Massachusetts Biography

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Moderator

The FamilySearch moderator for Massachusetts is Lee Drew.

United States

U.S. Biography

Massachusetts

Biography

Biographies in Local Histories

• Biographical information is often found in state, county, and town histories.
• Towards the end of the 19th century, began publishers soliciting short biographical/family histories from local founding families, offering to publish them in an upcoming local history. This then became an incentive for family members to buy a copy of the book.
• Families represented were not necessarily prominent. Practically everyone living there, especially in the Midwest, counted as an early settler.
• These biographies often start with the first member of the family to settle in the area, and detail their descendants at the time of publishing. They may tell where the family moved in from. Children's marriages often are given, with maiden names included.

Finding Biographies

• The county Wiki page lists several county histories. It also lists local libraries, and societies which probably have copies of local histories.
• Many histories are no longer under copyright and can be found in the following online, digitized book collections. Search with keywords "History" and "the name of your locality" (state, county, or town).
  • FamilySearch Books
  • Google Books
  • World Cat
  • HathiTrust
  • Internet Archive
• The FamilySearch library has extensive collections of these local histories. Many are digitized. Search the FamilySearch Catalog under your locality for the topics "Biography" and "History".

The American Genealogical-Biographical Index (described in Massachusetts, United States Genealogy) cites many references to biographies of Massachusetts residents. In addition, two comprehensive biographical encyclopedias are:

The American Historical Society. Encyclopedia of Massachusetts, Biographical-Genealogical. 13 vols. New York, NY: The American Historical Society, ca. 1916. FHL book 974.4 D3e and FHL fiche 6046891 The Family History Library has volumes 1–4, 6, and 10–13 only.}}

Eliot, Samuel Atkins. Biographical History of Massachusetts. 10 vols. Boston, Massachusetts: Massachusetts Biographical Society, 1911-18. FHL book 974.4 D3eL

Biographical sketches of many Plymouth Colony residents, including those who came on the Mayflower, are in:

Stratton, Eugene Aubrey. Plymouth Colony: Its History and People, 1620-1691. Salt Lake City, Utah: Ancestry, 1986. FHL book 974.4 H2s

See Massachusetts, United States Genealogy for additional references to biographies and genealogies for Massachusetts ancestors.

Online Resources

• County and Town Histories, Massachusetts, with biography
• American Biographical Library for Massachusetts ($)
• A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England Before 1692
• Massachusetts Biographies, Access Genealogy's Biography Center
• Massachusetts U.S. Biographies Project by GenWeb, index
• Biographical history of Massachussetts Volume 1, 1911, Vol. 2, Vol. 3, e-book, Vol. 4, Vol.5, Vol. 6, Vol. 7, Vol. 9
• Memorial Encyclopedia of the State of Massachusetts, Volume 2
• The Rich Men of Massachusetts, index
• Old Colony Ancestors database, Genealogy Today, index
• Encyclopedia of Massachusetts, biographical--genealogical Vol. 4, Vol. 6
• Men of Massachusetts : a collection of portraits of representative men in business and professional life in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts , e-book
• Genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of the state of Massachusetts, e-book, Vol. 2, Vol. 3,Vol. 4
• Biographical encyclopedia of Massachusetts of the nineteenth century. v.2
• Representative men and old families of southeastern Massachusetts Vol. 1, e-book, Vol. 2 , Vol.3
• One of a thousand, a series of biographical sketches of one thousand representative men resident in the commonwealth of Massachusetts, e-book
• Massachusetts of today : a memorial of the state, historical and biographical, issued for the World's Columbian exposition at Chicago, e-book.
• Biographical sketches of representative citizens of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, e-book
• Men of progress; one thousand biographical sketches and portraits of leaders in business and professional life in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, e-book
• Register of members and records of their revolutionary ancestors / Massachusetts Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. (1907), e-book
• Historical collections, : being a general collection of interesting facts, traditions, biographical sketches, anecdotes, &c., relating to the history and antiquities of every town in Massachusetts, with geographical descriptions, e-book
• Sons of the Puritans; a group of brief biographies, e-book.
• A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England Before 1692
• GeneaSearch - http://geneasearch.com/biography/states/massachusetts.htm
• Access Genealogy: Massachusetts Biographies
• U.S. Biographies Project: Massachusetts
• Biographies and information on Mayflower passengers can be found at http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/Passengers/passengers.php

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