NEHGS - NEHGS History and Facts

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NEHGS History and Facts

New England Historic Genealogical Society, founded in 1845, is the one of the country's oldest and largest genealogical organizations and one of Boston’s oldest cultural institutions. NEHGS is proud of its rich history of collecting, preserving, and interpreting some of the most important and valuable resources in genealogy, family history, and local history.

In 1843, a group of five Boston merchants and book dealers, Charles Ewer, Lemuel Shattuck, Samuel G. Drake, John Wingate Thornton, and William H. Montague, envisioned an association devoted to “collecting, preserving, and publishing…genealogical and historical matter relating to New England families.”

A circular written in 1846 further reveals a philosophy and a set of goals that today still resonates with genealogists:

“The minds of men are naturally moved to know something of their progenitors - those from whom they have derived their being; and there seems to be an increasing interest in this subject; many are trying to trace their genealogy back at least to the first settlers - the early pilgrims of this country. The Society proposes to cultivate this taste, and give such a direction to these inquiries as well as facilitate their labors, and render them of practical importance to individuals and the public. We wish, by united action, and through the aid of our extensive collections of printed and manuscript works, to furnish the means to every person descended from an early inhabitant of New England, of tracing his genealogy and history.”

In February of 1846 NEHGS moved into its first home, a rented room on the third floor of a building in Court Square in downtown Boston. This was the first in a series of buildings that the Society was to occupy over the next several decades. Over time, the Society's quarters had to grow in order to keep up with the increasing number of books and manuscripts that were being added to the NEHGS library collections.

A milestone occurred in 1847, when the Society's flagship journal, The New England Historical and Genealogical Register began publication. The Register is the oldest genealogical journal in the country, and it has been published continuously for more than 150 years.

The original subscription list included 1600 subscribers who were to pay a yearly rate of $2.00 for four issues. The early issues contained biographical memoirs of a distinguished individual, historical articles, transcriptions of old documents, epitaph inscriptions, short genealogies, obituary notices, and book reviews.

A change in the character of the Society took place in 1898, when NEHGS - after considerable debate - opened its doors to female members. The previous year, the Society's membership had voted (451 to 53) to admit women. Twenty-nine women became members in the first year and between 1899 and 1908, 157 women were NEHGS Sketch

admitted to membership in NEHGS. The percentage of woman members has continued to increase over time and today women account for more than 60% of the Society's membership.

One of the most significant contributions that NEHGS made to the genealogical field was the transcription and publication of Massachusetts town vital records. This effort was first undertaken in 1902, and new tan volumes were consistently issued over the next forty years. This project not only made Massachusetts vital records available to researchers, it also saved a good many records from destruction.

In 1964, NEHGS moved into its seventh and current home at 99-101 Newbury Street in Boston's Back Bay. At the time of the move, NEHGS had a membership of 3,000. Forty years later, membership has grown to more than 20,000 members nationally. A great deal of change has taken place in the last forty years, and in the 160 years since the founding of the Society.

Although the methods have changed over time, many things have stayed the same. NEHGS members continue to use one of the finest genealogical libraries in the country, consult original documents in the manuscript collections, and read the Register. And, perhaps most of all, our fundamental purposes today are strikingly similar to purposes of the founders. Our mission - to borrow the language of the founders - is still “to cultivate a taste for genealogy, give it a direction, facilitate these labors, and render them of practical importance.”

Publications include:

Websites include:

The Society conducts many workshops and lectures on genealogical topics. Twice a year NEHGS hosts a “Come Home to New England” research seminar for members. Tours for groups of members are organized to explore genealogical resources in other parts of the country, including Salt Lake City, and other countries such as England and Ireland.