Barnstable County, Massachusetts Genealogy

United States Massachusetts  Barnstable County This is a historical and genealogical guide to the county of Barnstable. You will find help with town histories, vital records, deeds and land records, city directories, cemetery records and cemeteries, churches, town records, newspapers, maps, and libraries.

Brief History
Barnstable County is often called Cape Cod and both refer to the same region. This is area where the Mayflower first landed at what is now called Provincetown. The area was a frequent stop for early fishermen before the arrival of the Pilgrims, and settlements started here not long after the founding of Plymouth Colony. The earliest records will be found in the Colony's records and those of the individual towns. Plymouth Colony did not establish a county system until 1685. This county became part of Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691. Since settlers generally used the water for transportation, it is not uncommon to find Cape Codders on the coast of Maine, New Jersey, Barbados, and places in between. There was a fire in 1827 that destroyed almost all the deeds to that point. Fortunately, the probate records survive.

Historical Data
The basic data are from the historical county boundary series with additions from various sources.

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Towns and Cities
The following list of present-day Barnstable County towns and cities links them to their individual pages. There you will find a list of other names used for the town or city and of villages and sections of the town or city. Barnstable (1638) - Bourne (1884) - Brewster (1803) Chatham (1712) - Dennis (1793) - Eastham (1646) Falmouth (1686) - Harwich (1694) - Mashpee (1870) Orleans (1797 | Provincetown (1727) | Sandwich (1639) Truro (1709) | Wellfleet (1775) | Yarmouth (1639) Annexed to Plymouth County: Rochester (1686) (annexed 1707) Top of Page

County Histories
Works written on the county include:


 * "Chronology of Events in Cape Cod History" in Cape Cod Magazine, 1: [June 1915]: 29-31; [July 1915]: 36-38; [Sept. 1915]: 38; [Oct. 1915]: 37-38; [Nov. 1915]: 35-37; [Dec. 1915]: 32-34; [Jan. 1916]: 38-39; [Feb. 1916]: 39; [Mar. 1916]: 37. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. Digital version at Internet Archive for May 1915 - Apr. 1916 issue.
 * Congregational Churches in Massachusetts. Barnstable Association. The Barnstable Conference of Evangelical Churches, comprising the constitution of the conference, with a concise history of the churches (Yarmouthport, Mass., 1866), 50 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. No digital version found.
 * Simeon L. Deyo, ed., History of Barnstable County, Massachusetts: 1620-1637-1686-1890 (New York, 1890), xii, 1010 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); (with index and digital link). Digital versions at Internet Archive and Ancestry ($).
 * John Hoag Dillingham, The Society of Friends in Barnstable County, Massachusetts (New York, 1891), 39 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. Digital versions at Google Books and Ancestry ($).
 * Frederick Freeman, The History of Cape Cod: the Annals of Barnstable County, including the District of Mashpee (Boston, 1858-1862), 2v. WorldCat (Other Libraries); or  (1965 rep.). Digital versions at Internet Archive (v. 1 and V. 2), Google Books (v. 1 and v. 2), and Ancestry ($).
 * Claude E. Heaton, "The Indians had a name for it" in Cape Cod Compass, 20 [1967]: 34-35, 78-79, OR 7 [1952]: 53-56. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Henry Crocker Kittredge, Shipmasters of Cape Cod (Boston, 1935), 319 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Enoch Pratt, "Complete List of the Congregational Ministers in the County of Barnstable, Mass. from the settlement of the country to 1842" in American Quarterly Register, 15 [1842/3]: 58-72. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Three Centuries of the Cape Cod County: Barnstable, Massachusetts, 1685 to 1985 (West Yarmouth, Mass., 1985), 437 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * The Barnstable County MA GenWeb Project, an member of The MAGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Barnstable County

Manuscripts digitized online:


 * Lydia B. Brownson, Grace W. Held, and Doris V. Norton, "Genealogical Notes of Cape Cod Families" (Duxbury, Mass., typ., 1966), 50v. This manuscript is part of the Special Collections at the Sturis Library in Barnstable. It is alphabetically by surname and then by given name below that. It is a culmination of research in published histories and genealogies, and from the vital records of the various towns. Digital version of the 50 volumes is at Internet Archive. To go directly to an individual volume, use this guide below:

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Vital Records
In Massachusetts, the original vital records (of births, marriages, and deaths) have been created and maintained by the town or city in which the event occurred. In very early colonial times, copies of these records were submitted to the county, but that practice died out before 1800. There were marriage intentions commonly recorded in the bride's home town and additional recordings maybe found in the groom's home town and their current residence.

Massachusetts was the first state to bring a unified state-level recording of these events (but not marriage intentions) in 1841 (Boston excluded until 1850). The associated records of divorce and adoption are handled by the courts. The state has maintained a state-wide index to divorces since 1952, but adoption records will require more researching to discover.

It is easiest to start with the state vital records for events since 1841, though realize the original record is with the town or city. More details can be found on the Massachusetts Genealogy Guide page. Top of Page

Land Records
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Probate Records
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Other Court Records
The court system can appear to be complex. The system was reorganized in 1686/1692, 1859, and 1978. Described below are the most commonly used records for history and genealogy, but realize that this list is incomplete. For more detailed information regarding court structure, see Understanding the Massachusetts Court System. Older records are held by: Supreme Judicial Court Archives (administration - records stored in several off-site facilities and the Mass. Archives) 16th Floor, Highrise Court House 3 Pemberton Square Boston MA 02109 Phone 617-557-1082 Email [mailto:Elizabeth.Bouvier@sjc.state.ma.us Elizabeth.Bouvier@sjc.state.ma.us] Top of Page | Top of Court

Quarterly Court of General Sessions of the Peace
This court was active from 1692 to 1827. The court heard criminal cases and had authority over county affairs that included levying taxes, reviewing town bylaws, highways, licensed liquor, regulated jails, supervised the administration of the poor laws, and appointed some county officials.

The records microfilmed:

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Inferior Court of Common Pleas
This court was active from 1692 to 1859. The court heard all civil cases over 40s unless a case involved freehold or was appealed from a justice of the peace.

The records microfilmed:

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Superior Court
The Quarterly Court of General Sessions was merged into the Inferior Court of Common Pleas in 1827, and that court was reorganized in 1859 to created the Superior Court as the new lower (i.e. trial) court. It covers both criminal and civil matters.

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Supreme Judicial Court
The Supreme Judicial Court was established by the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780 that combined the former Governor and Council with the Superior Court of Judicature creating the highest state court. This court hears appeals, writ of error, capital offenses, and crimes against the public good. That included divorces until that action was moved to the lower court in 1887.

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Naturalization Records
Naturalization records were created on a variety of governmental levels from the Federal down to the city at the same time. The county records for all levels are outlines below. For more information, see the Massachusetts state page for more on naturalization. Federal Naturalization Records for Barnstable County Top of Page | Top of Court

Maps
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Barnstable County Massachusetts Genealogy Societies
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