Genealogy Resources

• Vital Statistics to 1850 - 233 volumes, covering most towns and cities in Massachusetts, from their founding to the year 1850; REF 929.1
  
  
• Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War - 27-volume listing, by company and unit, giving dates of enlistment and of death or discharge and other related information; REF 973.3 M38
  
  
• Massachusetts Soldier, Sailors, and Marines in the Civil War - similar 9-volume listing for Civil War vets from Massachusetts; REF 974.4 M38
  
  
• Massachusetts in the Army and Navy, 1861-65 - 2 vols.; REF 973.74 M38
  
  
• Historical Collections of Every Town in Massachusetts. - Barber, John Warner. 2 vols.; REF 974.4 B23
  
  
• Historical Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Worcester County, Massachusetts. - Crane, Ellery Bicknell. 4 vols.; REF 974.43 C85
  
  
• New England Historical and Genealogical Register. - Quarterly serial; from late 1970s to the present
  
  
• Shrewsbury: Annual Town Reports - 1851-present; often contain lists of births, marriages, deaths and burials, and other information useful for genealogists

• History of the Town of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, from Its Settlement in 1717 to 1829. - Ward, Andrew Henshaw. Published in 1847; REF 974.43 W21
  
  
• Ward Family: Descendants of William Ward Who Settled in Sudbury, Mass., in 1639. - Ward, Andrew Henshaw. Published in 1851; REF 929.2 W21
  
  
• Old Times in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. - Ward, Elizabeth. Published in 1892; REF 974.43 W21

• Many circulating “how to” resources, such as beginner’s helps (in Non-Fiction at 929.1)
• Specific books for African American, Canadian, English, French, Germanic, Irish, Norman Anglo-French, Scottish, etc., genealogy (in Non-Fiction at 929.1)
• Books on writing family history (in Non-Fiction at 929.1)
• Books on using online resources (in Non-Fiction at 929.1)
  

Shrewsbury Genealogy Club has its own blog. Anyone can post questions, comments, suggestions, etc., and anyone else can respond to these queries. It's a chance to "meet" folks who share a common avocation, and to exchange ideas with them. Enjoy!

• Shrewsbury Genealogy Club Blog

• Cyndi’s List - One of the most comprehensive listings of online genealogical websites, including tutorials for beginners
  
  
• Mormon Databases - The largest genealogical database in the world, created and maintained by the Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormons)
  
  
• HeritageQuest Online - Web access to U.S. federal census records, family genealogies, local histories, tax lists, city directories, land and probate records, birth, marriage and death records, genealogical and local history serials, and more.
  
  
• Ancestry.Com - Ancestry Library Edition gives access to U.S. federal census records, New York and San Francisco passenger lists, New York petitions for naturalization, U.S. birth, marriage and death collection, World War I draft registration cards, the Social Security Death Index, and more. No remote access; must be searched on a Library computer.
  
  
• Rootsweb - A free version of the popular Ancestry.Com database
  
  
• Social Security Death Index - A database of people who have died since the institution of Social Security in 1936; updated regularly
  
  
• Archdiocese of Boston Archives ­ Overview of archives, hours, contact information in Brighton, Massachusetts.
  
  
• Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Boston ­ Society information, meeting schedule.
  
  
• TIARA (The Irish Ancestral Research Association) ­ An excellent website for Irish genealogical research, with numerous related links.
  
  
• Massachusetts State Archives ­ Directions to the Columbia Point location, hours, regulations.
  
  
• Massachusetts National Guard Museum ­ 44 Salisbury St. in Worcester.
  
  
• National Archives - The official US Government repository for US Census records, passenger ship lists, land records, etc.
  
  
• Waltham Archives - Includes complete US Census records, 1790-1930, for the entire country, as well as other New England records and resources
  
  
• Pittsfield Archives - Includes additional records and resources from New York and some Mid-Atlantic States
  
  
• New England Historic Genealogical Society - The oldest such organization in the country, founded in 1845; a vast collection of records back to Colonial times
  
  
• Shrewsbury Historical Society - Has many documents and artifacts pertaining to Shrewsbury history and families
  
  
• Shrewsbury Genealogy Club - Our own genealogical organization, meets monthly at the Shrewsbury Public Library, from September through June
  
  
• Immigration records through the port of New York:
  • Castle Garden (1820-1890)
    
  • Ellis Island (1892-1924)
    
    
• Additional useful links can be found at the Worcester Public Library website.

Our local history and rare books room contains many useful resources of a historical or genealogical nature, such as histories of many Massachusetts towns and counties, and books by area authors. Named after the family of General Artemas Ward, the collection is located on the second floor of the 1903 building, and can be accessed by request at the circulation desk.