NEHGS - Introduction

Introduction to the Massachusetts State Census Transcriptions for 1855 and 1865

Massachusetts took state censuses in 1855, 1865, 1875, 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915, 1925, 1935, and 1945. There are general summaries have been published for most of these censuses, but the actual town-by-town census schedules exist for only 1855 and 1865. The original schedules for the other years appear to have been lost.

Between 1986 and 1992, Ann S. Lainhart transcribed the records of 75 towns in the counties of Essex, Middlesex, and Plymouth:

List of Towns
Acton	Bedford	Billerica	Boxboro	Boxford	W. Boxford
Bradford	Bridgewater	Brighton	Burlington	Carlisle	Charlestown
Chelmsford	Concord	Dracut	Dunstable	Duxbury	E. Bridgewater
Essex	Georgetown	Groton	Groveland	Halifax	Hamilton
Hanover	Hanson	Hingham	Holliston	Hopkinton	Hull
Ipswich	Lexington	Lincoln	Littleton	Lynnfield	Manchester
Marlborough	Marshfield	Medford	Melrose	Middleboro	Middleton
N. Andover	N. Bridgewater	Nahant	Natick	Newbury	W. Newbury
Pembroke	Plympton	Rochester	Mattapoisett	Rockport	Saugus
Sherborn	Shirley	S. Reading	Stoneham	Stow	Sudbury
Swampscott	Tewksbury	Topsfield	Townsend	Tyngsboro	Wareham
Watertown	Wayland	Wenham	W. Bridgewater	W. Cambridge	Westford
Weston	Wilmington	Winchester

Currently, the census results for the towns in bold print above are presented here. Data for the remaining transcribed towns will be added to this database in the future.

The Berkshire Genealogist has published some of the towns in Berkshire county. Microfilms of the 1855 and 1865 Massachusetts state censuses are available at NEHGS, the Massachusetts State Archives, and through the Family History Libraries.

There are three important features that make these state censuses different from the Federal censuses. First in 1865 is a column that asks whether the person is married, single, or widowed. This can help determine relationships in a household. Secondly, also in 1865, it asks whether a person is a ratable poll ('p'), ratable poll and legal voter ('p1'), or ratable poll and naturalized voter ('pn'). This can help to determine when someone became a citizen.

The third feature is that 22 towns in 1855 and 96 towns in 1865 give specific town of birth rather than just state and some give town or county of birth for those of foreign birth. Some of these towns are among the ones transcribed here and a complete list can be found in Ann Lainhart's book State Census Records (HA215 / L25 / 1992), available in the NEHGS Research library.

Explanations of record fields:

Household: Dwelling number in order of visitation / Families numbered in order of visitation.

Color: 'w' - White; 'b' - Black; 'm' - Mulatto; or 'I' - Indian.

Asterisk following first name: Person over twenty years of age who cannot read or write.

Marital status: 's' - single; 'm' - married; 'w' - widowed. (Note - marital status was recorded in 1865 only.)

The original transcriptions are available in our Boston Research Library. To locate additional genealogy and local history resources, search our library catalog.