CENSUS RECORDS

Federal censuses for Massachusetts exist from the first census in 1790, and are available through 1920 with the exceptions of the mostly destroyed census of 1890. The 1870 and 1910 censuses are currently unindexed. The 1800 census fails to include enumerations for Boston and much of Suffolk County, but can be substituted with the 1798 U.S. Direct Tax list.

Two state censuses exist; 1855 and 1865. They contain much the same information as the federal censuses of that era, and are currently being indexed and published. They are now available on microfilm. Original state copies and microfilm copies of the federal population, mortality, industry, and agriculture schedules are held by the Massachusetts State Archives.

Massachusetts Research Sources

Bowen, Richard LaBarron. Massachusetts Records: A Handbook for Genealogist, Historians, Lawyers, and Other Researchers. Rehoboth: privetly printed, 1957.

Schweitzer, George K. Massachusetts Genealogical Research. Knoxville: the author, 1990.

Marcia Wiswall Lindberg's Genealogist's Handbook for New England Research. Boston: The New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1985.

Crandall, Ralph J., editor. Genealogical Research in New England. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1984.

Archives, Libraries, Societies, and Other Resources

New England Historical and Genealogical Society (NEHGS)
101 Newbury Street
Boston, MA 02116-3007
Tel: 617-836-5740
  888-AT-NEHGS (Membership & Education)
  888-BY-NEHGS (Sales)
  888-90-NEHGS (Library Circulation)
Fax: 617-536-7307
Email: nehgs@nehgs.org
http://www.nehgs.org/

Plymouth Colony Genealogists
60 Sheridan Street
Brockton, MA 02402-2852

General Society of Mayflower Descendants
Mayflower Society Museum
4 Winslow Street
P.O. Box 3297
Plymouth, MA 02361
Tel: 508-746-2590
Email: gsmd@tiac.net
http://www.mayflower.org/

Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants
376 Boylston Street, 2nd Floor
Boston, MA 02116
Tel: 617-266-1624
Email: msmd@tiac.net
http://www.tiac.net/users/msmd/

Colonial Society of Massachusetts
87 Vernon Street
Boston, MA 02108
Tel: 617-227-2782

Massachusetts Historical Commission
220 Morrissey Blvd.
Boston, MA 02125
Tel: 617-727-8470
Fax: 617-727-5128
TDD: 800-392-6090
http://www.state.ma.us/sec/mhc/

Massachusetts Historical Society
1154 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02215
Tel: 617-536-1608
Email: library@masshist.org
http://www.masshist.org/

Bostonian Society
Museum and Mail:
Old State House
206 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02109
Tel: 617-720-3290 General Information
Fax: 617-720-3289
Email: museum@bostonhistory.org
Library:
15 State Street
Boston, MA 02109
Tel: 617-720-3285
Email: library@bostonhistory.org
Email: bostoniansociety@bostonhistory.org (Functions)
http://bostonhistory.org/

Peabody Essex Museum
Phillips Library
East Indian Square
Salem, MA 01970
Tel: 800-745-4054
  800-745-1876 (library)
Fax: 508-744-0036
Email: pem@pem.org
http://www.pem.org/

Salem Witch Museum
19 1/2 Washington Square, North
Salem, MA 01970
Tel: 508-744-1692
Email: facts@salemwitchmuseum.com
http://www.salemwitchmuseum.com/

Boston Public Library
Copley Square
666 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02117
Tel: 617-536-5400 ext. 241
Email: mbdunhouse@bpl.org
http://www.bpl.org/

Massachusetts State Library
341 State House
Beacon Hill
Boston, MA 02133
Tel: 617-727-2590
http://www.library.tufts.edu/tulips/msl.html (Catalog)

Massachusetts USGenWeb Project
http://www.rootsweb.com/~magenweb/

Mayflower Web Pages
http://members.aol.com/calebj/mayflower.html