Dukes County, Massachusetts Genealogy

Guide to Dukes County, Massachusetts ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Description
The county was named for Dukes County, New York, the land at one time was literally the possession of the Duke of York. It is located in the southeast area of the state.

County Courthouse
Dukes County Courthouse 81 Main Street Edgartown, MA 02539 Phone: 508-627-4668 Dukes County Website

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:

History Timeline
The region was first recorded in detail by Capt. Gosnold in 1602 who named the string of islands after his daughter Elizabeth, which later became the town of Gosnold. Fishermen were the first to occupy the islands in the early 1600s. Settlements develop in the 1640s. Town records begin in 1671. County government is established in 1683 by New York. These records are rumored to be in Albany, but as yet have not been identified. Records after 1695 are complete.

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

Business, Commerce, and Occupations

 * 1837-1965 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Images only

Census Records

 * 1865 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

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]

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:
 * Court of General Sessions of the Peace, docket, 1730-1757, 1782-1806, at Massachusetts Archives.
 * Court of General Sessions of the Peace, record books, 1798-1837, at Massachusetts Archives.

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:
 * Court of Common Pleas, docket, 1783-1839, at Massachusetts Archives.
 * Court of Common Pleas, record books, 1809-1817, 1836-1839, at Massachusetts Archives.

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. There are no records microfilmed. The original records are either in the county courthouse or at the Judicial Archives. Their location has not been researched.

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. There are no records microfilmed. The original records are either in the county courthouse or at the Judicial Archives. Their location has not been researched.

County Commissioners There has been no good description found for the function and authority of this court. It is referenced since records have been located.
 * Records, 1823-1838,, at Massachusetts Archives.

Land and Property Records
Land transfers, commonly called deeds, are recorded on the county level in Massachusetts. Not all deeds were recorded as is common practice today. The earliest transactions were charters or grants from the English Crown. Once local government was established, the colony would grant land to settlers directly or to towns to dole out. Some towns first start out as proprietorship and records were recorded there. Once towns were established, deeds were recorded on the county level. Dukes County Registry of Deeds PO Box 5231 81 Main Street Edgartown MA 02539 Phone 508-627-4025 Email [mailto:info@dukescounty.org info@dukescounty.org] Website

Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1620-1986 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 1641-1895 (*) Dukes County Court and Register of Deeds at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1641-1973 Unindexed Books to Recorded Land Books, 1641-1973 at Dukes County Registry of Deeds
 * 1852-1895 (*) Dukes County Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog - images; includes sales of real estate and miners' lands 1852-1861 and license to sell real estate, 1861-1895
 * 1641-1857 (*) Dukes County Proprietors Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1974-Current Recorded Land (deeds), 1974-Current at Dukes County Registry of Deeds

Original Microfilmed Records at New England Historic Genealogical Society:
 * Deeds, 1641-1872, index, 1641-1895
 * Proprietors' records, A-D (1641-1717), 1-2 (1641-1857), index, 1641-1857

Local Histories

 * Charles Edward Banks, The History of Martha's Vineyard, Dukes County, Massachusetts (Boston, 1911-1925; rep. Edgartown, Mass., 1966), 3v. WorldCat (Other Libraries) (1966 rep.); FHL book 974.494 H2b 1966 v. # (with digital link). Digital versions at Internet Archive (v. 1 and v. 2 only), Google Books (v. 2 only), and Hathi Trust (search only on v. 3).
 * Allen Gannett, "A Complete List of Congregational Ministers of Dukes County, Mass. ..." in American Quarterly Register, 15 [1842/3]: 492-498. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Jacqueline L. Holland, "The African-American Presence on Martha's Vineyard" in Dukes County Intelligencer, 33 [Aug. 1991]: 3-26. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Joseph J. Iarocci, "Martha's Vineyard Gravestones from 1688 to 1804: an historical study" in Dukes County Intelligencer, 22 [Aug. 1980]: 125-159. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Sydney N. Riggs, "The Episcopal Churches of Martha's Vineyard" in Dukes County Intelligencer, 2 [Nov. 1960]: 3-4. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Jerome D. Segel and R. Andrew Pierce, The Wampanoag genealogical history of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts referenced to Banks' History of Martha's Vineyard, Mass. (Baltimore, 2003), v. 1 (ix, 677 pp.). WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974.494 D2s. Note: Volume 2 will be the genealogical compilation of this work.
 * Milton A. Travers, The Wampanoag Indian Tribute Tribes of Martha's Vineyard ... (New Bedford, Mass.?, 1960), 78 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * The Dukes County MAGenWeb Project, an member of The MAGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.

Maps and Gazetteers

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


 * Henry Francis Walling, Map of the counties of Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket, Massachusetts, based upon the trigonometrical survey of the state (1858) at FHL fiche 6079543 and the Norman B.Leventhal Map Center, Boston Public Library.

Military Records
Revolutionary War
 * 1775-1783 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1805-1845 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Naturalization and Citizenship
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.

Online Naturalization Indexes and Records - Covering Multiple Courts
 * 1971-1991 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1906-1817 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Probate Records
Probate and Family Court is organized on a county level in Massachusetts since the creation of the counties. The main records genealogists seek are testate (wills), intestate (administrations), guardianships, and divorces (since 1922), though there are many more that are valuable to any researcher, too. See a further discussion of the topic in general on the Massachusetts Genealogy Guide. Dukes Probate and Family Court Dukes County Courthouse PO Box 237 81 Main Street Edgartown MA 02539 Phone 508-627-4703 Email [mailto:info@dukescounty.org info@dukescounty.org]

Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1635-1991 Massachusetts Wills and Probate Records 1635-1991 at Ancestry.com — index and images, ($)
 * 1690-1938 (*) Dukes County Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog - index and images

Original Records on Microfilm
 * Record books, v. 1-14, 1690-1938 (each v. with different documents), New England Historic Genealogical Society, and Massachusetts Archives.
 * Will books, v. 1-23, 1690-1885 Massachusetts Archives.
 * Record books, miscellaneous documents, 1700-1870 Massachusetts Archives.

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

Town Records

 * 1626-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * Records, 1823-1838,, at Massachusetts Archives.

Birth

 * 1626-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1638-1961 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1753-1900 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1840-1910 Massachusetts, Birth Index, 1840-1910 at MyHeritage - index ($)
 * 1841-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Marriage

 * 1600-1961 Massachusetts, United States Marriages at at Findmypast — index, ($) — index $
 * 1626-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1638-1961 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1841-1915 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1841-1915 Massachusetts, Marriages, 1841-1915 at MyHeritage - index ($)
 * 1841-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Death

 * 1626-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1638-1961 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1840-1910 Massachusetts Death Index at MyHeritage - index only ($)
 * 1841-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Family History Centers

 * Martha's Vineyard Massachusetts Family History Center
 * North Dartmouth Massachusetts Family History Center
 * Dennis Public Library - Cape Cod Genealogical Society Library - an affiliate library
 * Nantucket Historical Association Research Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
Dukes County Historical Societies CountyOffice.orgWebsite For information on additional archives and repositories, see
 * Martha's Vineyard Museum PO Box 1310 59 School Street Edgartown MA 02539 Phone 508-627-4441 This research facility has the most extensive genealogical services on the island. Website
 * Massachusetts Archives for information on additional archives and repositories

Websites

 * – 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

 * Massachusetts Genealogy Guide