Massachusetts, Springfield Vital Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains birth, marriage, and death records from the Springfield city clerk for the years 1638 to 1887. The earlier records are handwritten on blank pages. Later records are handwritten on pre-printed pages.

Be aware that information from these records has been extracted and placed in the Massachusetts Vital Records Index - FamilySearch Historical Records so this index is a good place to begin your search. Name indexes make it possible to access a specific record quickly. Remember that these indexes may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

Vital record keeping began with the earliest permanent settlement, in the mid 1600s. All original records are maintained by the town or city. The present vital registration law was enacted in 1841.

These records were created to keep track of the vital events happening in the lives of the citizens and to safeguard their legal interests.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records

Birth
 * Child’s full name
 * Child’s gender
 * Birth date and place
 * Parents' names
 * Birthplace of parents
 * Father's occupation

Marriage
 * Full name(s) of bride and groom
 * Marriage date and place
 * Current residences of each
 * Ages of bride and groom
 * Birth place of each
 * Groom's occupation
 * Parents names of bride and groom
 * Number of marriages for each
 * Officiator

Death
 * Name of deceased
 * Death date and place
 * Gender and race of deceased
 * Age in years, months, days
 * Marital status
 * Cause of death
 * Residence and occupation
 * Name and birth place of father
 * Name and birth place of mother
 * Burial place

Digital Folder Number List
This collection contains a digital browse. Only the DGS numbers are displayed. Clicking the link in the DGS column will open a new window where you can view the images.

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, is helpful to know:
 * The name of the individual or individuals
 * The approximate date of the birth, marriage or death

View the Images
To view images in this collection:
 * 1) Look at the Digital Folder Number List section to determine the folder/film number for the images you want to see
 * 2) Go to the Collection Browse Page
 * 3) Click the Film number to view the images

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the marriage date and place as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth of each partner to find a couple's birth records and parents' names
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family
 * Occupations and titles listed can lead you to other types of records such as employment, military, or church records
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have been born, married, or died in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct
 * The information is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the informant
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the mid 1800s
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one record to another record

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Massachusetts.
 * Massachusetts Guided Research
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.