Hull, Plymouth County, Massachusetts Genealogy

This is a historical and genealogical guide to the town of Hull. You will find help with town histories, vital records, city directories, cemetery records and cemeteries, churches, town records, newspapers, maps, and libraries.

Town Clerk
253 Atlantic Ave Hull, MA 02045 Phone: 781-925-2262 x 3803 Fax: 781-925-0224 Email: [mailto:jbennett@town.hull.ma.us jbennett@town.hull.ma.us] Website

Brief History
Hull was a settlement in 1622 before it became part of Massachusetts Bay Colony. The town was placed in Suffolk County when counties were formed in 1643. For a brief time, the town was part of the Dominion of New England from 1686 to 1689. When the new Norfolk County was formed in 1793, Hingham and Hull were cherry-picked to stay in Suffolk County while [Norfolk County, Massachusetts Genealogy|Norfolk County]] bordered it on the west and east. Hull was annexed to Plymouth County on 18 June 1803, still leaving its west and east borders with Norfolk County. Hull remains in Plymouth County.

Historical Data
The basic data is from the "Historical Data" publication series with additions from various sources. Associated names Hull once was called Nantascot.

Village or section names include Allerton, Atlantic Hill, Bayside, Bumkin Island, Calf Island, Centre Hill, Great Allerton, Great Brewster Island, Green Hill, Green Island, Gun Rock, Hampton Hill Hull Beach, Hull Village, Jerry's Island, Kenberma, Little Brewster Island, Little Calf Island, Middle Brewster Island, Natasket, Nantasket Beach, Narrows Light, Outer Brewster Island, Park Island, Peddock's Island, Pemberton, Rockland Hill, Sagamore Hill, Shag Rocks Island, Spinnaker Island, Stoney Beach, Strawberry Hill, Sunset Point, Surfside, The Graves, Waveland, Whitehead, Willow Ledge, and Windemere. Border changes

Town Histories
Works written on the town include:


 * [James Lloyd Homer], Notes on the Seashore; or, Random Sketches, in relation to the Ancient Town of Hill ... (Boston, 1848), vii, 54 pp. Digital version at Google Books.
 * Albert Matthews, "The Naming of Hull, Massachusetts" in the New England Historic Genealogical Register, 59 [1905]: 177-186. Digital versions at Internet Archive (rep. ed.), Google Books, kobo books, and neotake. WorldCat (Other Libraries) - 1905 rep. ed.
 * William M. Bergan, Old Nantasket (North Quincy, Mass., rev. ed., 1969), 154 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries).
 * Ethel Farrington Smith, Early Families of Hull, Massachusetts (Boston, 2007), xii, 254 pp. ;.


 * This book includes sketches on Baker, Bartlett, Benson, Bibble, Binney, Bosworth, Bunn, Camball, Chaffey, Chamberlain, Cheevers, Cole, Collier, Coomes, Goold, Green, Hanchet, Hett, Jones, Lincoln, Lobdell, Loring, Lovrell, Melby, Milton, Nightingale, Nile, Phippen, Prince, Shore, Simons, Snow, Soper, Squire, Steel, Stone, Stubbs, Torrey, Vickery, Ward, Wheaton, and Whitman.

Top of Page
 * Hull Wikipedia page.

Vital Records
The town's vital records are available in many locations: Original records Published records
 * Hull Town Clerk's Office 253 Atlantic Avenue Hull MA 02045 Phone 781-925-2262
 * Microfilm of the originals created by the Family History Library, Hull vital records, 1657-1841, ; 1843-1905, . These records (to 1841) are browsable (i.e. not indexed as of Nov. 2012) on FamilySearch.
 * Microfiche of the originals created by Archive Publishing covering vital records, 163-1915, on 19 fiche. Part of Massachusetts, Town Vital Collections, 1620–1988 at Ancestry ($); Index
 * Official state copy of vital records starting in 1841: Massachusetts Archives 220 Morrissey Blvd. Boston MA 02125 Phone 617-727-2816 Email [mailto:archives@sec.state.ma.us archives@sec.state.ma.us] Hours and Directions See the online guide for more information.
 * Vital Records of Hull, Massachusetts, to the year 1850 (Boston, 1911). This volume was microfilmed by the Family History Library, ; transcribed online at Ray's Place; and in digital versions at Internet Archive, Google Books, Rootsweb, Ancestry ($), and GooBooGeni. In a database at American Ancestors ($). WorldCat (Other Libraries); (digital link only).


 * This includes, in part, the church records (C.R.) and the cemetery (G.R.1).

Online records Top of Page
 * Hull vital records, 1657-1841, are browsable (i.e. not indexed as of Nov. 2012) on FamilySearch.

City Directories
Hull was published in 1880-1881, 1894, 1917.

The Library of Congress (Washington, D.C.) has one of the largest collections of city directories in the country. They are likely to own most of the years listed above. Their collection is in microfiche, microfilm, and books, but there is no online inventory of their holdings except for microfilm. See their guide online.

Other holdings:

Top of Page
 * Ancestry ($) has none.
 * Boston Public Library has none.
 * Family History Library (Salt Lake City) has 1894 (with Hingham), 1917 on.
 * fold3 ($) has none.
 * Massachusetts State Library has 1880-1881, 1894.
 * New England Historic Genealogical Society (Boston) ($) has 1894, 1917.

Cemeteries
The following is a list of cemeteries in present-day Hull. For the location of the cemetery, see PlymouthColony website. For more details regarding these cemeteries, see the state guide under cemeteries for books on the subject.


 * Hull Cemetery, 1710. (A, B)

Abstracts of the cemeteries above are marked and keyed to: (A). Vital Records of Hull, Massachusetts, to the year 1850 (Boston, 1911) [see links above under Vital Records]. (B). W. S. Barton, "Inscriptions from the Burying-Ground in Hull, Mass." in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 12 [1858]: 207-214, from the journal, transcribed online and abstracted online; also on findagrave. Top of Page

Churches
The following is a list of churches established in town in order of organization date (if known) and condition of records in the 1889 survey if listed.


 * Congregational Church, 1726-1789, records to 1767, (earlier records destroyed by fire before 1847).
 * Methodist Episcopal, 1816, records imperfect before 1860. [perhaps the church listed next]
 * St. Nicholas United Methodist Church, n.d.
 * St. Mary of the Assumption Parish at St. Ann's Church, 1870 (as a mission of Hingham, 1938).
 * St. Nicholas by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, 1984.
 * Temple Beth Shalom, n.d.
 * Tri-Town Baptist church, n.d.

Top of Page

Newspapers

 * Hull Beacon, 1897-1920.
 * Hull News (title varies), 1955-1974, 1986-1988.
 * South Shore Chronicle, 1975-1987.
 * Hull Times (title varies), 1979-present.

Top of Page

Libraries and Historical Societies
The following is a list of research facilities in town:

Hull Public Library 9 Main Street Hull MA 02045 Phone 781-925-2295 Email [mailto:hucirc@ocln.org hucirc@ocln.org]

Hull Historical Society PO Box 225 127 Spring Street Hull MA 02045 Email [mailto:hullhistoric@gmail.com hullhistoric@gmail.com]