Chelsea, Suffolk County, Massachusetts Genealogy

United States Massachusetts  Suffolk  Chelsea

Brief History
This area was settled by the Rumney Marsh Indians of the Pawtucket Tribe. English Capt. John Smith discovered it in 1614. Samuel Maverick settled here in 1624. Called Number Thirteen, it was annexed to Boston in 1634, where its earliest history lies. Rumney Marsh was divided among twenty-one citizens of Boston, but consolidated into seven farms by 1639. The village of Winnissimet grew up where the ferry linked it to Boston one and a half miles away (twenty miles by land). The northern part of Boston was set off as Chelsea in 1739. The last divisions were the northeast side was set off as North Chelsea in 1846 and shortly after the southern portion of this new town was set off as Winthrop in 1852.

Historical Data
The basic data is from the "Historical Data" publication series with additions from various sources. Associated names Parts of Chelsea at one time were called Number Thirteen, Pullen Point, Rumney Marsh, and Winnissimet.

Village or section names include Bellingham, Forbes, Powser Horn Hill, and Prattville. Border changes Top of Page

Town Histories
Works written on the town include:

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 * Roll of honor of the city of Chelsea, a list of the soldiers and sailors who served on the quota of Chelsea, in the great Civil War ... (Chelsea, Mass., 1880), 213 pp. Biographies for each man listed. Digital versions at Internet Archive and Google Books. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Charles Bancroft Gillispie, The City of Chelsea, Massachusetts ... her history, her achievements, her opportunities (Chelsea, Mass., 1898), 203 pp. No digital version available online (except through FHL, next). WorldCat (Other Libraries); with digital link.
 * Mellen Chamberlain, A Documentary History of Chelsea: including the Boston precincts of Winnisimmet, Rumney Marsh, and Pullen Point, 1624-1824 (Boston, 1908), 2 vols. Digital versions at Internet Archive (v. 1 and v. 2), Google Books (v. 1 and v. 2), and Ancestry ($). WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Chelsea Wikipedia page.

Vital Records
The town's vital records are available in many locations: Original records Published records
 * Chelsea City Clerk's Office 500 Broadway Chelsea MA 02150 Phone 617-466-4050
 * Microfilm of the originals created by the Family History Library, Vital records (1738-1904) and indexes (1887-1965) ; Births (1901-1964), Marriages (1900-1964), Intentions (1905-1965), Indexes to Births (1738-1965) and Intentions (1887-1965) ; and Deaths (1850-1899).
 * Microfiche of the originals created by Archive Publishing covering vital records, 1655 [sic]-1850, on 30 fiche. NOT yet 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.
 * Vital Records of Chelsea, Massachusetts, to the year 1850 (Boston, 1916). This volume was microfilmed by the Family History Library, with digital link and in digital versions at Internet Archive and Googe Books. WorldCat (Other Libraries);  with digital link.


 * This includes, in part, church records from the First Unitarian Society of Revere (C.R.1) and Evangelical Congregational Church of Revere (C.R.2). Deaths are included from Revere Cem. (G.R.1), Revere Cem. as compiled by Mellen Chamberalin in history (G.R. 1a), Garden Cem. (G.R.2), Woodlawn Cem (G.R.3), Winthrop Cem. (G.R.4), and John Tewksbury's sexton's record (P.R. 1).

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