Researching Your Counterpart
In researching your counterpart, you should
take advantage of the resources of Cary
Memorial Library which include Charles Hudson’s History of Lexington and many other volumes of Lexington history.
They also have the Vital Statistics volumes of Birth Marriages and Deaths for
Lexington and most of the other towns in Massachusetts from settlement to 1850.
The histories of many Massachusetts counties and towns can be found there, as
well as maps and other documents pertaining to Lexington. The Cary Memorial
Library is located at 1874 Massachusetts Avenue in Lexington Center.
The Lexington Historical Society has the largest collection of primary sources regarding Lexington history and genealogy, a marvelous collection of documents and maps as well as the typed transcription of the Lexington Town Meetings going back to the town’s founding and beyond. The Society will allow researchers to take advantage of their resources by appointment. The Lexington Historical Society archives are located in the Hancock/Clarke House at 35 Hancock Street in Lexington (Postal address P.O. Box 514, Lexington, MA 02420).
The Assessment and Tax Lists of the Town of Lexington are located at the office of the Treasurer / Tax Collector in the Town Offices Building 1625 Massachusetts Avenue in Lexington. The Minute Men have copies of these records for the period1729 to 1818 on diskette for your use.
The Middlesex South Registry of Deeds is located at 208 Cambridge Street in Cambridge has land transaction records dating back to the 1630’s. You may be able to find property bought and sold by your character counterpart, see who his neighbors were and perhaps even determine where in Lexington the property was located.
The Massachusetts State Archives located on Columbia Point at 220 Morrissey Boulevard in Dorchester is another very important archive that can be consulted. Their collection of Massachusetts documents, maps and records is unmatched. Also located there are microfilmed copies of Probate Records. Those pertaining to our period are in Series I — 1689 to 1871. The index to these records is also on microfilm and is located in the reading room of the Archives. It is arranged alphabetically by family name.
The first step one must take is to find a court “docket number” to see if the estate went through probate. The index to locate docket numbers for the 1649 -1871 Middlesex County probates is also located at the Massachusetts State Archives in the reading room. The index is arranged alphabetically by last name.
The index also lists administrators of estates, and for children under fourteen, their court appointed guardians and guardianship records. Thus, it is important to know a wife’s name as she might have been named estate administrator, or perhaps another family member was, and also the names of children under fourteen. Apparently children fourteen and over could pick their own guardian. So do your basic genealogical research first—wives, children, parents, siblings—before searching the index.
Military records: Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War is a seventeen volume compendium of the records of service of Massachusetts men in the Revolutionary War published in 1891 and abstracted from the documents available to the compilers. Hard copies are available in many libraries including Acton, Arlington, Bedford, Belmont Concord, Framingham, Lexington, Maynard, Newton, Waltham, Watertown, Westwood, Winchester, Woburn and others. On line it is available through ancestry.com and familysearch.org which require memberships.
Pension records and many muster rolls and military service records are available on microfilm at the National Archives 380 Trapelo Road in Waltham. In addition, Fold3.com is an on-line resource for military records that has a 7-day free trial, but the usual charges are $11.95 per month or $79.95 per year.
The New England Historic Genealogical Society located at 99 Newbury Street in Boston. It is the premier genealogical resource in New England. Its on-line access is through familysearch.org which requires a membership. A charge of $15 per visit is charged to use its Newbury Street resources.
A character outline form is available for download by members to assist in researching characters. This, however, contains the barest minimum of information and is to be submitted only to show that you have begun researching your character.
Some resources:
Research Strategies
Historical Information
18th Century Life
The Lexington Historical Society has the largest collection of primary sources regarding Lexington history and genealogy, a marvelous collection of documents and maps as well as the typed transcription of the Lexington Town Meetings going back to the town’s founding and beyond. The Society will allow researchers to take advantage of their resources by appointment. The Lexington Historical Society archives are located in the Hancock/Clarke House at 35 Hancock Street in Lexington (Postal address P.O. Box 514, Lexington, MA 02420).
The Assessment and Tax Lists of the Town of Lexington are located at the office of the Treasurer / Tax Collector in the Town Offices Building 1625 Massachusetts Avenue in Lexington. The Minute Men have copies of these records for the period1729 to 1818 on diskette for your use.
The Middlesex South Registry of Deeds is located at 208 Cambridge Street in Cambridge has land transaction records dating back to the 1630’s. You may be able to find property bought and sold by your character counterpart, see who his neighbors were and perhaps even determine where in Lexington the property was located.
The Massachusetts State Archives located on Columbia Point at 220 Morrissey Boulevard in Dorchester is another very important archive that can be consulted. Their collection of Massachusetts documents, maps and records is unmatched. Also located there are microfilmed copies of Probate Records. Those pertaining to our period are in Series I — 1689 to 1871. The index to these records is also on microfilm and is located in the reading room of the Archives. It is arranged alphabetically by family name.
The first step one must take is to find a court “docket number” to see if the estate went through probate. The index to locate docket numbers for the 1649 -1871 Middlesex County probates is also located at the Massachusetts State Archives in the reading room. The index is arranged alphabetically by last name.
The index also lists administrators of estates, and for children under fourteen, their court appointed guardians and guardianship records. Thus, it is important to know a wife’s name as she might have been named estate administrator, or perhaps another family member was, and also the names of children under fourteen. Apparently children fourteen and over could pick their own guardian. So do your basic genealogical research first—wives, children, parents, siblings—before searching the index.
Military records: Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War is a seventeen volume compendium of the records of service of Massachusetts men in the Revolutionary War published in 1891 and abstracted from the documents available to the compilers. Hard copies are available in many libraries including Acton, Arlington, Bedford, Belmont Concord, Framingham, Lexington, Maynard, Newton, Waltham, Watertown, Westwood, Winchester, Woburn and others. On line it is available through ancestry.com and familysearch.org which require memberships.
Pension records and many muster rolls and military service records are available on microfilm at the National Archives 380 Trapelo Road in Waltham. In addition, Fold3.com is an on-line resource for military records that has a 7-day free trial, but the usual charges are $11.95 per month or $79.95 per year.
The New England Historic Genealogical Society located at 99 Newbury Street in Boston. It is the premier genealogical resource in New England. Its on-line access is through familysearch.org which requires a membership. A charge of $15 per visit is charged to use its Newbury Street resources.
A character outline form is available for download by members to assist in researching characters. This, however, contains the barest minimum of information and is to be submitted only to show that you have begun researching your character.
Some resources:
Research Strategies
- DoHistory: A site that shows you how to piece together the past from the fragments that have survived.
Historical Information
- DAR Genealogical Research System (GRS): The GRS is a collection of databases that provide access to the many materials amassed by the DAR since its founding in 1890.
- National Society, Sons of the American Revolution
- PBS: Liberty! The American Revolution
- What happened in Lexington on 19 April 1775? by J. L. Bell
- Boston 1775: A blog about events and people in 1775 Boston
- Minutemen: The Minutemen played a crucial role not only in the Revolutionary War, but in earlier conflicts.
- 11th Pennsylvania Regiment: Especially, check out the Lifestyles page
- Wikipedia: Colonial History of the United States
- Wikipedia: Historical reenactment
- Wikipedia: Minutemen
- Wikipedia: Searches on:
"Lexington Minutemen"
"Lexington Minuteman"
"Lexington Minute Men"
"Lexington Minute Man" - Have Fun With History: A beautiful website with lots of useful material relating to the American Revolution
18th Century Life
- Colonial Williamsburg: Life in the 18th Century
- National Park Service: Center for 18th Century Life
- Yahoo Group on 18th Century Life
- 18th Century American Colonies
- 18th Century Life in New England
- The Pine Tree Shilling: Offers an historical perspective on daily life in the American Colonies during the 17th Century and 18th Century--1650-1780.