Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts Genealogy

Brief History

 * Salem, Massachusetts at Wikipedia
 * Salem, Massachusetts Historical Background

Establishment and Former Town Name(s)

 * Historical data relating to counties, cities, and towns in Massachusetts (Boston, Massachusetts : New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1997), [FHL book 974.4 H2h 1997]


 * 1620: A patent was granted by King James to the Duke of Lenox and a council of about forty men to rule, govern and plant this area.
 * 1626: Founded at the mouth of Naumkeag (a Wampanoag Indian name).
 * 1629: Roger Conant directed a company of Fisherman to start a beach community on the shores of Salem. The town was incorporated in 1629.
 * 23 August 1630: Mentioned "...Mattapan and Salem only exempted". (Mass. Bay Rec. Vol. I, p. 73)
 * 23 March 1836: Incorporated as a city.
 * 4 April 1836: Act of March 23, 1836, accepted by the town.
 * Archiac name: Fort Mary, Naumkeag, Nehume, Sholom Naumkeag.


 * Section/Villages Within the City: Atlantic, Baker's Island, Blubber Hollow, Buffum's Corner, Carltonville, Castle Hill, Forest River, Gallows Hill, Juniper Point, Misery Island, Navon, North Salem, Salem Neck, Salem Willows, South Salem, The Point, Turnpike, Winter Island.

Boundary Changes

 * 4 March 1634: Bounds established between Marble Harbor and Salem.
 * 4 March 1635: Bounds established between Salem and Saugus, and Salem and Marblehead.
 * 20 November 1637: Bounds between Salem and Saugus certified.
 * 13 March 1639: Bounds between Salem and Lynn established.
 * 5 November 1639: Land granted to inhabitants of Salem establish Salem Village. Marginal note reads: "Land granted to Salem Village, now Wenham"
 * 13 May 1640: Grant of land to inhabitants of Salem for a village at "Jeffryes Creeke" and the bounds of the said village referred to certain men to settle.
 * 3 May 1642: Bounds between Jeffryes Creeke, Cape Ann and Ipswich, established
 * 14 May 1645: Part called "Jeffreyes Creek established as Manchester.
 * 2 May 1649: Part established as Marblehead
 * 19 October 1658: Bounds between Salem and Topsfield established.
 * 16 October 1660: Certain islands known by name of the "Miserjes &amp; Bakers island", granted to Salem.
 * 29 May 1664: Bounds between Salem and Topsfield established.
 * 7 November 1668: Port called "Bass River" established as Beverly.
 * 20 June 1728: Part included in new town of Middleton.
 * 11 September 1753: Part annexed to Beverly.
 * 17 March 1840: Bounds between Salem and Danvers established
 * 30 April 1856: Bounds between Salem and South Danvers established and part of each place annexed to the other place.
 * 3 April 1867: Part annexed to Swampscott.
 * 27 March 1882: Part of Peabody annexed.


 * GNIS ID # 619453
 * Geographic location:Google 
 * Hometown Locator

Town Clerk
The town clerk is responsible for these records, and so most originals can be found at the town clerk's office

93 Washington Street Salem, MA 01970 Phone: 978-745-9595 x 5610 Fax: 978-740-9209 Website

Adjacent Towns
Essex Co.:  Beverly | Danvers | Lynn | Marblehead | Peabody | Swampscott

Cemeteries

 * Broad Street Cemetery 5 Broad St.
 * Charter Street Cemetery 51 Charter St.
 * Friends Cemetery 396 1/2 Essex St.
 * Greenlawn Cemetery 57 Orne St.
 * Harmony Grove Cemetery 30 Grove St.
 * Howard Street Cemetery 29 Howard St.
 * St. Mary's Cemetery 226 North St.
 * St. Peter's Cemetery 22-24 St. Peter St.

Emigration
Vessels sailing from Salem, Massachusetts between 1799 and 1879 made over 7900 voyages to foreign ports. A Crew List was required to be filed stating the vessel's destination and its crew. An Index to those Lists, containing 75,770 names, may be found at http://library.mysticseaport.org/initiative/CrIndex.cfm. The Index may provide the following information: • Name • Age • Birth Place • Residence • Complexion • Voyage (Name of ship and date)

Land Records

 * Salem Massachusetts Deeds Online
 * Salem Massachusetts Historic Documents Online
 * Salem Massachusetts Native American Deeds

Occupations

 * Massachusetts sailor's crew lists at Mysticseaport.org. Between 1799 and 1879 over 7900 voyages to foreign ports sailed from Salem, Massachusetts. Prior to sailing the shipmaster or captain of each vessel was required to file a crew list containing information about the vessel's destination and its crew. This website provides an index to those crew lists. Containing over 75,770 names, it also provides access to crew members based upon age, complexion, birthplace, and residence place

Disasters
The Great Salem Fire greatly impacted the industrial area of Salem. The Phillips Library digitalized collection presents a detailed account of the global nature of commercial outreach by Essex County residents in the 18th and 19th centuries.Great Salem Fire, June 25, 1914

Libraries

 * Phillips Library A documentation and research division of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. They have both physical and digital collections available for research.

Societies

 * New England Historic Genealogical Society 99 Newbury Street Boston, MA 02116-3007 Phone: (1-617) 536-5740

(See Archives and Libraries under Essex County, Massachusetts for hours and library collections) This library holds the many of the early colonial collections for Salem and Salem Village now Danvers, Massachusetts.

Family History Centers
Lynnfield Massachusetts  400 E Essex St Lynnfield, Essex, Massachusetts, United States Phone: 781-334-5586 Call ahead for hours Closed: The month of August

Peabody Essex Museum  161 Essex St Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States Phone: 978-745-1876 Call ahead for hours