Research Resources

We are often asked to help people with researching their Norwood home or to find information about family members who may have lived in Norwood.

This information may not always be found in our archives, so we have compiled this list of additional resources, with links when available, to help with your Norwood research.

Local Resources

The Norwood Historical Society

The Norwood Historical Society has an exceptional collection of books. Donated by the citizens of Norwood, our library contains a wonderful collection of local, genealogical, and historical information, and some are listed at the link below. We also have books on topics relating to American wars (pre-World War II) and educational (school) books from the mid-1800s, world histories, and atlases.

Norwood Historical Society Library

Morrill Memorial Library:

Norwood Town Reports
Resident Directories
Business Directories
Published Books
Dissertations/student research projects about Norwood

The Morrill Memorial Library has digitized thousands of Norwood newspapers of the following years:

Advertiser and Review 1887 – 1894
Norwood Advertiser 1894 – 1905
Norwood Free Press 1937 – 1950
Norfolk County Free Press 1950 – 1962
Norfolk County Press 1962 – 1965

You can find them online here: https://morrillpl.advantage-preservation.com

Assessor’s Office – Property data

The Assessor’s Office will provide links to field/property cards, assessment values, and assessor maps. It also provides the most recent book and page number of the deed of your house.

Norwood Board of Assessors Online Property Cards – https://gis.vgsi.com/norwoodma/Search.aspx

Registry of Deeds

Deeds are indexed by name back to 1793. Deeds images are available online back to 1793. Earlier deeds are located in Suffolk County.

The Norfolk County Registry of Deeds is located at 649 High Street, Dedham, MA.

http://www.NorfolkDeeds.org/

Note: If you are researching your own house, search for yourself as the grantee first, and then find the seller who is the grantor. (Grantee–a person buying the property, Grantor – the person selling a property )

Then you can search the indexes for that seller as the grantee and find the previous grantor, continuing this process as far back as you can go.

You can also find Norfolk County pre-1901 deeds at:

https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/2106411

Census Records (also Mass. State Census Records)

1930 Federal Census Record for F. Holland Day and his two servants, his Scottish-born cook Margaret McCluskie, and Irish housekeeper Nellie Keefe.

You can find the previous occupants of your house in census records. (Please note: the occupants might be renters, and not necessarily the owners!)

Census records are available from:

Ancestry.com (subscription service) https://www.ancestry.com/search/places/usa/massachusetts/norfolk/

FamilySearch.org (free) https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Massachusetts_Census

MyHeritage.com, https://www.myheritage.com/research/category-1100/us-census

FindMyPast.com https://search.findmypast.com/search-world-records-in-census-land-and-substitutes

Probate

You can find house/estate inventories and lists of family members in wills.

Norfolk County Probate Court is located at 35 Shawmut Road, Canton, MA. Probate records available at this location for 1793 – present
Pre-1793 probate records are located in Suffolk County.

Norfolk County, MA Probate Index – https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/5656/

Massachusetts, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1991 – https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/9069/

Digital Records at the Massachusetts Archives

The Digital Records section of the Massachusetts Archives includes links to various digital depositories for state and municipal records, as well as resources for additional research.

Provide birth/marriage/death dates and locations, names of parents, occupations, and more.

Vital Records, 1841 to 1930

Digital Repositories

Massachusetts Archives Collection, 1629-1799

Military Records

Passenger List Records, 1848 to 1891

Census Records

United States Census

Massachusetts State Census

1855
1865

Legislative Records

Court Records

Additional Resources

Mass. Vital Records

Provide birth/marriage/death dates and locations.
Names of parents

https://archive.org/details/recordofbirthsma00fran

Massachusetts Birth, Marriage, and Death Records Online

Births

Pre-1850 Massachusetts Vital Records To 1850 at Findmypast — index & images ($)
Pre-1850 Massachusetts Vital Record Transcripts at Fold3 — index & images ($)
1620-1850 Massachusetts Vital Records at AmericanAncestors — index & images ($)
1620-1850 Massachusetts Town Birth Records, 1620-1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
1620-1988 Massachusetts Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
1620-1900s Massachusetts Vital Records at Fold3 — index and images ($)
1626-2001 Massachusetts Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
1630-1905 Massachusetts Town Births Index, ca. 1630-1905 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
1636-1920 Massachusetts Births, 1636-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
1638-1961 Massachusetts Town Records, ca. 1638-1961 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
1639-1915 Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915 at FamilySearch — index
1650-1915 Massachusetts Vital Records at American Ancestors — index ($)
1700-1850 Massachusetts Compiled Birth, Marriage, and Death Records at Ancestry — index & images ($)
1753-1900 Massachusetts Delayed and Corrected Vital Records, 1753-1900 at FamilySearch — index & images
1840-1910 Massachusetts Birth Index, 1840-1910 at MyHeritage — index ($)
1841-1910 Massachusetts Vital Records at AmericanAncestors — images ($)
1841-1910 Massachusetts Citations to Vital Records – 1841-1910 at Massachusetts State Archives — index
1841-1895 Massachusetts Vital Records Index 1841-1895 at Fold3 — index ($)
1841-1915 Massachusetts Births, 1841-1915 at FamilySearch — index & images; Also at: Ancestry($)
1841-1920 Massachusetts State Vital Records, 1841-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
1860-1970 Massachusetts Birth Index, 1860-1970 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
1911-1915 Massachusetts Vital Records at AmericanAncestors — images ($)
1916-1920 Massachusetts Vital Records at AmericanAncestors; index & images ($)
Massachusetts Printed Vital Records, search collection or browse by town and page

Marriages

Pre-1699 American Marriages Before 1699 at Ancestry — index ($)
Pre-1700 New England Marriages Prior to 1700 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
Pre-1800 Early Massachusetts Marriages Prior to 1800, Vol. I, Vol. II, Vol. III, Vol. IV at Ancestry — images ($)
Pre-1850 Massachusetts Vital Records To 1850 at Findmypast — index & images ($)
Pre-1850 Massachusetts Vital Record Transcripts at Fold3 — index & images ($)
1600s-1900s US Marriages – Massachusetts at Findmypast — index & images ($)
1620-1850 Massachusetts, U.S., Town Marriage Records, 1620-1850 at Ancestry ($)
1620-1850 Massachusetts Vital Records at AmericanAncestors — index & images ($)
1620-1900s Massachusetts Vital Records at Fold3 — index and images ($)
1620-1988 Massachusetts Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
1626-2001 Massachusetts Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
1633-1850 Massachusetts Compiled Marriages, 1633-1850 at Ancestry — index ($)
1695-1910, 1921-1924 Massachusetts Marriages, 1695-1910, 1921-1924 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
1638-1961 Massachusetts Town Records, ca. 1638-1961 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
1650-1915 Massachusetts Vital Records at American Ancestors — index ($)
1700-1850 Massachusetts Compiled Birth, Marriage, and Death Records at Ancestry — index & images ($)
1753-1900 Massachusetts Delayed and Corrected Vital Records, 1753-1900 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at: Ancestry($)
1784-1840 Massachusetts Marriage Index, 1784-1840 at Ancestry — index ($)
1841-1895 Massachusetts Vital Records Index 1841-1895 at Fold3 — index ($)
1841-1910 Massachusetts Vital Records at AmericanAncestors — images ($)
1841-1910 Massachusetts Citations to Vital Records – 1841-1910 at Massachusetts State Archives — index
1841-1915 Massachusetts Marriages, 1841-1915 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at: Ancestry($), MyHeritage($)
1841-1920 Massachusetts State Vital Records, 1841-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
1901-1955, 1966-1970 Massachusetts Marriage Index, 1901-1955 and 1966-1970 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
1911-1915 Massachusetts Vital Records at AmericanAncestors — images ($)
1916-1920 Massachusetts Vital Records at AmericanAncestors; index & images ($)
Massachusetts Printed Vital Records, search collection or browse by town and page

Deaths

Pre-1850 Massachusetts Vital Records To 1850 at Findmypast — index & images ($)
Pre-1850 Massachusetts Vital Record Transcripts at Fold3 — index & images ($)
1620-1850 Massachusetts Vital Records at AmericanAncestors — index & images ($)
1620-1900s Massachusetts Vital Records at Fold3 — index and images ($)
1620-1988 Massachusetts Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
1620-1850 Massachusetts, U.S., Town Death Records, 1620-1850 at Ancestry – ($)
1638-1961 Massachusetts Town Records, ca. 1638-1961 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
1626-2001 Massachusetts Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
1640-1961 Massachusetts Town Deaths Index, ca. 1640-1961 at FamilySearch – How to Use this Collection; index & images
1700-1850 Massachusetts Compiled Birth, Marriage, and Death Records at Ancestry — index & images ($)
1753-1900 Massachusetts Delayed and Corrected Vital Records, 1753-1900 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images; Also at: Ancestry($)
1795-1910 Massachusetts Deaths and Burials, 1795-1910 at FamilySearch — index
1840-1910 Massachusetts Death Index, 1840-1910 at MyHeritge — index ($)
1841-1895 Massachusetts Vital Records Index 1841-1895 at Fold3 — index ($)
1841-1910 Massachusetts Vital Records at AmericanAncestors — images ($)
1841-1910 Massachusetts Citations to Vital Records – 1841-1910 at Massachusetts State Archives — index
1841-1915 Massachusetts Death Records, 1841-1915 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
1841-1915, 1921-1924 Massachusetts Deaths, 1841-1915, 1921-1924 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
1841-1920 Massachusetts State Vital Records, 1841-1920 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection — images
1844 Massachusetts Deaths, 1844: Vol. 8, Barnstable to Hampshire; Volume 9, Middlesex to Worcester at Ancestry — index ($)
1901-1980 Massachusetts Death Index, 1901-1980 at Ancestry — index & images ($)
1935-2014 US Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 at Ancestry — index ($)
1936-2007 US Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry — index ($)
1962-2014 US Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images
Massachusetts Printed Vital Records, search collection or browse by town ($)
1970-2003 Massachusetts Death Index, 1970-2003 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index
1969-2010 Massachusetts Deaths, 1969-2010 at Findmypast; index & images
1911-1915 Massachusetts Vistorical Records|How to Use this Collection]; index; Also at: Ancestry($), AmericanAncestors($)
1916-1920 Massachusetts Vital Records

Boston

1630-1895 Boston Vital Records, 1630-1895, from Holbrook Collection
1700-1800 Boston, MA: Births, 1700-1800

Maps

Ancestry.com, Hathi Trust, http://www.DavidRumsey.com

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps – https://www.loc.gov/collections/sanborn-maps

Massachusetts Historic Commission Inventory Sheets (State & Local)

MACRIS database online – http://mhc-macris.net/ The database contains a complete index of historical properties. Full pdf versions of some may be found at the website.

City Directories & Residents Lists

City Directories are available online at the major database sites like Ancestry.com

Resident Lists may be available in Local History Room at local libraries or Town Hall.

Newspapers

Many old newspapers are available online through

Ancestry.com, MyHeritage.com, AmericanAncestors.org, GenealogyBank.com, Newspapers.com,

See https://theancestorhunt.com/newspaper-research-links.html for more.

State Library of Massachusetts DSpace Respository
City of Boston Archives
Boston Public Library
Harvard Antislavery Petitions
A New Nation Votes American – Election Returns, 1787-1825
Founders Online
American Ancestors
FamilySearch
Massachusetts Land Deeds
Hathi Trust Digital Library
ARCHIVEGRID
WorldCat
Early Massachusetts Town Records

We will add more links as we find them, so check back often.