Barnstable County, Massachusetts Genealogy

United States Massachusetts  Barnstable County

This is a historical and genealogical guide to the county of Barnstable. 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
Barnstable County is often called Cape Cod and both refer to the same region. This is area where the Mayflower first landed at what is now called Provincetown. The area was a frequent stop for early fishermen before the arrival of the Pilgrims, and settlements started here not long after the founding of Plymouth Colony. The earliest records will be found in the Colony's records and those of the individual towns. Plymouth Colony did not establish a county system until 1685. This county became part of Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691. Since settlers generally used the water for transportation, it is not uncommon to find Cape Codders on the coast of Maine, New Jersey, Barbados, and places in between. There was a fire in 1827 that destroyed almost all the deeds to that point. Fortunately, the probate records survive.

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

Record Loss
Fire destroyed nearly all the early deed books and probate files, but probate books survived. Although the official deed books only begin in 1827, many deeds were pre-recorded back to about 1783, though these are far from complete.

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Towns and Cities
The following list of present-day Barnstable 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. Barnstable (1638) - Bourne (1884) - Brewster (1803) Chatham (1712) - Dennis (1793) - Eastham (1646) Falmouth (1686) - Harwich (1694) - Mashpee (1870) Orleans (1797 | Provincetown (1727) | Sandwich (1639) Truro (1709) | Wellfleet (1775) | Yarmouth (1639) Annexed to Plymouth County: Rochester (1686) (annexed 1707) Top of Page

County Histories
Works written on the county include:


 * "Chronology of Events in Cape Cod History" in Cape Cod Magazine, 1: [June 1915]: 29-31; [July 1915]: 36-38; [Sept. 1915]: 38; [Oct. 1915]: 37-38; [Nov. 1915]: 35-37; [Dec. 1915]: 32-34; [Jan. 1916]: 38-39; [Feb. 1916]: 39; [Mar. 1916]: 37. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. Digital version at Internet Archive for May 1915 - Apr. 1916 issue.
 * Congregational Churches in Massachusetts. Barnstable Association. The Barnstable Conference of Evangelical Churches, comprising the constitution of the conference, with a concise history of the churches (Yarmouthport, Mass., 1866), 50 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. No digital version found.
 * Simeon L. Deyo, ed., History of Barnstable County, Massachusetts: 1620-1637-1686-1890 (New York, 1890), xii, 1010 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); (with index and digital link). Digital versions at Internet Archive and Ancestry ($).
 * John Hoag Dillingham, The Society of Friends in Barnstable County, Massachusetts (New York, 1891), 39 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. Digital versions at Google Books and Ancestry ($).
 * Frederick Freeman, The History of Cape Cod: the Annals of Barnstable County, including the District of Mashpee (Boston, 1858-1862), 2v. WorldCat (Other Libraries); or  (1965 rep.). Digital versions at Internet Archive (v. 1 and V. 2), Google Books (v. 1 and v. 2), and Ancestry ($).
 * Claude E. Heaton, "The Indians had a name for it" in Cape Cod Compass, 20 [1967]: 34-35, 78-79, OR 7 [1952]: 53-56. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Henry Crocker Kittredge, Shipmasters of Cape Cod (Boston, 1935), 319 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Enoch Pratt, "Complete List of the Congregational Ministers in the County of Barnstable, Mass. from the settlement of the country to 1842" in American Quarterly Register, 15 [1842/3]: 58-72. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Three Centuries of the Cape Cod County: Barnstable, Massachusetts, 1685 to 1985 (West Yarmouth, Mass., 1985), 437 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Cape Cod Gravestones, a comprehensive inventory of gravestones up to 1880 [and now working up to 1900] for all fifteen towns on the Cape - many early ones include a photograph.
 * Robbin's Favorite Genealogy Sites, a collection of Cape Cod genealogy links for libraries and resources available on the Internet.
 * The Barnstable County MA GenWeb Project, an member of The MAGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Barnstable County

Manuscripts digitized online:


 * Lydia B. Brownson, Grace W. Held, and Doris V. Norton, "Genealogical Notes of Cape Cod Families" (Duxbury, Mass., typ., 1966), 50v. This manuscript is part of the Special Collections at the Sturis Library in Barnstable. It is alphabetically by surname and then by given name below that. It is a culmination of research in published histories and genealogies, and from the vital records of the various towns. Digital version of the 50 volumes is at Internet Archive. To go directly to an individual volume, use this guide below:

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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 before 1800. 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.

Barnstable County Registry of Deeds PO Box 368 3195 Main Street Barnstable MA 02630 Phone 508-362-7733

The Registry burned in 1827 and almost all records were lost before that point. Indexes go back to 1703, so it can be seen what is missing. Land owners were asked to re-record their deeds. These go back to 1783. Volume 61 (1804-1808) survived. Many unrecorded deeds have been given to the Sturgis Library below. These have been published piecemeal over the years. The FamilySearch Catalog has these individual deeds cataloged. Original records Records are available at the Registry. Most of the records are available ONLINE, they are:

Original records on microfilm Top of Page
 * Recorded land [deeds], indexes and deeds, 1704-present.
 * Recorded land plans, indexes and deeds, all.
 * Land Court name index, incomplete, see changing caveat on search screen.
 * Land Court Documents, 1899-present.
 * Wills, inventories, etc., 1637-1685, and New England Historic Genealogical Society. Note: These records were copied in 1893 from the original records of Plymouth Colony that reference to land that became Barnstable County.
 * Deeds, v. 1-88 (1815-1868), and Indexes, 1703-1868,.
 * Deeds recopied, 1783-1870 (volumes by town), Mashpee, 1831-1870,.
 * Mashpee (district and town), deeds, 1842-1901, from Superior Court,.
 * Deeds, vol. 61, 1804-1808,.

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.

Barnstable County Probate and Family Court PO Box 346 3195 Main Street Barnstable MA 02630 Phone 508-375-6710 Email [mailto:Barnstableprobatebarnstablecountypfc.com Barnstableprobatebarnstablecountypfc.com]

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] Online Probate Records Original records on microfilm
 * 1635 – 1991 Massachusetts Wills and Probate Records 1635-1991 at Ancestry.com — index and images, $
 * Wills, inventories, etc., 1637-1685, and New England Historic Genealogical Society. Note: These records were copied in 1893 from the original records of Plymouth Colony that reference to land that became Barnstable County.
 * Probate and guardianship records, 1674-1950, and New England Historic Genealogical Society.
 * Probate records, 1696-1894, being Index to v. 1-64; Consolidated general index, 1686-1950; and probate records, v. 1-102 (1686-1863+), and New England Historic Genealogical Society.

Microfilmed records found at the Massachusetts Archive (16 mm film):

Original records published
 * General index, 1686-1950, 5 v.
 * General index, 1951-1955, 1956-1960, 1961-1965, 1966-1970.
 * Divorce index, 1922-1965, 1966-1970, 1971-1975.
 * Docket books, v. 25-43.
 * Record books, v. 1-403 (v. 396-399 do not exist).
 * File papers, reels 1-64 - missing, no film for #1-22744.
 * File papers, reels 65-299, #22745-48415.

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 * Scott Andrew Bartley, "Barnstable County Probate Index, 1686 to 1850" in the Mayflower Descendant:
 * Abraham to Avery, 53 [2004]: 29-45.
 * Backus to Butler, 53 [2004]: 149-170; 54 [2005]: 31-47, 152-164.
 * Series never finished as the plan was to place it the society website, but they never got to Barnstable County.

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

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.

No microfilmed records found at the Family History Library or Massachusetts Archives. See the Supreme Judicial Court Archives above for the original records. These records are likely all lost in the fire of 1827. Top of Page | Top of Court

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 record up to 1827 were likely lost in the fire of 1827, but this needs to be verified.

The records microfilmed:

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 * Court records, v. 1-5, 1827-1859, and 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.

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 * Plaintiff index, 1885-1913,.
 * Court records, v. 1-17, 1859-1932, and 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.

No microfilmed records found at the Family History Library or Massachusetts Archives. See the Supreme Judicial Court Archives above for the original records. The records before 1827 are likely all lost in the fire of 1827. Top of Page | Top of Court

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 Barnstable County Barnstable County Naturalization Records Top of Page | Top of Court

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 and in the Family History Library.

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 * George H. Walker, Atlas of Barnstable County, Massachusetts (Boston, 1880) at and online for view or sale at Historic Map Works.
 * Henry F. Walling, Map of the Counties of Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket, Massachusetts (1858) at the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, Boston Public Library and.

Family history Centers
Sturgis Library PO Box 606 3090 Main Street Barnstable MA 02630 Phone 508-362-6636 Email [mailto:sturgislibrary@comcast.net sturgislibrary@comcast.net] This is the best genealogical library on the Cape with newspaper archive for the Barnstable Patriot, 1830-1930, with links ot other Cape archives; and Lothrop Genealogy and Local History Collection.

The Falmouth Genealogical Society PO Box 2107 Falmouth MA 02536 They have an online obituary index to the Falmouth Enterprise, 1960-2011.

Cape Cod Genealogical Society PO Box 1394 Harwich MA 02645 This Society maintains a Genealogy Room at the Dennis Public Library, 5 Hall Street, Dennisport. Top of Page