Worcester County, Massachusetts Genealogy

United States Massachusetts  Worcester County

This is a historical and genealogical guide to the county of Worcester. 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
Worcester County was created in the middle of the two largest counties with a third county throwing in another small part collecting the towns of Lancaster, Leicester, Lunenburg, Rutland, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Westborough, and Worcester from Middlesex County; Hassanamisco [later Grafton], Medfield, Mendon, Oxford, Sutton, Uxbridge, and Woodstock from Suffolk County; and Brookfield and "the south town laid out to the Narraganset soldiers" [likely Brimfield] from Hampshire County. Settlement was mainly an outgrowth of the older settlements to the east and to a lesser degree from the Connecticut River Valley. There was an influx after the Revolutionary War that included migration up from Rhode Island and Connecticut in addition to the east. This is the largest county in area and there have been fifteen attempts to split the county though none were successful. The county seat is Worcester, the second largest city in all of New England. 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.

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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. Ashburnham (1765) | Athol (1762) | Auburn (1778) | Barre (1774) Berlin (1812) | Blackstone (1845) | Bolton (1738) | Boylston (1785) Brookfield (1718) | Charlton (1775) | Clinton (1850) | Douglas (1775) Dudley (1732) | East Brookfield(1920) | Fitchburg (1764) | Gardner (1785) Grafton (1735) | Hardwick (1739) | Harvard (1732) | Holden (1741) Hopedale (1886) | Hubbardston (1775) | Lancaster (1653) | Leicester (1714) Leominster (1740) | Lunenburg (1728) | Mendon (1667) | Milford (1780) Millbury (1813) | Millville (1916) | New Braintree (1775) | North Brookfield (1812) Northborough (1775) | Northbridge (1775) | Oakham (1775) | Oxford (1713) Paxton (1775) | Petersham (1754) | Phillipston (1786) | Princeton (1771) Royalston (1765) | Rutland (1713) | Shrewsbury (1727) | Southborough (1727) Southbridge (1816) | Spencer (1775) | Sterling (1781) | Sturbridge (1738) Sutton (1714) | Templeton (1762) | Upton (1735) | Uxbridge (1727) Warren (1742) | Webster (1832) | West Boylston (1808) | West Brookfield (1848) Westborough (1717) | Westminster (1770) | Winchendon (1764) | Worcester (1684) Ceded to Connecticut: Woodstock

Extinct Town: Dana (1801-1938) Top of Page

County Histories
Works written on the county include:

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 * Biographical Review ... containing life sketches of leading citizens of Worcester County, Massachusetts (Boston, 1899), 1229 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); (with digital link). Digital versions at Internet Archive and Ancestry ($).
 * Francis Everett Blake, Worcester County, Massachusetts, Warnings, 1737-1788 (Worcester, Mass., 1899; rep. Camden, Me., 1992), 101 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries) (1992 ed.); (1992 ed.). Digital versions at Internet Archive and Google Books.
 * Rufus Choate, Argument for the Division of Worcester County on the petition of O. L. Huntley and others (Boston, 1854), 67 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL. Digital versions at Internet Archive, Google Books, and Ancestry ($).
 * Zelote Wood Coombs, "Worcester County: its history, with discussion of attempts to divide it" in Worcester Historical Society Publications, New Series, 1 [1928-1935]: 169-184. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * Ellery Bicknell Crane, History of Worcester County, Massachusetts (New York, 1924), 3v. WorldCat (Other Libraries); (with digital links for v. 1-2).
 * [Isaac Goodwin], "A Catalogue of the Several Congregational Ministers in the County of Worcester" in Worcester Magazine and Historical Journal, 2 [1826]: 371-375. WorldCat (Other Libraries); . Digital versions at Internet Archive and Google Books.
 * William B. Harding, "Origins of the Names of the Towns in Worcester County" in Proceedings of the Worcester Society of Antiquity 5 [1883], 97-117. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * D. Hamilton Hurd, ed., History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men (Philadelphia, 1889), 2v. (1762 pp.). WorldCat (Other Libraries); and . Digital versions at Internet Archive (v. 1 and v. 2) and Hathi Trust.
 * Lincoln Newton Kinnicutt, Indian Names of Places in Worcester County, Massachusetts, with interpretations of some of them (Worcester, Mass., 1905), 59 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); . Digital versions at Internet Archive and Google Books.
 * Kevin Joseph MacWade, "Worcester County, 1750-1774: a study of a provincial patronage elite," Ph.D. dissertation, Boston Univ., 1974, vii, 193 leaves. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Abijah P. Marvin, History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, ... from its first settlement to the present time, with a history and description of its cities and towns (Boston, 1879), 2v. WorldCat (Other Libraries); (with digital link). Digital versions at Internet Archive (v. 1 and v. 2), Google Books (v. 1 and v. 2), and Hathi Trust.
 * Thomas Noyes, "Complete List of Congregational Ministers, in the County of Worcester, Mass., from its settlement to the present time" in American Quarterly Register, 10 [1837-1838]: 47-65. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Peter Whitney, The History of the County of Worcester, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts: with a particular account of every town from its first settlement to the present time; including its ecclesiastical state, together with a geographical description of the same, to which is prefixed, a map of the county, at large, from actual survey (Worcester, Mass., 1793), vi, 339 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); . Digital versions at Internet Archive and Hathi Trust.
 * Henry Augustus Willis, "The Division of Worcester County" in Proceedings of the Fitchburg Historical Society, 3 [1902]: 70-83. WorldCat (Other Libraries); . Digital versions at Internet Archive, Google Books, and Haiti Trust.
 * The Worcester County MAGenWeb Project, an member of The MAGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Worcester County
 * Family History Library catalog for Worcester 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 long before 1700. 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. Worcester County is divided into two districts. The county was one district until the creation of the Northern District on 1 August 1884.

Worcester Northern District Registry of Deeds Putnam Place 166 Boulder Drive, Suite 202 Fitchburg MA 01420 Phone 978-342-2132 Email [mailto:fitchreg@sec.state.ma.us fitchreg@sec.state.ma.us] This district includes Ashburnham, Fitchburg, Leonminster, Lunenburg, and Westminster. Records date back to 1868. Original records Records are available at the Registry. Most of the records are available ONLINE, they are:


 * Recorded Land indexes, 1955-present (Note: indexes prior to 1982 have not been verified).
 * Recorded Land Scanned Index by name, 1868-1965 (Note: work in progress).
 * Recorded Land images.
 * Recorded Land Plan indexes and images.
 * Land Court name index, 1899-present.
 * Land Court document images, 1899-present.
 * Land Court certificates, 1899-present.

There are no microfilmed records from this district.

Worcester South District Registry of Deeds 90 Front Street Worcester MA 01608 Phone: 508-798-7717 This district included the entire county up to 1884 and all southern towns not listed above after that. Original records The original records are held by the Registry. All their records are available ONLINE at www.masslandrecords.com/worcester. Deeds are searchable by index since 1961. The older deeds can be viewed on the site, but only by volume and page. The records fully indexed online are:


 * Deeds [recorded land], 1961-present.
 * Plans, 1900-present.
 * Registered Land [Land Court], 1899-present.
 * Registered Land Plans, 1899.

Note: To see records before 1961, you must first go to the SEARCH OUR DOCUMENTS option from the Registry page at the left that takes you to the masslandrecords.com website for "Southern" Worcester District. 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 period up to 1839. Later periods to 1960 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. Original records on microfilm Note: All these records listed below are online at FamilySearch.org as a browsable collection only (as of Aug. 2013).

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 * Grantor indexes, 1731-1889, 22 reels.
 * Grantee indexes, 1731-1889, 18 reels.
 * Deeds, v. 1 (1722) - v. 716 (1866).

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.

Worcester Probate and Family Court 225 Main Street Suite 2001 Worcester MA 01608 508 831-2200 Original records 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] Original records online There are no records available online, but the FamilySearch.org is scheduled to upload the Worcester Probate Files from 1731 to 1925 in the future. [as of Aug. 2013]. Original records on microfilm The following records are available at the FHL film 859169 (1st of 319); Massachusetts Archives; and New England Historic Genealogical Society with records through v. 469 (1881).


 * Indexes, 1731-1881, see published books below.
 * Docket books, no. 1-68399.
 * Record books, v. 1-833, 1731-1915.
 * Signed releases, 1865-1879 (only at Massachusetts Archives).

At FHL film 868526 Item 1:

Manuscript records Published records Top of Page
 * Probate records, 1798-1854. Note: Needs to be viewed to see if it is different than the records above.
 * Janet K. Pease, "Worcester County, Massachusetts, Probate Abstracts, 1748-1751" (S.l., 1979), 47 leaves, FHL film 1033623 Item 7.
 * Index to the Probate Records of the County of Worcester, Massachusetts [1731-1920] (Worcester, Mass., 1898-1920), 5v. WorldCat (Other Libraries); (with digital link for up to 1881). Digital versions at Internet Archive: Series A, 1731-1881, A-King, Series A, 1731-1881, K-Z, Series B, 1881-1897, Series B, 1897-1909, Series B, 1910-1920; Hathi Trust - 5v.; and Ancestry ($) (1731-1881).

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 1731 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 at the Family History Library:


 * Court sessions, v. 1-20, 1731-1862, . These films will need to be viewed to see what the post-1827 record contain as the court no longer existed then.

The records microfilmed at the Massachusetts Archives:


 * Court of General Sessions, v. 1-8, 1731-1827.

Derivative records published:

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 * Franklin P. Rice, ed., Records of the Court of General Sessions of the Peace for the County of Worcester, Massachusetts, from 1731 to 1737 (Worcester, Mass., 1882), 197 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); . Digital versions at Internet Archive, Google Books, and Hathi Trust.

Inferior Court of Common Pleas
This court was active from 1731 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 at the Family History Library:


 * Court records, v. 1-11, 1731-1784; Executions, 1774-1792,.
 * Court records, v. 12-131, 1784-1859,.

The records microfilmed at the Massachusetts Archives:

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 * Court of Common Pleas, executions, record book, [1744-1765].
 * Court of Common Pleas, record books, v. 1-131, 1731-1859.

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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 * Superior Court, divorce index, 1887-1936, at Massachusetts Archives.
 * Superior Court, divorce docket books, v. 2-11, 1888-1936 [v. 1 missing], 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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 * Supreme Judicial Court, record books, v. 1-30, 1797-1887, and 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 Worcester 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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 * F. W. Beers, Atlas of Worcester County, Massachusetts (1870), (1971 rep.) and, or online for view or sale at Historic Map Works.
 * Newberry Library, Chicago, online version of their Massachusetts Historical Counties.
 * Henry F. Walling, Map of Worcester County, Massachusetts (1857), at the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, Boston Public Library.

Worcester County Massachusetts Genealogy Societies and Libraries
Massachusetts Society of Genealogists - Worcester Chapter PO Box 215 Ashland MA 01721 Email [mailto:president@msoginc.org president@msoginc.org]

American Antiquarian Society 185 Salisbury Street Worcester MA 01609 Phone 508-755-5221 Email [mailto:library@americanantiquarian.org library@americanantiquarian.org] This is the largest collection of U.S. printed material to 1876 in the United States. It has extensive newspaper and manuscripts holdings and a strong genealogical collection. A detailed guide to the collection by subject is available online and also find items in their online catalog. Top of Page

Worcester County Massachusetts Genealogy References
Adjacent counties: Massachusetts: Franklin | Hampden | Hampshire | Middlesex | Norfolk Connecticut: Tolland | Windham New Hampshire: Cheshire | Hillsborough Rhode Island: Providence County