New Hampshire, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of vital and town records acquired from local town clerk offices. The collection includes records of births, marriages, and deaths for the years 1636 to 1947. The collection also includes vital registers, indexes, minutes of meetings and records of other civic activity.

Coverage Map
To see a coverage map of FamilySearch's holdings of New Hampshire marriages, click here.

What Can this Collection Tell Me?
The birth records may include any of the following:
 * Name of child
 * Date and place of birth
 * Gender
 * Race
 * Parents' names, residence, age, race, occupation and birthplace

The marriage records may include any of the following:
 * Name of the bride and groom
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Parents' names, residence, age, race, occupation and birthplace
 * Residence
 * Age
 * Occupation
 * Birthplace
 * Number of marriage

The death records may include any of the following:
 * Name of deceased
 * Date and place of death
 * Gender
 * Race
 * Age
 * Marital status
 * Occupation
 * Place of birth
 * Cause of death
 * Parents' names, birthplace, and occupation
 * Burial date and place

How Do I Search the Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor.
 * The approximate date of their birth, marriage, or death.
 * The place where the birth, marriage, or death occurred.

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select the County
 * 2) Select the Town
 * 3) Select the Record Type, Date Range and Volume which takes you to the images.

Some towns have indexed their records and the indexes are listed as a selection within the "Record Type, Date Range and Volume." If the town you are researching has an index you may want to search the index first.

If there is not an index, you will need to look at the images one by one. Compare the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the names and relationships as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information.
 * Use the names and residence or place to find the family in census records and to locate church and land records.
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have lived in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.
 * Occupations listed can lead you to employment records or other types of records such as military records.
 * Compiling the entries for every person who has the same surname as the primary individuals is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one record to another record.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Check for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning or end of each volume. In addition, local historical and genealogical societies may have indexes to local records.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.


 * Collection Citation:

"New Hampshire, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1636-1947." Database with images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 24 January 2017. Town clerk offices, New Hampshire.

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