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On Demand: Massachusetts Research: Four Centuries of History and Genealogy
Presented by Hallie Kirchner, David Allen Lambert, Rhonda R. McClure, & Melanie McComb
This course includes five ninety-minute classes and exclusive access to handouts.
Upon purchase, you will receive an email with a link to the course page. You will also be able to access this page under “My Account”> “Digital Content.”
CLASS TOPICS
Class 1: 17th-Century Massachusetts Research, presented by David Allen Lambert
17th-century Massachusetts colonists are some of the most researched and written-about group of people on the planet, but there remain research challenges: distinguishing people with the same name, understanding unique record sets, and more. This first class will look at the beginnings of Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth Colony and the people who inhabited the lands prior to colonization, provide an overview of the many published genealogical resources and record transcriptions available, demonstrate how to locate and utilize primary sources, and discuss how to overcome common research challenges.
Class 2: 18th-Century Massachusetts Research, presented by Melanie McComb
The 18th century was a transformative and foundational period for Massachusetts: continued colonial conflicts, movement westward, revolution, the abolition of slavery, and ultimately statehood. This session will look at just some of the many records of the era—pre and post American independence—including military records, tax lists, census records, newspapers, city directories, and more.
Class 3: 19th-Century Massachusetts Research, presented by Hallie Kirchner
Massachusetts experienced even more transformation in the 19th century, from the industrial revolution to the Civil War to an increase of immigration from Canada, the British Isles, Germany, Italy, Eastern Europe, and beyond. This class will look at the start of the state census, the age of the passenger list, pension files, expanded vital records, published genealogies and local histories, and less commonly used records.
Class 4: 20th-Century Massachusetts Research, presented by Rhonda R. McClure
Continued urbanization and industrialization characterized much of 20th-century Massachusetts. This final session will look at records that emerge in the 20th century—and the changes in records and record keeping that persisted since the 17th century, with particular attention to the topic of “access.”
Class 5: Case Studies: Tracing a Family Through the Centuries, presented by Rhonda R. McClure
Using several examples tracing families in Massachusetts through the centuries, this final class will demonstrate some key strategies for breaking down genealogical brick walls in your Massachusetts research.