Norfolk County, Massachusetts Genealogy

This is a historical and genealogical guide to the county of Norfolk. 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.


 * Massachusetts Genealogy Guide - Guide to Massachusetts State-wide Records

Description
The county was named for the English county of the same name. It is located in the central area of the state.

Brief History
Norfolk County is home to some of the earliest settlements in Massachusetts Bay Colony though it is a relatively recent creation (1793). To learn about the earlier records for this area, see Suffolk County. The northeast portion of the county is the mostly heavily populated. The border towns were so intertwined with Boston, that they were annexed to the city in the late 1800s. Always remember the former towns which are listed in the Towns and Cities section below. It is a county of diversity. It is one of the wealthiest counties and has both rural and urban areas. Weymouth is a noted shipyard. Through politics, Norfolk is separated into three pieces. Hingham and Hull fought to stay part of Suffolk County when Norfolk was formed. Ultimately, Suffolk County succeded them to Plymouth County and thus creating the first break. Boston annexing the northern border towns caused the last break as Brookline refused to be annexed and now is surrounded by the city on 75% of its border.

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

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county. Top of Page

County Histories
Works written on the county include:

Top of Page
 * Biographical Review; containing life sketches of leading citizens of Norfolk County, Massachusetts (Boston, 1898), 710 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); . Digital version at Internet Archive.
 * Elmer O. Cappers, Place Names in Norfolk County, Massachusetts ([Brookline, Mass., 1972?), 40 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * Louis Atwood Cook, History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, 1622-1918 (S.l., 1918), 2v. WorldCat (Other Libraries);.
 * D. Hamilton Hurd, ed., History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men (Philadelphia, 1884), xii, 1001 pp. WorldCat (Other Libraries); (with digital link).
 * Thomas Noyes, "Complete List of the Congregational Ministers in the County of Norfolk, Mass., from the settlement of the county to the present time" in American Quarterly Register, 8 [1835/6]: 42-58. WorldCat (Other Libraries); Not at FHL.
 * The Norfolk County MA GenWeb Project, an member of The MAGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Norfolk County.
 * Norfolk County Massachusetts History - Genealogy Blog - by David Allen Lambert.
 * FamilySearch Catalog for Norfolk County.

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:

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 this county was established. 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.

Online Vital Records
 * 1626-2001 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1638-1961 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1841-1920 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Birth

 * 1666-1970 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Marriage

 * 1600-1961 - Massachusetts, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1841-1915 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Top of Page

Census

 * 1865 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * FamilySearch Places

Emigration and Immigration

 * 1837 - 1965 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Land Records
Top of Page

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1635 – 1991 Massachusetts Wills and Probate Records 1635-1991 at Ancestry.com — index and images, $
 * 1793 – 1900 Norfolk County, Massachusetts Probate Index 1793-1900 at Ancestry.com — index only, $

Top of Page

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 1793 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:

Top of Page | Top of Court

Inferior Court of Common Pleas
This court was active from 1793 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:

Top of Page | Top of Court

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.

Top of Page | Top of Court

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.

Top of Page | Top of Court

Naturalization Records

 * 1871-1991 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1906-1917 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

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 Norfolk County

Norfolk County Naturalization Records

Top of Page | Top of Court

Maps
Top of Page

Migration
Migration routes for early European settlers to and from included:

Top of Page
 * Atlantic Ocean
 * Bay Road about 1652 from Boston, Massachusetts to New Bedford, Massachusetts
 * Coast Path 1630 from Boston, Massachusetts to Plymouth, Massachusetts
 * King's Highway, also known as the Boston Post Road, 1650s from Boston, Massachusetts to Charleston, South Carolina
 * Old Roebuck Road 1636 from Boston, Massachusetts to Providence, Rhode Island

Revolutionary War

 * 1775 - 1783 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
 * 1805 - 1845 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection

Top of Page

Norfolk County Massachusetts Libraries and Genealogy Societies
Massachusetts Society of Genealogists, Inc. P. O. Box 215 Ashland, MA 01721-0215 Four chapters hold open educational meetings from September through June each year.

Family History Centers
For information on additional archives and repositories, see
 * Massachusetts Archives
 * Franklin Massachusetts Family History Center

Norfolk County Massachusetts Genealogy References
Adjacent counties: Massachusetts: Bristol | Middlesex | Plymouth | Suffolk | Worcester Rhode Island: Providence County