House History Guide for Leominster, Massachusetts

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.

Establishment

Leominster was formed as a town in 1740 from the town of Lancaster. The area was originally settled in 1653. It was formed as a city in 1915.

Land Records / Deed Research

Deeds are found at the county level in Massachusetts. Leominster is in Worcester County. Deeds for Leominster, Massachusetts are available online in two places:

  1. The Worcester Northern Registry of Deeds (1884 – present)
  2. FamilySearch.org (1731-1865) [access with free account]

An Act was passed by Massachusetts House of Representatives on March 13, 1883 to form the Worcester Northern Registry of Deeds at Fitchburg. The first deed in Book 1 is dated February 21, 1884. Online deeds at the Registry are only indexed/searchable back to 1949. However, images are accessible and go back to Book 1 Page 1 if you have the book and page number. For deeds prior to 1949, click on the Search Registry Records button and click on the link “Scanned Index.” Use the index images to find the book and page number.

For deeds prior to 1884 go to the Worcester Registry of Deeds website and use the Pre-1960 Grantor/Grantee Index to find the book and page. Then use the Unindexed Property Search to find the images.

Worcester County North Registry of Deeds
166 Boulder Drive, Suite 202, Fitchburg, MA 01420
(978) 342-2132
“The Worcester Northern Registry of Deeds requires an appointment for all in-person services.”

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:

Massachusetts State Census Records (1855 & 1865)

Available from:

Vital Records

Vital records provide the details about births, marriages and deaths for the people who previously lived in your house.

Find Leominster, MA Vital Records Online:

Probate Records

Probate records for the town of Leominster 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

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

Leominster specific maps:

Maps are also available online from many website such as:

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.

Online Resources:

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

Leominster, Massachusetts cemeteries:

  • Evergreen Cemetery
  • Pine Grove Cemetery
  • Saint Cecilias Cemetery
  • Saint Leo Cemetery

Cemetery Information

Local Resources

Further Reading

Leominster Images of America book cover

Bodanza, Mark C. Leominster Chronicles: Tales from the Comb City. Leominster, MA: North Hill Press, 2016.

Bodanza, Mark C. Risk Takers & History Markers: The Story of Leominster. Leominster, MA: North Hill Press, 2019.

Emerson, William A. Leominster Traditions: Incidents, Anecdotes, etc., Connected with the History of Leominster, Mass., and Vicinity. Leominster, Mass.: Press of C.H. Hyatt, 1891.

Hazzard, Thomas, Diane Sanabria, and Robert Cormier. Leominster (Images of America series). Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 1999.

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

LaPointe, Roger H. Leominster Firefighting (Images of America series). Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2009.

LaPointe, Patrick R. Public Work: Building Leominster One Road, One Pipe, and One Park at a Time. Leominster, Mass.: Leominster Historical Commission, 2019.

Leominster Historical Commission. Combing Through Leominster’s History. Leominster, Mass. : Office of the Mayor, 2006.

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

Palmieri, Rocco. Changing Times, Past to Present: Photo History of the city of Leominster, Massachusetts, ca. 1879-2008.

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