House History Guide for Manchester-by-the-Sea, 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. These guides are also great for local historians and genealogists.

Establishment

Manchester-by-the-Sea was formed in 1645 from the town of Salem. It was originally called Manchester but the name was officially changed in 1990 to avoid confusion with Manchester, NH. The area was originally settled in 1629.

Land Records / Deed Research

Deeds are found at the county level in Massachusetts. Manchester-by-the-Sea is in Essex County. Deeds for Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts are available online in two places:

  1. The Southern Essex District, Massachusetts Registry of Deeds (1640 – present)
  2. 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:

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:

Vital Records

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

Find Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA Vital Records Online:

Probate Records

Probate records for the town of Manchester-by-the-Sea 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

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 Manchester-by-the-Sea:

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.

Newspapers

These newspapers are available digitally from the Manchester-by-the-Sea library – Manchester Cricket, Cape Ann Advertiser, Manchester Cricket and Essex Echo, and Beetle and Wedge.

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

Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts cemeteries:

  • Kettle Cove Burial Ground
  • 1661 Cemetery/Old Burial Ground
  • Pleasant Grove Cemetery
  • Rosedale Cemetery
  • Union Cemetery
  • Old North burial ground

Cemetery Information

Local Resources

Further Reading

Abbott, Gordon Jr. Jeffrey’s Creek : A story of people, places and events in the town that came to be known as Manchester-by-the-sea. Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA: Manchester Historical Society, 2003.

Booth, Robert. The History of the Meeting Houses of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts. Mass.: 275th Committee and the Manchester Historical Museum, 2020.

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:

Lamson, Darius Francis. History of the Town of Manchester, Essex County, Massachusetts, 1645-1895. Manchester, MA: The Town of Manchester, 1895. Available at Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/historyoftownofm00lams

Manchester-by-the-Sea: 1645 to 1995 (350th Anniversary Celebration). Town of Manchester-by-the-Sea, 1995.

Merrill, Benjamin B. A History of 20th Century Manchester. Manchester, MA: Cricket Press, 1990.

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

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