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
Contents
- 1 County Information
- 2 Worcester County Massachusetts History
- 3 Populated Places
- 4 Worcester County Massachusetts Genealogy Resources
- 5 Worcester County Massachusetts Genealogy Societies and Libraries
- 6 Worcester County Massachusetts Genealogy References
County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
The county was named for Worcester, England. It is located in the north-central area of the state.[1]
Worcester County, Massachusetts Record Dates[edit | edit source]
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| at town creation | at town creation | at town creation | 1731 | 1731 | 1731 | 1779 |
Worcester County Massachusetts History[edit | edit source]
Brief History[edit | edit source]
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.[3]
Historical Data[edit | edit source]
The basic data are from the historical county boundary series[4] with additions from various sources.
| Dates | Events |
|---|---|
| 10 July 1731 | Worcester County was created from area along the undefined border between Hampshire County to the west and Middlesex County to the east plus the southwestern corner of Suffolk County that included what is now Woodstock, Connecticut. [Prov. Laws, 2: 584] |
| 29 June 1732 | Added land from Groton and Littleton in Middlesex Co. when the town of Harvard was established. |
| 14 June 1735 | Added land from Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., when western half of town was set off as the new town of Upton, Worcester Co. |
| 16 Jan. 1741/2 | Added land from Brimfield and Kingsfield [now Palmer], Hampshire Co., with western part of Brookfield to set off the new town of Western [now Warren]. |
| -- May 1749 | Woodstock, Connecticut seceded to Connecticut. |
| 12 Apr. 1753 9 June 1756 |
Borders redefined and dispute between Hardwick and Greenwich, Hampshire Co., settled. |
| 5 Jan. 1764 | Small gain to Western [now Warren] from Palmer, Hampshire Co. |
| 5 Feb. 1765 | Small loss when part of Hardwick annexed to Greenwich, Hampshire Co. |
| 6 Mar. 1767 | Small loss when part of Ashburnham was annexed to northern half of Fitchburg, Middlesex Co., to set off the new town of Ashby, Middlesex Co. |
| 25 Feb. 1783 | Small loss when part of Harvard annexed to Boxborough, Middlesex Co. |
| 15 Oct. 1783 | Part of Athol and Royalton set off to create the new town of Orange, Hampshire Co. |
| 16 Mar. 1784 | Small gain when parts of Bolton and Northborough set off to create the new town of Berlin with a small part annexed from Marlborough, Middlesex Co. |
| 7 Mar. 1786 | Small gain when Southborough annexed part of Framingham, Middlesex Co. |
| 16 Nov. 1792 | Large triangular piece of land in Ashburnham annexed to Ashby, Middlesex Co. |
| 15 July 1794 | Small gain when Western [now Warren] annexed part of Palmer, Hampshire Co. |
| 18 Feb. 1801 | Large gain when parts of Hardwick and Petersham set off to create the new town of Dana with a part annexed from Greenwich, Hampshire Co. |
| 20 June 1807 | Small gain when Northborough annexed part of Marlborough, Middlesex Co. |
| 8 Mar. 1808 | Small gain when Upton annexed part of Hopkinton, Middlesex Co. |
| 7 Feb. 1816 | Small gain when Athol annexed part of Orange, Hampshire Co. |
| 8 Feb. 1823 | Small loss when a part of Western [now Warren] was annexed to Ware, Hampshire Co. |
| 3 Nov. 1826 | Irregularities of the county line with Windham Co., Conn., straightened. |
| 11 Feb. 1829 | One acre gained when Bolton annexed part of Marlborough, Middlesex Co. |
| 3 Mar. 1829 | Small loss when a part of Fitchburg was annexed to Ashby, Middlesex Co. |
| 5 Feb. 1830 | Small gain when Athol annexed part of New Salem, Franklin Co. |
| 7 Feb. 1831 | Small loss when a part of Western [now Warren] was annexed by Palmer, Hampden Co. |
| 27 Mar. 1835 | Gained when Milford annexed part of Holliston and Hopkinton, Middlesex Co. |
| 16 Mar. 1837 | Gained when Athol annexed part of New Salem, Franklin Co. |
| 16 Mar. 1838 | Redefined border between Bolton and Marlborough, Middlesex Co. |
| 24 Mar. 1843 | Small loss when a part of Southborough was annexed by Marlborough, Middlesex Co. |
| 3 Mar. 1846 25 Apr. 1848 |
Border redefined between Lunenburg and Shirley, Middlesex Co. |
| 1 Apr. 1859 | Small gain when Milford annexed part of Holliston, Middlesex Co. |
| 20 Mar. 1868 | Small loss when part of Bolton was annexed by Hudson, Middlesex Co. |
| 7 Mar. 1872 | Exchanged between Mendon and Bellingham, Norfolk Co. |
| 16 May 1901 1 May 1905 |
Redefined border for Southborough and Berlin with Marlborough and Hudson, Middlesex Co. |
| 14 June 1906 | Small loss when part of Harvard was annexed by Boxborough and Littleton, Middlesex Co. |
| 16 May 1907 | Redefined border for Milford and Upton with Hopkinton, Middlesex Co. |
| 28 Apr. 1938 | Large gain when Quabbin Reservoir created and "drowned" four towns. Petersham annexed part of Dana, and Greenwich and Prescott, Hampshire Co., and Hardwick annexed part of Greenwich. |
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.
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:[5]
| Cities | ||
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Census-designated places | ||
| Historic communities | ||
|
|
|
Extinct Town: Dana (1801-1938)
Go to Archive.org to find published materials for the town of Dana Mass.
County Histories[edit | edit source]
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); FHL book 974.43 D3b and film 1698091 Item 4 (with digital link).
Digital versions at Internet Archive and Ancestry ($). - Francis Everett Blake, Worcester County, Massachusetts, Warnings, 1737-1788 (Worcester, Mass., 1899; rep. Camden, Me., 1992), 101 pp.
WorldCat (Other Libraries) (1992 ed.); FHL book 974.43 N2w (1992 ed.).
Digital versions at Internet Archive and Google Books. - Rufus Choate, Argument for the Division of Worcester County on the petition of O. L. Huntley and others (Boston, 1854), 67 pp.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
Digital versions at Internet Archive, Google Books, and Ancestry ($). - 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); FHL book 974.43/W2 H25wa. - Ellery Bicknell Crane, History of Worcester County, Massachusetts (New York, 1924), 3v.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974.43 H2c v. # and film 1573584 Item 5 (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); FHL film 1698203 Item 5.
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); FHL book 974.43/W2 H25w v. #. - 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); FHL book 974.43 H2hd v. # and film 2055450 and 2055304 and FHL digital book.
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); FHL digital book.
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); FHL film 1321003 Item 1 and 1425612 Item 3 (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); FHL film 1321014 Item 3.
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); FHL book 974.43/F1 H2f v.#.
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.org FamilySearch Catalog for Worcester County
Worcester County Massachusetts Genealogy Resources[edit | edit source]
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
In Massachusetts, the original vital records (of births, marriages, and deaths) have been created and maintained by the town or city in which the event occurred. In very early colonial times, copies of these records were submitted to the county, but that practice died out long before 1700. There were marriage intentions commonly recorded in the bride's home town and additional recordings maybe found in the groom's home town and their current residence.
Massachusetts was the first state to bring a unified state-level recording of these events (but not marriage intentions) in 1841 (Boston excluded until 1850). The associated records of divorce and adoption are handled by the courts. The state has maintained a state-wide index to divorces since 1952, but adoption records will require more researching to discover.
It is easiest to start with the state vital records for events since 1841, though realize the original record is with the town or city. More details can be found on the Massachusetts Genealogy Guide page.
Online Vital Records
- 1626-2001 - Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1638-1961 - Massachusetts Town Records, ca. 1638-1961 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1841-1920 - Massachusetts State Vital Records, 1841-1920 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
Birth[edit | edit source]
- 1666-1970 - Massachusetts, Delayed and Corrected Vital Records, 1753-1900 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1600-1961 - Massachusetts, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
- 1841-1915 - Massachusetts Marriages, 1841-1915 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
Cemetery[edit | edit source]
| Tombstone Transcriptions Online | Tombstone Transcriptions in Print | List of Cemeteries in the county |
| Findagrave.com | Family History Library | Findagrave.com |
| USGenWeb | WorldCat | Billion Graves |
| MAGenWeb Archives | FamilySearch Places | |
| Tombstone Project | ||
| MAInterment | ||
| MAGravestones | ||
| Billion Graves | ||
| See Massachusetts Cemeteries for more information. | ||
Census[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1790 | 56,764 | — |
| 1800 | 61,192 | 7.8% |
| 1810 | 64,910 | 6.1% |
| 1820 | 73,625 | 13.4% |
| 1830 | 84,355 | 14.6% |
| 1840 | 95,313 | 13.0% |
| 1850 | 130,789 | 37.2% |
| 1860 | 159,659 | 22.1% |
| 1870 | 192,716 | 20.7% |
| 1880 | 226,897 | 17.7% |
| 1890 | 280,787 | 23.8% |
| 1900 | 346,958 | 23.6% |
| 1910 | 399,657 | 15.2% |
| 1920 | 455,135 | 13.9% |
| 1930 | 491,242 | 7.9% |
| 1940 | 504,470 | 2.7% |
| 1950 | 546,401 | 8.3% |
| 1960 | 583,228 | 6.7% |
| 1970 | 637,969 | 9.4% |
| 1980 | 646,352 | 1.3% |
| 1990 | 709,705 | 9.8% |
| 2000 | 750,963 | 5.8% |
| 2010 | 798,552 | 6.3% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
Church Records[edit | edit source]
List of Churches and Church Parishes
Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]
- 1837 - 1965 - Maine & Massachusetts Case Files of Deceased and Deserted Seamen 1837-1965 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
Land 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. 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
Phone 978-342-2132
Email fitchreg@sec.state.ma.us
This district includes Ashburnham, Fitchburg, Leonminster, Lunenburg, and Westminster. Records date back to 1868.
Records are available at the Registry. Most of the records are available ONLINE, they are:
- 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
Worcester MA 01608
Phone: 508-798-7717
This district included the entire county up to 1884 and all southern towns not listed above after that.
The original records are held by the Registry. All their records are available ONLINE at www.masslandrecords.com/worcester. 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.
Note: To see records before 1961, you must first go to the SEARCH OUR DOCUMENTS option from the Registry page at the left that takes you to the masslandrecords.com website for "Southern" Worcester District. Under the link at the top left called "Search Criteria," you can select the grantor or grantee index. From the new search page, you can search for a surname or exact name. The default is the period up to 1839. Later periods to 1960 can be selected before your search. These indexes will give you the volume and page you need for the Registry's main search page of older records by volume and page.
Note: All these records (FHL film 842930 (1st of 416)) listed below are online at FamilySearch.org as a browsable collection only (as of Aug. 2013).
- Grantor indexes, 1731-1889, 22 reels.
- Grantee indexes, 1731-1889, 18 reels.
- Deeds, v. 1 (1722) - v. 716 (1866).
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
- FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places
for more resources
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 page.
Worcester Probate and Family Court
225 Main Street Suite 2001
Worcester MA 01608
508 831-2200
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
- 1635 – 1991 Massachusetts Wills and Probate Records 1635-1991 at Ancestry.com — index and images, $
The following records are available at the FHL film 859169 (1st of 319); Massachusetts Archives; and New England Historic Genealogical Society with records through v. 469 (1881).
- 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).
- Probate records, 1798-1854.
- 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); FHL book 974.43 P2h v. # (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 NEHGS/American Ancestors using their Search Form. Enter volumes and page numbers (see below). Note: A login account is free but required to see results.
|
|
|
- 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 NEHGS/American Ancestors using their Search Form. Enter volumes and page numbers (see below). Note: A login account is free but required to see results.
- 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.
Other 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[edit | edit source]
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.
The records microfilmed at the Family History Library:
- Court sessions, v. 1-20, 1731-1862, FHL films 859239-859250.
These films will need to be viewed to see what the post-1827 record contain as the court no longer existed then.
The records microfilmed at the Massachusetts Archives:
- Court of General Sessions, v. 1-8, 1731-1827.
Derivative records published:
- 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); FHL book 974.43/W2 H25w v. 5 and film 864091 Item 4.
Digital versions at Internet Archive, Google Books, and Hathi Trust.
Inferior Court of Common Pleas[edit | edit source]
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.
The records microfilmed at the Family History Library:
- Court records, v. 1-11, 1731-1784; Executions, 1774-1792, FHL film 868526 Items 2-3 (1st of 8).
- Court records, v. 12-131, 1784-1859, FHL film 894969 (1st of 56).
The records microfilmed 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[edit | edit source]
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.
- Superior Court, divorce index, 1887-1936, at Massachusetts Archives.
- Superior Court, divorce docket books, v. 2-11, 1888-1936 [v. 1 missing], at Massachusetts Archives.
Supreme Judicial Court[edit | edit source]
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.
- Supreme Judicial Court, record books, v. 1-30, 1797-1887, FHL film 2200257 (1st of 10) and Massachusetts Archives.
Naturalization Records[edit | edit source]
- 1871-1991 - Massachusetts, United States Naturalization Records, 1871-1991 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
1906-1917 - Massachusetts, Naturalization Records, 1906-1917 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
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.
| Record | Dates | Location | Index | Microfilm/Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Superior Court | 1809-1991 | Judicial Archives | Card index | Records, 1906-1945, at Mass. Arch. RR Petitions, 1906-1945, v. 1-165 (#1-43193), and Petition index, 1885-1939, 1939-1949, FHL film 2111407 (1st of 123) Declarations, 1909-1945, v. 1-101 (#1-57057), FHL film 2132429 (1st of 32) Returns of naturalization, 1916-1929, FHL film 1902579 Naturalization records index, 1943-1978, and Declarations index, 1943-1978, FHL film 2110956 (1st of 10) |
| Clinton District Court | 1891-1896 | Judicial Archives | Card index | NO microfilm |
| Dudley/Webster District Court | 1885-1906 | Judicial Archives | Card index | NO microfilm |
| Fitchburg District Court | 1885-1906 | Judicial Archives | Card index | NO microfilm |
| Grafton/Westborough District Court | 1885-1906 | Judicial Archives | Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FHL film 1429671 (1st of 117) | Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906 |
| Worcester District Court | 1850-1855 1885-1906 |
Judicial Archives | Part of Card Index to New England Naturalization Petitions, 1791-1906, NARA M1299, FHL film 1429671 (1st of 117) | Part of the United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906 |
Maps[edit | edit source]
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), FHL book Large Q 974.43 E5b (1971 rep.) and FHL CD-ROM no. 1481, 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.
Military[edit | edit source]
Revolutionary War[edit | edit source]
- 1775 - 1783 - Massachusetts, Revolutionary War, Index Cards to Muster Rolls, 1775-1783 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
- 1805 - 1845 - Massachusetts Revolutionary War Bounty Land Applications, 1805-1845 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
Worcester County Massachusetts Genealogy Societies and Libraries[edit | edit source]
American Antiquarian Society
185 Salisbury Street
Worcester MA 01609
Telephone:508-755-5221
Email 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.
Worcester Public Library
3 Salem Square
Worcester, MA 01608
Telephone:508-799-1655
Website
Worcester Historical Museum
30 Elm Street
Worcester, MA 01609
Telephone:508)-753-8278
E-mail: info@worcesterhistory.net
Website
Massachusetts Society of Genealogists - Worcester Chapter
PO Box 215
Ashland MA 01721
Email president@msoginc.org
Website
For information on additional archives and repositories, see
- List of Massachusetts Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical & Genealogical Societies
- Massachusetts Archives for information on additional archives and repositories
- List of Massachusetts Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical & Genealogical Societies
Family History Centers[edit | edit source]
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
Worcester County Massachusetts Genealogy References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Worcester, County," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://www.britannica.com/place/Worcester-county-Massachusetts
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Worcester 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.
- ↑ Abolished County Governments - Secretary of State, Acts of 1997, Ch. 48, Sect. 1.
- ↑ Massachusetts Atlas of Historical County Boundaries
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Worcester County, Massachusetts," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worcester_County,_Massachusetts, accessed 5 March 2020.
Connecticut: Tolland | Windham
New Hampshire: Cheshire | Hillsborough
Rhode Island: Providence County
