NARA's Northeast Region, Waltham, MA
 

The NARA facility in Waltham has extensive microfilm holdings, and some original records, of value for genealogy research, among them:

• Federal population censuses for all States, 1790-1930 (including indexes for 1880, 1900, 1910, and 1920);
• Revolutionary War military service records, and pension and bounty land warrant applications;
• passenger arrival records for the port of Boston, 1820-74 and 1883-1936, and for other New England ports, 1820-1943;
• Canadian border entry records, 1895-1954;
• records relating to appointments of certain Federal officials;
• World War I draft registration records (New England states only):
• naturalization records (New England states only).

NARA's Northeast Region, Pittsfield, MA

The NARA facility in Pittsfield holds over 76,000 rolls of microfilmed Federal records specifically aimed at genealogical research.  The most used collections include:   

• Federal Population Census for all states, 1790-1930, with book, microfilm, and CD indexes for all years as well as access to NARA on-line subscriptions to AncestryPlus and Heritage Quest;  
• Military records and indexes from the Revolutionary War to 1914;  
• Passenger arrival records for most of the eastern seaboard from Fort Fairfax, Maine to Galveston, Texas, beginning in 1820;
• Canadian Border Crossing records, 1895-1954;
• World War I draft registration cards for New England and New York states;
• Naturalization indexes for New England (1790-1906 for all courts and 1906-1966 for U.S. Federal District and Circuit Courts in MA and naturalization records for the USDC in Boston from 1906-1929), New York Federal District and Circuit Courts (Manhattan, Brooklyn and Buffalo, 1824-1950s), and Pennsylvania Federal District Courts (Philadelphia and Pittsburg, 1795-1950s);
• Five Civilized Tribes and Eastern Cherokee rolls (Dawes and Miller rolls)

Researching Your Family's History at the Massachusetts Archives

The Archives Division of the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Office is the repository for Massachusetts records generated by state government. Archives holdings date from the beginning of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1628 and document the settlement of lands in Maine and Massachusetts, the arrival of immigrants, and the development of state government. Public records are not in the holdings of the Archives strictly because of inherent genealogical value, but since they often include references to so many Massachusetts people, these documents are a major resource for people engaged in the study of family history.

In addition to the archival records created by Massachusetts state agencies, the Archives has a limited selection of books and microforms to aid genealogists and other researchers. Access to these materials is provided through the Research Room of the Massachusetts Archives at Columbia Point. It is open weekdays, 9 to 5, except on legal holidays, and on Saturdays, from 9 to 3.

Old maps of New England

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