Dukes County, Massachusetts Genealogy

United States Massachusetts  Dukes County

County Courthouse
PO Box 190 Edgartown, MA 02539


 * The oddity of the name of the county is due to the statute that created this county.

Dukes County Courthouse  Clerk Courts has divorce and court records from 1859; Probate Court has probate records; Town Clerks have birth, marriage, death and burial records

Towns Organized before 1800: Chilmark 1694, Edgartown 1671, Tisbury 1671

Parent County

 * Created 1 Nov 1683 when it was claimed by Colony of New York, then reclaimed by Massachusetts Bay Colony, re-established 22 June 1695.

Boundary Changes

 * Nantucket County set off 22 June 1695 at the same time when old Dukes County was reorganized.

Places / Localities
Towns:  Aquinnah | Chilmark | Edgartown | Gosnold | Oak Bluffs | Tisbury | West Tisbury

Neighboring Counties:  Massachusetts:  Barnstable | Nantucket| Plymouth| New York:  Suffolk County

State Census
1855 Massachusetts State Census—a free searchable index and images to the 1855 Massachusetts State Census can be viewed on the FamilySearch Record Search. This index includes every name listed on the census and is linked to an image including information about each person’s residence and age in 1855, birthplace, occupation, other family members, and neighbors.

1865 Massachusetts State Census—a free searchable index and images to the 1865 Massachusetts State Census can be viewed on the FamilySearch Record Search This index includes every name listed on the census and is linked to an image including information about each person’s residence and age in 1865, birthplace, occupation, other family members, and neighbors.

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Martha's Vineyard Massachusetts Family History Center

The Portuguese Genealogy Project


 * Dedicated to the history and genealogy of Portuguese families of Martha"s Vineyard along with the Azores, Cape Verde Islands and the Madeira Islands.

Web Sites

 * The Dukes County MAGenWeb Project, an member of The MAGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Dukes County
 * Family History Library catalog for Dukes County