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Essex County, Massachusetts
Genealogy, History & Facts
County Vital Records ∣ County Census Records ∣ County Courthouse and Government Records ∣
County Societies, Family History Resources and County Genealogy Links
Essex County, Massachusetts Facts
When was Essex County, MA Created?
Essex County was founded on May 10, 1643 as one of four original counties created in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
What is the County Seat of Essex County, MA?
The County Seat is located in Salem & Lawrence and the county government was abolished on July 1, 1999
What counties are adjacent to Essex County, MA?
Bordering Counties are Rockingham County, New Hampshire, Suffolk County, Middlesex County.
Essex County, MA Vital Records
Where can find Essex County Birth, marriage, Divorce and Death Records?
Essex County vital records can be found at the Massachusetts Office of Vital Records has copies of birth, marriage, divorce and death records. There is a fee for each copy requested. Please refer to the information to the Statewide Vital Records in Massachusetts for current fees and application process. Vital Records have been registered in Massachusetts since 1635. Statewide collection began in 1841. There is a fee for each copy requested. Records for events that occurred from 1841-1910 are available at the State Archives.
Essex County Town Clerks has copies of vital records (birth, marriage, divorce and death records). Clerks respond to inquiries regarding vital records, since most have indexes available.
You can search online for Essex County Birth, Marriage, Divorce or Death Records. You can also Order Electronically Online or can download an application for Massachusetts Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate, Death Certificate Applications to mail.
- Essex County, Massachusetts Birth Records to 1850: Newburyport
- Danvers, Essex County, Massachusetts Births to 1850
- Essex County, Massachusetts Marriages to 1850: Newburyport
- Essex County, Massachusetts Death Records to 1850: Newburyport
- Bradford Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850
- Vital records of Salem, Massachusetts to the end of the year 1849
- Vital records of Newbury, Massachusetts to the end of the year 1849
- Vital records of Marblehead, Massachusetts to the end of the year 1849
- Vital records of Newburyport, Massachusetts to the end of the year 1849
- Vital records of Ipswich, Massachusetts, to the end of the year 1849
- Vital records of Lynn, Massachusetts, to the end of the year 1849
- Vital records of Beverly, Massachusetts to the end of the year 1849
- Vital records of Andover, Massachusetts to the end of the year 1849
- Vital records of Danvers, Massachusetts to the end of the year 1849
- Vital records of Haverhill, Massachusetts to the end of the year 1849
- Vital records of Rowley, Massachusetts to the end of the year 1849
- Rowley, Essex County, Massachusetts: Cemetery Inscriptions
- Vital records of Bradford, Massachusetts to the end of the year 1849
- Vital records of Methuen, Massachusetts to the end of the year 1849
- Vital records of Manchester, Massachusetts, to the end of the year 1849
- Vital records of Boxford, Massachusetts to the end of the year 1849
- Vital records of Topsfield, Massachusetts to the end of the year 1849
- Vital records of Middleton, Massachusetts to the end of the year 1849
- Vital records of Lawrence, Massachusetts to the end of the year 1849
- Vital records of West Newbury, Massachusetts to the end of the year 1849
- Vital records of Lynnfield, Massachusetts, to the end of the year 1849
- Vital records of Georgetown, Massachusetts to the end of the year 1849
- Vital records of Essex, Massachusetts to the end of the year 1849
- Vital records of Saugus, Massachusetts, to the end of the year 1849
- U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
- Social Security Death Index
- USGenweb Archives Massachusetts Marriage Project
- Early Vital Records of Massachusetts, From 1600 to 1850
- Massachusetts, State Vital Records, 1841-1920
- Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Towns Records, 1579-2001
- Massachusetts Vital Records Index Pre-1850
- Massachusetts Vital Record Transcripts, 1620-1849
- Massachusetts Vital Records, 1620-1915
- Massachusetts Vital Records Index 1841-1895
- Massachusetts, Births and Christenings, 1639-1915
- Massachusetts, Births, 1841-1915
- Massachusetts, Marriages, 1695-1910
- Massachusetts, Marriages, 1841-1915
- Massachusetts, Death Index, 1970-2003
- Massachusetts, Deaths and Burials, 1795-1910
- Massachusetts, Deaths, 1841-1915
Essex County, MA Census Records
What Essex County, MA census records are available?
There are many types of census records for Essex County guide you in researching your family tree. Federal Population Schedules are available for 1790-1890, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940.
Essex Co. Mortality Schedules can be obtained for 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Essex Co. Industry and Agriculture Schedules can be found for 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Essex Co. Union Veterans Schedules can be found for 1890.
Massachusetts state censuses exist for the years 1855 and 1865. There is free down-loadable and also printable census forms to help you with your research. See Also Massachusetts Census Records Research Guide
Essex County, MA Courthouse and Government Records
What genealogical records can I find in the Essex County Courthouse?
Researchers frequently overlook the great importance of Essex County court, probate, and land records data as a useful resource of ancestry and genealogy information. Buried away in Massachusetts courthouses and archives everywhere are the ambitions and frustrations of countless Massachusetts residents.
The possibilities are excellent that your forefathers have left a comprehensive document of at least a number of facets of their lives in the Essex County court records. Even if your forebears is not referred to in a Court case, contemplate all of the other procedures that could have lead to him or her to appear in court records. See Also Massachusetts Corthouse Records Research Guide.
- Essex County Register of Deeds
- Land Records: 1637
- Essex County Clerk of Probate Court
- Address: 36 Federal Street, Salem, MA 01970
- Phone: (978) 745-0350
- Probate Records: 1635
- Essex County Clerk of Courts
- Address: 34 Federal St., Salem 01970
- Phone: (978) 744-5500
- Court Records: 1636
- Essex, Massachusetts Probate Records, 1638-1840
- Essex County, Massachusetts Depositions, 1636-86
- Essex County, Massachusetts Probate Records, Supplement
- Essex County, Massachusetts Probate Records, 1635-1681
- Essex County, Massachusetts Probate Records, Part 1
- Records of ye towne meetings of Lyn
- Extracts from the records of the town of Lynn : together with the division and names of the original proprietors of land at Nah
- The records of the Salem Commoners, 1713-1739
- The ancient records of the town of Ipswich.
- Massachusetts Name Changes, 1780-1892
- BLM Land Records
Essex County, MA Societies and Family History Resources
What genealogical and historical societies, archives, museums, associations and libraries are available for Essex County, MA?
A list of Essex County Historical and Genealogical Societies, Libraries, Archives. See also list of Statewide Massachusetts Archives, Historical & Genealogical Societies.
- Andover Historical Society, 97 Main Street, Andover, MA 01810; Phone: (978) 475-2236
- Beverly Historical Society, 117 Cabot Street, Beverly, MA 01915; Phone: (978) 922 1186
- Cape Ann Historical Society, 27 Pleasant Street, Gloucester, MA 01930; Phone: (978) 283-0455
- Danvers Historical Society, 11 Page Street, PO Box 381, Danvers, MA 01923, Phone: (978) 777-1666
- Essex Historical Society, Box 277, 66 Main Street, Essex, MA 01929; Phone: (978) 768-7541
- Georgetown Historical Society, P.O. Box 376, Georgetown, MA 01833
- Haverhill Historical Society, 240 Water Street, Haverhill, MA 01830; Phone: (978) 374-4626
- Historical Society of Old Newbury, 98 High Street, Newburyport, MA 01950; Phone: (978) 462-2681
- Methuen Historical Society, 41 Pleasant Street Methuen, MA 01844; (978) 683-2252
- Newburyport Maritime Society, 25 Water Street, Newburyport, MA 01950; Phone: (978) 462-8681
- Peabody Historical Society, 35 Washington Street, Peabody MA 01960; Phone: (978) 531-0805
- Saugus Historical Society, PO Box 1209, Saugus, MA 01906-1209; Phone: (781) 233-7232
- Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02215
- State Archives Building, 220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, MA 02125
Where can I connect with other Essex County, MA Researchers through message boards and forums?
- https://www.archives.gov/research/census
- Massachusetts Genealogy Community (plus.google.com)
- Massachusetts State Genealogy Network (facebook.com)
- Essex County, Massachusetts Message Boards (boards.ancestry.com)
- Essex County, Massachusetts Genealogy Forum (genforum.genealogy.com)
What other genealogical resources are available in Essex County, MA?
The following are web links to Genealogy, Records and Resources pertaining to Essex County. A lot of these genealogy links fall into 3 categories: Business oriented Sites, Personal Sites or Organization Sites. Some have free access some call for a cost. This is just a collection which has been compiled or submitted. I do not recommend or promote one genealogy site above another.
Essex Co. MA Books, Newspapers & Publications
- Massachusetts Newspapers Books & Publications Research Guide
- Massachusetts historical newspaper archives online (newspapers.com)
- Historical Newspapers from Massachusetts (1690 – 1992) (genealogybank.com)
- Essex County, Massachusetts Books (amazon.com)
- Search Massachusetts Obituaries (1985 to current) (genealogybank.com)
- Essex County Genealogy Books (books.google.com)
Essex Co. MA Cemeteries & Church Records
- Massachusetts Cemetery Research Guide
- Inscriptions from the old cemetery in Groveland, Mass. (formerly East Bradford) (search.ancestry.com)
- Inscriptions from the old burying ground, Lynn, Mass. (search.ancestry.com)
- The register of baptisms of the First Church in Beverly, 1667-1710 (search.ancestry.com)
- Eighteenth century baptisms in Salem, Massachusetts (search.ancestry.com)
- Essex Co., Massachusetts Graves (findagrave.com)
- Essex County Tombstone Transcription Project (usgwtombstones.org)
- Essex Co., Massachusetts Cemeteries (Internment.net)
- Essex Co., Massachusetts Cemetery Books (amazon.com)
- Massachusetts Church & Bible Research Guide
- Brief history, articles of faith, covenant, and living members of the Orthodox Congregational Church in Manchester Mass. (search.ancestry.com)
- Essex County, Massachusetts Church Books (amazon.com)
Essex Co. MA Family Websites, Pictures & Histories
- Massachusetts Family Group Sheet Project (fgs-project.com)
- Massachusetts Pioneers (search.ancestry.com)
Essex Co. MA General and History Websites
- See Also State History for Massachusetts
- Essex County, Massachusetts Wikipedia (wikipedia.org)
- History of Essex County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men (1888) (archive.org)
- A chronological record of the principal events that have occurred in Amesbury, Massachusetts (search.ancestry.com)
- Ipswich, Essex, and Hamilton, Massachusetts: Town Histories (search.ancestry.com)
- History of Newburyport, Mass., 1764-1905 (search.ancestry.com)
- History and genealogy of the Jewetts of America : a record of Edward Jewett, of Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, an (search.ancestry.com)
- History of Essex County, Massachusetts. : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men (search.ancestry.com)
- Ould Newbury : historical and biographical sketches (search.ancestry.com)
- Village, Section or Neighborhood Names of Massachusetts Communities (sec.state.ma.us)
- Essex County, Massachusetts Wiki (familysearch.org)
- Essex Co. MA Genealogy (kindredtrails.com)
- Family History Library (familysearch.org)
- Essex County, Massachusetts (linkpendium.com)
- Cyndi’s List – United States – Massachusetts – Counties – Essex (cyndislist.com)
- Essex County Massachusetts (genealogytrails.com)
- Essex Co. MAGenweb (essexcountyma.net)
- Essex County Genealogy Queries (cousinconnect.com)
- Essex Co. Data Collections (search.ancestry.com)
Essex Co. MA Maps, Atlases & Gazetteers
- See Also Map of Massachusetts Links and Information
- 1895 Essex County Map (livgenmi.com)
Essex Co. MA Military Records
- Massachusetts Military Records Research Guide
- Massachusetts Military Records (fold3.com) will provide access to military records, stories, photos, and personal documents of the Massachusetts women and men which served. Perfect for Essex County genealogists, researchers, historians and much more.
Essex Co. MA Schools & Directories
- Massachusetts City Directories (search.ancestry.com) This database is a collection of city directories for various years and cities in Massachusetts. Generally a city directory will contain an alphabetical list of its citizens, listing the names of the heads of households, their addresses, and occupational information.
- Salem, Massachusetts Directories, 1888-89, 1890-91, 1893-94 (search.ancestry.com)
- Lawrence, Massachusetts Directories, 1888-92 (search.ancestry.com)
- Lynn, Massachusetts Directory 1890 (search.ancestry.com)
- Gloucester, Massachusetts Directories, 1888-91 (search.ancestry.com)
- Haverhill, Massachusetts Directory 1894 (search.ancestry.com)
- Newburyport, Massachusetts Directory, 1891 (search.ancestry.com)
- Essex, Massachusetts Directory 1888-89 (search.ancestry.com)
- Peabody, Massachusetts Directory, 1886 (search.ancestry.com)
- Amesbury, Massachusetts Directory, 1891 (search.ancestry.com)
- Bradford, Massachusetts Directory 1889 (search.ancestry.com)
- Ipswich, Massachusetts Directory, 1890 (search.ancestry.com)
- Swampscott, Massachusetts Directory 1890 (search.ancestry.com)
- Georgetown, Massachusetts Directory 1885-86 (search.ancestry.com)
- Groveland, Massachusetts Directory 1885-86, 1894 (search.ancestry.com)
- Rowley, Massachusetts Directory, 1890 (search.ancestry.com)
- Hamilton, Massachusetts Directory 1890 (search.ancestry.com)