Dukes County, Massachusetts Genealogy
Guide to Dukes County, Massachusetts ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.
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County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The county was named for Dukes County, New York, the land at one time was literally the possession of the Duke of York.[3] It is located in the southeast area of the state.[4]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Dukes County Courthouse
81 Main Street
Edgartown, MA 02539
Phone: 508-627-4668
Dukes County Website
Dukes County, Massachusetts Record Dates[edit | edit source]
Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| at town creation | at town creation | at town creation | 1859 | 1686 | 1696 | 1779 |
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
|
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. |
Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
|
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:[8]
| Towns | ||
| Villages | ||
| Native American communities | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
| Islands | ||
History Timeline[edit | edit source]
The region was first recorded in detail by Capt. Gosnold in 1602 who named the string of islands after his daughter Elizabeth, which later became the town of Gosnold. Fishermen were the first to occupy the islands in the early 1600s. Settlements develop in the 1640s. Town records begin in 1671. County government is established in 1683 by New York. These records are rumored to be in Albany, but as yet have not been identified. Records after 1695 are complete.
The basic data are from the historical county boundary series[9] with additions from various sources.
| Dates | Events |
|---|---|
| 1674 | The region was included in a grant to the Duke of York. |
| 1 November 1683 | Dukes County was established by the Colony of New York that included the islands of Elizabeth, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket. [N.Y. Col. Laws, Ch. 4, Sect. 1, p. 122] |
| 7 October 1691 | Dukes became part of the rechartered Massachusetts Bay Colony Genealogy without being established as a county. |
| 22 June 1695 | Dukes County re-established as Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands. [Mass. Col. Acts, Vol. 1, Ch. 7 [1695/6], p. 216] |
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
Biographies[edit | edit source]
Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]
- 1837-1965 Maine & Massachusetts Case Files of Deceased and Deserted Seamen 1837-1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images only
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
Census Records[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1790 | 3,255 | — |
| 1800 | 3,118 | −4.2% |
| 1810 | 3,290 | 5.5% |
| 1820 | 3,292 | 0.1% |
| 1830 | 3,517 | 6.8% |
| 1840 | 3,958 | 12.5% |
| 1850 | 4,540 | 14.7% |
| 1860 | 4,403 | −3.0% |
| 1870 | 3,787 | −14.0% |
| 1880 | 4,300 | 13.5% |
| 1890 | 4,369 | 1.6% |
| 1900 | 4,561 | 4.4% |
| 1910 | 4,504 | −1.2% |
| 1920 | 4,372 | −2.9% |
| 1930 | 4,953 | 13.3% |
| 1940 | 5,669 | 14.5% |
| 1950 | 5,633 | −0.6% |
| 1960 | 5,829 | 3.5% |
| 1970 | 6,117 | 4.9% |
| 1980 | 8,942 | 46.2% |
| 1990 | 11,639 | 30.2% |
| 2000 | 14,987 | 28.8% |
| 2010 | 16,535 | 10.3% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
- 1865 Massachusetts State Census, 1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
Church Records[edit | edit source]
List of Churches and Church Parishes
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.
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
Quarterly Court of General Sessions of the Peace
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 of the Peace, docket, 1730-1757, 1782-1806, at Massachusetts Archives.
- Court of General Sessions of the Peace, record books, 1798-1837, at Massachusetts Archives.
Inferior Court of Common Pleas
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, docket, 1783-1839, at Massachusetts Archives.
- Court of Common Pleas, record books, 1809-1817, 1836-1839, at Massachusetts Archives.
Superior Court
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.
There are no records microfilmed. The original records are either in the county courthouse or at the Judicial Archives. Their location has not been researched.
Supreme Judicial Court
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.
There are no records microfilmed. The original records are either in the county courthouse or at the Judicial Archives. Their location has not been researched.
County Commissioners
There has been no good description found for the function and authority of this court. It is referenced since records have been located.
- Records, 1823-1838, , at Massachusetts Archives.
Directories[edit | edit source]
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]
Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]
Genealogies[edit | edit source]
Guardianship[edit | edit source]
Land and Property Records[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.
Dukes County Registry of Deeds
PO Box 5231
81 Main Street
Edgartown MA 02539
Phone 508-627-4025
Email info@dukescounty.org
Website
Online Land Indexes and Records
- 1620-1986 Massachusetts Land Records, 1620-1986 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
- 1641-1895 Deeds, 1641-1872, Index, 1641-1895, v. 1-42(*) Dukes County Court and Register of Deeds at FamilySearch Catalog - images
- 1641-1973 Unindexed Books to Recorded Land Books, 1641-1973 at Dukes County Registry of Deeds
- 1852-1895 Probate Records, 1690-1938(*) Dukes County Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog - images; includes sales of real estate and miners' lands 1852-1861 and license to sell real estate, 1861-1895
- 1641-1857 Proprietors Records, 1641-1717, Index, 1641-1857(*) Dukes County Proprietors Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog - images
- 1974-Current Recorded Land (deeds), 1974-Current at Dukes County Registry of Deeds
Original Microfilmed Records at New England Historic Genealogical Society:
- Deeds, 1641-1872, index, 1641-1895
- Proprietors' records, A-D (1641-1717), 1-2 (1641-1857), index, 1641-1857
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
- Charles Edward Banks, The History of Martha's Vineyard, Dukes County, Massachusetts (Boston, 1911-1925; rep. Edgartown, Mass., 1966), 3v.
WorldCat (Other Libraries) (1966 rep.); FHL book 974.494 H2b 1966 v. # (with digital link).
Digital versions at Internet Archive (v. 1 and v. 2 only), Google Books (v. 2 only), and Hathi Trust (search only on v. 3). - Allen Gannett, "A Complete List of Congregational Ministers of Dukes County, Mass. ..." in American Quarterly Register, 15 [1842/3]: 492-498.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. - Jacqueline L. Holland, "The African-American Presence on Martha's Vineyard" in Dukes County Intelligencer, 33 [Aug. 1991]: 3-26.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. - Joseph J. Iarocci, "Martha's Vineyard Gravestones from 1688 to 1804: an historical study" in Dukes County Intelligencer, 22 [Aug. 1980]: 125-159.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. - Sydney N. Riggs, "The Episcopal Churches of Martha's Vineyard" in Dukes County Intelligencer, 2 [Nov. 1960]: 3-4.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. - Jerome D. Segel and R. Andrew Pierce, The Wampanoag genealogical history of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts referenced to Banks' History of Martha's Vineyard, Mass. (Baltimore, 2003), v. 1 (ix, 677 pp.).
WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974.494 D2s.
Note: Volume 2 will be the genealogical compilation of this work. - Milton A. Travers, The Wampanoag Indian Tribute Tribes of Martha's Vineyard ... (New Bedford, Mass.?, 1960), 78 pp.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. - The Dukes County MAGenWeb Project, an member of The MAGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
for more resources
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
- Henry Francis Walling, Map of the counties of Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket, Massachusetts, based upon the trigonometrical survey of the state (1858) at FHL fiche 6079543 and the Norman B.Leventhal Map Center, Boston Public Library.
Migration[edit | edit source]
Military Records[edit | edit source]
Revolutionary War
- 1775-1783 Massachusetts, Revolutionary War, Index Cards to Muster Rolls, 1775-1783 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
- 1805-1845 Massachusetts Revolutionary War Bounty Land Applications, 1805-1845 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
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.
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records - Covering Multiple Courts
- 1971-1991 Massachusetts, United States Naturalization Records, 1871-1991 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
- 1906-1817 Massachusetts, Naturalization Records, 1906-1917 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
Other Records[edit | edit source]
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
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 Genealogy Guide.
Dukes Probate and Family Court
Dukes County Courthouse
PO Box 237
81 Main Street
Edgartown MA 02539
Phone 508-627-4703
Email info@dukescounty.org
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1635-1991 Massachusetts Wills and Probate Records 1635-1991 at Ancestry.com — index and images, ($)
- 1690-1938 Probate Records, 1690-1938(*) Dukes County Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog - index and images
Original Records on Microfilm
- Record books, v. 1-14, 1690-1938 (each v. with different documents), New England Historic Genealogical Society, and Massachusetts Archives.
- Will books, v. 1-23, 1690-1885 Massachusetts Archives.
- Record books, miscellaneous documents, 1700-1870 Massachusetts Archives.
School Records[edit | edit source]
Social Security Records[edit | edit source]
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch — How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
Tax Records[edit | edit source]
Town Records[edit | edit source]
- 1626-2001 Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
- Records, 1823-1838, , at Massachusetts Archives.
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
It is easiest to start with the state vital records indexes (listed below) for births, marriages, and deaths since 1841. Massachusetts was the first to require a consistent recording of these events statewide. Original vital records (starting as early as 1639) are found with the clerk of the town or city where the event occurred. See the Massachusetts Genealogy Guide and Massachusetts Vital Records pages for more details.
Birth[edit | edit source]
- 1626-2001 Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
- 1638-1961 Massachusetts Town Records, ca. 1638-1961 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
- 1753-1900 Massachusetts, Delayed and Corrected Vital Records, 1753-1900 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
- 1840-1910 Massachusetts, Birth Index, 1840-1910 at MyHeritage - index ($)
- 1841-1920 Massachusetts State Vital Records, 1841-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1600-1961 Massachusetts, United States Marriages at at Findmypast — index, ($) — index $
- 1626-2001 Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
- 1638-1961 Massachusetts Town Records, ca. 1638-1961 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
- 1841-1915 Massachusetts Marriages, 1841-1915 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
- 1841-1915 Massachusetts, Marriages, 1841-1915 at MyHeritage - index ($)
- 1841-1920 Massachusetts State Vital Records, 1841-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1626-2001 Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
- 1638-1961 Massachusetts Town Records, ca. 1638-1961 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
- 1840-1910 Massachusetts Death Index at MyHeritge - index only ($)
- 1841-1920 Massachusetts State Vital Records, 1841-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
Divorce[edit | edit source]
Research Facilities[edit | edit source]
Archives[edit | edit source]
For state-wide and regional facilities, see Massachusetts Archives and Libraries.
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries
- 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 Affiliate Libraries
- Martha's Vineyard Massachusetts Family History Center
- North Dartmouth Massachusetts Family History Center
- Dennis Public Library - Cape Cod Genealogical Society Library - an affiliate library
- Nantucket Historical Association Research Library - an affiliate library
Libraries[edit | edit source]
Listed below are libraries in Dukes County. For state-wide library facilities, see Massachusetts Archives and Libraries.
- Martha's Vineyard Museum
PO Box 1310
59 School Street
Edgartown MA 02539
Phone 508-627-4441
This research facility has the most extensive genealogical services on the island.
Website
Dukes County Historical Societies CountyOffice.orgWebsite
For information on additional archives and repositories, see
- Massachusetts Archives for information on additional archives and repositories
Museums[edit | edit source]
Societies[edit | edit source]
Listed below are societies in Dukes County. For state-wide genealogical and historical societies, see Massachusetts Societies.
Websites[edit | edit source]
- FamilySearch Catalog – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection. Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.
Research Guides[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Massachusetts. At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Massachusetts Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library; accessed on 11 January 2022.
- ↑ Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness, “Dukes County, Massachusetts, https://raogk.org/massachusetts/dukes-county/
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Dukes, County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dukes_County,_Massachusetts
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Dukes 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.
- ↑ Massachusetts Historical Boundary Changes - list of all boundary changes by county provided by Newberry Library; accessed on 11 January 2022.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Massachusetts. At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Dukes County, Massachusetts," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dukes_County%2C_Massachusetts, accessed 09 March 2020.
- ↑ Massachusetts Atlas of Historical County Boundaries