| "When I was a boy, I read in the genealogy of the Potts family that my great-great-grandmother's older half-brother, Capt. Joseph Potts, a Revolutionary War veteran, became deranged in 1777. I felt so sorry for dear old Uncle Joe who had lost his reason -- until I finally learned that deranged was a military term meaning that he had served his tour of duty and was no longer needed." -- Milton Rubincam, Pitfalls in Genealogical Research, p. 42, copyright 1987 by Ancestry Incorporated. |
Copyright 2010 Ruy A. Cardoso. All rights reserved.
There are a number of very popular online resources that are mentioned time and time again on
genealogy web sites: Ancestry.com, HeritageQuest (available through many local libraries),
AmericanAncestors.org, FamilySearch.org, RootsWeb.com, and others. Presumably you don't
need to hear about them again here, though all are very useful for New England research. I
would also recommend Google Books (http://books.google.com) as a worthwhile place to search
for images of out-of-print genealogies and town histories.
There are, however, several less well-known but valuable web sites particular to the area in
which I work. I have listed a few of them below. Feel free to email me with suggestions for
other links to include on this page.
The Massachusetts Archives page, "Researching Your Family's History at the
Massachusetts Archives" (http://www.sec.state.ma.us/arc/arcgen/genidx.htm)
This is an excellent listing of the wide variety of materials available at this Archive. Apart from
mention of the usual Massachusetts vital records (currently covering the period 1841-1915) and
the Massachusetts censuses for 1855 and 1865, note the handy by-county listing of available
probate records near the bottom of the page. You can also see information on everything from
military records to passenger lists to naturalization records.
Massachusetts Archives" (http://www.sec.state.ma.us/arc/arcgen/genidx.htm)
This is an excellent listing of the wide variety of materials available at this Archive. Apart from
mention of the usual Massachusetts vital records (currently covering the period 1841-1915) and
the Massachusetts censuses for 1855 and 1865, note the handy by-county listing of available
probate records near the bottom of the page. You can also see information on everything from
military records to passenger lists to naturalization records.
Detail from birth records of West Newbury, Essex County, MA for January and February of 1854,
MA Archives Volume 381, page 252.
MA Archives Volume 381, page 252.
The New Hampshire Provincial and State Papers Series
(http://www.sos.nh.gov/archives/nhstatepapers.html)
Of greatest interest are the probate records in Volumes 31-39, though the Revolutionary War
rolls and documents are also useful. Be forewarned, though -- many of the files are very large
and can take a while to download.
(http://www.sos.nh.gov/archives/nhstatepapers.html)
Of greatest interest are the probate records in Volumes 31-39, though the Revolutionary War
rolls and documents are also useful. Be forewarned, though -- many of the files are very large
and can take a while to download.
Maine Wills 1640-1760 at MaineGenealogy.net
(http://www.mainegenealogy.net/maine_wills.asp)
This is an online version of the well-known compilation by William Sargent, containing over 400
early Maine wills. These are transcriptions, not image files, but appear to be reasonably accurate
overall. Be sure to look at the substantial other data at the top-level site (much of it taken from
early volumes of the New England Historical and Genealogical Register) -- you may get lucky
and find information particular to a town you are researching.
(http://www.mainegenealogy.net/maine_wills.asp)
This is an online version of the well-known compilation by William Sargent, containing over 400
early Maine wills. These are transcriptions, not image files, but appear to be reasonably accurate
overall. Be sure to look at the substantial other data at the top-level site (much of it taken from
early volumes of the New England Historical and Genealogical Register) -- you may get lucky
and find information particular to a town you are researching.
Document images from the Salem Witchcraft Trials at the University of Virginia's
Electronic Text Center (http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/salem/17docs.html)
Transcriptions near the top, document images near the bottom, and in between is the extra bonus
of the Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County (1636-1686). Even apart from
their genealogical interest, many of these documents make for fascinating reading.
Electronic Text Center (http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/salem/17docs.html)
Transcriptions near the top, document images near the bottom, and in between is the extra bonus
of the Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County (1636-1686). Even apart from
their genealogical interest, many of these documents make for fascinating reading.
Detail from arrest warrant for Gloucester women Esther Elwell, Rebecca Dike, and Abigail Rowe,
all accused of witchcraft, dated 5 November 1692, from the Suffolk Court Files at the MA
Archives, Docket 2689A, Volume 32, page 17. The complete image appears at:
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/salem/witchcraft/archives/Suffolk/S017A.html.
all accused of witchcraft, dated 5 November 1692, from the Suffolk Court Files at the MA
Archives, Docket 2689A, Volume 32, page 17. The complete image appears at:
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/salem/witchcraft/archives/Suffolk/S017A.html.
Images of Deeds for Essex County, Massachusetts from 1641 to 1709
(http://www.salemdeeds.com/historic.asp)
I look forward to the day when this series of images is extended into the later 1700s, but even as
it stands, the site is wonderful in offering an opportunity to view so many images directly. At
the least you can practice reading the handwriting of the time. Navigating through the pages can
be a bit tedious, though you'll get no dust on your fingers while doing it.
(http://www.salemdeeds.com/historic.asp)
I look forward to the day when this series of images is extended into the later 1700s, but even as
it stands, the site is wonderful in offering an opportunity to view so many images directly. At
the least you can practice reading the handwriting of the time. Navigating through the pages can
be a bit tedious, though you'll get no dust on your fingers while doing it.
Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850 (http://ma-vitalrecords.org)
This site focuses largely on Essex County (though Middlesex County is coming right along) and
contains indexes, transcriptions, and images from the well-known "Tan Books". John, Jodi, and
a team of volunteers have done a wonderful job of extracting, proofreading, and posting this data
for all to use. Be sure to visit the parent page as well (http://essexcountyma.net/) for some other
useful links, including more than 200 Essex County will transcriptions.
This site focuses largely on Essex County (though Middlesex County is coming right along) and
contains indexes, transcriptions, and images from the well-known "Tan Books". John, Jodi, and
a team of volunteers have done a wonderful job of extracting, proofreading, and posting this data
for all to use. Be sure to visit the parent page as well (http://essexcountyma.net/) for some other
useful links, including more than 200 Essex County will transcriptions.
| A Few Online Resources |
New England Cousins
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