Index to the Probate Records of Middlesex County, Massachusetts

This index was compiled under the supervision of Samuel H. Folsom and William E. Rogers (successively) and published between 1912 and 1914. Published in two volumes, the first contained entries from 1648 to 1871, while the second included the years 1871 to 1909. This database includes the first volume only.

This index includes name (the original index includes all surname variants), residence, year, nature of record (guardian, administration, will, etc.), and case number.

"The county courts, established in 1643, saw all cases involving civil disputes not exceeding a sum of money (which varied over time) and all criminal cases not concerning life, limb, or banishment. In 1692 these duties were divided between the courts of general sessions of the peace, which handled the county business and criminal cases, and the inferior courts of common pleas, which dealt with civil cases." [1]

The full records are held at the Massachusetts Archives and they are also available on microfilm at the NEHGS Research Library. To obtain photocopies of a particular packet, please visit the NEHGS Research Services web page and fill out the form for in-depth research.

The original text can be viewed at the NEHGS Research Library. The call number is F72/M7/M55.

To locate additional genealogy and local history resources, search our library catalog.

[1] Massachusetts Archives website, http://www.state.ma.us/sec/arc/arcgen/genidx.htm.