Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts Genealogy

United States Massachusetts  Suffolk  Boston

This is a historical and genealogical guide to the town and city of Boston. You will find help with town histories, vital records, city directories, cemeteries, churches, deeds (i.e. land records), town and city records, newspapers, maps, and libraries. There are general history and genealogy topics such as ward boundaries, census, street guides, and much more. There are detailed guides for the towns Boston annexed: Brighton (1807-1874); Charlestown (1630-1874); Dorchester (1630-1870); Hyde Park (1868-1912); Roxbury (1630-1868); and West Roxbury (1851-1874)

Brief History
Historical Boston, then only the land of a peninsula, was a faction of the land mass it is today after massive land-fill projects of the mid- to late-19th century (the rubble from the Great Boston Fire of 1872 help fill in the waterfront) and the annexing of six towns from two counties (as listed above). Boston was first settled by passengers of the Winthrop Fleet of 1630 who first lodged in Charlestown. These first settlers were Puritans, the religious group wanting to change the Church of England from working inside the church. Called the "City on the Hill" by Gov. John Winthrop, the "hub" as we now call it became the center of trade, education, government, wealth, and power. It was the capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, then the Royal colony of Massachusetts, and finally the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Shortly after its settlement, Boston had become a major settlement. It was the largest town in British North America for the first hundred years. Because of that, the town and later city became a draw for immigrants from around the world. Though the first two hundred years saw mostly English arrivals, Scots, Irish, and French were found here, too. It was after 1820 that immigrants from other European countries started arriving in large numbers. The gate was opened by the Irish fleeing the potato famine in 1847. The next wave included more Irish (their dominance starting in the early 20th century is a testament to their number), but also Germans, Italians, and Syrians. The end of the century saw French Canadians, Russian and Polish Jews, and Swedes arriving. The 21st century brought African Americans from the South, Southeast Asian immigrants (especially Chinese and Vietnamese), Muslims, and Puerto Ricans. Many other ethnicities can be found in pockets all over Boston, and walking in downtown one will likely here many languages being spoken.

Historical Data
The basic data is from the "Historical Data" publication series with additions from various sources. Associated names Boston at times was called Shawmut, Tremont, and Trimountaine.

Sections (excluding most of the named squares) in downtown Boston [see annexed towns listed above for names in those areas] include Back Bay, Bay Village, Beacon Hill, Boston Common, Boston Harbor, Chinatown, City Point, Copley Square, East Boston (Eastie), Faneuil Hall, Fenway, Financial District, The Flat (i.e. of Beacon Hill), Fort Point, Government Center, Haymarket Square, Kenmore, Leather District, Logan Airport, Longwood, North End, Scollay Square, Seaport, South End, South Bay, South Boston (Southie), and West End.

Islands that are currently part of Boston are: Apple Island*, Belle Island (formerly Hog's Island)*, Bird Island*, Breed's Island*, Calf Island (formerly Apthrop Island), Castle Island*, Deer Island*, Gallop's Island, George's Island, Governor's Island, Great Brewster Island, Green Island (or North Brewster Island), Little Brewster Island, Little Calf Island, Long Island, Lovell's Island, Middle Brewster Island, Nixes mate, Noddle Island*, Outer Brewster Island, Rainsford Island, Shag Rocks, Spectacle Island, The Graves, Thompson's Island, and Wood Island*.

[* denotes land-fill has made it part of the mainland now and the others are part of the Boston Harbor Island National Recreation Area] Border changes Top of Page

Town Histories
Works written on the town include: Boston - General Top of Page Bay Back Beacon Hill East Boston Harbor Island North End Top of Page South Boston South End [No general history of this area of the city found.] Clubs and Social Registers Guidebooks Top of Page Immigration - Ethnicity [For Italian, also see the North End section]
 * List of Persons, Copartnerships, and Corporations who were taxed on ten thousand dollars and upwards, in the city of Boston in the year (1847-18??). Digital version at Internet Archive (1861) and Hathi Trust (1847-1854 issues). WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * New Division of Wards in 1805 (Boston, 1805), broadside, and published in The Bostonian Society Publications, 2nd ser., 3 [1919]: 131-135. Digital version at Internet Archive and Google Books. WorldCat (Other Libraries) (broadside); Not at FHL.
 * Other Merchants and Sea Captains of Old Boston: Being More Information About the Merchants and Sea Captains of Old Boston Who Played Such an Important Part in Building up the Commerce of New England Together with Some Quaint and Curious Stories of the Sea (Boston, 1919), 70 pp. Digital version at Internet Archive and Google Books. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Some Events of Boston and Its Neighbors (Boston, 1917), v, 62 pp. Digital version at Internet Archive, Google Books, and Hathi Trust. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Some Interesting Boston Events (Boston, 1916), 78 pp. Digital version at Internet Archive and Google Books. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Some Merchants and Sea Captains of Old Boston: Being a Collection of Sketches of Notable Men and Mercantile Houses Prominent During the Early Half of the Nineteenth Century in the Commerce and Shipping of Boston (Boston, 1918), vii, 53 pp. Digital version at Internet Archive and Google Books. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Some Ships of the Clipper Ship Era: Their Builders, Owners, and Captains (Boston, 1913), 45 pp. Digital version at Internet Archive and Hathi Trust. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Jacqueline Barbara Carr, After the Siege, A Social History of Boston 1775-1800 (Boston, 2005), xv, 317 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Samuel Gardner Drake, The History and Antiquities of Boston ... from its Settlement in 1630, to the Year 1770 (Boston, 1856), x, 840 pp. Digital version at Internet Archive and Hathi Trust. WorldCat (Other Libraries); with digital link.
 * Ralph M. Eastman, Pilots and Pilot Boats of Boston Harbor (Boston, 1956), 91 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Ronald P. Formisano and Constance K. Burns, Boston 1700-1980, The Evolution of Urban Politics (Westport, Conn., 1980), vii, 296 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Jay Mack Holbrook, Boston Beginnings 1630-1699 (Oxford, Mass., 1980), xxi, 295 pp. Compiled from a variety of sources (church, tax lists, etc.), this is an alphabetical list of people in Boston before 1700. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Harold Kirker, Bulfinch's Boston, 1787-1817 (New York, 1964), ix, 305 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Peter R. Knights, The Plain People of Boston, 1830-1860: A Study in City Growth (New York, 1971), xx, 204 pp. This was the first in a planned series of three books [it ended up being two books], and thus was a prologue that is more statistical in nature. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Peter R. Knights, Yankee Destines, The Lives of Ordinary Nineteenth-Century Bostonians (Chapel Hill, N.C., 1991), xxv, 281 pp. The final book that sampled Boston families from four censuses and the research to discover everything about their lives. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Roger Lane, Policing the City Boston 1822-1885 (Cambridge, Mass., 1967), x, 299 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Douglas Philip, Who Fought? Boston Soldiers in the Revolutionary War (Medford, Mass., Honors Thesis, 1981), 273 pp. Not on WorldCat or at FHL; New England Historic Genealogical Society Library.
 * Darrett B. Rutman, Winthrop's Boston, Portrait of a Puritan Town, 1630-1649 (Williamsburg, Va., 1965; rep. Chapel Hill, N.C., 1975), x, 324 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Robert Francis Seybolt, The Public Schools of Colonial Boston 1635-1775 (Cambridge, Mass., 1935), ix, 101 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Caleb H. Snow, A History of Boston, the Metropolis of Massachusetts, from its origin to the present period with some account of the environs (Boston, 1825; Boston, 2nd ed., 1828), iv, 398 pp. Digital version at Internet Archive (1825), Google Books, and on Ancestry ($). WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Jack Tager, Boston Riots, Three Centuries of Social Violence (Boston, 2000), xi, 289 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Jim Vrabel, When in Boston, A Time Line &amp; Almanac (Boston, 2004), xx, 415 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Boston Wikipedia page.
 * also see Beacon Hill
 * William A. Newman and Wilfred E. Holton, Boston's Back Bay: The Story of America's Greatest Nineteenth-Century Landfill Project (Boston, 2006), xiv, 228 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Allen Chamberlain, Beacon Hill: Its Ancient Pastures and Early Mansions (Boston, 1925), xiv, 309 pp. Digital version at Internet Archive, Hathi trust, and on Ancestry ($). WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Ted Clarke and Theodore G. Clarke, Beacon Hill, Back Bay and the Building of Boston's Golden Age (Charleston, S.C., 2010), 125 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Victor F. Casaburi and William H. Sumner, A Colonial History of East Boston (East Boston, Mass., 1975), 145, [79] pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * William H. Sumner, A History of East Boston, with Biographical Sketches of its Early Proprietors (Boston, 1858), viii, 798 pp. Digital version at Internet Archive, Hathi Trust, and on Ancestry ($). WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Justin Winsor, The Memorial History of Boston, Including Suffolk County Massachusetts, 1630-1880 (Boston, 1880-1881), in 4 vols. Digital version at Internet Archive (v. 3 only), Google Books (v. 1, v. 2, v. 3, v. 4), and on Ancestry ($). WorldCat (Other Libraries); with digital links.
 * Julia Knowlton Dyer, "The Islands of Boston Harbor" in The Bostonian Society Publications, 2: 107-131. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Edward Rowe Snow, The Islands of Boston Harbor, Their History and Romance 1626-1935 (Andover, Mass., 1935), 367 pp. with map. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Alex R. Goldfled, The North End: A Brief History of Boston's Oldest Neighborhood (Charleston, S.C., 2009), 190 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Stephen Puleo, The Boston Italians (Boston, 2007), xv, 323 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Anthony V. Riccio, Boston's North End, Images and Recollections of an Italian-American Neighborhood (Guilford, Conn., 2006), xii, 180 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Arnold A. Wieder, The Early Jewish Community of Boston's North End (Waltham, Mass., 1962), 100 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * C. Bancroft Gillespie, Illustrated History of South Boston (South Boston, Mass., 1901), 258 pp. Digital version at Internet Archive, Google Books. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Patrick J. Loftus, That Old Gang of Mine: A History of South Boston (South Boston, Mass., 1991), xxiv, 632 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Thomas H. O'Connor, South Boston: My Home Town, The History of an Ethnic Neighborhood (Boston, 1988, rep. 1994), xiii, 259 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Thomas C. Simonds, History of South Boston: formerly Dorchester Neck; Now Ward XII of the City of Boston (Boston, 1857; rep. New York, 1974), 331 pp. Digital version at Internet Archive, Google Books. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * John J. Toomey and Edward P. B. Rankin, History of South Boston (Its Past and Present) (Boston, 1901), xxxii, 570 pp. Digital version at Internet Archive. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Search online for the histories and directories of the many social clubs in Boston.
 * Social Register, Boston (New York, various years). Digital version at Internet Archive various editions and Google Books 1904, 1910 WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * The Clubs of Boston containing a complete List of Members and Addresses of all Boston Clubs of Social and Business Prominence (Boston, 1891), 442 pp. with map. Digital version at Internet Archive (1888 ed.). WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Bowen's Picture of Boston, or the Citizen's and Stranger's Guide to the Metropolis of Massachusetts, and its Environs. To which is prefixed the Annals of Boston (Boston, 2nd ed., 1833), 316 pp. with map. Digital version at Internet Archive and Ancestry ($) (1838 ed.). WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Edwin M. Bacon, King's Dictionary of Boston (Cambridge, Mass., 1883), xvi, 518 pp. Digital version at Internet Archive and Google Books (1881 ed.). WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Ann S. Lainhart, "Research in Boston through the Centuries" in New England Ancestors, 2 [Spring 2001]: 11-17. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Ann S. Lainhart, A Researcher's Guide to Boston (Boston, 2003), xii, 160 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Sunny McClellan Morton, "Boston: City Guide" in Family Tree Magazine, 12, no. 2 [March 2011]: 33-36. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Dexter Smith, Cyclopedia of Boston and Vicinity (Boston, 1886), [18], 298 pp. with map. Digital version at Internet Archive (1887 ed.) and Hathi Trust. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.

Top of Page Topographical - Pictorial Top of Page
 * Germans in Boston (Boston, 1981), 95 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * James Bernard Cullen, The Story of the Irish in Boston (Boston, 1889), v, 443 pp. Digital version at Internet Archive, Google Books, and Hathi Trust. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Isaac M. Fein, Boston - Where it all Began, An Historical Perspective of the Boston Jewish Community (Boston, 1976), iii, 83 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Allan Forbes and Paul F. Cadman, Boston and Some Noted Emigres: A Collections of Facts and Incidents with Appropriate Illustrations Relating to Some Well-Known Citizens of France who Found Homes in Boston and New England (Boston, 1938), 98 pp. Digital version at Hathi Trust for searching only. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Oscar Handlin, Boston's Immigrants, A Study in Acculturation (Cambridge, Mass., rev. and enl. ed., 1979), xvii, 382 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * James Oliver Horton and Lois E. Horton, Black Bostonians, Family Life and Community Struggle in the Antebellum North (New York, 1979), xv, 175 pp. This study of the Black community focuses on those before the Civil War who were never part of the slave history of the south. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Charles W. Hurst, "French and German immigrants into Boston 1751" (Milford, Conn., mss., 1968), 15 leaves. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * George A. Levesque, Black Boston: African American Life and Culture in Urban America, 1750-1860 (New York, 1994), xviii, 537 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Thomas O'Connor, The Boston Irish, a political history (Boston, 1995), xix, 363 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not a FHL.
 * Jonathan D. Sarna, Ellen Smith, and Scott-Martin Kosofsky, The Jews of Boston (New Haven, Conn., 2005), xiv, 370 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Walter Muir Whitehill, Boston, A Topographical History (Cambridge, Mass., 2nd ed., 1968), xl, 299 pp. [3rd ed. With Lawrence W. Kennedy, 2000]. WorldCat (Other Libraries) (2nd ed.); Not at FHL.
 * William H. Whitmore, Port Arrivals and Immigrants to the City of Boston 1715-1716 and 1762-1769 (Boston, 1900; excerpt rep. Baltimore, 1973), 111 pp. Digital version at Internet Archive (original, pp. 229-317), Google Books (original pp. 229-317), and on Ancestry ($). WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Arnold A. Wieder, The Early Jewish Community of Boston's North End (Waltham, Mass., 1962), 100 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Boston's Growth. A Bird's Eye View of Boston's Increase in Territory and Population From It's Beginning to the Present (Boston, 1910), 45 pp. Digital version at Internet Archive and Hathi Trust. Not on WorldCat; Not at FHL.
 * Boston - One Hundred Years a City. A Collection of Views Made from Rare Prints and Old Photographs Showing the Changes Which Have Occurred in Boston During One Hundred Years of its Existence as a City, 1822-1922 (Boston, 1922), xii, 49 pp. Digital version at Internet Archive. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Thomas Pemberton, "A Topographical and Historical Description of Boston, 1794" in the Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society, for the year 1794, 3: 241-[304]. Digital version at Google Books. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Nancy S. Seasholes, Gaining Ground A History of Landmaking in Boston (Cambridge, Mass., 2003), xiv, 533 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Charles Shaw, A Topographical and Historical Description of Boston, from the first settlement of the town to the present period : with some account of its environs (Boston, 1817), 311 pp. Digital version at Ancestry ($). WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, A Topographical and Historical Description of Boston (Boston, 1871; 3rd ed., 1890), lvi, 720 pp. Digital version at Internet Archive (1871 ed.) and Google Books. WorldCat (Other Libraries) (1871 ed.); Not at FHL.
 * Annie Haven Thwing, The Crooked and Narrow Streets of the Town of Boston (Boston, 1920; 2nd ed., 1925; Tercentenary ed., 1930), xi, 282 pp. Digital version at Internet Archive, Google Books, and on Ancestry ($). WorldCat (Other Libraries); with in-library link.

Vital Records
The town's vital records are available in many locations: Original records Published records - primary Published records - secondary Top of Page
 * Boston City Clerk's Office 1 City Hall Square Boston MA 02201 Phone 617-635-4600
 * Microfilm of the originals created by the Family History Library: Birth records, 1630-1799, 1849-1900; Birth Index, 1630-1869, . Birth records, 1728-1897; Birth Index, 1870-1900, . Birth records, 1870-1910, . Birth records, 1911-1958, . Marriage records, 1646-1900, registers, 1891-1892, and indexes, 1646-1869, . Marriage records, 1883, cert. nos. 3501-4342 (retake), . Birth and Marriage certificates, 1901-1910, out-of-town marriages, 1906-1910, . Out-of-town marriages, pre-1800, 1858-1895, index, 1858-1892, . Out-of-town marriages, 1896-1905, . Marriage indexes, 1870-1910, . [No death records filmed before 1849] Death records and certificates, 1849-1895, out-of-town, 1889-1895 (except 1892), stillborn, 1889-1895, index (several), 1630-1891, . Death certificates, 1896-1905, index, 1892-1955, Death index of annexed towns, 1629-1912, . Death certificates, 1905-1910, out-of-town, 1905-1909, stillborn, 1906-1910, "burials and deaths," 1905-1910, . Out-of-town deaths, 1892, 1896-1904, stillborn, 1896-1905, . Death indexes, 1700-1869, . Boston Female Asylum, records (inc. names, finance, minutes, vital records, and subscribers), 1800-1866,.
 * Microfiche of the originals created by Archive Publishing covering town records: Boston Vital Records, 1630-1849 (inc. all Suffolk Co., 1643-1660, county marriages, 1716-1731, church marriages, 1751-1761), marriage intentions, 1707-1849, including early deaths, 1630-1848 (not found in above originals), and many indexes, on 540 fiche. Boston Births and indexes, 1849-1881, on 234 fiche. Boston Births and indexes, 1882-1895, on 325 fiche. Boston Marriages and indexes, 1849-1890, on 310 fiche. Boston Out-of-town marriages and indexes, 1858-1895, on 41 fiche. Boston Deaths and indexes, 1849-1890, on 369 fiche. All are part of Massachusetts, Town Vital Collections, 1620–1988 at Ancestry ($); Index.
 * Official state copy of vital records starting in 1841: Massachusetts Archives 220 Morrissey Blvd. Boston MA 02125 Phone 617-727-2816 Email [mailto:archives@sec.state.ma.us archives@sec.state.ma.us] Hours and Directions See the online guide for more information.
 * Births, Baptisms, Marriages, and Deaths, 1630-1699 (Boston, 1883; rep. 1908), vii, 281 pp. This volume includes baptisms from the First Congregational Church only. This volume was microfiched by the Family History Library, and in digital versions at Internet Archive, Google Books, and Ancestry ($). In a database at American Ancestors or browse ($). WorldCat (Other Libraries), 1883 ed., 1908 ed.; . Sanford Charles Gladden, An Index to the Vital Records of Boston, 1630-1699 ([Boulder, Colo.], 1969), ii. 188 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Boston Births from A.D. 1700 to A.D. 1800 (Boston, 1894), iv, 379 pp. This volume was microfiched by the Family History Library, and in digital versions at Internet Archive, Google Books, and Ancestry ($). In a database at American Ancestors or browse ($). WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Boston Births, Baptisms, Marriages, and Deaths, 1630-1699. Boston Births, 1700-1800: Two Volumes in One (Baltimore, 1978; rep. 1994), vii, 281, iv, 379 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Boston Marriages from 1700 to 1751 (Boston, 1898; rep. several times), 468 pp. This volume was microfiched by the Family History Library, (with digital link) and in digital versions at Internet Archive (title listed incorrectly), Google Books, and Ancestry ($). In a database at American Ancestors (combined with next volume below) or browse ($). WorldCat (Other Libraries);  (with digital link).
 * Boston Marriages from 1752 to 1809 (Boston, 1903), vii, 710, [3] pp. This volume should end in an unpaginated two pages of corrections and also an Addenda insert for page 505. This volume was microfiched by the Family History Library, and in digital versions at Internet Archive and Ancestry ($). In a database at American Ancestors (part of a larger marriage database) or browse ($). WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Boston Marriages from 1700 to 1809 (Baltimore, 1977), 2 vols. (rep. of above two titles into one volume). Digital version at Ancestry ($). In a database at American Ancestors (part of a larger marriage database) or browse ($). WorldCat (Other Libraries); (with digital link).
 * Robert J. Dunkle and Ann Smith Lainhart, comp., John Haven Dexter's Memoranda of the Town of Boston in the 18th &amp; 19th Centuries (Boston, 1997), iv, 713 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Robert J. Dunkle and Ann S. Lainhart, Deaths in Boston 1700 to 1799 (Boston, 1999), in 2 vols., xxviii, 1136 pp. This voume draws on the town records, coroner's records, church records, contemporary accounts, bible records, histories and genealogies, newspapers, articles in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, and other town vital records. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.

City Directories and Almanacs
Boston city directories are one of the most complete record of the city's adult male population, business women, and later the widows of the men previously listed. Boston was the third place to start publishing directories (after New York and Philadelphia) in 1789. They became annual (for the most part) after 1825. The directory evolved from a simple entry (ex. Herring Ebenezer, mason and sexton, Lynde-street) to one of name, occupation and location, residence (boarding or house), and would list you if you worked in the city but lived elsewhere (then it would name the town of residence). Added features were usually a map (often not digitized and missing), lists of a few trades (such as lawyer, physician, etc.), a few civic items (fire companies, justices, etc.), and business advertisements. More categories appeared over time. By the later 1800s, when someone was being dropped because they died, their death date would be given, or moved, their new town of residence was given. By 1930, there was a very helpful reverse directory added (arranged by street). This resource ceased publication in 1981.

The entire run of directories was microfiched at the New England Historic Genealogical Society in 1992 and made available through many great libraries including the Boston Public Library,, Library of Congress, Massachusetts State Library, and the New England Historic Genealogical Library in Boston. Online copies of theses Boston directories can be found on Internet Archive and Google Books and searching for the year. There are two paid sites. Ancestry ($) is the first one everyone turns to as they created a large library of U.S. city directories from 1821 to 1989. The first caveat is that they do not have the earliest years and some of the "directories" are actually "almanacs." The best website for Boston directories is fold3 that has all the directories from 1789 through 1926. The years available are: 1789, 1796, 1798 1800, 1803, 1805-1810 1813, 1816, 1818, 1820 1821-1823 1825-1861 1864, 1867, 1869 1871, 1873-1975, 1981 The Boston Almanac started publication in 1836 as a simple almanac of climate, astrological, farm, and other tables along with a calendar. Soon, city and state officials were added along with history sections for the previous year and listing of all the streets, wharves, ward boundaries, public building, stage coach tables, societies and institutions, newspapers, and other handy information. The contents can change annually. The title changed over time: Boston Almanac for the year XXXX from 1836 (v. 1, no. 1) to 1871 (v. 26, no. 31) WorldCat (Other Libraries); (1849 only) Boston Almanac and Business Directory from 1872 (v. 37) to 1894 (v. 59) WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL Boston Register and Business Directory from 1895 (v. 60) to 1926 (v. 89) WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.

Maps
This is a list of map resource sites of particular interest to genealogists, and is not an effort to trace the vast cartographic history of Boston in full. There will be many maps of Boston in every major library including the Family History Library. Consult the catalog for the particular holdings of a library. The earliest map specifically of Boston is by Capt. John Bonner in 1722. There are many versions available on the internet, one is at Boston Public Library. Since Boston covers a majority of Suffolk County, look for Suffolk County Atlases. Reference Books Maps Online
 * "List of Maps of Boston, Published Between 1614 and 1822" printed as Appendix J of the Thirty-fifth Annual Report of the City Engineer Boston for the year 1901 (Boston, 1902), pp. 129-161. Digital version at Internet Archive and Google Books. WorldCat (Other Libraries) [rep.]; Not at FHL.
 * List of maps of Boston published subsequent to 1600, copies of which are to be found in the possession of the city of Boston or other collectors of the same ... February 1, 1904 (Boston, 1904), 95 pp. Digital version at Internet Archive and Google Books. This is another reprint of the 1902 list with supplementary list. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Alex Krieger and David Cobb, Mapping Boston (Cambridge, Mass., 1999), xiv, 278 pp. A series of historical and current maps with essays by Anne Mackin discussing the important events and landmarks of the day. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, Boston Public Library. This is the largest single collection of Boston maps with a listing of 584.
 * Boston Redevelopment Authority, The Boston Atlas. This can be a complicated site for the first time user. Click on one of the three viewer choices and wait for the new window to open and fill in with a map. Any of the three will allow a search of a specific address. Here, we are concerned about the historical overlays only. The user can select (or unselect) any overlay desired. For the Flash viewer, unselect all except the historic map (choice of 1775, 1814, 1826, or 1881). The two Java viewers are similar. Unselect all items in the menu except the last. Click on the named box and an extensive menu with sub-menus will appear. The largest collection of historical maps is under "Future Boston Map Collection". Play around until you find what you need.
 * Library of Congress, American Memory project, Boston maps.
 * David Rumsey Historical Map Collection. Scroll part way down to the Boston section and then click on "Launch GIS Professional Browser" to view historical maps.
 * Sanborn maps, Boston, 1885.
 * Tufts Digital Collections and Archives, Boston Streets: Mapping Directory Data.

Wards of Boston
There were divisions of the town of Boston, but the ward became important when Boston incorporated as a city in 1822. Wards were drawn and redefined in 1822, 1838, 1850, 1865, 1875, 1895, 1914, and 1924. The 1875 was set aside by the court and never officially used. These ward boundaries were defined in A Catalogue of the City Councils of Boston, 1822-1890, Roxbury, 1846-1867, Charlestown, 1847-1873 and of the selectmen of Boston, 1634-1822, also of various other town and municipal officers (Boston, 1891), xxxix, 270 pp. (Boston, 2nd ed., 1909), 402 pp., at pages 7 through 40 [see WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL; online at Internet Archive, Google Books, and Hathi Trust (1909 ed.); and in the Municipal Register for 1912, 1924, and 1927 [WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL; online links for all years, see the Boston Public Library].

It is important to understand these changes ward boundaries as they are referenced in city directories, census, tax records, and other documents. Voter lists and governmental representation was established by wards. The following is a description and associated map to help learn where these boundaries were. Note that the descriptions are the official boundary and the maps sometimes vary from the descriptions (Note: boundaries and colored areas may differ). Boston Wards in 1822 [Plan of Boston (1826) with ward boundaries - colored section were proposed new wards for 1832]

Boston Wards in 1838 Boston Wards in 1850 Boston Wards in 1865 Boston Wards in 1895 Boston Wards in 1914 Boston Wards in 1924 Top of Page [NOTE: This page is under construction and will take several months to fill completely, so please be patience. The old page that had content is maintained below.]

Emigration and immigration
Wiki articles describing online collections are found at:


 * Massachusetts, Boston Passenger Lists, 1820-1891 (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Massachusetts, Boston Passenger Lists, 1891-1943 (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Newspapers

 * Newspaperarchive.com ($) has historical newspapers available on-line including Boston City newspapers. Some libraries including the Boston Public Library provide free access to this database.
 * Boston Globe and theBoston Herald obituaries 1953-2010 available from the Boston Public Library.

Notarial records - Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775
Early notarial records for the city of Boston were published in volume 32 of the Boston Record Commissioners Reports.


 * Volume 32. A Volume Relating to the Early History of Boston, containing the Aspinwall Notarial Records from 1644 to 1651. Boston: Municipal Printing Office, 1903. (FHL book 974.461 H2b v. 32). Digital version at Internet Archive

Orphans and orphanages

 * Holloran, Peter C. Boston's Waywards Children: Social Services for Homeless Children, 1830-1930. Boston: Northeastern University Press, c1989..

Poorhouses

 * Downer, Lawrence W. "The Indentures of Boston's Poor Apprentices: 1734-1805," The Colonial Society of Massachusetts (Mar. 1962):417-434. Digital version at Primary Research - free.
 * Nellis, Eric and Anne Decker Cecere. ed. The Eighteenth-Century Records of the Boston Overseers of the Poor. Boston: Colonial Society of Massachusetts, c2007..

Repositories

Archives
City of Boston Archives 201 Rivermoor Street West Roxbury, Massachusetts 02132 Telephone: 617-635-1195 Fax: 617-635-1194 Email: [mailto:Archives@cityofboston.gov Archives@cityofboston.gov] Hours: Monday-Friday, 9:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. by appointment only Facebook

The National Archives at Boston Frederick C. Murphy Federal Center 380 Trapelo Road Waltham, Massachusetts 02452-6399 Telephone: 781-663-0130 Fax: 781-663-0154 Email: [mailto:boston.archives@nara.gov boston.archives@nara.gov]

Libraries
Boston Public Library 700 Boylston Street Boston, Massachusetts 02116 Telephone: 617-536-5400 Email: [mailto:ask@bpl.org ask@bpl.org] Facebook

Congregational Library 14 Beacon Street, 2nd Floor Boston, Massachusetts 02108 Telephone: 617-523-0470 Fax: 617-523-0491 Email: [mailto:circ@14beacon.org circ@14beacon.org]

The Congregational Library has an impressive collection of records documenting the history of American Congregationalism for the last 300 years. Equally impressive is their collection of New England local, town, and family histories. They also have a strong collection of published Massachusetts vital records. Congregational church records include membership lists, dismissals, baptisms, marriages, minutes of meetings, etc.

Societies
New England Historic Genealogical Society 101 Newbury Street Boston, Massachusetts 02116-3007 Telephone: 617-536-5740 Fax: 617-536-7307 Email: [mailto:info@nehgs.org info@nehgs.org] Website: www.americanancestors.org

The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) has a substantial collection of published New England genealogies and local histories. They also have a strong microform collection that contains copies of original town, probate, land, and vital records; censuses; city directories; and immigration records for most of the New England states and neighboring Canadian provinces. Their manuscript department, which is open only to members, houses over 2 million manuscript items. Some of the items date to the late fourteenth century. Much of the collection emphasizes the New England area. Included in the collection are thousands of unpublished family histories and genealogies, bibles and bible records, church, cemetery, town, and vital records, maps, photographs, etc.

Massachusetts Historical Society 1154 Boylston Street Boston, Massachusetts 02215 Telephone: 617-646-0532 Fax: 617-859-0074 Email: [mailto:library@masshist.org library@masshist.org]

Websites

 * Family History Library Catalog for the City of Boston