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
Middleborough was formed in 1669. The area was originally settled in 1660. Middleborough is also known as Middleboro.
Land Records / Deed Research
Deeds are found at the county level in Massachusetts. Middleborough is in Plymouth County. Deeds for Middleborough, Massachusetts are available online in two places:
- The Plymouth County, Massachusetts Registry of Deeds (1620 – present)
- FamilySearch.org (1620-1899) [access with free account]
All Plymouth County deeds are available online. Deeds are searchable back to 1685. Deeds from 1620-1685 are available as images only.
Plymouth County Registry of Deeds
50 Obery Street • Plymouth MA 02360
(508) 830-9200
Plymouth County was established in 1685.
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 ($)
- FindMyPast ($)
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 Middleborough, MA Vital Records Online:
- Ancestry.com ($)
- FamilySearch.org (free with account) – Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001
- AmericanAncestors.org ($)
- MyHeritage.com
- Books – Middleborough, Massachusetts vital records (Internet Archive)
Probate Records
Probate records for the town of Middleborough are found in Plymouth County, Massachusetts Probate Court records (1731-present) which are available both online and in-person.
In-person
Brockton Probate Court (Plymouth County)
215 Main St., Brockton, MA 02303
(508) 897-5400
Check website for hours
Online
- Ancestry.com ($) – Massachusetts, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1991
- AmericanAncestors.org ($) – Plymouth County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1686-1881
- FamilySearch.org (free with account)
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 Middleborough:
- 1793 Map of Middleborough by Nehemiah Bennett (Digital Commonwealth)
- 1794 Plan of Middleborough (Digital Commonwealth)
- 1855 Map of the town of Middleborough by H. F. Walling (Digital Commonwealth)
- 1874 Map of the town of Middleborough by J.B. Beers & Co. (Digital Commonwealth)
- 1879 Plymouth County Atlas (Plymouth County Registry of Deeds)
- 1881 Map of Middleboro by Beck & Pauli, Lith. (Digital Commonwealth)
- 1889 Map of Middleborough (Digital Commonwealth)
- 1903 Plymouth County Atlas (Plymouth County Registry of Deeds)
- 1906 Map of the Town of Middleborough by Geo. H. Walker & Co. (Digital Commonwealth)
- 1933 Map of Middleboro by Sumner H. Bodfish (Digital Commonwealth)
- 1885-1912 Middleboro Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps (Library of Congress)
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
These newspapers are available through the Middleborough Public Library: The Middleboro Gazette, Nemasket Weekly, Mamasket Gazette, The Peoples Fireside Journal, and Feuilleton. There is also a separate index for the Middlboro Gazette.
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
Middleborough, Massachusetts cemeteries:
- Alms House Cemetery
- Angel View Pet Cemetery
- Benson Burial Ground
- Cemetery at The Green
- Central Cemetery
- Church of our Savior Crypt
- Deborah Cushing Gravesite
- Drake Cemetery
- Eaton North Cemetery
- Eaton South Cemetery
- Ephraim Cobb Gravesite
- Fall Brook Cemetery
- Gammons Cemetery
- Gilbert Peirce Cemetery
- Infirmary Cemetery
- Lemuel Lyon Gravesite
- Marcy Tinkham Gravesite
- Nemasket Hill Cemetery
- Purchade Cemetery
- Reed Cemetery
- Rock Cemetery
- Saint Mary’s Cemetery
- Samuel Sampson Gravesite
- Soule Street Smallpox Cemetery
- South Middleboro Cemetery
- Stephen Richmond Gravesite
- Susan Francis Burial Ground
- Swift Family Cemetery
- Tack Factory Cemetery
- Thomas Paddock Gravesite
- Thomastown Cemetery
- Titicut Parish Cemetery
- Vaughan Cemetery
- Wapanucket Cemetery
- Warrentown Cemetery
- Wood Cemetery
Cemetery Information
Local Resources
- Middleborough Historical Association
- Middleborough Historical Commission
- Middleborough Public Library: History and Genealogy Portal – extensive resources
- Middleborough Directories (Internet Archive)
- Annual Reports of the Town of Middleborough (State Library of Mass. Digital Collections)
Further Reading
Breck, Sylvia T. Eddyville, Middleboro, Massachusetts, 1661-1987. Middleboro, Mass.: Eddy Homestead Association, 1988.
Caswell, Helen Rayburn. North Middleborough Looks Back. 1976.
Celebration of the Two-hundredth Anniversary of the Incorporation of Middleborough. Middleborough,MA: Gazette Office, 1870. Available at Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/celebrationoftwo00midd/page/n3/mode/2up
Maddigan, Michael J. Middleborough (Images of America series). Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2009.
Maddigan, Michael J. South Middleborough: A History. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2011.
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
Thayer, Marilyn. Middleborough Through the Ages. Middleborough, MA: Rock Village Publishing, 2012.
Weston, Thomas. History of the Town of Middleboro, Massachusetts. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1906. Available at Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/historyoftownofm00west_0/page/n9/mode/2up
Whipple, Warren Barnes. Middleborough’s Historic Beginnings. Taunton, Mass.: Davol/Taunton Printing, 2000.
