Orleans, Barnstable County, Massachusetts Genealogy

Description
Orleans was named in honor of Historical data relating to counties, cities, and towns in Massachusetts (Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1997), [FS Library book 974.4 H2h 1997].
 * Orleans, Massachusetts at Wikipedia

Parent Towns
Archiac name: Namskaket, Pochet

Populated Places
Includes Neighborhoods, Villages, Unincorporated Communities, Districts, and Census-Designated Places: Barleyneck, East Orleans, Namskaket, Nemequoit, North Orleans, Orleans Center, Pochet, Portnomequot, Rock Harbor, South Orleans, Tonset, West Orleans

Boundary Changes

 * 3 March 1797: Incorporated as a town, from part of Eastham (St 1796, c64)
 * 9 March 1839: Part of Eastham annexed.
 * 20 February 1861: Bounds between Orleans and Brewster established.
 * 4 April 1862: Bounds between Orleans and Harwich established.
 * 14 April 1862: Bounds between Orleans and Chatham established.
 * 23 March 1867: Bounds between Orleans and Eastham established and part of each town annexed to the other town.
 * 20 June 1935: Bounds between Orleans and Brewster re-established.

Adjacent Towns
Brewster | Chatham | Harwich | Wellfleet | Cape Code Bay to the northwest, Atlantic Ocean to the east

Town Records
In New England most original vital records of birth, marriage, and death can be found at the town clerk's office

Orleans Town Clerk
19 School RD Orleans, MA 02653 Phone: 508-240-3700 x 405 Fax: 508-240-3388 Email: [mailto:cmay@town.orleans.ma.us cmay@town.orleans.ma.us] Website

Vital Records

 * Vital Records of the Towns of Eastham and Orleans at Ancestry ($).

Births

 * 1636-1924 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index*1636-1924  at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1637-1892 (*) Eastham and Orleans Town Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1649-1905 (*) Eastham and Orleans Town Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog - images

Marriages

 * 1637-1892 (*) Eastham and Orleans Town Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1649-1905 (*) Eastham and Orleans Town Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog - images

Deaths

 * 1637-1892 (*) Eastham and Orleans Town Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1649-1905 (*) Eastham and Orleans Town Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1765-1840 (*) Orleans Town Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog - images

Resources
For more County and State resources see:

Cemeteries

 * Orleans Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Barnstable County Cemeteries at FamilySearch Places
 * East Orleans Cemetery aka Meetinghouse Road Cemetery (1812)  east of Meetinghouse Road
 * Freeman Smallpox Cemetery off Rte 28 near Pleasant Bay South Orleans
 * Methodist Meeting House Cemetery aka Orleans Center Cemetery (1818)  Rte 6A and Main St Orleans Center
 * Orleans Cemetery (1723)  Rte 6A, Main St. East Orleans
 * Rogers Family Cemetery (1816)  Harwich Rd, between 28 and 39

City Directories

 * Various Dates U.S. City Directories, 1860-1960 at MyHeritage - index & images ($) some towns and years may be missing

Local Histories

 * A Comprehensive History, Ecclesiastical and Civil, of Eastham, Wellfleet and Orleans, County of Barnstable, Mass. : From 1644 To 1844. By Enoch Pratt. Yarmouth, Mass. : W.S. Fisher and Co., 1844. Online at: Hathi Trust, Ancestry ($)
 * Historical Sketches of the Towns and Cities of Plymouth and Barnstable Counties, Mass. By Dean Dudley. Wakefield, Mass. : Dean Dudley, 1873. Online at: Internet Archive

Maps
This selection incudes town, county, state, and historical maps
 * Boundary Map of Orleans at HomeTownLocator
 * Massachusetts County Map at Mass.gov
 * McConnell's Historical Maps of the United States at Library of Congress
 * Old Maps of Massachusetts at Old-Maps.com
 * Orleans at FamilySearch Places
 * Orleans at Google Maps
 * Orleans at Mapcarta
 * Massachusetts Maps State Page


 * USGS GNIS FID 618257

Military
Some Records are Searchable by Town
 * 1762-1863 (*) Orleans Town Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog - images

Revolutionary War, 1775-1783
For more Revolutionary War Military Records see:
 * Massachusetts Military Records - Revolutionary War, 1775-1783
 * United States Military Records - Revolutionary War, 1775-1783

Civil War, 1861-1865
For more Civil War Military Records see:
 * Massachusetts Military Records - Civil War, 1861-1865
 * United States Military Records - Civil War, 1861-1865

World War I, 1917-1918
For more World War I Military Records see:
 * Massachusetts Military Records - World War I, 1917-1918
 * United States Military Records - World War I, 1917-1918

World War II, 1941-1945
For more World War II Military Records see:
 * Massachusetts Military Records - World War II, 1941-1945
 * United States Military Records - World War II, 1941-1945

Newspapers

 * 1800-Current Massachusetts, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Other Town Records

 * 1762-1863 (*) Orleans Town Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1765-1840 (*) Orleans Town Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1798-1845 (*) Orleans Town Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog - images

FamilySearch Centers & Affiliate Libraries

 * Franklin Massachusetts FamilySearch Center
 * Hingham Massachusetts FamilySearch Center
 * Mount Hope Massachusetts FamilySearch Center
 * North Dartmouth Massachusetts FamilySearch Center
 * Providence Rhode Island FamilySearch Center
 * Dennis Public Library - Cape Cod Genealogical Society Library - an affiliate library
 * Eldredge Public Library - an affiliate library
 * General Society of Mayflower Descendants - an affiliate library
 * Middleborough Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Provincetown Public Library - an affiliate library