The 1950 Census is Almost Here!

Get the countdown clock ready! On April 1st (just four days away!) the 1950 United States census will be made available to the public. The census, which has been taken every ten years by the federal government since 1790, provides a treasure trove of population information for genealogists, historians, social scientists, and the general public. Why is there such a long wait for access? This is due to a 72-year restriction on these records, starting from the time they were created--and they are only released by the National Archives upon expiration of the restriction. This means that after this year, we will have to wait until 2032 for the release of the 1960 census.

Census Bureau employees transferring data from the 1940 census
questionnaire to punch cards for tabulation. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

For more information about the United State Census, visit: https://www.archives.gov/research/census

Having trouble locating a census record from 1790-1940? This page will help you find what you need: https://www.archives.gov/research/census/online-resources

Kaitlin Connolly
Reference Librarian

New Databases Now Provided by the State Library

The State Library is pleased to announce that it is now providing Massachusetts state government employees with remote access to Ancestry.com and Newspapers.com! Once the Library reopens to the public, on-site access will be available to all patrons.

***For state employees with a State Library card, you will be prompted to enter your library card # and password to access these databases remotely. See below if you have any questions.***

Ancestry.com (Library Edition)
https://ezsm.ez.cwmars.org:4643/login?url=https://ancestrylibrary.proquest.com

Ancestry.com is a great resource for those interested in their family history or for more in-depth genealogical research. Users will have access to millions of original US and international documents (vital and military records, census schedules, probate documents, criminal records, etc.), photographs, indexes and directories, oral histories, and much more. 

Note: Ancestry is currently offering remote access until the end of September and will evaluate if an extension is possible, after which only on-site access in the library will be offered.

Newspapers.com (Northeast Collection)

https://ezsm.ez.cwmars.org:4643/login?url=https://newspaperslibrary.proquest.com/?accountid=36683

Newspapers.com’s Northeast Collection offers access to thousands of historical papers that were published in the northeast region of the United States between the 1700s and 2000s. Massachusetts newspapers include those published in Boston, Fitchburg, Fall River, Lowell, North Adams, and Pittsfield. The collection also includes newspapers for other then New England states, as well as New Jersey and Delaware.

Note: Newspapers.com will continue to provide remote and on-site access. 

Need a library card? Have questions?

For state employees that do not have a library card or have a card that’s lost or expired, fill out our card application form and we’ll get back to you asap: https://www.mass.gov/forms/state-library-card-online-application-form 

If you have an active card but do not remember your password—contact us! We can reset it for you and show you how to manage your password from your library account. We can be reached via email at reference.department@mass.gov and are also happy to answer any additional questions you may have.

Reference Department   

Researching Early (Legal) Name Changes in Massachusetts

A page from the 1905 Acts and Resolves 

listing the name changes that occurred

in Essex and Franklin counties during

the year 1904. 

Everyone has the right to legally go by the name of their choice, as long as it is not done for illegal or fraudulent purposes.  Today, the procedure for changing your name in Massachusetts includes filling out a form (petition), and filing the petition with your county’s Probate and Family Court (or the Juvenile Court for minors).  For more information, visit: http://www.mass.gov/courts/selfhelp/name-changes/

Prior to 1852, if an individual wanted to change their name, he or she had to submit a petition to the General Court; once approved, the petitions were subsequently published as special acts of the legislature.  Such special acts can be helpful to researchers and genealogists who are trying to track down the original name of a person, the name they legally adopted, when the person initiated the change, and in what city they were residing at the time.  Not too long ago it was discovered that the Gloucester painter formerly known incorrectly as “Fitz Hugh Lane” had actually adopted and used the name “Fitz Henry Lane” in his lifetime, as recorded in Chapter 124 of the Acts of 1832.  Such special acts containing name changes can be found, either by browsing or using a keyword search, in the library’s acts database-- which covers the years 1692 through 2010: http://archives.lib.state.ma.us/handle/123456789/2

An 1835 pencil drawing of Fitz Henry Lane
by Robert Cooke.  Three years earlier Lane was
known by his birth name Nathaniel Rogers
Lane. By Robert Cooke (American
Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Mass.)
 [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Another great resource collated and published by the Secretary of the Commonwealth back in 1893 is the book List of Persons Whose Names Have Been Changed in Massachusetts: 1780-1892.  Unlike the acts database, it also includes data from the annual name change returns submitted to the Secretary by the county probate courts.  An online version of this book is also viewable and downloadable through HathiTrust.org.

If you are looking for information after 1892, annual lists of name changes can also be found in the Acts and Resolves volumes from 1853 through 1913; these volumes have been digitized and can be accessed via the library’s website. 

Original petitions submitted to the legislature that were and were not approved can be found at the Massachusetts State Archives.





Kaitlin Connolly
Reference Department

Funeral Sermons: A Useful Genealogical Resource

An often-overlooked resource for genealogists and historians, funeral sermons can provide interesting details about the lives of our ancestors. The State Library’s holdings include a number of funeral sermons and orations, the majority of which are from the 18th and early 19th centuries. During that time in history, funeral sermons were often printed and distributed to family members and other mourners as keepsakes.

Although these publications tend to be brief, they often include details that might have been omitted from an obituary, such as the personality and temperament of the deceased, family details, and information about the funeral service itself. For example, the following sermon for Mary Skinner of Colchester, CT, printed in 1746, includes eight pages of personal details about her temperament, such as, “As she had a Genius and Turn for Government beyond what is common for Persons of her Years, so she was regular and strict in ruling those under her Care.”

Another common trait of funeral sermons is the use of a mourning border, which is a heavy black border typically found on the cover or title page of a sermon and often printed on stationery used in periods of mourning. These borders are sometimes embellished with drawings, such as the skull and crossbones found in this 1765 sermon for the rector of Christ Church in Boston, the Rev. Timothy Cutler:

One of the most interesting funeral sermons in the State Library’s collection was printed in Boston in 1717. This sermon, which includes a preface by Increase Mather, was preached by his son Cotton Mather at the funeral for Wait Still Winthrop, one of the magistrates for the Salem witch trials and grandson of John Winthrop, one of the founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The sermon includes interesting details about Winthrop’s life, such as, “This Gentleman, having furnished himself with Medical Skill, became also a Master of Medicines, which he freely gave away as well as his Counsils, unto a Great Multitude of People, who from all parts flock’d unto him.”

Whether they are used to research important historical figures or distant relatives, funeral sermons are a resource that can provide a glimpse into the personal lives of our ancestors. To find these and other sermons, search our online catalog for the phrase “funeral sermons,” or visit us at the State Library’s Special Collections Department, Room 55 in the Massachusetts State House.

Laura Schaub
Cataloging Librarian

Brown Bag Lunch on Family History: Part 2

Join us for a Brown Bag Lunch

on Tuesday, March 18^th, 2014

State Library of Massachusetts

Room 442, State House

12 until 1:30 PM

Bring your lunch and listen to Sharon Sergeant, Polly FitzGerald Kimmitt, and Mary Ellen Grogan from the Massachusetts Genealogical Council talk about the resources and techniques used to discover the story of your family.  This is a follow-up to the talk on genealogy given on December 17th. Speakers will be discussing different aspects of research, but you will be able to follow the talk even if you weren’t able to attend in December.  Sharon will be talking about various records and how one set of records will lead to another; Polly will talk about DNA and genealogy, specifically the efforts of the Department of Defense to use these methods to identify and return the bodies of war dead to their families; and Mary Ellen will talk about educational sources for genealogy.

Sharon, Polly and Mary Ellen will stay to answer questions.  The Massachusetts Genealogical Council’s mission involves preserving public record access and a commitment to genealogy education.

To register, please visit:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/S5JMFT6  You may also call the Reference Department at 617-727-2590 or send an email to Reference.Department@state.ma.us to let us know you will attend.

Future Brown Bags which are planned for 2014

April 17^th, 2014, Beth Carroll-Horrocks, Head of Special Collections, State Library of Massachusetts, “Treasures of the State Library”

May 22^nd, 2014, Nancy Lusignan Schultz, author of “Fire and Roses: the Burning of Charlestown Convent, 1934”

June 19^th, 2014, Stephen Puleo, author of “The Caning: The Assault that Drove America to the Civil War”