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Suffolk 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
Suffolk County, Massachusetts Facts
When was Suffolk County, MA Created?
Suffolk 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 Suffolk County, MA?
The County Seat is located in Boston and the county government was abolished on July 1, 1999
What counties are adjacent to Suffolk County, MA?
Bordering Counties are Essex County, Norfolk County, Middlesex County.
Suffolk County, MA Vital Records
Where can find Suffolk County Birth, marriage, Divorce and Death Records?
Suffolk 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.
Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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.
- Boston, Massachusetts, Marriages, 1700-1809
- Boston Vital Records, 1630-99
- Boston Births, 1700-1800
- Vital records of Roxbury, Massachusetts to the end of the year 1849
- Boston marriages from 1752 to 1809
- Dorchester births, marriages, and deaths to the end of 1825
- Vital records of the town of Dorchester from 1826 to 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
Suffolk County, MA Census Records
What Suffolk County, MA census records are available?
There are many types of census records for Suffolk County guide you in researching your family tree. Federal Population Schedules are available for 1790-1890, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940.
Suffolk Co. Mortality Schedules can be obtained for 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Suffolk Co. Industry and Agriculture Schedules can be found for 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880. Suffolk 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
Suffolk County, MA Courthouse and Government Records
What genealogical records can I find in the Suffolk County Courthouse?
Researchers frequently overlook the great importance of Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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.
- Suffolk County Courthouse (all departments listed below are located here, unless otherwise noted)
- Address: 24 New Chardon Street, Boston, MA 02114
- Suffolk County Register of Deeds
- Phone: (617) 788-8575
- Land Records: 1639
- Suffolk County Clerk of Probate Court
- Phone: (617) 788-8300
- Probate Records: 1636
- Suffolk County Clerk of Courts
- Phone: (617) 788-8160
- Court Records: 1671
- Suffolk County Wills
- Boston, Massachusetts, Report of the Record Commissioners, 1736-42
- Records of the Suffolk County Court : 1671-1680.
- Boston, Massachusetts, Report of the Record Commissioners, Miscellaneous Papers
- Fourth report of the Record Commissioners of the city of Boston, 1880.
- The taxable valuation of the real and personal estates, with the polls and amount of tax, in the town of Dorchester
- Index to the city documents, 1834 to 1909 : with an appendix containing a list of city publications not included among the numb
- Registers of probate for the county of Suffolk, Massachusetts : 1639-1799
- Registers of deeds for the county of Suffolk, Massachusetts
- Documents relating to the Ursuline Convent in Charlestown
- Assessors’ taking books of the town of Boston, 1780
- Inventory of town and city archives of Massachusetts, no. 13, Suffolk County.
- Catalogue of records and files in the office of the clerk of the Supreme Judicial Court for the county of Suffolk
- List of persons assessed a state, town, and county tax in the town of Charlestown for the year 1846
- Massachusetts Name Changes, 1780-1892
- BLM Land Records
Suffolk County, MA Societies and Family History Resources
What genealogical and historical societies, archives, museums, associations and libraries are available for Suffolk County, MA?
A list of Suffolk County Historical and Genealogical Societies, Libraries, Archives. See also list of Statewide Massachusetts Archives, Historical & Genealogical Societies.
- Boston Historical Society, Old State House, 206 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02109-1713; Phone: (617) 720-1713
- Brighton-Alston Historical Society, Box 35-163, Brighton, MA 02135; Phone: (617) 782-8483
- Chinese Historical Society of New England, 2 Boylston Street, (Suite 210), Boston, MA 02116; Phone: (617) 338-4339
- Dorchester Historical Society, 195 Boston Street, Dorchester, MA 02125-1613; Phone: (617) 265-7802
- Freedom Trail Foundation, 3 Schoool Street, Boston, MA 02108; Phone: (617) 227-8800
- Jamaica Plain Historical Society, P.O. Box 2924, Jamaica Plain MA 02130; Phone: (617) 522-1150
- Roslindale Historical Society, 120 Poplar Street, Roslindale, MA 02131
- South End Historical Society, 522 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02118; Phone: (617) 536-4445
- Stoneham Historical Society, 36 William Street, Stoneham, MA 02180-3845
- Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02215
- State Archives Building, 220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, MA 02125
Where can I connect with other Suffolk 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)
- Suffolk County, Massachusetts Message Boards (boards.ancestry.com)
- Suffolk County, Massachusetts Genealogy Forum (genforum.genealogy.com)
What other genealogical resources are available in Suffolk County, MA?
The following are web links to Genealogy, Records and Resources pertaining to Suffolk 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.
Suffolk 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)
- The Boston Jewish Advocate Index to Obituary Notices, 1905-2007 (search.ancestry.com)
- Suffolk County, Massachusetts Books (amazon.com)
- Search Massachusetts Obituaries (1985 to current) (genealogybank.com)
- Books about Boston & New England (search.ancestry.com)
- Suffolk County Genealogy Books (books.google.com)
Suffolk Co. MA Cemeteries & Church Records
- Massachusetts Cemetery Research Guide
- Mount Hope Cemetery in Dorchester and West Roxbury (search.ancestry.com)
- Suffolk Co., Massachusetts Graves (findagrave.com)
- Suffolk County Tombstone Transcription Project (usgwtombstones.org)
- Suffolk Co., Massachusetts Cemeteries (Internment.net)
- Suffolk Co., Massachusetts Cemetery Books (amazon.com)
- Massachusetts Church & Bible Research Guide
- Suffolk County, Massachusetts Church Books (amazon.com)
Suffolk Co. MA Family Websites, Pictures & Histories
- Massachusetts Family Group Sheet Project (fgs-project.com)
- Massachusetts Pioneers (search.ancestry.com)
- Suffolk surnames (search.ancestry.com)
Suffolk Co. MA General and History Websites
- See Also State History for Massachusetts
- Suffolk County, Massachusetts Wikipedia (wikipedia.org)
- A volume of records relating to the early history of Boston (search.ancestry.com)
- The Memorial history of Boston : including Suffolk County, Massachusetts, 1630-1880 (search.ancestry.com)
- A documentary history of Chelsea : including the Boston precincts of Winnisimmet, Rumney Marsh, and Pullen Point, 1624-1824 (search.ancestry.com)
- Old Landmarks and Historic Personages of Boston (search.ancestry.com)
- A history of East Boston : with biographical sketches of its early proprietors, and an appendix (search.ancestry.com)
- Village, Section or Neighborhood Names of Massachusetts Communities (sec.state.ma.us)
- Suffolk County, Massachusetts Wiki (familysearch.org)
- Suffolk Co. MA Genealogy (kindredtrails.com)
- Family History Library (familysearch.org)
- Suffolk County, Massachusetts (linkpendium.com)
- Cyndi’s List – United States – Massachusetts – Counties – Suffolk (cyndislist.com)
- Suffolk County Massachusetts (genealogytrails.com)
- Suffolk Co. MAGenweb (suffolkctymagenweb.org)
- Suffolk County Genealogy Queries (cousinconnect.com)
- Suffolk Co. Data Collections (search.ancestry.com)
Suffolk Co. MA Immigration & Naturalization
- See Also Statewide Immigration and Naturalization Links for Massachusetts
- Boston Passenger and Crew Lists, 1820-1943 (search.ancestry.com)
- Boston, 1821-1850 Passenger and Immigration Lists (search.ancestry.com)
- Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore Steamship Arrivals, 1890-1930 (search.ancestry.com)
- U.S: Boston Arrivals of Jewish Immigrants from HIAS Records, 1882-1929 (search.ancestry.com)
- Boston, Massachusetts Passenger Lists, 1884 (search.ancestry.com)
- Boston Port Arrivals and Immigrants, 1715-16, 1762-69 (search.ancestry.com)
- Port Arrivals and Immigrants to the City of Boston, 1715-1716 and 1762-1769 (search.ancestry.com)
Suffolk Co. MA Maps, Atlases & Gazetteers
- See Also Map of Massachusetts Links and Information
- 1895 Suffolk County Map (livgenmi.com)
- List of maps of Boston published between 1600 and 1903 (search.ancestry.com)
Suffolk Co. MA Military Records
- Massachusetts Military Records Research Guide
- Boston, Massachusetts, Males in Major Townsend’s Camp, 1698 (search.ancestry.com)
- The history of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company (search.ancestry.com)
- Roll of honor of the city of Chelsea : a list of the soldiers and sailors who served on the quota of Chelsea in the great Civil (search.ancestry.com)
- Register of the Charlestown men in the service during the Civil War, 1861-1865 (search.ancestry.com)
- 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 Suffolk County genealogists, researchers, historians and much more.
Suffolk 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.
- Boston, Massachusetts Directory, 1890 (search.ancestry.com)
- Boston, Massachusetts, 1913 Harvard University Alumni Directory (search.ancestry.com)
- Chelsea, Massachusetts Directories, 1890-92 (search.ancestry.com)
- Suffolk County, Boston City Massachusetts 1810 City Directory (search.ancestry.com)
- Boston, Massachusetts Directory, 1805 (search.ancestry.com)
- Boston, Massachusetts Directory, 1800 (search.ancestry.com)
- Boston, Massachusetts Directory, 1796 (search.ancestry.com)
- Boston, Massachusetts City Directory, 1789 (search.ancestry.com)
- Leading business men of Back Bay, South End, Boston Highlands, Jamaica Plain and Dorchester (search.ancestry.com)
- The Roxbury directory (search.ancestry.com)
- Memorials of the First Church in Dorchester : from its settlement in New England, to the end of the second century : in two dis (search.ancestry.com)