Genealogists doing research in the six New England states—Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont—will find an abundance of state and local personal name indexes, printed sources, original records, computer databases, and Internet sites. This article briefly describes major New England sources for genealogists.
Printed Sources and Original Records
Many New England printed sources are available: compiled genealogies, local histories, biographies, town vital records, church records, census indexes, gravestone inscriptions, genealogical periodicals, immigration lists, newspapers, city directories, and many others. (See the Bibliography below for some good books on New England research.)
A major printed source is Robert Charles Anderson’s The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633. This valuable reference source, containing genealogical and biographical sketches, is available on CD-ROM and on Ancestry’s Web site. Ancestry users should note that this database can be found in Ancestry’s alphabetical listing of all of its databases under “T” for “The Great Migration Begins” or in a Search by Record Type under “Immigration and Naturalization.”
Numerous original records are also available for New England genealogists in various record repositories—town halls, county courthouses for some states, state archives, state libraries, state historical societies, local historical societies, the Boston Public Library and other public libraries, and university libraries. Many New England records are also on microfilm at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Original records include town records, vital records (births, marriages, and deaths), church records, census schedules, probate and land records, military records, court records, passenger lists, and much more.
Library Holdings
The major library for New England genealogical and local history sources is the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) in Boston. Its Web site is one of the first places you should check for New England ancestors. NEHGS also publishes the quarterly New England Historical and Genealogical Register, the scholarly journal for New England genealogy.
Major libraries outside the New England states with significant New England holdings include Brigham Young University’s Lee Library, Provo, Utah; DAR Library, Washington, DC; Family History Library, Salt Lake City; Library of Congress, Washington, DC; and the Western Reserve Historical Society Library, Cleveland, Ohio.
Internet Reference Sources and Databases
Many sources for each New England state are nicely categorized on state and county Web pages as part of the USGenWeb Project. See Massachusetts Genealogy as an example.
For historical background, check local histories, maps, and atlases. Ancestry.com has placed several useful New England maps on its Web site. A few examples are:
Ancestry.com also has other articles and databases of interest to New England genealogists:
Another useful Internet site is New England Genealogy. This site provides links to several important New England databases.
There are many other New England Web sites, and the Internet continues to grow daily. So search for other helpful Web sites and records that can lead you to your New England ancestors.
Selected Bibliography
American Society of Genealogists. Genealogical Research: Methods and Sources. Vol. 1. rev. ed. Edited by Milton Rubincam. Washington, DC, 1980.
Crandall, Ralph J., ed. Genealogical Research in New England. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1984.
Melnyk, Marcia D., ed. Genealogist’s Handbook for New England Research. 4th ed. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1999.
Sperry, Kip, comp. New England Genealogical Research: A Guide to Sources. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1988.
Kip Sperry is an associate professor of family history at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.
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