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Massachusetts
Research Outline
   

Table of Contents
Records Of The Family History Library
Family History Library Catalog
Archives And Libraries
Bible Records
Biography
Cemeteries
Census
Church Records
Court Records
Directories
Emigration And Immigration
Gazetteers
Genealogy
History
Land And Property
Maps
Military Records
Naturalization And Citizenship
Newspapers
Obituaries
Periodicals
Probate Records
Societies
Taxation
Town Records
Vital Records
For Further Reading
Comments And Suggestions

HISTORYLook this term up in the glossary.

The following important events in the history of Massachusetts affected political jurisdictions, family movements, and record keeping.

1620-1691

The Plymouth ColonyLook this term up in the glossary. was established. It eventually spread over today's Plymouth, Barnstable, and Bristol Counties.

1630

Massachusetts Bay ColonyLook this term up in the glossary. was founded. It expanded to today's area of Essex, Middlesex, Old Norfolk (now part of New Hampshire), and Suffolk Counties.

1691

A new charter was granted to Massachusetts Bay Colony, uniting it with Plymouth Colony. Parts of Maine and Nova Scotia were also added to Massachusetts.

1775

The Revolutionary WarLook this term up in the glossary. began at Lexington and Concord.

1786

The Ohio Land Company was formed, resulting in the emigration of many Massachusetts residents to Ohio.

1788

Massachusetts became the sixth state to ratify the Constitution.

1820

Maine was separated from Massachusetts.

1830s-1840s

As the factory system developed, thousands of foreign laborers began moving to Massachusetts.

1861-1865

During the Civil WarLook this term up in the glossary. 146,000 men from Massachusetts served in the Union Army.

A good general history of Massachusetts is:

Hart, Albert Bushnell, ed. Commonwealth History of Massachusetts: Colony, Province, and State. 5 vols. New York: The States History, 1927-30. (FHL book 974.4 H2h; computer number 491141.)

A helpful bibliography of Massachusetts local histories is:

Haskell, John Duncan. Massachusetts: A Bibliography of Its History. Hanover, New Hampshire: University Press of New England, 1983. (FHL book 974.4 H23m; computer number 276453.)

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