Coös County, New Hampshire Genealogy

Guide to Coös County, New Hampshire ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Description
Coös County (/ˈkoʊ.ɒs/, with two syllables) was created on  March 1, 1805 and named for an Indian word for "dwellers in the pine tree place". Its county seat is Lancaster. It is located in the northernmost region of the state.

County Courthouse
Coös County Courthouse 55 School Street, Suite 301 Lancaster, NH 03584 Phone: 603-788-5559 Coös County Website

Town or City Clerks have birth, marriage, death and burial records. A courthouse fire destroyed the probate records that existed before 1885. The Clerk of the Superior Court has divorce and court records from 1887. The Register of Probate has probate records from 1885. The Register of Deeds has land records.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Besides Cambridge, Dixville, Millsfield, and Wentworth, no one resides in the unincorporated communities below (as of 2013). Click here to see a map showing the location of the unincorporated places.

Towns Organized Before 1800:  Bartlett 1790 Cambridge 1773 Colebrook 1790 Columbia 1797 Dalton 1784 Dummer 1773 Jefferson 1796 Kilkenny 1774 Lancaster 1763 Millsfield 1774 Northumberland 1779 Stratford 1773 Stewartstown 1799 Success 1773 Whitefield 1774

Cemeteries

 * Conway Public Library

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Court Records
Online Court Indexes and Records
 * 1886-1916 at FamilySearch Catalog(*) — images

Directories
City and town directories are available for many towns in New Hampshire. Contact the local historical society to see if they have them for the years you need.
 * 1821-1989 Some city directories are available at Ancestry($). Do a search in their card catalog for city directories. Ancestry appears to be gathering city directories for the time period 1821-1989.
 * 1928-1930 The FamilySearch Library has some city directories also. Film 2,310,391 item, 2 for North Country (New Hampshire) Directories has city and town directories for several Coös County towns, for 1928-1930. Click on the link to see a list of the towns.

Genealogies

 * History of the Town of Stratford, New Hampshire, 1773-1925, by Jeanette R. Thompson. (FS Library book 974.21/S1 H2t; FS Library film 1321380 item 11.)
 * Contact the local historical society in the town where your ancestors lived. Ask if they have a town history or collection, with family history information.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1772-1900 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1861 Coös County, New Hampshire land ownership map, 1861(*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Local Histories
There are history books for many of the towns in Coös County. Major libraries that have family history collections may have the books. For example, the FamilySearch Library has histories for the following cities and towns in Coös County and many are available on films: Colebrook, Dummer, Errol, Jefferson, Lancaster, Milan, Pittsburg, Randolph, Stratford, and Whitefield. The New Hampshire State Library in Concord, New Hampshire has a vast collection of books about New Hampshire towns and counties. Check their internet catalog for a town of interest. The New Hampshire Historical Society also in Concord has a very large collection of local history books and other publications. Following are example of histories. The ones for Coös County and Lancaster are available in digital images on the internet:
 * 1820 to 1904 Pioneers of the Magalloway from 1820 to 1904(*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * Inventory of the county archives of New Hampshire, no. 4. Coos County, prepared by the New Hampshire Historical Records Survey Project, Division of Professional and Service Projects, Work Projects Administration, 1940. Online at:FamilySearch Digital Library
 * History of Coös County, New Hampshire(*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * History of Coös Turnpike(*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * What's news in Coös County: Vol 1(*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * History of Lancaster, New Hampshire(*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records
For a military history of New Hampshire, see:
 * The Military History of the State of New Hampshire; by Potter, Chandler Eastman; Concord, N.H.: McFarland and Jenks, 1866. Online at: Internet Archive, Ancestry ($). This history comprises events from the first settlements in New Hampshire to the rebellion in 1861. It includes biographical notices of many of the officers and explanatory notes.

Revolutionary War The most complete listing of New Hampshire Revolutionary War soldiers is found in volumes 14-17 of the New Hampshire State Papers. Go to Google.com, and look for New Hampshire State Papers with the link to Ancestry.com. There is a name index to volumes 14-17. Often the place of residence is given.


 * 1675-1835 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

War of 1812 See Potter's book above for information on the War of 1812.

Civil War
 * 1861-1866 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images;  Also at: Ancestry ($)
 * 1861-1866 The Revised Register of the Soldiers and Sailors of New Hampshire in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * History of Coös County, New Hampshire, by Georgia Drew Merrill - Town of Lancaster at Internet Archive. Page 291 names their first volunteers in the War of the Rebellion.
 * History and Genealogy of Milan, New Hampshire at Coos County, NH Genealogy and History at SearchRoots - "the quota for the town of Milan was 10."

Regiments. Civil War service men from Coös County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are many companies or regiments that were formed from men of Coös County.
 * - 1st Regiment, New Hampshire Heavy Artillery, Companies H, I, and L.
 * - 2nd Regiment, New Hampshire Infantry, Company F.
 * - 3rd Regiment, New Hampshire Infantry, Company G.
 * - 5th Regiment, New Hampshire Infantry, Company B.
 * - 13th Regiment, New Hampshire Infantry, Company H.
 * - 14th Regiment, New Hampshire Infantry, Companies E and F.

World War I
 * 1917-1918 U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 at Ancestry - index & images ($)

World War II
 * 1942 U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 at Ancestry - index & images ($)

Naturalization and Citizenship
Online Naturalization Indexes and Records
 * 1906-1993 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Newspapers
The New Hampshire Newspaper Project was organized to collect newspapers from many New Hampshire cities and towns. See their list. The newspapers are at the New Hampshire State Library at Concord, New Hampshire.

Probate Records
The probate records for 1803 to 1885 were badly damaged in a fire (see Ancestry's Redbook: American State, County, and Town Sources, 3rd edition, 2004, page 436). For background on existing records see the Inventory of the County Archives of New Hampshire, No. 4. Coös County. This is available online at Ancestry.com. That inventory states that some probate information is included in deeds involving property.

Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1635-1753 New Hampshire Probate Records 1635-1753 at Ancestry.com — index & images ($)
 * 1643-1982 New Hampshire Wills and Probate Records 1643-1982 at Ancestry.com — index & images ($)
 * 1769-1936 New Hampshire, County Probate Estate Files, 1769-1936(*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

Tax Records
Online Tax Indexes and Records There is an index to the town records (which include many tax records) from the early settlement of the town to about 1850. This is the Index to Early Town Records of New Hampshire, Early to 1850 [FS Library films 14942-15052]. The index cards list volume and page numbers for the town records, many of which are on FS Library microfilms. When you see M. R. on a card this indicates there is a marriage record. When you see F. R., this indicates there is a record of family members. Ancestry.com has online images of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax lists for New Hampshire and many other states for 1862-1866. Only persons who owned businesses, or valuable items such as carriages, were listed. You may wish to check ancestry.com to see if your ancestor was listed. The record gives the person's name, town of residence, business or valuable item, and amount of tax.

Town Records
Town records are an important source of family history information from the 1600s to about the 1940s. The early New Hampshire town records to about 1850 have an every-name index on FS Library microfilms, Index to Early Town Records of New Hampshire, Early to 1850. The film numbers are given above in the Taxation section. Many town records are still in the town offices and many have been microfilmed.


 * 1636-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Vital Records
Certified copies of of birth, death, and marriage records are available from the State Division of Vital Records Administration or from the local city and town clerk where the event took place. Original records are kept by the city or town clerk and copies are sent to the state. In 1905, when the state created the Bureau of Vital Records and Health, printed cards were distributed to the local clerks and earlier vital records were transcribed onto the cards and submitted to the state.

Birth

 * Early-1900 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1636-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1656-1938 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1901-1915 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Marriage

 * 1636-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1637-1964 New Hampshire, United States Marriages at Findmypast — index ($)
 * 1637-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1656-1938 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1870-1894 Coös County, NH and Essex County, VT Marriage Records 1870-1894(*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1870-1894 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1948-1959 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Death

 * 1636-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1654-1947 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1656-1938 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index

FamilySearch Centers

 * Montpelier Vermont FamilySearch Center
 * Newport Vermont FamilySearch Center
 * Oxford Maine FamilySearch Center
 * Randolph New Hampshire FamilySearch Center
 * Bath Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Vermont French-Canadian Genealogical Society - an affiliate library

Societies
Coos County Historical Societies as listed by CountyOffice.orgWebsite
 * Berlin and Coos County Historical Society P.O. Box 52 Berlin, NH 03570 (603) 752-4590 E-mail: [mailto:bcchs@hotmail.com bcchs@hotmail.com] Website Facebook

Websites

 * The Coös County NHGenWeb Project, an member of The NHGenWeb Project
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Coös County
 * Coös County, New Hampshire Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)


 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.

Research Guides
How to get started? 1. Check familysearch.org and go to the Family Tree and see if your ancestor's information is listed there. 2. Check familysearch.org and see if your family's vital records of births, marriages, and deaths are listed. 3. Check familysearch.org and see if your family is listed on the U. S. census records of 1850-1940. You can also see those censuses at the FamilySearch Center using Heritage Quest, and ancestry.com. 4. If you know the county where your ancestor lived, take a look at the free internet site USGenWeb Project. A volunteer helper gathers information about ancestors who lived in that county. You might find biographies, cemetery records, deeds, obituaries, queries, vital records, etc. You can leave a query. 5. If you know the town where they lived, look for a town history with a genealogical section. See the section below for how to find out if there is a town history. 6. Read the wiki articles on Coös County, and on New Hampshire, for ideas of sources. Study the Records Selection Table in the New Hampshire article. This can help you think of new sources to try. 7. Enter your ancestor's information on the familysearch.org Family Tree, genforum.com, or ancestry.com. You can also share your quest with the local historical society, genealogical society, or town library and ask for help. Send them a family group form and a pedigree chart related to your present search..