Hampden County, Massachusetts Genealogy

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

Description
This region was the first settled area in western Massachusetts Bay Colony centered around Springfield that was settled in 1636. It was first incorporated as the county of Hampshire. The first settlers arrived coming up the Connecticut River valley. The King Philip's War pulled settlers back from many frontier areas in 1675. Springfield has always been the center of trade and culture for this region. When Hampshire County was last divided, Springfield was made the county seat of the new county of Hampden. Realize that the old deeds for the region stayed in Springfield and the old probates moved in 1794 and stayed in Northampton. The county government was abolished on 1 July 1998, but its former jurisdiction is used for state offices as a district.

The county was named for parliamentarian John Hampden. It is located in the northwestern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Hampden County Courthouse 50 State Street Springfield, MA 01102 Phone: 413-735-6016 Hampden 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 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 1812 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.

Online Court Indexes and Records
 * 1638-1812 (*) Hampden County Court of General Sessions of Peace at FamilySearch Catalog - images

Inferior Court of Common Pleas This court was active from 1812 to 1859. The court heard all civil cases over 40s unless a case involved freehold or was appealed from a justice of the peace.

Online Court Indexes and Records
 * 1812-1859 (*) Hampden County Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1812-1861 (*) Hampden County Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog - images

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.

Online Court Indexes and Records
 * 1859-1894 (*) Hampden County Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1887-1918 (*) Hampden County Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1894-1916 (*) Hampden County Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog - images

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.

Online Court Indexes and Records
 * 1816-1914 (*) Hampden County Supreme Judicial Court at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1871-1886 (*) Hampden County Supreme Judicial Court at FamilySearch Catalog - images

Genealogies

 * 1650-1865 Hampden County, MA: Black Families in Hampden County, 1650-1865 at American Ancestors — images ($)

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. NOTE: Hampden County holds all the original deeds of Hampshire County from its beginning in 1662 to the creation of this county in 1812. Hampden Registry of Deeds-Springfield Office 50 State Street Springfield MA 01103 Phone 413-755-1722 Email [mailto:hcrodsd@sec.state.ma.us hcrodsd@sec.state.ma.us] Website

Hampden Registry of Deeds-Westfield Satellite Office 59 Court Street Westfield MA 01085 Phone 413-568-2290 Online Land Indexes and Records
 * 1620-1986 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 1628-1869 (*) Hampden County Register of Deeds at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1634-1909 (*) Hampden County Register of Deeds at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1664-1974 Hampden County Commissioner Books, v. A; 1-31 at Hampden Registry of Deeds
 * 1816-1914 (*) Hampden County Supreme Judicial Court at FamilySearch Catalog - images; includes land records
 * 1881-1894 (*) Hampden County Court of Insolvency at FamilySearch Catalog - image
 * 1950-Current Recorded Land at Hampden Registry of Deeds
 * 1950-Current Land Court at Hampden Registry of Deeds
 * Recorded Land Plans at Hampden Registry of Deeds; search by book and page

Records at New England Historic Genealogical Society:
 * Deeds, v. 239-630 (1866-1902), indexes: 1870-1889, 1890-1899, 1900-1909; also Deeds, A-Z (1738-1762); also Springfield deeds, 1634-1664)
 * Deeds, v. 1-238 (1638-1867), indexes: 1636-1800, 1800-1849, 1850-1869

Published Records:
 * Harry Andrew Wright, Indian Deeds of Hampden County: being copies of all land transfers from the Indians recorded in the county of Hampden, Massachusetts, and some deeds from other sources together with notes and translations of Indian place names (Springfield, Mass., 1905), 194 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974.426 R2w. Digital versions at Internet Archive, Google Books, and Ancestry ($).

Local Histories
Works written on the county include:
 * Joseph Carvalho III, Black Families in Hampden County, Massachusetts, 1650-1855 (Boston, 1984), 211 pp.; (Boston, 2nd ed., 2011), xxiv, 400 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries) and 2nd ed.; and.
 * Alfred Minott Copeland, ed., Our County and its People: a History of Hampden County, Massachusetts (Boston, 1902), 3v. WorldCat (Other Libraries) and Index; Not at FHL. Digital versions at Internet Archive (v. 1, v. 2, and v. 3), Google Books (v. 1 and v. 3), and Ancestry ($) (2v. only).
 * Clifton Johnson, Hampden County, 1636-1936 (New York, 1936), 3v. WorldCat (Other Libraries) and Index; (1999 rep.) and.
 * Sketches of the Churches and Pastors in Hampden County, Mass. (Westfield, Mass., 1854), viii, 144 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); . Digital versions at Internet Archive, Google Books, and Ancestry ($).
 * Harry Andrew Wright, ed., Indian Deeds of Hampden County, being copies of all land transfers from the Indians recorded in the county of Hampden: Massachusetts, and some deeds from other sources, together with notes and translations of Indian place names (Springfield, Mass., 1905), 194 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); . Digital versions at Internet Archive, Google Books, and Ancestry ($).
 * The Hampden County MAGenWeb Project, an member of The MAGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Hampden County.
 * Massachusetts Indexes at EveryNameIndex.com — Select the county.hampden/ Hampden

Maps and Gazetteers

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

Migration
Migration routes for early European settlers to and from Hampden County included: Map of the Catskill Road (aka Ancram Turnpike) in yellow from Springfield, Massachusetts to Ancram, Catskill, and Unadilla in New York. Migration routes for early European settlers to and from Hampden County, Massachusetts Genealogy included:
 * Connecticut River a navigable river stretching from the border of Quebec, New Hampshire, and Vermont flowing south to through Connecticut into Long Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean at Old Saybrook, Connecticut
 * Alford and Egremont (MA) Turnpike 1812
 * Ancram (NY) Turnpike 1805, also sometimes called the Catskill Road, from Salisbury, Connecticut to Catskill, New York
 * Catskill Road 1750s from Springfield, Massachusetts to Catskill, New York
 * Catskill Turnpike  (aka Susquehannah Turnpike ) from Catskill, NY to Unadilla, NY; route travelled by Europeans by 1792; toll booths opened by 1804.
 * Columbia (NY) Turnpike 1799
 * Great Barrington and Aford (MA) Turnpike 1812
 * Greenwood Road 1799 from Hartford, Connecticut to Albany, New York
 * Hampden and Berkshire (MA) Turnpike 1826
 * Hillsdale and Chatham Turnpike 1805 from Alford, Massachusetts to Albany, New York
 * Housatonic River (MA) Turnpike 1809
 * King's Highway, also known as the upper fork of the Boston Post Road, from Boston, Massachusetts to Charleston, South Carolina 1650s
 * Massachusetts 10th Turnpike 1800
 * Massachusetts 12th Turnpike 1812
 * Old Connecticut Path  1630 from Boston, Massachusetts to Hartford, Connecticut
 * Rensselaer and Columbia (NY) Turnpike 1799
 * Salisbury and Canaan (CT) Turnpike 1801-1829
 * Ulster and Delaware Turnpike 1802 from Salisbury, Connecticut to Bainbridge, New York

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
 * 1871-1991 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1906-1817 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Federal Naturalization Records for Hampden County

Hampden County Naturalization Records

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1635-1991 Massachusetts Wills and Probate Records 1635-1991 at Ancestry.com — index and images, ($)
 * 1806-1919 (*) Hampden County Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog - index and images
 * 1809-1881 (*) Hampden County Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog - index and images
 * 1812-1916 (*) Hampden County Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog - index and images
 * 1812-1986 (*) Hampden County Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog - index and images
 * 1814-1929 (*) Hampden County Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog - index and images
 * 1816-1914 (*) Hampden County Judicial Court at FamilySearch Catalog - index and images; includes probate and property records
 * 1900-1901 (*) Hampden County Register of Probate at FamilySearch Catalog - index and images

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

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

 * Boston Massachusetts Family History Center
 * Marlborough Massachusetts Family History Center
 * Worcester Massachusetts Family History Center
 * Berkshire Athenaeum - an affiliate library
 * Chicopee Public Library - an affiliate library
 * Jones Library Inc. - an affiliate library

Libraries
For information on additional archives and repositories, see
 * Massachusetts Archives for information on additional archives and repositories

Societies
Hampden County MA Historical Societies CountyOffice.orgWebsite
 * Chester Historical Society Chester, MA E-mail: [mailto:kamby64025@comcast.net kamby64025@comcast.net] Website
 * The Hampden Historical Society Academy Hall 616 Main Street Hampden, MA 01036 (413) 566-5803 E-mail: [mailto:hampdenhistoricalsociety01036@yahoo.com hampdenhistoricalsociety01036@yahoo.com] Website Facebook
 * Western Massachusetts Genealogical Society SPO Box 418 West Springfield, MA 01090-0418 Phone Number E-mail: [mailto:emailofsociety emailofsociety] Website

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