Massachusetts, Delayed and Corrected Vital Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in the Collection?
These records include Index and images of births, marriages and deaths housed at the Massachusetts State Archives in Boston. The collection covers the years 1753 to 1900.

Coverage Map
To see a coverage map of FamilySearch's holdings of Massachusetts marriages click here.

The records may include any of the following:


 * Name of the primary
 * Date and place of event
 * Parents' names, their race and residence
 * Name of spouse
 * Race
 * Residence
 * Birth place of parents
 * Number of child in family
 * Ages
 * Gender
 * Marital status
 * Occupation of deceased
 * Cause of death
 * Date and place of burial

How Do I Search the Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor.
 * The place where the event occurred.
 * The approximate date the event occurred.

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select the Volume Number
 * 2) Select the Record Type
 * 3) Select the Towns and Year Range which takes you to the images.

Look at the images one by one. Again you will need to compare the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor.

Be aware that with either search you may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.
 * If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names.
 * Even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

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?
When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family. For example:


 * Use the names and relationships as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information.
 * Use the names and residence or place to find the family in census records and to locate church and land records.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have lived in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.
 * Occupations listed can lead you to employment records or other types of records such as military records.
 * Compiling the entries for every person who has the same surname as the primary individuals is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one record to another record.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

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

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Check for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning or end of each volume. In addition, local historical and genealogical societies may have indexes to local records.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

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.


 * Collection Citation: