Chatham, Barnstable County, Massachusetts Genealogy

Description
English settlers first settled in Chatham in 1665, and the town was incorporated in 1712, naming it after Chatham, Kent, England. Located at the "elbow" of Cape Cod, the community became a shipping, fishing, and whaling center. Chatham's early prosperity would leave it with a considerable number of 18th century buildings, whose charm helped it develop into a popular summer resort.
 * Chatham, Massachusetts at Wikipedia
 * Historical data relating to counties, cities, and towns in Massachusetts (Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1997), [FS Library book 974.4 H2h 1997].
 * 14 April 1862:
 * 11 May 1995: Town charter adopted

Parent Towns
Manamoit Village, Monamoiet, Monomoy, Weguasset
 * 11 June 1712: Established by St 1712, c.34, formerly a village or district of Manamoit. (Prov. Laws Vol. XX1, p. 806)
 * Archiac name:

Populated Places
Includes Neighborhoods, Villages, Unincorporated Communities, Districts, and Census-Designated Places: Chatham Port, Mill Pond Bluff, Monomoy Island, Neck, North Chatham, Old Harbor, South Chatham, West Chatham

Adjacent Towns
Harwich | Orleans | Atlantic Ocean to the east, Nantucket Sound to the south.

Town Records
In New England most original vital records of birth, marriage, and death can be found at the town clerk's office

Chatham Town Clerk
549 Main Street Chatham, MA 02633 Phone: 508-945-5101 Fax: 508-945-0752 Email: [mailto:jsmith@chatham-ma.gov jsmith@chatham-ma.gov] Website

Births

 * 1636-1924 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; inde
 * 1693-1868 (*) Chatham Town Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog - images

Marriages

 * 1693-1868 (*) Chatham Town Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1854-1874 (*) Chatham Town Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog - images

Deaths

 * 1693-1868 (*) Chatham Town Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog - images

Town Reports

 * (*) Chatham Town Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog - images

Resources
For more County and State resources see:

Cemeteries

 * Chatham Cemeteries List at FindAGrave
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * at FamilySearch Catalog
 * Barnstable County Cemeteries at FamilySearch Places
 * Baptist Cemetery (1766) Old Queen Anne Rd
 * Bassett Family Cemetery aka Cockle Cove Road Cemetery (1847) Cockle Cove Rd and Songbird Lane
 * Bethel Cemetery (1780) Rte 28, Main St. South Chatham
 * Crowell Gravesite near East Harwich town line
 * Eldredge Family Cemetery (1818) Mill Creek Rd South Chatham
 * Eldredge Family Cemetery (1826) Rte 28, off Bay View Rd South Chatham
 * David Eldredge Cemetery (1840) 31 Juniper Lane South Chatham
 * Eldredge and Bassett Cemetery (1845) Ridgevale Rd
 * Doctor Lord Grave (1766) in front of 252 Training Field Rd
 * Methodist Cemetery Crowell and Depot Rds, in front of Seaside Cemetery
 * Seth Nickerson-Burgess Cemetery (1832) off Barcliff Ave
 * William Nickerson Cemetery (1689) 4 Ryders Cove, off Cod Lane
 * Old North Queen Anne Cemetery (1742) Queen Anne and George Ryders Rds, across from Old South Cemetery
 * Old South Queen Anne Cemetery (1718) Queen Anne and Geororge Ryders Rds, across from Old North Cemetery
 * Peoples Cemetery aka Universalist Cemetery (1786) Crowell and Stepping Stones Rd
 * Ryder, Doane, Berry, Smiths Cemetery (1766) aka Small Pox Burying Ground off Old Corners Rd, located in the woods
 * Sailors Cemetery (1846) Main St., next to the Lighthouse  The gravestones of over forty unknown shipwrecked sailors
 * Seaside Cemetery (1811) Crowell and Depot Rds, behind Methodist Cemetery
 * Union Cemetery (1800) Rte 28 and Heritage Lane, behind the Congregational Cemetery

Church Records

 * 1824-1900 (*) First Baptist Church at FamilySearch Catalog - images

City Directories

 * 1901 Massachusetts, U.S., City Directories, Chatham at Ancestry - index & images ($), some years may be missing
 * Various Dates U.S. City Directories, 1860-1960 at MyHeritage - index & images ($) some towns and years may be missing

Local Histories

 * A History of Chatham, Massachusetts. By William Christopher Smith. Hyannis, Mass. : F.B. & F.P. Goss, 1989. Online at: Ancestry ($)

Maps
This selection incudes town, county, state, and historical maps
 * Boundary Map of Chatham at HomeTownLocator
 * Chatham at FamilySearch Places
 * Chatham at Google Maps
 * Chatham at Mapcarta
 * Massachusetts County Map at Mass.gov
 * McConnell's Historical Maps of the United States at Library of Congress
 * Old Maps of Massachusetts at Old-Maps.com
 * Massachusetts Maps State Page


 * USGS GNIS FID 618250

Military
Some Records are Searchable by Town

Revolutionary War, 1775-1783
For more Revolutionary War Military Records see:
 * Massachusetts Military Records - Revolutionary War, 1775-1783
 * United States Military Records - Revolutionary War, 1775-1783

Civil War, 1861-1865
For more Civil War Military Records see:
 * Massachusetts Military Records - Civil War, 1861-1865
 * United States Military Records - Civil War, 1861-1865

World War I, 1917-1918
For more World War I Military Records see:
 * Massachusetts Military Records - World War I, 1917-1918
 * United States Military Records - World War I, 1917-1918

World War II, 1941-1945
For more World War II Military Records see:
 * Massachusetts Military Records - World War II, 1941-1945
 * United States Military Records - World War II, 1941-1945

Newspapers

 * 1800-Current Massachusetts, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Other Town Records

 * 1693-1868 (*) Chatham Town Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1804-1854 (*) Chatham Town Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1854-1874 (*) Chatham Town Clerk at FamilySearch Catalog - images

FamilySearch Centers & Affiliate Libraries

 * Franklin Massachusetts FamilySearch Center
 * Hingham Massachusetts FamilySearch Center
 * Mount Hope Massachusetts FamilySearch Center
 * North Dartmouth Massachusetts FamilySearch Center
 * Providence Rhode Island FamilySearch Center
 * Dennis Public Library - Cape Cod Genealogical Society Library - an affiliate library
 * Eldredge Public Library - an affiliate library
 * General Society of Mayflower Descendants - an affiliate library
 * Middleborough Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Provincetown Public Library - an affiliate library