Hampshire County, Massachusetts Genealogy

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

Description
Hampshire County covered the western half of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and it was the seat of the first settlements in this region. Migration was from the east up the Connecticut River. The old probate records reside in Hampshire County, but the the early deeds will be found in Springfield, Hampden County. The county government was abolished on 1 January 1999, however its former jurisdiction is used for state offices as a district.

The county was named for the county Hampshire, in England. It is located in the northwestern area of the state.

County Courthouse
Hampshire County Courthouse 15 Gothic Street Northampton, MA 01061 Phone: 413-584-5810 Hampshire 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]

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 Files.

Online Court Indexes and Records
 * 1677-1728 (*) Hampshire County Court, Court of Quarter Sessions, General Sessions of Peace, and Inferior Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog - images

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.

Online Court Indexes and Records
 * 1677-1728 (*) Hampshire County Court, Court of Quarter Sessions, General Sessions of Peace, and Inferior Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1677-1798 (*) Hampshire County Court of Sessions and Inferior Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1677-1830 (*) Hampshire County Inferior of Common Pleas and Court of Sessions at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1728-1853 (*) Hampshire County Court of Common Pleas and Court of General Sessions of the Peace at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1766-1790 (*) Hampshire County Court of General Sessions of Peace at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1800-1837 (*) Hampshire County Court of Sessions at FamilySearch Catalog - images

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.

Online Court Indexes and Records
 * 1677-1728 (*) Hampshire County Court, Court of Quarter Sessions, General Sessions of Peace, and Inferior Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1677-1798 (*) Hampshire County Court of Sessions and Inferior Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1677-1830 (*) Hampshire County Inferior of Common Pleas and Court of Sessions at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1728-1853 (*) Hampshire County Court of Common Pleas and Court of General Sessions of the Peace at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1798-1853 (*) Hampshire County Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1852-1859 (*) Hampshire County Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1854-1859 (*) Hampshire County Court of Common Pleas at FamilySearch Catalog - images

Until population warranted it, criminal and civil court cases were included in the same court records. The first 24 volumes in Hampshire County include civil cases from the Inferior Court of Common Pleas and criminal court cases from the Court of General Sessions of the Peace: These volumes are completely indexed. After these 24 volumes, subsequent volumes were numbered restarting with 1. When part of Hampshire County became Hampden County in 1812, clerks copied applicable cases into the new county's records. For such cases, if you are unable to read one of the records, you may be able to read the copy in the other county.

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
 * 1853-1986 (*) Hampshire County Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1854-1916 (*) Hampshire 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
 * 1797-1954 (*) Hampshire County Supreme Judicial Court at FamilySearch Catalog - images

Directories

 * 1654-1887 Gazetteer of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, 1654-1887 at MyHeritage — index & 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.

Hampshire District Registry of Deeds 60 Railroad Avenue Northampton, MA 01060 413-584-3637 Email: [mailto:hampshirereg@sec.state.ma.us hampshirereg@sec.state.ma.us] Website
 * Due to administrative issues, Hampden County holds the Hampshire County pre-1812 deeds.

Online Land Indexes and Records:
 * 1620-1986 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; images only
 * 1628-1869 (*) Hampshire County Register of Deeds at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1653-Current Proprietor Records from 1653 at Hampshire District Registry of Deeds
 * 1787-1986 (*) Hampshire County Register of Deeds at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1787-1900 (*) Hampshire County Register of Deeds at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1914-Current Record Land Name Search, 1914 to Current at Hampshire District Registry of Deeds
 * Pre-1914 Deeds, Pre-1914 at Hampshire District Registry of Deeds; search by volume and page
 * Recorded Land Plans at Hampshire District Registry of Deeds

Local Histories
Works written on the county include:
 * Massachusetts: Historical Data Relating to Cities and Towns at American Ancestors — index & images ($)
 * Biographical Review: this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Hampshire County, Massachusetts (Boston, 1896), 580 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); . Digital versions at Internet Archive and Ancestry ($).
 * William Burton Gay, comp., Gazetteer of Hampshire County, Mass., 1654-1887 (Syracuse, N.Y., [1886?]), 2v. in 1. WorldCat (Other Libraries); . Digital versions at Internet Archive and Ancestry ($).
 * John P. Manwell, A History of the Hampshire Association of Congregational Churches and Ministers (Amherst, Mass., [1941?]), 43 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FS Library.
 * Joseph Henry Smith, ed., Colonial Justice in Western Massachusetts, 1639-1702; the Pynchon Court Record, an original judges' diary of the administration of justice in the Springfield courts in the Massachusetts Bay Colony (Cambridge, Mass, 1961), ix, 426 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * The Hampshire County MA GenWeb Project, an member of The MAGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Hampshire County.
 * Trumbull, James Russell (1825-1899), Pomeroy,Seth (1706-1777) "History of Northampton, Massachusetts, from its settlement in 1654".

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
 * 1654-1887 Gazetteer of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, 1654-1887 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)

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

Spanish-American War
 * James R. Gilfillan and Herbert E. Riley. Northampton in the Spanish-American War. Easthampton, Mass. : Press of Enterprise Printing, 1899, c1899

World War I
 * Charles S. Zack, Holyoke in the Great War : illustrated; including the towns of South Hadley, Willimansett, Belchert own, Fairview and GranbyHolyoke, Massachusetts : Transcript Pub., c1919 FS Library 974.426/H2 M2z

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 Federal Naturalization Records for Hampshire County
 * 1871-1991 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images
 * 1906-1817 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; Index and images

Hampshire County Naturalization Records

Newspapers

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

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1635-1991 Massachusetts Wills and Probate Records 1635-1991 at Ancestry.com — index & images ($)
 * 1660-1971 (*) Hampshire County Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1660-1988 (*) Hampshire County Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1660-1889 Hampshire County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1660-1889 at American Ancestors — index & images ($)
 * 1680-1890 (*) Hampshire County Judicial Court at FamilySearch Catalog - images
 * 1797-1869 (*) Hampshire County Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog - 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
 * 1936-2007 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index

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
 * 1800-1855 Rhode Island and Pawtucket, Massachusetts Birth Index, 1800-1855 at Ancestry - index & 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

FamilySearch Centers

 * Albany New York FamilySearch Center
 * Marlborough Massachusetts FamilySearch Center
 * Worcester Massachusetts FamilySearch 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

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