Grafton County, New Hampshire Genealogy

United States &gt; New Hampshire &gt; Grafton County

County Courthouse
The Grafton County Complex 3855 Darmouth College Highway North Haverhill, NH 03774

History



 * Named for Augustus Henry FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton, KG, PC (28 September 1735 – 14 March 1811), styled Earl of Euston between 1747 and 1757, was a British Whig statesman of the Georgian era. He was one of a handful of dukes who served as Prime Minister. He was a son of Lord Augustus FitzRoy and Elizabeth Cosby, daughter of Colonel William Cosby, who served as a colonial Governor of New York.


 * For an online history of this county go to the Internet site of New Hampshire Genealogy &amp; History. At that site you can also select a town, and read online a history of the town. Using the Shift key then the F3 key you can do a word search.


 * For many Grafton County towns someone has published a town history that includes a good deal of genealogical information. The Family History Library has these books for the following towns: Bethlehem, Bristol, Canaan, Enfield, Haverhill, Hebron, Lebanon, Lisbon, Littleton, Lyme, Monroe, Orford, Piermont, Plymouth, Warren, and Wentworth. For Hanover the Familiy History Library has a genealogical collection on fifteen rolls of microfilm.

Parent County

 * Grafton County was created 19 March 1771 from the Colonial lands.

Boundary Changes

 * Coos County was set off 24 December 1803 from the northern part.


 * Carroll County was set off 22 December 1840 from part of the western area of Grafton County, and part of Strafford County.

Record Loss
One record source that would be helpful, but was destroyed, is the 1890 census. There was a fire in Washington, D. C. in 1921 which badly damaged the records. None of the New Hampshire population records remain. The 1890 census veterans' lists were kept in a different building and were saved. They are available on microfilms and at www.ancestry.com. You can search for veterans' or widows' names.

Populated Places
 An excellent way to gain family history information is to contact the local town historical society. The best list of these is found at the Association of Historical Societies of New Hampshire. Click on the Directory.

Birth, marriage, and death records of many New Hampshire towns and villages are available on-line at www.familysearch.org, That site has birth records early to 1900, and marriage and death records, early to about 1948.

Also, many town birth, marriage, and death records, often to about 1915, were microfilmed and are listed in the Family History Library Catalog.

City:
Lebanon

Towns:
Township:


 * Livermore

Villages:

Neighboring Counties
Neighboring New Hampshire counties are Belknap | Carroll | Coos | Merrimack | Sullivan |. Adjacent counties in Vermont are Caledonia | Essex | Orange | Windsor.

Cemeteries
The New Hampshire Old Graveyard Associaton has the most complete list of cemeteries. This list is available at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nhoga.

Some other places to check for cemetery records are:


 * Grafton County Cemetery Records
 * Findagrave Gafton Records

The Findagrave organization provides a way for you to request that a volunteer will take a photograph of a gravestone. Often a volunteer will respond and will e-mail you the photo and add it to the web site.

Church
If you know the name of the town or city, and the denomination, you may wish to contact the Dartmouth College Library, in Hanover, New Hampshire. They may be able to send you the names and addresses of churches of that denomination for the town.

Or, if you know the town of residence and the ancestor's denomination, go to the New Hampshire wiki article and see the Church Records section in the general information for New Hampshire. That section lists archives and other record keepers for the various religious denominations.

If you do not know the denomination, search for a marriage record. This may give the name of the minister. Then you can contact a historical society and learn at which church he was the minister. Also search for an obituary, which may mention the church the person attended. The death certificate may list the name of the cemetery. You can then write to the cemetery and ask if it is affiliated with a local church. The death certificate may mention the funeral home. Their file may have the name of the church, cemetery, or a copy of the obituary. Also, relatives might know the denomination.

Different churches contain a variety of types of records. Many churches keep baptism, marriage, and burial records. Sometimes birth and death information is included. The church records of brothers and sisters, etc. may give clues.

Court
Grafton County court records began in 1773. The county courthouse is at 3785 Dartmouth College Hwy., North Haverill, NH 03774. Many of the court records for 1773-1899 are now at the New Hampshire State Archives. The following Internet site gives a list of the principal courts: Records.

Gazetteers

 * Hamilton Child's Gazetteer of Grafton County, New Hampshire, published in 1886, is found at Archive.org. You can type in a surname, or a place name, and search the gazetteer.

Land
Grafton County deeds from 1773 to the present are at the County Courthouse at 3785 Dartmouth College Hwy., North Haverill, NH 0374. The New Hampshire State Archives in Concord, New Hampshire has microfilms of the deeds from 1773 to 1830. They also have an index to the deeds for 1773-1870.

Local Histories
Local history books are available for many towns in Grafton County. The Family History Library has history books for the following towns: Bethlehem, Bristol, Canaan, Haverhill, Hebron, Lebanon, Lisbon, Littleton, Lyme, Monroe, Orford, Piermont, Plymouth, Rumney, Warren, and Wentworth. Most of these books have genealogical information. For Hanover the Family History Library has a microfilmed genealogical collection on fifteen reels of microfilm. Many libraries with large genealogical collections will very likely have the books listed, and perhaps books for other Grafton County towns.

Maps
The Town and City Atlas of the State of New Hampshire published in 1892 has maps for almost every city, town, and village in New Hampshire, and gives the name of the person who lived in the home in 1892.

Revolutionary War
The most complete listing of New Hampshire Revolutionary War soldiers is found in volumes 14-17 of the New Hamsphire State Papers. You can go to google.com, and look for New Hampshire State Papers with the link to ancestry.com. There you will find a name index to voloumes 14-17, then you can go to the needed volume and page for information on the soldier. Often the place of residence is given.

For a military history of New Hampshire, see:

Potter, Chandler Eastman, The Military History of the State of New Hampshire. Concord, N.H.: McFarland &amp; Jenks, 1866. (Family History Library film 1033664; fiche 6046858.) You can search this book on-line by going to google.com. Look for ancestry.com as the internet way to search this book. This history comprises events from the first settlements in New Hampshire to the rebellion in 1861. It includes biographical notices of many of the officers and explanatory notes.

War of 1812
See Potter's book above for information on the War of 1812.

Civil War
Familysearch.org is a free source for locating names of Civil War soldiers and sailors. Ancestry.com is available free at FamilySearch Centers and is also valuable for finding names of soldiers and sailors.

You can go to ancestry.com and search for names in The Revised Register of the Soldiers and Sailors of New Hampshire in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1866, by Augustus D. Ayling. This book gives the age, residence, and service information about approximately 32,000 New Hampshire Civil War veterans. The book is also available on microfilm or microfiche from the Family History Library.

Town history books are available through the Family History Library, and other large libraries, for most of the towns in Cheshire County. They often contain extensive information concerning the war and the soldiiers. For example:


 * Military record of the sons of Dartmouth in the Union Army and Navy, 1861-1865, compiled by E. D. Redington, '61 ; rev. and edited by W. H. Hodgkins - Online Book - Also available on microfiche at the Family History Library.

World War I
A very helpful source for World War I is an index at www.ancestry.com of World War I draft registration records, 1917-1918. All men between ages eighteen and forty-five were required to register. Their birth date and place, address, and sometimes the name of nearest kin, are listed on the card. Many of these men served in the war.

World War II
There is an index on www.ancestry.com of the 1942 World War II draft registrations for New Hampshire, of men forty-five to sixty-five. Some of these men served in that war. The records contain name, address, birth date and place, name of kin or friend, name and address of employer, and signature. (See www.ancestry.com for further information.)

Probate
Grafton County probate records began in 1773 shortly after the county was established. Records are kept at the County Courthouse at 3785 Dartmouth College Hwy., North Haverhill, NH 03774.

Taxation
Many town tax records have been preserved by town clerks and town tax officials. Town tax records were generally taken each year. The Family History Library has many town records on microfilms. For film numbers see the Family History Library Catalog under New Hampshire - Grafton County - [name of town] - Town Records.

There is an index to the town records (which include many tax records) from the early settlement of the town to about 1850. This is theIndex to Early Town Records of New Hampshire, Early to 1850 (FHL films 14942-15052). The index cards list volume and page numbers for the town records, many of which are on Family History Library microfilms. The records are listed in the catalog in the manner mentioned in the paragraph above.

Town Records
Town records are an important source of family history information from the 1600s to about the 1940s. The early New Hampshire town records to about 1850 have an every-name index. The index and film numbers are listed just above in the Taxation section. Many town records are still in the town offices.

To see the types of family history information you might find in town records please go to the heading Town Records in our New Hampshire wiki article.

Vital Records
Certified copies of of birth, death, and marriage records are available from the State Division of Vital Records Administration or from the local city and town clerk where the event took place. Original records are kept by the city or town clerk and copies are sent to the state. In 1905, when the state created the Bureau of Vital Records and Health, printed cards were distributed to the local clerks and earlier vital records were transcribed onto the cards and submitted to the state.

Births

 * are available online from FamilySearch. The Family History Library has microfilms of birth records for many towns in Grafton County up to about 1915. See the Family History Library Catalog for details.

Marriages

 * are available online from FamilySearch.

Deaths

 * are available online from FamilySearch.

Societies
Many of the cities and towns in Grafton County have historical societies. They may be very helpful to you. You can find their address, telephone number, and often their email address by checking the internet site of the Associaton of Historical Societies of New Hampshire. Share with them what you know about your ancestor, and ask for their assistance.

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Lebanon New Hampshire Family History Center

Libraries
There are libraries in most towns in Grafton County. They often have local history books. They may have family history books or collections. You may wish to check the internet to find their address, phone number, email address, and see what they list in the way of family history and genealogy materials.

Web Sites

 * The Grafton County NHGenWeb Project, an member of The NHGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Grafton County
 * The USGenWeb Archives Project for Grafton County (backup site)
 * Family History Library catalog for Grafton County
 * Grafton County, New Hampshire Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)