Vital Records are government produced records documenting births, marriages, and deaths, and they are important sources of information in genealogy research. They can contain information about a person’s residence or occupation in addition to information about their parents, spouse, or children.
This guide will provide an overview of using vital records for genealogical research.
Good Things to Know:
Records in MA are kept in different places depending upon when the records were produced. While many cities and towns in MA will have collections dating back to the year they were founded, MA state law did not officially mandate that such records be kept and copies forwarded to the state until 1841. There may then be some gaps in records prior to that time.
Where the Records Are:
City of Boston Registry Division
1 City Hall Square, Room 213
Boston, MA 02201-2006
Phone: 617-635-4175
Email: registry@boston.gov
Website: https://www.boston.gov/departments/registry
The Registry Division takes requests in person, online, by mail and via phone. Fees vary depending on type of request.
To find a death date for someone who died in Boston or who resided in Boston at the time of their death, you can search for them by name here- https://registry.boston.gov/death (1956-present.)
Massachusetts State Archives
220 Morrissey Blvd.
Boston MA 02125
Phone: 617-727-2816
Email: archives@sec.state.ma.us
Website: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/VitalRecordsSearch/VitalRecordsSearch.aspx
The State Archives take requests by mail and in-person only, copies cost $3 each.
Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics
150 Mount Vernon St.,1st Floor
Dorchester, MA 02125
Phone: 617-740-2600
Email: vital.recordsrequest@state.ma.us
Website: https://www.mass.gov/orgs/registry-of-vital-records-and-statistics
The Registry takes requests online, by mail, on the phone, and in person. Fees vary from $20-$62.50 depending on the type of request.
Includes vital records covering from 1841-1930. Includes multiple collections covering from 1626-2001. Requires free registration. Ancestry Library Edition This link opens in a new windowProvided by ProQuest and MyFamily.com, this genealogical collection covers U.S. and the U.K. census, vital, church, court, and immigration records, as well as record collections from Canada and other areas. It contains more than 4,000 databases, 1.5 billion names, as well as over 1,000 historical maps. Coverage:1300-present
No remote access.
American Ancestors This link opens in a new windowContains many databases of public records and other online reference material to aid those researching genealogical information in the New England region.
Only available in Central Library.
No remote access.
Records for events occurring in other cities and towns in MA will be held by the Town/City Clerk’s office in each municipality. The procedure for requesting records will vary from place to place, as will any associated fees.
A good way to find the Town/City Clerk’s office is doing a Google search for the name of the town/city followed by “clerk” or “clerk’s office.” You can also try searching for the name of the town/city and “vital records.” Some examples are provided below:
IMPORTANT NOTE: For towns/cities with common names that may also be used in another state, like Springfield, you may need to specify MA in your search terms.
Procedures regarding the collection, maintenance, and access of vital records will vary from state to state. If you know in which town/city in another state the event you are researching occurred in, your best bet is to contact the nearest library to that place and inquire about how to access vital records there. If you know the state the event occurred in but not the town/city, you will need to contact the state agency in charge of managing vital records for that state. Links to a few states’ policies regarding vital records have been provided below.
| State | Handling Agency | Website |
| Connecticut | State Vital Records Office | State Vital Records Office Home |
| Maine | Division of Public Health Systems | Vital Records |
| New Hampshire | Vital Records Administration | Vital Records Administration home page |
| Rhode Island | Department of Health | Birth, Death & Marriage Records |
| Vermont | Department of Health | Vital Records & Population Data |
| California | Department of Public Health | Vital Records |
| New York | State Department of Health | Birth, Death, Marriage & Divorce Records |
Birth announcements, engagement & wedding announcements, and obituaries can all be good sources of information.The BPL has an extensive collection of newspapers on microfilm, which you can read more about here. See also the obituary section of this guide for more information on researching obituaries.
The BPL also holds books containing published vital records, primarily for cities and towns in Massachusetts. Many of these are available in Bates Hall, located on the second floor of the library in Copley Square.
Link to BPL catalog search for "vital records."Based on church records. Includes birth, marriage, and death information primarily for the colonial era into the early 1800s.
