This page contains most of the resources you will need to research the history of your house. If you are new to house history research, please visit the Get Started section. For a quick overview of the process visit 10 Steps to Researching the History of Your House. These guides are also great for local historians and genealogists.
Establishment
Lancaster was formed in 1653. The area was originally settled in 1643.
Land Records / Deed Research
Deeds are found at the county level in Massachusetts. Lancaster is in Worcester County. Deeds for Lancaster, Massachusetts are available online in two places:
- The Worcester County, Massachusetts Registry of Deeds (1731 – present)
- FamilySearch.org (1731-1865) [access with free account]
All Worcester County deeds are available online. If you visit the Worcester Registry of Deeds in person, you will only have access to the deeds on computers. They no longer provide access to the deed books.
Worcester County Registry of Deeds
90 Front Street, Worcester, MA 01608, Suite C201
(508) 368-7000
Worcester County was formed in 1731. If your house was built before 1731, then you will need to look for the older deeds in the Suffolk County Registry of Deeds or the Middlesex County Registry of Deeds.
Census Records (and MA State Census Records)
The most common census records are the US Federal Census Records but Massachusetts also has state census records. Census records help you discover the families that lived in your house. Federal census records are available every 10 years from 1790 to 1950 with the exception of 1890.
U.S Federal Census Records (1790-1950)
Available from:
- Ancestry.com ($) – see if your local library has institutional access free for patrons
- FamilySearch.org (free with account)
- MyHeritage.com ($)
- AmericanAncestors.org ($)
- FindMyPast ($)
Agriculture and Manufacturing Censuses 1850-1880
These were called Federal Census Non-Population Schedules. They provided detailed descriptions of farms and manufacturing businesses. These are available on Ancestry.com ($).
Massachusetts State Census Records (1855 & 1865)
Available from:
- Ancestry.com ($) – 1855 census and 1865 census
- FamilySearch.org (free with account) – 1855 census and 1865 census
- AmericanAncestors.org ($)
Vital Records
Vital records provide the details about births, marriages and deaths for the people who previously lived in your house.
Find Lancaster, MA Vital Records Online:
- Ancestry.com ($)
- FamilySearch.org (free with account) – Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001
- AmericanAncestors.org ($)
- MyHeritage.com
- Book – The birth, marriage, and death register, church records and epitaphs of Lancaster, Massachusetts. 1643-1850 (Internet Archive)
- Books – Town Records of the Town of Lancaster (Internet Archive)
Probate Records
Probate records for the town of Lancaster are found in Worcester County, Massachusetts Probate Court records (1731-present) which are available both online and in-person.
In-person
Worcester County Probate Court
225 Main Street, Worcester, MA 02021 01608
(508) 831-2200
Check website for hours
Online
- Ancestry.com ($) – Massachusetts, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1991
- AmericanAncestors.org ($) – Worcester County, MA: Index to Probate records, 1731-1881 and Worcester County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1731-1881
- FamilySearch.org (free with account) – Massachusetts, Worcester County, probate case files, 1731-1925
Preservation Publications
The Massachusetts Historical Commission provides access to historic building surveys at is website MACRIS: Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System (MACRIS). Once at the site, search specifically by town. You can refine by address and historic name.
Maps
Historic maps of Lancaster:
- Home Lots of the First Settlers on the Neck (Digital Commonwealth)
- Home Lots of the First Settlers West of the River (Digital Commonwealth)
- 1795 Plan of Lancaster by Matthias Mossman and Caleb Wilder Jr. (Digital Commonwealth)
- 1851 Map of Lancaster by James G. Carter (Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center)
- 1857 Map of Worcester County, Massachusetts (Library of Congress)
- 1857 Map of Worcester County, Massachusetts (Yale University Library)
- 1870 Atlas of Worcester County (Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center)
- 1898 Atlas of Worcester County (Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center)
- 1910-1922 Lancaster Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
Maps are also available online from many website such as:
- Ancestry.com ($)
- Hathi Trust,
- David Rumsey Map Collection,
- Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library
- The Library of Congress
- Digital Commonwealth
City Directories & Residents Lists
City Directories were typically published every year. Because of that they are great for filling in the gaps between the 10 year spread of census records. They are also helpful to identify when people move from place to place.
City Directories are available online at the major database sites like Ancestry.com ($), MyHeritage.com ($) and FamilySearch.org. They are also found in local libraries and archives.
Tax Records
Tax records provide the value of property through the years. These can be a great indicator of when changes were made to a property. Check your local library, Town Hall or Archive.org for Town Annual Reports which contain the tax records.
Newspapers
Many old newspapers are available online through Ancestry.com, MyHeritage.com, AmericanAncestors.org, GenealogyBank.com, Newspapers.com, OldNews.com, the Boston Public Library, the American Antiquarian Society (Worcester, MA), Community History Archives. The Ancestor Hunt website is also great for finding more newspaper resources.
Cemetery Information
Lancaster, Massachusetts cemeteries:
- Eastwood Cemetery
- Middle Cemetery
- North Burial Ground
- North Village Cemetery
- Old Common Burial Ground
- Old Settlers Burial Yard
- Saint John’s Cemetery
- Shirley Shaker Cemetery
- Thayer Cemetery
Cemetery Information
- FindaGrave.com – Lancaster, MA
- Town of Lancaster – Cemetery & Marker Information
- YouTube – Old Lancaster, Massachusetts Burial Ground (SLCT)
- YouTube – Old Settler’s Burial Grounds and Middle Cemetery Tour (SLCT)
Local Resources
- Lancaster Historical Society
- YouTube – Sterling-Lancaster Community Television – History Humanities Playlist
- Lancaster Historical Commission
- Thayer Memorial Library – Lancaster History – Online Resources
- Buildings of New England – Lancaster
Further Reading
Hurd, D. Hamilton, History of Worcester County, Massachusetts: with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men.. Philadelphia: J.W. Lewis & Co., 1889. Available at Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/historyofworcest02hurd/page/n3/mode/2up
Lennon, Heather Maurer. Lancaster (Images of America series). Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2001.
Lennon, Heather Maurer. Lancaster Revisited (Images of America series). Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2005.
Marvin, Abijah Perkins. History of the Town of Lancaster, Massachusetts: From the first settlement to the present time, 1643-1879. Lancaster: Town of Lancaster, 1879. Available at Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/historyoftownofl00marv/page/n7/mode/2up
Nason, Rev. Elias. A Gazetteer of the State of Massachusetts. Boston: B. Russell, 1890. Available at Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/gazetteerofstate00naso/page/n5/mode/2up
Nourse, Henry S. The Early Records of Lancaster, Massachusetts. 1643-1725. Lancaster, 1884. Available at Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/earlyrecordsofla1643lanc/page/n5/mode/2up
Nourse, Henry S. The Military Annals of Lancaster, Massachusetts. 1740-1865. Including lists of soldiers serving in the colonial and revolutionary wars, for the Lancastrian towns: Berlin, Bolton, Harvard, Leominster, and Sterling. Lancaster: 1889. Available on Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/militaryannalsof00nour/page/n7/mode/2up
Safford, Marion Fuller. The Story of Colonial Lancaster (Massachusetts). Rutland, VT: The Tuttle Publishing Co., 1937. Available at Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/storyofcoloniall00saff/page/n5/mode/2up
Schumach-Hardy, John C. Local Lore: a tapestry of tales from regional history – Lancaster, Leominster, Clinton, Bolton, West Boylston, Boylston, Berlin, Harvard, Sterling, etc. South Lancaster, MA: John C. Schumacher-Hardy, 2014.
Willard, Joseph. History of Lancaster (Worcester Magazine and Historical Journal). Worcester, MA: 1826. Available at Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/historyofworcest00will/page/n5/mode/2up
Willard, Joseph. Commemoration of the Two Hundredth Anniversary of the Incorporation of Lancaster. Boston: John Wilson & Son, 1853. Available at Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/commemorationtw00masgoog/page/n4/mode/2up
