Massachusetts Land Records - FamilySearch Historical Records/Known Issues

Question 1
Question 1: Are there missing records in the waypoint Berkshire &gt; Deed index (grantee) &gt; 1761-1985 Babcock, S-Bienik? Answer 1: Yes. There are only images 1-1272 in the waypoint at present. They only cover through Floyd Babcock. The remaining images were missed in the upload. Until this issue can be corrected, the microfilm 1683055 that contains Berkshire &gt; Deed index (grantee) &gt; 1761-1985 Babcock, S-Bienik, W records can be viewed at the FamilySearch Library or some FamilySearch Centers.

Question 2
Question 2: I am looking for Berkshire County Land Records for the Southern District for 1790-1792 vol 29-30. Can you help me find them? Answer 2: The records for the Southern District and the Middle District for the years 1790-1792 vol 29-30 have been loaded into the same waypoint titled Berkshire &gt; Deeds 1790-1792 vol 29-30. Images 1-514 are from the Middle District, Images 515-1058 are from the Southern District.

Question 3
Question 3: Can you clarify the records located in the waypointBristol &gt; Deeds 1873-1874 vol 76-77? Answer 3: There are multiple districts in Bristol County. Images 1-611 are from the Fall River District. Images 612-1216 are from the New Bedford District.

Question 4
Question 4: I am trying to find deeds that should be in Middlesex County in 1875. Are there deeds missing? Answer 4: In the waypoint Middlesex &gt; Deeds 1875 vol 1341-1342 there were images missed in the upload. Images 1-104 that are online are from vol 1341. Additional images for vol 1341 and all of vol 1342 were missed. Film #0498365 can be viewed at the FamilySearch Library or some FamilySearch Centers

Question 5
Question 5: Can you explain why there are Franklin County records in Hampshire County? Answer 5: In the waypoints Hampshire &gt; Land grants 1663-1786 vol 1 and Hampshire &gt; Land grants 1663-1786 vol 2-4, the records are located in Hampshire county because that was the parent county before Franklin County was formed, so they were part of that county at the time of their inception. The catalog describes these records as “Microfilm of abstracts of Indian deeds to land formerly part of Hampshire County, now in Franklin County at the registry of deeds at Greenfield Courthouse, Greenfield, Massachusetts. All the abstracts are Indian deeds abstracted from Hampshire County records because Franklin County wasn't created until 1811.”

Question 6
Question 6: The Grantee and Grantor Indexes in Hampshire County are hard to search. Can you give me some help with this issue? Answer 6: The Grantee and Grantor Index cards in Hampshire County have all been labeled as Grantee and Grantor Indexes. Half of them are Grantee Indexes and half are Grantor Indexes. The record types themselves are separated in the waypoints, but the labels do not reflect that. They have been merged together alphabetically and so are hard to differentiate. For example:


 * Deed index (grantee and grantor) 1787-1986 Abel, Lucille C-Allard, Y has grantee cards.
 * Deed index (grantee and grantor) 1787-1986 Adams, Joseph-Allaire, Louis has grantor cards.

There are too many waypoints to list them all here, but the catalog clearly labels them separately. You can consult the catalog to help to clarify which waypoints are Grantor Indexes and which are Grantee Indexes. In the catalog use the keyword search “Massachusetts Land Records Hampshire”. Click the “Grantor and grantee card indexes, 1787-1986 [Hampshire County, Massachusetts]” and you will be directed to a page that lists these records.

Question #7: In the waypoint Suffolk &gt; Deed Index(grantee) vol 10-11, Na-Ry, there are images that are too dark and many are illegible. Can they be viewed somewhere else? Answer 7: Images 289-377 in this waypoint are dark and many are illegible. Looking at the microfilm in the FamilySearch Library verified that the images are dark on the film, but though the writing is small, the images are readable. Film #580664 can be viewed at the FamilySearch Library or some FamilySearch Centers.


 * Go to the Massachusetts Land Records - FamilySearch Historical Records wiki article
 * Go to the Massachusetts Land Records, 1620-1986 collection at FamilySearch.org