Middlesex County, Massachusetts Genealogy

United States Massachusetts  Middlesex County

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

Brief History
Middlesex County was one of the four original counties when Massachusetts Bay Colony created counties in 1643. When established, it had no defined western or northern border. These borders were more clearly defined when Worcester County was created in 1731 on the west and the Province of New Hampshire in 1680 to the north, but this border remained in dispute until 1741. Early settlers in this county went north, west, and south to establish new settlements in the 1600s and 1700s. The oldest college in the United States was established in Cambridge in 1636 - Harvard College, now Harvard University. Lowell, on the Merrimack River, became one of the centers of the Industrial Revolution in the mid-1800s that drew many immigrants to work in the mills, especially Irish and French-Canadian. The county government was abolished on 1 July 1997, but its former jurisdiction is used for state offices as a district. Top of Page

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

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. Top of Page

Towns and Cities
The following list of present-day Middlesex County towns and cities links them to their individual pages. There you will find a list of other names used for the town or city and of villages and sections of the town or city.

Acton (1735) | Arlington (1807) | Ashby (1767) | Ashland (1846) Ayer (1871) | Bedford (1729) | Belmont (1859) | Billerica (1655) Boxborough (1835) | Burlington (1799) | Cambridge (1636) | Carlisle (1780) Chelmsford (1655) | Concord (1635) | Dracut (1701) | Dunstable (1673) Everett (1870) | Framingham (1700) | Groton (1655) | Holliston (1724) Hopkinton (1715) | Hudson (1866) | Lexington (1713) | Lincoln (1754) Littleton (1715) | Lowell (1826) | Malden (1649) | Marlborough (1660) Maynard (1871) | Medford (1630) | Melrose (1850) | Natick (1781) Newton (1688) | North Reading (1853) | Pepperell (1775) | Reading (1644) Sherborn (1674) | Shirley (1775) | Somerville (1842) | Stoneham (1725) Stow (1683) | Sudbury (1639) | Tewksbury (1734) | Townsend (1732) Tyngsborough (1809) | Wakefield (1812) | Waltham (1738) | Watertown (1630) Wayland (1780) | Westford (1729) | Weston (1713) | Wilmington (1730) Winchester (1850) | Woburn (1642) Annexed to Boston: Brighton (1806) | Charlestown (1630) Top of Page

County Histories
Works written on the county include:

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 * Biographical Review ... containing life sketches of leading citizens of Middlesex County, Massachusetts (Boston, 1898), 838 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); . Digital versions at Internet Archive and Torrentz.
 * Henry J. Cadbury, "Quakers and their abettors, Middlesex County, Massachusetts" in the Bulletin of Friends' Historical Association, 27 [Spr. 1938]: 9-16. WorldCat (Other Libraries); . Digital version at Project Muse.
 * Edwin P. Conklin, Middlesex County and its People: a history (New York, 1927), 5v. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Samuel Adams Drake, ed., History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, containing carefully prepared histories of every city and town in the county ... (Boston, 1880), 2v. WorldCat (Other Libraries); (with digital link) or . Digital versions at Internet Archive (v. 1 and v. 2) and Google Books (v. 2 only).
 * Levi Swanton Gould, Ancient Middlesex with brief Biographical Sketches of the Men who served the county officially since its settlement ([Somerville], Mass., 1905), 336 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); . Digital versions at Internet Archive, Hathi Trust, and Ancestry ($).
 * D. Hamilton Hurd, ed., History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men ... (Philadelphia, 1890), 3v. in 4. WorldCat (Other Libraries); (with digital link). Digital versions at Internet Archive (v. 1, v. 2, and v. 3), Google Books (v. 1 and v. 3 only), and Ancestry ($).
 * Christopher Roberts, The Middlesex Canal, 1793-1860 (Cambridge, Mass., 1938), xii, 252 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Samuel Sewall, "A Brief Survey of the Congregational Churches and Ministers in the County of Middlesex, and in Chelsea in the County of Suffolk, Ms., from the first settlement of the country to the present day" in American Quarterly Register, 11 [1838-1839]: 45-55, 174-197, 248-279, 376-402; 12 [1839-1840]: 234-250; 13 [1840-1841]: 37-57; 14 [1842]: 251-264, 393-411. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Roger Thompson, Sex in Middlesex: popular mores in a Massachusetts County, 1649-1699 (Amherst, Mass., 1986), xix, 252 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * The Middlesex County MAGenWeb Project, an member of The MAGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Middlesex County
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Middlesex County (backup site)
 * FamilySearch Catalog for Middlesex County

Vital Records
In Massachusetts, the original vital records (of births, marriages, and deaths) have been created and maintained by the town or city in which the event occurred. In very early colonial times, copies of these records were submitted to the county, but that practice died out by 1800. An index to the county copy can be found at. There were marriage intentions commonly recorded in the bride's home town and additional recordings maybe found in the groom's home town and their current residence.

Massachusetts was the first state to bring a unified state-level recording of these events (but not marriage intentions) in 1841 (Boston excluded until 1850). The associated records of divorce and adoption are handled by the courts. The state has maintained a state-wide index to divorces since 1952, but adoption records will require more researching to discover.

It is easiest to start with the state vital records for events since 1841, though realize the original record is with the town or city. More details can be found on the Massachusetts Genealogy Guide page. Top of Page

Land 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. Middlesex County is divided into two districts. The county was one district until the creation of the Northern District in 1855.

Middlesex North Registry of Deeds 360 Gorham Street Lowell MA 01852 Phone 978-322-9000 Email [mailto:lowelldeeds@comcast.net lowelldeeds@comcast.net] This district includes Billerica, Carlistle, Chelmsford, Dracut, Dunstable, Lowell, Tweksbury, Tyngsborough, Westford, and Wilmington. Original records The original records are held by the Registry but closed to the public. All their records are available ONLINE at LowellDeeds.com. Deeds are searchable by index since 1976. The older deeds, books 1 through 2789, can be viewed on the site, but only by volume and page. Deeds for this district prior to its creation in 1855 were copied from the southern district by town. This is available online, too, but without an index and it does not correspond to the southern district's volume and page. Note: To see records before 1976, you must first go to the SEARCH option that takes you to the masslandrecords.com website for Northern Middlesex. Under the link at the top left called "Search Criteria," you can select the grantor or grantee index. From the new search page, you can search for a surname or exact name. The default is the pre-district period up to 1855. Later periods to 1975 can be selected before your search. These indexes will give you the volume and page you need for the Registry's main search page of older records by volume and page, town, a brief description, and the type of deed. The pre-1856 index includes the original volume and page found in the Middlesex South distict. There are no microfilmed records from this district.

Middlesex South Registry of Deeds 208 Cambridge Street Cambridge MA 02141 Phone 617-679-6300 Email [mailto:middlesexsouth@sec.state.ma.us middlesexsouth@sec.state.ma.us] This district included the entire county up to 1855 and all southern towns not listed above after that. Original records The original records are held by Registry office and your research will likely require a personal visit to the office. The only records online are: Deed indexes since 1974 and deed books since 1986 are available online from the main page that directs you to the MassLandRecords.com for Middlesex South.

Note: Grantor indexes (NOT grantee) from 1896 to 1973 are available for sale on 8-disc DVD set from the Middlesex South Registry. Original records on microfilm Note: All these records listed below are online at FamilySearch.org as a browsable collection only (as of Aug. 2013). Also, it is not clearly stated, but these records are for the entire county up to 1855, though only for Middlesex South after that.

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 * Grantor indexes, 1639-1950, 358 reels. As 1639-1799 (3); 1800-1835 (3); 1836-1846 (2); 1847-1859 (6); 1860-1869 (14); 1870-1880 (21); 1881-1890 (22); 1891-1895 (15); 1896-1950 (272).
 * Grantee indexes, 1639-1905, 95 reels. As 1639-1799 (3); 1800-1835 (3); 1836-1846 (2); 1847-1859 (6); 1860-1869 (11); 1870-1880 (18); 1881-1890 (16); 1891-1895 (13); 1896-1905 (23).
 * Deeds, v. 1 (1639) - v. 2790 (1899).

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 page.

Middlesex County operates one office for the entire county holding all the records. Most probates are handled by one of the four satellite offices in the county.

Middlesex County Probate and Family Court 208 Cambridge Street East Cambridge MA 02141 Phone 617-768-5858 Email [mailto:middlesexprobate@middlesexprobate.com middlesexprobate@middlesexprobate.com]

Cambridge Satellite Session 121 Third Street Cambridge MA 02141

Concord Satellite Session 305 Walden Street Concord MA 01742

Marlborough Satellite Session 45 Williams Street Marlborough MA 01752

Lowell Satellite Session 360 Gorham Street Lowell MA 01852 Original records The original records are likely still stored at the courthouse. That could not be confirmed by a telephone call to the court in August 2013. Original records online Original records on microfilm The following records are available at the ; Massachusetts Archives through 1871 with record books to 1909 and file papers to 19846; and New England Historic Genealogical Society through 1924 (1st series, complete) and through 1967 (2nd series, incomplete).
 * 1635 – 1991 Massachusetts Wills and Probate Records 1635-1991 at Ancestry.com — index and images, $
 * 1871 - 1909 Middlesex County Massachusetts Probate Index 1648-1870 at Ancestry.com — index only, $


 * For indexes, see published books below.
 * Docket books, #1-45383.
 * Record books, v. 1-609.
 * File papers, #1-45383.

At :


 * Probate packets, 2nd series, 1872-1967, #1-19935.

At and Massachusetts Archives:

Manuscript records
 * Miscellaneous index and records, 1659-1692

Published records
 * Thomas Bellows Wyman, "Abstract of Middlesex Court files from 1649 [to 1675]," Mss 596, R. Stanton Avery Special Collections, New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston ($) (with digital link).

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 * Robert H. Rodgers, Middlesex County in the Colony of the Massachusetts Bay in New England: Records of Probate and Administration (Boston, 1999-2005), 3v. Note: Vol. 1, 1649-1660; Vol. 2, 1661-1670; Vol. 3, 1671-1676. WorldCat (Other Libraries) (WorldCat v. 1, v. 2, v. 3; and does not have v. 3.
 * Index to the probate Records of the County of Middlesex, Massachusetts (Cambridge, Mass., 1912-1953), 10v. First Series, 1648-1870; Second Series, 1871-1909; Third Series, 1910-1924; Fourth Series, 1925-1939; Fifth Series, 1940-1949. WorldCat (Other Libraries); (with digital link) and . Digital versions at AmericanAncestors ($) First Series and Internet Archives, Second Series (v. 1 and v. 2).
 * William A. Richardson, "Judges of Probate, County of Middlesex, Mass." in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 29 [1875]: 61-66. WorldCat (Other Libraries); . Digital version also at AmericanAncestors.org ($).

Other 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] Top of Page | Top of Court

County Court
This court was active from 1636 (called a quarterly court and then the county court when Suffolk was created in 1643) to 1692. The court heard all civil causes up to 10 shillings (raised to 40 shillings in 1647) and all criminal causes not concerning life, limb, or banishment. These were all jury trials. Some records can be found in the [Suffolk_County,_Massachusetts#Suffolk_Files|Suffolk Files].

The records microfilmed:


 * "Card index to births, deaths, wills, and miscellaneous court records, 1600-1799,".
 * "Folio index cards, 1650-1800,.
 * Court records, original and transcribed, 1649-1699,.
 * County court papers and index, 1648-1798 (includes vital records),.

At the Massachusetts Archives:


 * County Court Folio Collection, card index.
 * County Court, file papers, folio collection, folios 1-303, 1649-1728; 1B-200A, 1693-1790.
 * County Court, file papers, folio collection, index.
 * County Court, file papers, folio collection, contents, folios 1-251B, 1-4.
 * County Court, record books, 1649-1663, 1671-1686 (Pulsher trans.).

Derivative records published:

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 * Melinde Lutz Sanborn, Ages from Court Records 1636 to 1700 (Baltimore, 2003), 227 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); . Digital version at Ancestry ($).

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:


 * "Card index to births, deaths, wills, and miscellaneous court records, 1600-1799,".
 * "Folio index cards, 1650-1800,.
 * County court papers and index, 1648-1798 (includes vital records),.
 * Court and session records, 1686-1799,.
 * Court records, 1686-1809 (includes some early Inferior Court of Common Pleas records),.
 * "Court of Sessions" records, 1808-1831,.

At the Massachusetts Archives:

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 * Court of General Sessions, record books, 1686-1831.

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:


 * "Card index to births, deaths, wills, and miscellaneous court records, 1600-1799,".
 * "Folio index cards, 1650-1800,.
 * County court papers and index, 1648-1798 (includes vital records),.
 * Court of General Sessions of the Peace records, 1686-1809 (includes some early Inferior Court of Common Pleas records),.
 * Court records, 1699-1783,.
 * Court records, 1783-1811, 1821-1847,.
 * Court records, 1812-1821,.

At the Massachusetts Archives:

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 * Court of Common Pleas, 1686-1689, 1699-1847.

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.

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 * Divorce docket books 1887-1938, and at Massachusetts Archives.

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.

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 * "Folio index cards, 1650-1800,.
 * Court records, 1797-1850, and at Massachusetts Archives.
 * Court records 1851-1887 (includes divorces), and at Massachusetts Archives.

Naturalization Records
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. Federal Naturalization Records for Middlesex County Middlessex County Naturalization Records Top of Page | Top of Court Published records and articles

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 * Hendrik Hartog, "The Public Law of a County Court: Judicial Government in Eighteenth Century Massachusetts" in American Journal of Legal History, 20 [1976]: 282-329. A study of the records of the Middlesex County Court of General Sessions, 1728-1803. WorldCat (Other Libraries); . Digital version at Jstor ($).
 * Nathaniel Harris, Records of the Court of Nathaniel Harris, one of His Majesty's Justices of the Peace within and for the county of Middlesex, holden at Watertown from 1734 to 1761 ... (Watertown, Mass., 1938), 135 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * [Alicia Crane Williams], "Handlist of Middlesex County Massachusetts Fornication cases, 1649-1749" (S.l., typ., 1979), 23 pp. Not on WorldCat; Not at FHL; Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants Library.

Maps
There are so many published maps of interest to genealogists and historians that this list will not be recreated here. The focus is with resources you can access online.

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 * F. W. Beers, Middlesex County, Massachusetts (1875), for view or sale at Historic Map Works.
 * Newberry Library, Chicago, online version of their Massachusetts Historical Counties.
 * Henry F. Walling, Map of Middlesex County, Massachusetts (1856), at the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, Boston Public Library.

Middlesex County Massachusetts Genealogy Societies
Massachusetts Society of Genealogists PO Box 215 Ashland MA 01721 Email [mailto:president@msoginc.org president@msoginc.org]

Woburn Public Library 45 Pleasant Street Woburn MA 01801 Phone 781-933-0148 Archives and Local History room Top of Page