Old Colony Historical Society

66 Church Green

Taunton, Massachusetts

 

 

Taunton Research & Genealogical Sources

 

 

VITAL RECORDS

Birth, Marriage, Death                     City Clerk/City Hall                                   508-821-1024

Certificates                                        15 Summer Street                        www.taunton-ma.gov

                                                            Taunton, MA 02780

 

CEMETERY RECORDS               

City Cemeteries                                Cemetery Dept.                                            508-821-1021

                                                            170 Harris Street                          www.taunton-ma.gov

                                                            Taunton, MA  02780

 

Catholic Cemeteries                        Taunton Catholic                                         508-824-9570

                                                            Cemetery Dept.

                                                            475 East Britannia Street

                                                            Taunton, MA 02780

 

Private/Family Cemeteries           Old Colony Historical Society                   508-822-1622 

                                                            66 Church Green

                                                            Taunton, MA 02780

 

PROBATE & LAND RECORDS

Probate                                              Bristol County Probate &                           508-977-6040

(Wills, Divorces, Inventories)        Family Court Registry                          www.bristolcountyprobate.com

                                                            40 Broadway, Suite 240

                                                            Taunton, MA  02780

 

Deeds                                                 Bristol County Reg. of Deeds                    508-822-0502

(Land Records)                                 11 Court Street                        www.tauntondeeds.com

                                                            Taunton, MA 02780

 

CHURCH RECORDS

Please contact clerks of individual churches directly, though some are at the OCHS.

 

EARLY COURT RECORDS

Bristol County Court                       Massachusetts State Archives                    617-727-2816

Records                                              220 Morrissey Boulevard              www.sec.state.ma.us/arc/

Boston, MA 02125

Research Collections at Old Colony Historical Society

 

Holdings include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

·         Basic genealogical reference materials: Torrey’s New England Marriages…, Savage’s Genealogical Dictionary…, Round’s Abstracts of Bristol County Probate Records…, Great Migration series

·         Vital records for the Commonwealth of MA and the State of RI (prior to 1850)

·         Published and unpublished family histories for Southeastern MA families (especially before 1850)

·         Federal Massachusetts census indices, 1790-1860

·         Town/city/county histories, especially for Massachusetts

·         Copies of some church records, including: First Parish Church, West Congregational Church, North Taunton Baptist Church, Berkley Congregational Church, Church of Christ in Raynham

·         Wills, probate records, diaries, and early proprietors’ records for the Taunton region

·         Taunton cemetery records (not complete)

·         Taunton City Directory, 1850 to 2002

·         Maps and Atlases: Bristol County and Taunton

·         Newspapers: Taunton Daily Gazette (1848-2001) on microfilm; other newspapers on microfilm and in bound copies as early as 1824

·         Historic property survey forms for Taunton; Richard Upjohn’s designs in Taunton

·         Selected court records (17th to 20th centuries)

·         Military reference works:  Massachusetts Soldiers & Sailors… (Revolutionary and Civil Wars), regimental histories; local militia records

·         GAR Post Records (Civil War) and Sons of Union Veterans Post Records from Taunton

·         Mason Machine Works (textile machinery, rifles and locomotives)

·         Glenwood Range Co. and the stove industry

·         Reed & Barton and the silver industry

·         Taunton Police records (late 19th century)

·         Taunton Fire Department records (late 19th and 20th centuries)

·         Gen. Darius Nash Couch (Civil War) military and natural history

·         Taunton High School yearbooks and Cadet Corps

·         Early ironworks and the Leonard family

·         History of surveying the Colony boundary line

·         Davol glass plate negatives taken in Taunton and surrounding towns

·         C. Emmett Calvey negatives from the Taunton Daily Gazette (1940s and 50s)

·         Papers of State Sen. John Parker; World War Two soldiers from Taunton

·         Rev. Samuel Hopkins Emery (author of The History of Taunton) diary and notebooks

·         Rev. Wilton E. Cross Collection of photographs, postcards, books and papers

·         John Daggett Collection (of Attleborough) manuscripts

·         Annual holiday displays on Taunton Green (1914 to present)

·         Decorative arts and architectural history

·         Over 5,000 postcards and 7,000 photographs

·         Material culture collection of over 12,000 objects related to the Taunton region