Roxbury, Norfolk County, Massachusetts Genealogy

United States Massachusetts  Roxbury  Roxbury Roxbury (1630-1868) Roxbury was  a town in Norfolk County before it was annexed to Boston in Suffolk County. This guide discusses the records created by this town and includes references to material of present-day Roxbury (the neighborhood of Boston) as well. Be careful of the time period you are researching here as the records you need may be in one of two counties or one of two towns.

Brief History
Roxbury was one of several towns settled by the passengers from the Winthrop Fleet in 1630. The settlement grew when the famed Rev. John Eliot (called "the Apostle to the Indians") arrived in 1632 with a group of his followers called "Nazeing Christians." It is under Eliot that the church is established (with residents attended Dorchester's church before his arrival). Some settlers moved away when the wealthiest resident, William Pynchon, moved in 1636 to establish Springfield. The leadership void was filled by Thomas Dudley moving to town. There were strong connections to East Anglia among the residents. The land was distributed quickly unlike other towns around. It was not until the town was granted more land in 1660 by Massachusetts Bay Colony that this situation changed. The grant, called New Roxbury, was later renamed Woodstock and eventually became part of Connecticut.

While the northeastern section was becoming one of America's first streetcar suburbs, the rural southwestern section became home to Brook Farm in 1841, a utopian commune based of the ideals of the Transcendentalism movement. English, Irish, and German immigrants were attracted to the industrial sections in the north arrived by the mid-1800s. The town was split in 1851 and the rural western two-thirds was established as a new town of West Roxbury. The east become more integrated with the city until it was annexed to Boston in 1868, after which it was referred to as Boston Highlands. The Irish concentrated in the Dudley Square area and Neponset. After 1900, a large Jewish community settled along the Blue Hill Avenue corridor (before annexation called Grove Hall Avenue). Twenty years prior to the Great Depression and after World War II through the 1950s, there was a massive migration of African-Americans from the South to the northeast. In Boston, the community settled in Roxbury.

Historical Data
The basic data is from the "Historical Data" publication series with additions from various sources. Associated names Roxbury at one time was called Rocsbury and Rocksbury. After annexation, it was called Boston Highlands.

Village or section names include Dudley Square, Egleston Square, Grove Hall, Highland Park, Jamaica Plain (until 1851), Lower Roxbury, Mission Hill, Punch Bowl (now Brookline Village), Roslindale (until 1851), Roxbury Crossing, South End (partially in downtown Boston), Washington Park, and West Roxbury (until 1851). Border changes Top of Page

Town Histories
Works written on the town include:

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 * Charles M. Ellis, The History of Roxbury Town (Boston, 1847), 146 pp. Digital versions at Internet Archives, Jamaica Plain Historical Society, Hathi Trust, and Ancestry ($). WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Isaac Childs (1792-1885), "Roxbury Records: Hastily grouped or classed to families" (S.l., s.n.), 595, [14] pp. Manuscript held by the New England Historic Genealogical Society and described as "Handwritten extract of town vital statistic data compiled into family groups. Also includes list of deaths, 1633-1655, and marriages from Roxbury church records which were unconnected with any record of births from the town records, 1635-1784."
 * Francis S. Drake, The Town of Roxbury : its memorable persons and places, its history and antiquities, with numerous illustrations of its old landmarks and noted personages (Roxbury, Mass., 1878; rep. Bowie, Md., 1994), vi, 493 pp. Also part of the Record Commissioner's Report, v. 34 (Boston, 1905). Richard Whiting Bonney, The Town of Roxbury by Francis S. Drake: Index of Names ([Needham, Mass., 2001]), 23 leaves. Digital versions at Internet Archive and Google Books. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * 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. 1891 version: Digital version at Google Books. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. 1909 version: Digital versions at Internet Archive and Google Books. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Dick Pierce, Roxbury: A Brief History of its people, places, and things (Roxbury, Mass., 2005?), 50 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries) - no library listed; Not at FHL.
 * Roxbury Wikipedia page.

Vital Records
All the pre-1646 town records were lost, those most were recreated. The town's vital records are available in many locations:

Published records
 * Boston Registry Division 1 City Hall Square Room 213 Boston MA 02201 Phone 617-635-4175 Email [mailto:Registry@cityofboston.gov Registry@cityofboston.gov]
 * Microfilm of the originals created by the Family History Library, Vital Records and Indexes (1630-1867),.
 * Microfiche of the originals created by Archive Publishing covering town vital records, 1630-1867, Third Parish Church, Roxbury (Jamaica Plain), 1771-1860, and First Baptist Church, Roxbury, 1821-1884 on 148 fiche. Part of Massachusetts, Town Vital Collections, 1620–1988 at Ancestry ($); Index.
 * Official state copy of vital records starting in 1841: Massachusetts Archives 220 Morrissey Blvd. Boston MA 02125 Phone 617-727-2816 Email [mailto:archives@sec.state.ma.us archives@sec.state.ma.us] Hours and Directions See the online guide for more information.
 * [Record of births in Roxbury, Mass., 1730-1752] [i.e. 1730-1747] (mss., 1 leaf). Manuscript held by the New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston.
 * Vital Records of Roxbury, Massachusetts, to the end of the year 1849 (Boston, 1925), 2 vols. These volume were microfilmed by the Family History Library, and in digital versions at Ancestry ($) and Hathi Trust (v. 1 only). In a database at American Ancestors ($). WorldCat (Other Libraries);.


 * This includes, in part, church records from the First Religious Society (Unitarian) (C.R.1), First Congregational Parish of West Roxbury (Unitarian) (C.R.2), First Congregational Society of Jamaica Plain (Unitarian) (C.R.3), Dudley St. Baptist Church (C.R. 4), St. James Episcopal Church (C.R. 5), Eliot Congregational Church (C.R. 6), and South Congregational Church, West Roxbury. (C.R. 7). Deaths are included from Eliot Cem. (G.R.1), Westerly Cem. (West Roxbury) (G.R.2), Walter Street Cem. (West Roxbury) (G.R.3), Jamaica Plain Cem. (G.R.4), and Warren Cem. (G.R.5).

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City Directories
Roxbury was published in 1847, 1848, 1848/9, 1850, 1852, 1854, 1856, 1858, 1860, 1862, 1864, 1866.

The Library of Congress (Washington, D.C.) has one of the largest collections of city directories in the country. They are likely to own most of the years listed above. Their collection is in microfiche, microfilm, and books, but there is no online inventory of their holdings except for microfilm. See their guide online.

Other holdings:

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 * Ancestry ($) has 1848/9, 1850, 1852, 1854, 1856, 1858, 1860, 1862, 1864, 1866.
 * Boston Public Library has 1847, 1848, 1848/9, 1850, 1852, 1854, 1856, 1858, 1860, 1862, 1864, 1866.
 * Family History Library (Salt Lake City) has and  (with digital link).
 * fold3 ($) has none.
 * Massachusetts State Library has 1848/9, 1850, 1854, 1856, 1862, 1864, 1866.
 * New England Historic Genealogical Society (Boston) ($) has 1848/9, 1850, 1852, 1854, 1856, 1858, 1860, 1862, 1864, 1866.

Maps
After the city of Roxbury was annexed to the city of Boston, this area appeared in numerous atlases of the city of Boston, being the closer annexed area to downtown Boston. Below are the published atlases that include Roxbury (the neighborhood).


 * John Groves Hales, Map of the town of Roxbury ([Boston], 1832). Digital versions at Boston Public Library and Jamaica Plain Historical Society. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Charles Whitney and George W. Boynton, [Map of the town of Roxbury : surveyed by order of the town authorities] ([Boston?], 1843). Digital version at Boston Public Library. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Charles Whitney, Map of the City of Roxbury ([Boston?], rev. ed., 1849). Note: Shows ward boundaries and old town borders. Digital version at Boston Public Library. Not on WorldCat or FHL.
 * G. M. Hopkins, Atlas of Suffolk, Massachusetts. Vol. 2nd Late City of Roxbury (Philadelphia, 1873). Digital versions at Historic Map Works and Ward Maps. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.

Most of the following Bromley atlases are viewable at The Boston Atlas. Select your viewer and then unclick the top layer maps. Choose the top item, click "Boston Public Library," then "Bromley Atlases," then "Roxbury," and last the map you want. Play with the other options to see more maps than listed here.


 * George W. Bromley and Walter S. Bromley, Atlas of the city of Boston Roxbury : from actual surveys and official plans (Philadelphia, 1889), 40 colored double maps. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * George W. Bromley and Walter S. Bromley, Atlas of the city of Boston, city proper and Roxbury, from actual surveys and official plans (Philadelphia, 1890), 40 colored double maps. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * George W. Bromley and Walter S. Bromley, Atlas of the City of Boston : Boston Proper and Roxbury (Philadelphia, 1895), 43 colored double maps. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * George W. Bromley and Walter S. Bromley, Atlas of the city of Boston : Roxbury : from actual surveys and official plans (Philadelphia, 1915), 40 colored double maps. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Atlas of the city of Boston : Roxbury : from actual surveys and official plans (Philadelphia, 1931), 37 folded leaves. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.

For other maps of Roxbury, see the links in the blog Fort Hill History. Top of Page THIS PAGE BEING POPULATED IN SECTIONS. MORE TO FOLLOW SOON.