Essex County, Massachusetts Genealogy and History Volunteers Dedicated to Free Genealogy   Welcome to Massachusetts Genealogy Trails! Our goal is to help you track your ancestors through time by transcribing genealogical and historical data and placing it online for the free use of all researchers.   Essex County   Congregational church in Marblehead     Discovered by Europeans in 1692; the first who are known to have set foot in the county were Edward Harlie and Nicholas Hobson, who landed at Ipswich in 1611. The earliest settlers were the Cape Ann colonists, led by Roger Conant, in 1624. Endicott's colony arrived September 6, 1628. On May10, 1643, eight towns Salem, Lynn, Wenham, Ipswich, Rowley, Newbury, Gloucester, and Andover were set apart and incorporated as Essex County.     Indian disturbances affected the inhabitants but little until the breaking out of King Philip's War; in which brave soldiers and good leaders from Essex County distinguished themselves at various points. Theirs were the troops so mercilessly slaughtered at "Bloody Brook," in Deerfield, a body of ninety picked, well-disciplined, courageous soldiers known as "the Flower of Essex," under Captain Lothrop, where they were surprised by a large body of Philip's savage warriors.      The history of this county is disfigured by the woeful delusion of witchcraft which raged here in the latter part of the 17th century; and which, originating in that part of Salem which is now included in Danvers, extended to neighboring towns, until not less than 20 persons had actually been executed, while 8 more had been condemned, 150 were in prison awaiting trial, and 200 others had been accused. It is acknowledged that most of those who suffered and many others of the accused were persons of excellent character. In consequence of the trials and the expenses, the rapacious confiscations, and the universal alarm, business was utterly prostrated, and hundreds impoverished. Long years of toil and sorrow elapsed before the county recovered fully from this terrible blow. During the Revolution, Essex County effectively sustained her part on the side of freedom and nationality. A Gazetteer of the State of Massachusetts  1890 County Map Cities Amesbury * Beverly * Gloucester * Haverhill * Lawrence * Lynn * Methuen * Newburyport * Peabody * Salem Towns Amesbury * Boxford * Danvers * Essex * Georgetown * Groveland * Hamilton * Ipswich * Lynnfield * Manchester-by-the-Sea * Marblehead * Merrimac * Middleton * Nahant * Newbury * North Andover * Rockport * Rowley * Salisbury * Saugus * Swampscott * Topsfield * Wenham * West Newbury Villages Annisquam * Ballardvale * Beverly Farms * Bradford * Byfield * Centerville * Clifton * Cove Harbor * Magnolia * Merrimacport * North Beverly * Plum Island * Ryall's Side * West Boxford Census Designated Places Andover * Boxford * Essex * Ipswich * Rockport * Rowley * Salisbury * Topsfield County Seat: Salem and Lawrence Founded: 1643 Square Miles: Total 828/Land 493/Water 336 Essex County Data   Biographies Marriage Index Birth Index Marriage Notices Birth Notices Military Books Military News Cemeteries News/Brevities Census Data Newspapers Churches Obituaries County History Passenger Lists Crime Photographs Death Index Pioneers Directories Probate/Wills Disasters Research Help Divorce Index Schools History State Executions Historical Landmarks Stories/Families Immigration Tax Lists Land Records Towns Website Updates: 17Apr2018 Bios: John Shea at Scranton, G. Von L. Meyer; FIRST SECRETARY OF UNITED STATES NAVY- George Cabot; Census: 1850 Mortality for Gloucester, Topsfield, Middleton, Newburyport, Marriage News: SMITH-McKEEN News: Terrible Explosion-Six Firemen Killed; Noted Women Golfers in Championship Meet; Slavery in Massachusetts; Random Shots G.A.R.; Lead, copper, silver, gold discovered: Ingalls elected to Senate; Veritable pins used by the Salem witches on file in Clerks Office; Earthquake in Massachusetts; A CREDULOUS PLACE - WITCHCRAFT, SPIRITUAL RAPPINGS AND MORMONISM; Silver Mine yielding $1,000 daily; A complaint in ejectment has been filed by Mary A. Seaverus and George Seaverus; LEGAL NOTICES - MORTGAGEE'S SALE OF REAL ESTATE; Immense Fire Destroys whole of Haverhill; Why Miss Dodge, piquant contributor to the "Atlantic Monthly," calls herself "Gail Hamilton,"; Administrator's Notice - William I Burnham; MAPS AS POLITICAL ARGUMENTS; Constitution figurehead sawed off; Pauper elected to Legislature;  T.O. Wardwell ad; Double Alarm for Main Street Fire; Verdict of $400.53, The First Raid, Obits: Thomas Thompson; John James Ingalls; Patrick J. Fenton, George A. Ainsworth,  Everett M. Swett, Ellen M. Towle,  Herbert F. Chase, Andrew J. Leighton, Caroline C. Leighton, Laforest Colburn, Probate/Wills: Mrs. Searles' Will; Will of George Peabody; Probate - J.T. Bayley; Towns: Sketches of Cities: Lawrence 2018Feb Obits: Thomas Thompson 2018Jan Census: 1850 Mortality for Andover, Boxford, Bradford, Danvers, Essex, Georgetown, Groveland, Lynn, Lynnfield, West Newbury Directory: Rowley, City 1888 - submitted by Kim Torp Essex County Firsts: First Steamboat, First Baptist Church, First Iron Foundery, Newspapers: in Gloucester, Haverhill, Lynn, Obits: Thomas Bowden, Caled Oakes, T. Clarke Oliver, Mrs. Mary Shaw, John W. Trendwell, Jospeh Very Stories: Duston Family Towns: The Cities and Villages - Grasshopper Plain, Groveland, Guinea, Hallsville, Hamilton, Haverhill, Hog Island, Hog Island Harbor, Lawrence, Line Brook, Linwood, Lynn, Lynnfield   Search Our Sites Submit A Cemetery Transcription Submit an Obit In you are interested in volunteering Volunteer Page. Subscribe to our Mailing List to get notification when we update this and our other mid-western websites. Regularly adding data to this site leaves me no time to do personal research for you...Sorry You never know who you might meet and what family data they may share with you -- it could start a whole new branch of the family! We also use the mailing lists to announce our website updates. Coordinating Host  for Essex County: Julie Schadek...Email Me Check your attics! Dust off your family scrapbooks! We're looking for DATA for this site!!! If you are interested in adding your families' information to this website, Email Me We'll be happy to help your families' obituaries, news items and other historical data find a home here at Massachusetts Genealogy Trails, where it will remain free for all to view. Visit Massachusetts State Site Surrounding Counties Rockingham County, New Hampshire Hillsborough County, New Hampshire Middlesex County Suffolk County Visit the national site of GENEALOGY TRAILS All data on this website is © Copyright by Genealogy Trails with full rights reserved for original submitters.