Worcester County, Massachusetts Genealogy

Guide to Worcester County, Massachusetts ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Description
The county was named for Worcester, England. It is located in the north-central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Worcester County Courthouse 225 Main Street Worcester, MA 01608 Phone: 508-831-2010

Populated Places
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:

Extinct Town: Dana (1801-1938)

History Timeline
Worcester County was created in the middle of the two largest counties with a third county throwing in another small part collecting the towns of Lancaster, Leicester, Lunenburg, Rutland, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Westborough, and Worcester from Middlesex County; Hassanamisco [later Grafton], Medfield, Mendon, Oxford, Sutton, Uxbridge, and Woodstock from Suffolk County; and Brookfield and "the south town laid out to the Narraganset soldiers" [likely Brimfield] from Hampshire County. Settlement was mainly an outgrowth of the older settlements to the east and to a lesser degree from the Connecticut River Valley. There was an influx after the Revolutionary War that included migration up from Rhode Island and Connecticut in addition to the east. This is the largest county in area and there have been fifteen attempts to split the county though none were successful. The county seat is Worcester, the second largest city in all of New England. The county government was abolished on 1 July 1997, but its former jurisdiction is used for state offices as a district.

The basic data are from the historical county boundary series with additions from various sources.

Census Records

 * 1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * 1785-1919 Worcester, MA: Records of the First Unitarian Church, 1785-1919 at American Ancestors - index ($)
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records
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 [mailto:Elizabeth.Bouvier@sjc.state.ma.us Elizabeth.Bouvier@sjc.state.ma.us]

Quarterly Court of General Sessions of the Peace This court was active from 1731 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.

Online Court Indexes and Records
 * 1731-1862 (*) Worcester County Court of General Sessions of Peace at FamilySearch Catalog - images

Microfilmed Originals at the Massachusetts Archives:
 * Court of General Sessions, v. 1-8, 1731-1827.

Published Records:
 * Franklin P. Rice, ed., Records of the Court of General Sessions of the Peace for the County of Worcester, Massachusetts, from 1731 to 1737 (Worcester, Mass., 1882), 197 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); . Digital versions at Internet Archive, Google Books, and Hathi Trust.

Inferior Court of Common Pleas This court was active from 1731 to 1859. The court heard all civil cases over 40s unless a case involved freehold or was appealed from a justice of the peace.

Online Court Indexes and Records
 * 1731-1784 (*) Worcester County Inferior Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1784-1859 (*) Worcester County Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog - images

Microfilmed Originals at the Massachusetts Archives:
 * Court of Common Pleas, Executions, Record Book, [1744-1765]
 * Court of Common Pleas, Record Books, v. 1-131, 1731-1859

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.

Online Court Indexes and Records
 * 1797-1887 (*) Worcester County Supreme Judicial Court at FamilySearch Catalog - images

Microfilmed Originals at the Massachusetts Archives:
 * Superior Court, Divorce Index, 1887-1936
 * Superior Court, Divorce Docket Books, v. 2-11, 1888-1936 [v. 1 missing]

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.

Online Court Indexes and Records
 * 1797-1887 (*) Worcester County Supreme Judicial Court at FamilySearch Catalog - images

Microfilmed Originals at the Massachusetts_Genealogy_Guide:
 * Supreme Judicial Court, Record Books, v. 1-30, 1797-1887

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1837-1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images only

Land and Property Records
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. Worcester County is divided into two districts. The county was one district until the creation of the Northern District on 1 August 1884.

Worcester Northern District Registry of Deeds Putnam Place 166 Boulder Drive, Suite 202 Fitchburg, MA 01420 978-342-2132 Email: [mailto:fitchreg@sec.state.ma.us fitchreg@sec.state.ma.us] Website

This district includes Ashburnham, Fitchburg, Leonminster, Lunenburg, and Westminster. Records date back to 1868.

Online Land Indexes and Records - Northern District: Records include:
 * Worcester Northern Registry of Deeds at Worcester Northern District Registry of Deeds
 * Recorded Land indexes, 1955-present (Note: indexes prior to 1982 have not been verified).
 * Recorded Land Scanned Index by name, 1868-1965 (Note: work in progress).
 * Recorded Land images.
 * Recorded Land Plan indexes and images.
 * Land Court name index, 1899-present.
 * Land Court document images, 1899-present.
 * Land Court certificates, 1899-present.

There are no microfilmed records from this district.

Worcester South District Registry of Deeds 90 Front Street, Suite C201 Worcester, MA 01608 508-368-7000 Email: [mailto:Worcester.Deeds@sec.state.ma.us Worcester.Deeds@sec.state.ma.us] Website

This district included the entire county up to 1884 and all southern towns not listed above after that.

Online Land Indexes and Records - Southern District:
 * 1620-1986 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 1722-1889 (*) Worcester County Register of Deeds at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * Recorded Land Name Search at Worcester Registry of Deeds - Deeds are searchable by index since 1961. The older deeds can be viewed on the site, but only by volume and page. The records fully indexed online are:
 * Deeds [recorded land], 1961-present.
 * Plans, 1900-present.
 * Registered Land [Land Court], 1899-present.
 * Registered Land Plans, 1899.

Local Histories
Works written on the county include:
 * Biographical Review ... containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts (Boston, 1899), 1229 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); (with digital link). Digital versions at Internet Archive and Ancestry ($).
 * Francis Everett Blake, Worcester County, Massachusetts, Warnings, 1737-1788 (Worcester, Mass., 1899; rep. Camden, Me., 1992), 101 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries) (1992 ed.); (1992 ed.). Digital versions at Internet Archive and Google Books.
 * Rufus Choate, Argument for the Division of Worcester County on the petition of O. L. Huntley and others (Boston, 1854), 67 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. Digital versions at Internet Archive, Google Books, and Ancestry ($).
 * Zelote Wood Coombs, "Worcester County: its history, with discussion of attempts to divide it" in Worcester Historical Society Publications, New Series, 1 [1928-1935]: 169-184. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Ellery Bicknell Crane, History of Worcester County, Massachusetts (New York, 1924), 3v. WorldCat (Other Libraries); (with digital links for v. 1-2).
 * [Isaac Goodwin], "A Catalogue of the Several Congregational Ministers in the County of Worcester" in Worcester Magazine and Historical Journal, 2 [1826]: 371-375. WorldCat (Other Libraries); . Digital versions at Internet Archive and Google Books.
 * William B. Harding, "Origins of the Names of the Towns in Worcester County" in Proceedings of the Worcester Society of Antiquity 5 [1883], 97-117. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * D. Hamilton Hurd, ed., History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men (Philadelphia, 1889), 2v. (1762 pp.). WorldCat (Other Libraries); and . Digital versions at Internet Archive (v. 1 and v. 2) and Hathi Trust.
 * Lincoln Newton Kinnicutt, Indian Names of Places in Worcester County, Massachusetts, with interpretations of some of them (Worcester, Mass., 1905), 59 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); . Digital versions at Internet Archive and Google Books.
 * Kevin Joseph MacWade, "Worcester County, 1750-1774: a study of a provincial patronage elite," Ph.D. dissertation, Boston Univ., 1974, vii, 193 leaves. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Abijah P. Marvin, History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, ... from its first settlement to the present time, with a history and description of its cities and towns (Boston, 1879), 2v. WorldCat (Other Libraries); (with digital link). Digital versions at Internet Archive (v. 1 and v. 2), Google Books (v. 1 and v. 2), and Hathi Trust.
 * Thomas Noyes, "Complete List of Congregational Ministers, in the County of Worcester, Mass., from its settlement to the present time" in American Quarterly Register, 10 [1837-1838]: 47-65. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Peter Whitney, The History of the County of Worcester, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts: with a particular account of every town from its first settlement to the present time; including its ecclesiastical state, together with a geographical description of the same, to which is prefixed, a map of the county, at large, from actual survey (Worcester, Mass., 1793), vi, 339 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); . Digital versions at Internet Archive and Hathi Trust.
 * Henry Augustus Willis, "The Division of Worcester County" in Proceedings of the Fitchburg Historical Society, 3 [1902]: 70-83. WorldCat (Other Libraries); . Digital versions at Internet Archive, Google Books, and Haiti Trust.
 * The Worcester County MAGenWeb Project, an member of The MAGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Worcester County
 * FamilySearch Catalog for Worcester County

Maps and Gazetteers
There are so many published maps of interest to genealogists and historians that this list will not be recreated here. The focus is with resources you can access online and in the Family History Library.
 * F. W. Beers, Atlas of Worcester County, Massachusetts (1870), (1971 rep.) and, or online for view or sale at Historic Map Works.
 * Newberry Library, Chicago. Digital version online at Massachusetts Historical County Boundaries.
 * Henry F. Walling, Map of Worcester County, Massachusetts (1857), at the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, Boston Public Library.
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records
Revolutionary War
 * 1775-1783 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1805-1845 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Naturalization and Citizenship
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
 * 1871-1991 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1906-1817 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Federal Naturalization Records for Worcester County Worcester County Naturalization Records

Newspapers

 * 1800s-1999 Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry ($)

Probate Records
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 page. Worcester Probate and Family Court 225 Main Street Suite 2001 Worcester MA 01608 508 831-2200

Original records 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 [mailto:Elizabeth.Bouvier@sjc.state.ma.us Elizabeth.Bouvier@sjc.state.ma.us]

Online Probate Indexes and Records 1731-1881 Worcester County, MA: Index to Probate Records, 1731-1881 at American Ancestors - index ($)
 * 1635-1991 Massachusetts Wills and Probate Records 1635-1991 at Ancestry.com — index and images, ($)
 * 1731-1881 Worcester County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1731-1881 at American Ancestors - index & images ($)
 * 1731-1881 (*) Worcester County Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1731-1916 (*) Worcester County Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1731-1925 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 1731-1925 Worcester County, Massachusetts, U.S., Probate Files, 1731-1925 at Ancestry - index and images ($)
 * 1798-1854 (*) Worcester County Supreme Judicial Court at FamilySearch Catalog - images

Original Records on Microfilm at Massachusetts Archives; and New England Historic Genealogical Society
 * Indexes, 1731-1881, see published books below
 * Docket books, no. 1-68399
 * Record books, v. 1-833, 1731-1915
 * Signed releases, 1865-1879 (only at Massachusetts Archives)

Manuscript and Published Records
 * Janet K. Pease, "Worcester County, Massachusetts, Probate Abstracts, 1748-1751" (S.l., 1979), 47 leaves, FHL film 1033623 Item 7.
 * Index to the Probate Records of the County of Worcester, Massachusetts [1731-1920] (Worcester, Mass., 1898-1920), 5v. WorldCat (Other Libraries); (with digital link for up to 1881). Digital versions at Internet Archive: Series A, 1731-1881, A-King, Series A, 1731-1881, K-Z, Series B, 1881-1897, Series B, 1897-1909, Series B, 1910-1920; Hathi Trust - 5v.; and Ancestry ($) (1731-1881).
 * Shirley R. Pizziferri, "Early Worcester County Probate Records" in Mayflower Descendant. Search this journal at Search this journal at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($). Enter volumes and page numbers (see below).
 * Note: These are abstracts from the original file papers arranged in chronological order as the cases were filed covering July 1731 to March 1746.


 * Ruth Q. Wellner, "Worcester County, Massachusetts, Probate Abstracts" in Mayflower Descendant. Search this journal at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($). Enter volumes and page numbers (see below).
 * 53 [2004], 171-178
 * 54 [2005], 13-26, 137-151
 * 55 [2006], 53-71
 * 56 [2007], 32-46
 * 58 [2009], 11-26
 * Note: These are abstracts from the original file papers arranged in chronological order as the cases were filed covering May 1746 to September 1747 and a continuation from the previous item.

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 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

Town Records
Worcester County, Massachusetts Genealogy

This is a historical and genealogical guide to the county of Worcester. You will find help with town histories, vital records, deeds and land records, city directories, cemetery records and cemeteries, churches, town records, newspapers, maps, and libraries.


 * Massachusetts Genealogy Guide - Guide to Massachusetts State-wide Records

Birth

 * 1620-1988 Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1626-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1638-1961 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1753-1900 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1840-1910 Massachusetts, Birth Index, 1840-1910 at MyHeritage - index ($)
 * 1841-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Marriage

 * 1600-1961 Massachusetts, United States Marriages at at Findmypast — index, ($) — index $
 * 1620-1988 Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1626-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1638-1961 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1841-1915 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images; Also at: MyHeritage; index ($), Ancestry ($).
 * 1841-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Death

 * 1620-1988 Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1626-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1638-1961 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1840-1910 Massachusetts Death Index at MyHeritge - index only ($)
 * 1841-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Family History Centers

 * Boston Massachusetts Family History Center
 * Franklin Massachusetts Family History Center
 * Marlborough Massachusetts Family History Center
 * Franklin Massachusetts Family History Center
 * Worcester Massachusetts Family History Center
 * Chelmsford Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Leominster Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Reuben Hoar Library - an affiliate library
 * Thomas Crane Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
For information on additional archives and repositories, see
 * Worcester Public Library 3 Salem Square Worcester, MA 01608 Telephone:508-799-1655 Website
 * List of Massachusetts Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies

Museums

 * Worcester Historical Museum 30 Elm Street Worcester, MA 01609 Telephone:508)-753-8278 E-mail: [mailto:info@worcesterhistory.net info@worcesterhistory.net] Website

Societies

 * American Antiquarian Society 185 Salisbury Street Worcester MA 01609 (508) 755-5221 Email: [mailto:library@americanantiquarian.org library@americanantiquarian.org] Website This is the largest collection of U.S. printed material to 1876 in the United States. It has extensive newspaper and manuscripts holdings and a strong genealogical collection. A detailed guide to the collection by subject is available online and also find items in their online catalog.


 * Massachusetts Society of Genealogists, Inc. P. O. Box 215 Ashland, MA 01721-0215 Bristol, Merrimack Valley, Middlesex and Worcester Counties Website Facebook


 * Worcester County MA Historical Societies CountyOffice.orgWebsite

Websites

 * – 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

 * Massachusetts Genealogy Guide