Superior Court of Judicature creating the highest state court. This court hears appeals, writ of error, capital offenses, and crimes against the public good. That included divorces until that action was moved to the lower court in 1887.
- Court dockets, 1802-1812, and Court records, 1797-1826, FHL films 877435-877439.
- Supreme Judicial Court, Salem Witchcraft trials, v. 1-4, at the Mass. Archives and FHL film 877465 Item 2 (papers).
For the trial and more, see the Salem Witch Trails Documentary Archive and Transcription Project. - Essex County Consolidated Index (Court of Common Pleas, 1749-1859; Superior Court, 1859-1904; Supreme Judicial Court, 1797-1904), at the Mass. Archives.
Naturalization Records[edit | edit source]
- 1906-1917 - Massachusetts, Naturalization Records, 1906-1917 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1871-1991 - Massachusetts, United States Naturalization Records, 1871-1991 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
Naturalization records were created on a variety of governmental levels from the Federal down to the city at the same time. The county records for all levels are outlines below. For more information, see the Massachusetts state page for more on naturalization.
Record | Dates | Location | Index | Microfilm/Online |
---|---|---|---|---|
No federal records as yet digitized at NARA |
Record | Dates | Location | Index | Microfilm/Online |
---|---|---|---|---|
Lawrence Superior Court | 1860-1892 1907-1982 |
see Judicial Archivist Judicial Archives |
pre-1925 volume index; card index, 1925-1982 | Records, 1905-1945, at Mass. Arch. RR Declarations, 1920-1945, FHL film 2168940 (1st of 11) Petitions, 1920-1945, FHL film 2169561 (1st of 50) Index, 1906-1982, at Mass. Arch. RR and FHL film 2168509 (1st of 7) Salem/Lynn/Lawrence Index, 1906-1939, FHL film 2168940 Item 1 |
Salem Superior Court | pre-1907 1907-1982 |
see Judicial Archivist Judicial Archives |
Card index | Declarations, 1906-1945, at Mass. Arch. RR and FHL film 2169096 (1st of 23) Petitions, 1907-1945, at Mass. Arch. RR and FHL film 2148922 (1st of 86) Index, 1906-1982, at Mass. Arch. RR and FHL film 2168660 (1st of 6) Salem/Lynn/Lawrence Index, 1906-1939, FHL film 2168940 Item 1 |
Amesbury District Court |
1906 | Judicial Archives | NO index | NO microfilm |
Gloucester District Court |
1885-1906 (with gaps) |
Judicial Archives | Indexed dockets | Notice of app., 1885-1900, FHL film 1418524 Item 2 |
Lawrence District Court |
1850-1854, 1886-1906 (with gaps) |
Judicial Archives | Indexed dockets | NO microfilm |
Lynn District Court |
1885-1906 | Judicial Archives | Card index | NO microfilm; index included in United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906 |
Newburyport District Court |
1885-1906 (with gaps) |
Judicial Archives | Indexed dockets | NO microfilm |
Salem District Court |
n/a | Salem District Courthouse | n/a | NO microfilm |
Miscellaneous Court Records[edit | edit source]
- Vital records filed with the County Court, 1636-1692, and Court of General Sessions of the Peace, 1692-1795, FHL film 877432 (1st of 3).
- Notary Public record books, 1723-1769, at the Mass. Archives.
Essex County Massachusetts Libraries and Genealogy Societies[edit | edit source]
Essex Society of Genealogists
PO Box 313
Lynnfield MA 01940-0313
This society is based at the Lynnfield Public Library where they house their collections.
Haverhill Public Library
99 Main Street
Haverhill MA 01830
Phone 978-373-1586
Special Collections
Lynnfield Public Library
18 Summer Street
Lynnfield MA 01940
Phone 781-334-5411
Local History and Genealogy room
James Duncan Phillips Library
Peabody Essex Museum
132 Essex Street
Salem MA 01970
Phone 978-745-9500 x3053
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.
Massachusetts Society of Genealogists, Inc.
P. O. Box 215
Ashland, MA 01721-0215
Four chapters hold open educational meetings from September through June each year.
For information on additional archives and repositories, see
- List of Massachusetts Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical & Genealogical Societies
- Massachusetts Archives for information on additional archives and repositories
- List of Massachusetts Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical & Genealogical Societies
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.
Local Centers and Libraries
Populated Places[edit | edit source]
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[5]
Cities | ||
Towns | ||
Villages | ||
Census-designated places | ||
Historic communities | ||
Islands | ||
Essex County Massachusetts Genealogy References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Essex, County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essex_County,_Massachusetts
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Essex County, Massachusetts . Page 329-331 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 322-323.
- ↑ Abolished County Governments - Secretary of State.
- ↑ Massachusetts Atlas of Historical County Boundaries
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Essex County, Massachusetts," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essex_County,_Massachusetts, accessed 09 March 2020.