Welcome to the Genealogy Trails site for Essex County, Massachusetts

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 Essex County exists today only as a historical geographic region, and has no county government.
All former county functions were assumed by state agencies in 1999.

Cities and Towns in Essex County

Amesbury
Andover
Shawsheen Village
Beverly
Boxford
Bradford
Danvers
Essex
Georgetown
Gloucester
Groveland
Hamilton
Haverhill
Ipswich
Lawrence
Lynn
Lynnfield
Manchester-by-the-Sea
Marblehead
Merrimac
Methuen
Middleton
Nahant
Newbury
Newburyport
North Andover
Peabody
Rockport
Rowley
Salem
Salisbury
Saugus
Swampscott
Topsfield
Wenham
West Newbury


Off-site Links

Salem Registry of Deeds

Salem Historic Deeds
(Actual pictures of deed book)

Native American Deeds

National Register of Historic Places for Essex Co.

Gazeteer of Massachusetts

Brief History

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.

(Source: Nason and Varney's Massachusetts Gazetteer, 1890)

 

Online Data


Marriages
 


Obituaries
 Updated!

Map of Essex


Schools
 


 History

Directories

Name Changes

 
Website Updates:
 
 
1/6/10: Additional Burials added to Charter St Cemetery
1/6/10 - Woman gives birth 3 days apart

5/01/09 - Obituary of Sam'l Pilsbury

3/27/09 - History of the Longley Family
5/7/2008: Biography of Roger Conant
3/4 /08: Thomas Gardner Bio; SALTONSTALL; CROWNINSHIELD; DERBY; HOLTON; SAWYER; ORNE death notice
11/09/07: GOULD death notice
9/30/2007: 1851 Salem Directory
9/28/2007: Updated Newspaper articles
9/24/2207: Name changes for Essex Co.
9/20/2007: 6 new death notices/obituaries
9/18/2007: Obituary for Irene Kerr
9/16/2007: 1894 Rowley City Directory; A piece about Salem Witches; Biography for Amos Abbott
7/10/07: Lynnfield Birth Records
6/25/07: 1823 Fire of Joel Bowker building; 1823 Fire of Gen. Gideon Foster's Chocolate Mill; Lynnfield Deaths to 1849
4/18/07: SIMPSON and DOW death notices
4/11/07: Underwood death listing
3/19/07: Rabies Death, STORY census data
3/1/07: War of 1812 pension data for GRIMES, obituary for Desmazes. Newspaper story
11/30/2006: Schools, Biographies, Cemeteries, History of Lynn, Map, Military Page with 1957 Air Show Crash Story
11/25/2006: Obituaries from the Essex Register, 1823
11/11/2006: Site started. Newspaper story

                  



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