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
Lynn was formed as a town in 1635. It became a city in 1850. The area was originally settled in 1629.
Land Records / Deed Research
Deeds are found at the county level in Massachusetts. Lynn is in Essex County. Deeds for Lynn, Massachusetts are available online in two places:
- The Southern Essex District, Massachusetts Registry of Deeds (1640 – present)
- FamilySearch.org (1640-1865) [access with free account]
Images for all Southern Essex District deeds are available online. However, the deeds are only indexed back to January 2, 1951. Older index books are digitized and available under the Index Books tab on the website. You can use this to manually look up book and page numbers. There is no reason to go to this Registry. The deed books have been transferred to the Massachusetts State Archives in Boston (per my conversation with Northern Essex District customer service on 28 October 2025).
[28 October 2025] Note: If you used to go to the Salem Registry of Deed with its comfortable building, large parking lot and beautiful view, I regret to tell you that it is now closed (as of 2024). There is an office listed on the website for Salem but that is just a one-person office. The Southern District Registry has moved to Beverly. And as I mentioned above, the books have been moved to the Massachusetts State Archives. Going forward, the Southern District Registry is completely digital. They are no longer printing deed books.
Southern Essex District Registry of Deeds
100 Cummings Center, Suite 206-C
Beverly, MA 01915
(978) 542-1704
Essex County was formed in 1643.
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 ($)
Vital Records
Vital records provide the details about births, marriages and deaths for the people who previously lived in your house.
Find Lynn, MA Vital Records Online:
- Ancestry.com ($)
- FamilySearch.org (free with account) – Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001
- AmericanAncestors.org ($)
- MyHeritage.com
- Book – Vital records of Lynn, Massachusetts, to the end of the year 1849 (Internet Archive)
Probate Records
Probate records for the town of Lynn are found in Essex County, Massachusetts Probate Court records (1643-present) which are available both online and in-person.
In-person
Essex County Probate Court
36 Federal St., Salem, MA 01970
(978) 744-1020
Check website for hours
Online
- Ancestry.com ($) – Massachusetts, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1991
- AmericanAncestors.org ($) – Essex County, MA: Early Probate Records, 1635-1681 and Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638-1881
- FamilySearch.org (free with account) – Massachusetts, Essex County, probate records and indexes 1638-1916
- FamilySearch.org (free with account) – Massachusetts, Essex County, probate records 1538-1880
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 Lynn:
- 1795 Plan of Lynn by Daniel Needham (Digital Commonwealth)
- 1829 Map of Lynn and Saugus by Alonzo Lewis (Digital Commonwealth)
- 1846 Rail road routes through Lynn, Saugus and Malden (Digital Commonwealth)
- 1849 View of Lynn, Mass. from High Rock by Bufford’s Lith (Digital Commonwealth)
- 1852 Plan of the city of Lynn Mass. from actual surveys by H. McIntyre (Digital Commonwealth)
- 1871 Map of Essex County by Walling & Gray (Salem State University)
- 1872 Map of Essex County by Walling & Gray (Salem State University)
- 1872 Map of the City of Lynn, Massachusetts by D.G. Beers & Co. (Digital Commonwealth)
- 1872 Map of the City of Lynn, Mass. by D.G. Beers & Co. (Digital Commonwealth)
- 1876 City of Lynn, Mass. by Henry Francis Walling (Digital Commonwealth)
- 1879 Manufacturing center of Lynn, Mass by O.H. Bailey (Normal B. Leventhal Map & Education Center)
- 1881 Lynn Woods: Lynn Massachusetts by Geo G. Walker & Co. (Digital Commonwealth)
- 1884 Atlas of Essex County by Geo. H. Walker & Co. (Digital Commonwealth)
- 1889 Ten miles around Lynn by Wm. T. Oliver (Digital Commonwealth)
- 1904 Latest map of Lynn, Swampscott, Nahant, Saugus by Geo. H. Walker & Co. (Digital Commonwealth)
- 1904 Atlas of Massachusetts by Geo. H. Walker & Co. (Digital Commonwealth)
- 1905 Lynn Woods: handy guide for trampers (Digital Commonwealth)
- 1905 City of Lynn by L.J. Richards (Digital Commonwealth)
- 1905 Atlas of the city of Lynn, Massachusetts : including, also, the towns of Swampscott and Saugus by L.J. Richards Co. (Digital Commonwealth)
- 1916 Aero View of Lynn, Mass. by Fowler & Downs (Digital Commonwealth)
- 1920 Map of the City of Lynn (Digital Commonwealth)
- 1924 Richards standard atlas of the city of Lynn and the towns of Swampscott, Saugus and Nahant, Massachusetts by Richards Map Company (Digital Commonwealth)
- 1948 Salem and Lynn Harbor (Digital Commonwealth)
- 1990 Orhtophoto map of Boston, Lynn Common by Wetlands Conservancy Program (Digital Commonwealth)
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 for the City of Lynn are available on the Registry of Deeds website for free. You’ll find city directories between 1882 and 1994.
Internet Archive has two Lynn city directories for the years 1851 and 1832.
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
View digital copies of the Daily Evening Item (1877-1949) from the Lynn Public Library
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
Lynn, Massachusetts cemeteries:
- Ahavath Achim Anshe Sfarad Cemetery
- Chevra Mishna Cemetery
- Dungeon Rock
- New Light Cemetery
- Old East Burying Ground
- Pine Grove Cemetery
- Pride of Lynn Cemetery
- Saint Jean de Baptiste Cemetery
- Saint Joseph Cemetery
- Saint Mary’s Cemetery
- Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Churchyard
- Western Burial Ground
Cemetery Information
Local Resources
- Lynn Museum & Arts Center
- City of Lynn Historical Commission
- History of Lynn, Massachusetts
- Lynn Public Library Digital Heritage Collection – lots of photos!
- Lynn Reconnaissance Report – Essex County Landscape Inventory by the Massachusetts Heritage Landscape Inventory Program
Further Reading
Cushing, Elizabeth Hope. The Lynn Album: A Pictorial History. Norfolk, VA: Donning Co., 1990.
Faler, Paul G. Mechanics and Manufacturers in the early industrial revolution : Lynn, Massachusetts, 1780-1860. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1981.
Hawkes, Nathan Mortimer. Hearths and Homes of Old Lynn, with studies in local history. Lynn, Mass. T.P. Nichols & Sons, 1907. Available at Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/hearthshomesofol00hawkiala/page/n7/mode/2up
Hurd, D. Hamilton, History of Essex County, Massachusetts: with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men. Philadelphia: J.W. Lewis & Co., 1888. Available at Internet Archive:
- Volume 1 – https://archive.org/details/historyofessexco01hurd1/page/n3/mode/2up
- Volume 2 – https://archive.org/details/historyofessexco02hurd/page/n5/mode/2up
Johnson, David Newhall. Sketches of Lynn: The Changes of Fifty Years. Lynn, Mass.: T.P. Nichols, 1880. Available at Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/sketchesoflynn01john/page/n5/mode/2up
Lewis, Alonzo. The History of Lynn, Including Nahant. Boston: S. N. Dickinson, 1844. Available at Internet https://archive.org/details/historyoflynninc02lewi
Lewis, Alonzo. History of Lynn, Essex county, Massachusetts: Including Lynnfield, Saugus, Swampscott, and Nahant. Boston: J.L. Shorey, 1865. Available at Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/historyoflynness01lewi
Lynn: One Hundred Years a City. Lynn, Mass.: Lynn Public Library and Lynn Historical Society, 1950. Available at Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/lynnonehundredye00lynn/page/n5/mode/2up
Melder, Keith. Life and Times in Shoe City: The Shoe Workers of Lynn. Salem, Mass.: Essex Institute, 1979.
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
Newhall, James Robinson. History of Lynn, Essex county, Massachusetts including Lynnfield, Saugus, Swampscott and Nahant. Lynn, Mass.: 1890. Available at Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/historyoflynness00newh/page/n11/mode/2up
Newhall, James Robinson. Lin: or, Notable people and notable things in the early history of Lynn, the Third plantation of Massachusetts colony. Lynn: G.C. Herbert, 1890. Available at Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/linornotablepeop00newh/page/n9/mode/2up
Piper, Helen J. and Mabel A. French History Stories of Lynn. Lynn, Mass.: Public Schools, 1929.
Ryan, Roy F. A Social and Economic History of Lynn, Massachusetts. New Haven: Yale University, 1968.
Sanderson, Howard Kendall. Lynn in the Revolution. Lynn, Mass.: W.B.Clarke Co., 1909. Part 1 and Part 2
