GenMassachusetts-L Archives

Archiver > GenMassachusetts > 2001-04 > 0986433659


From: Jeff Simonson <>
Subject: Re: [GM-L] Mass Death/Birth/Marriages - Here's A Quick Guide
Date: Wed, 04 Apr 2001 21:20:59 -0400
References: <5.0.2.1.2.20010404191013.00ac7018@pop3.norton.antivirus>
In-Reply-To: <010a01c0bd5e$f9bf1940$548e1e42@ne.mediaone.net>



Like most things in life, there are a number of choices for researching
Massachusetts vital records.

It depends on your location (are you a local?), how much "free" time you
have, the complexity of the search itself, i.e. a "John Smith" birth in
Boston 1910 - 1920, how quickly you want the record vs. how long you're
willing to wait and of course, the cost.

If you're local and have the time you can go directly to the main source.
The Department of Health, Registrar's Office
http://www.state.ma.us/dph/bhsre/rvr/rvr.htm maintain records from 1906 to
the present. (Some of these are on microfilm but most are in book form.)
They have statewide indexes and records. You can mail, telephone or go in
person. (** Note: Records from 1906 to 1910 will soon be relocated to the
Massachusetts Archives.)

A short distance away, the Massachusetts Archives
http://www.state.ma.us/sec/arc/arcfam/famidx.htm maintain records from
@1841 to 1905. They too have statewide indexes and records (all on
microfilm.) You can write in or go in person.

Prices vary but the wait can be up to 2 months at it's longest to just a
few weeks at the least. You can also use an outside agency like Vital Check
http://www.vitalcheck.com (faster but you really pay for "express service")
or hire someone local to do the search for you. For a nationwide list of
professionals researchers, go to http://www.brbpub.com/prrn/ or
http://www.apgen.org/directory/index.php.

You can also rent microfilm (indexes and actual records) from a local
Family History Library. To find one near you or to find out more
information in general, go to:
http://www.familysearch.org/eng/Library/FHL/frameset_library.asp

Another alternative is to contact local Massachusetts town and or city
clerks. Most are **very** accommodating and respond faster than state
agency departments. For a list of town clerks, go
to:http://www.state.ma.us/sec/ele/eleclk/clkidx.htm . Some cities, like
Boston, also have their own direct web link to vital records:
http://www.ci.boston.ma.us/registry/registry1.asp

There are also vital record collections at the Boston Public Library
http://www.bpl.org/WWW/socsci/genealogy.html and the New England Historic &
Genealogical Society http://www.newenglandancestors.org/. In addition,
almost every library in the state has, at the least, published copies of
mostly pre 20th century vital records for their own town or city. You can
find a link to every public library in the state by going to:
http://www.mlin.lib.ma.us/flash3.html

If you still need information, I try and maintain an up to date site about
researching in Massachusetts at http://www.mass-doc.com .

Happy hunting everybody,



Jeff Simonson
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Massachusetts Genealogical & Investigative Research Services
Boston, Massachusetts USA

Offering you a wealth of FREE Massachusetts research information at
http://www.mass-doc.com

Member of the Public Record Retriever's Network (PRRN)





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