Massachusetts, Births - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection includes an index to selected birth records from 1636 to 1920. See related Family History Library Holdings below.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
These records may contain the following information: • 2

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the child
 * The approximate date of the birth
 * Place of birth

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use the birth date along with the place of birth to find the family in census records
 * Occupations listed can lead you to other types of records such as employment or military records
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct
 * Search for the family in land and probate records in the town where they lived

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Massachusetts.
 * Massachusetts Guided Research
 * Massachusetts Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

Family History Library Holdings

 * Record of births and deaths in Hadley, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, and Phelps Diary, 1795-1817
 * Newton, Middlesex County, Births and out of town births, (1865-1910), marriages (1890-1910) FHL Film 743869 Births, A-Z, 1906
 * A report of the Record Commissioners of the city of Boston. FHL Film 14734 v. 24
 * Newburyport. Records of births, marriage intentions, marriages, and deaths, 1740-1875. FHL 767312 - Birth index and birth records - v. 1 1740-1849
 * Heath. Births, deaths, marriages and intentions, 1735-1900. FHL 768340
 * Boston, Massachusetts, births and marriages, 1901-1910 FHL598102 - Births no. 3001-4500, 1908

Related FamilySearch Historical Record Collections

 * Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915
 * Massachusetts Births, 1841-1915
 * Massachusetts Town Births Index, ca. 1630-1905
 * Massachusetts State Vital Records, 1841-1920 Births, marriages and deaths, 1916-1920
 * Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * Historical Records Survey. Guide to the public vital records of Massachusetts
 * Carroll D. Wright. Report on the custody and condition of the public records of parishes, towns, and counties. Boston, Massachusetts : Wright & Potter, 1889

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.