House History Guide for Princeton, 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

Princeton was formed in 1771 from the town of Rutland. The area was originally settled in 1743.

Land Records / Deed Research

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

  1. The Worcester County, Massachusetts Registry of Deeds (1731 – present)
  2. 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:

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 Princeton, MA Vital Records Online:

Probate Records

Probate records for the town of Princeton 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

Princeton 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.

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

Princeton, Massachusetts cemeteries:

  • Boylston Burial Ground
  • Meetinghouse Cemetery
  • North Cemetery
  • Parker I Cemetery
  • Parker II Cemetery
  • South Burying Ground
  • West Cemetery
  • Woodlawn Cemetery

Cemetery Information

Local Resources

Further Reading

Anderson, Joyce Bailey, Sheila Dubman, and Alexandra Fiandaca. Princeton, Massachusetts:: A History of its Villages. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2009.

Blake, Francis Everett. History of the town of Princeton, in the county of Worcester and commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1759-1915. Princeton, Mass.: Town of Princeton, 1915 – Volume 1 Narrative. Available at Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/historyoftownofp01blak/page/n7/mode/2up

Blake, Francis Everett. History of the town of Princeton, in the county of Worcester and commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1759-1915. Princeton, Mass.: Town of Princeton, 1915 – Volume 2 Genealogies. Available at Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/historyoftownofp02blak/page/n9/mode/2up

Celebration of the one hundredth anniversary of the incorporation of the town of Princeton, Mass., October 20th, 1859. Worcester: Wm. R. Hooper, 1860. Available at Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/celebrationofone00prinrich/page/n5/mode/2up

Hanaford, Jeremiah Lyford. History of Princeton, Worcester county, Massachusetts; civil and ecclesiastical; from its first settlement in 1739, to April 1852. Worcester: C. Buckingham Webb, 1852. Available at Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/historyofprincet00hana/page/n5/mode/2up

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

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

Russell, Charles Theodore. The History of Princeton, Worcester County, Mass. from its first settlement; with a sketch of the present religious controversy in that place. Boston: Henry F. Lewis, 1838. Available at Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/historyofprincet00russ/page/n5/mode/2up

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