Ancestry.com frequently adds new records to its extensive collections. Today, Ancestry.com announced, on its Facebook page, that 2 million records have been added to their Massachusetts Town Vital Collection. These records could be very useful for genealogists who have purchased a subscription to Ancestry.com.
Ancestry.com is one of the biggest, and most popular, genealogy websites in existence. You can get a free trial to check out their service, but, once the trial is over genealogists must purchase a subscription in order to continue to have access to the records and documents found within Ancestry.com.
Earlier this week, Ancestry.com announced news about the Family Tree Maker software. There will not be a 2013 version. Instead, there will be a series of updates to the Family Tree Maker 2012 edition. This will affect both the PC and the Mac versions of the software.
Today, Ancestry.com has announced that on their Facebook page the following:
“One of our largest databases just got 2 million records BIGGER. The Massachusetts Town Vital Collection contains records from 1620 to 1988. Find churches, cemeteries, even dog and fishing licenses.”
The announcement concludes with a link that takes you directly to their “Massachusetts, Town Records, 1620 – 1988” collection. Genealogists who have an Ancestry.com subscription can use the detailed search engine on that page to get started.
What is included in this collection? Things like: birth and baptismal registries, intention of marriage and marriage records, courthouse records, death registers, account books, almshouse records, aid to soldiers and veterans, assessment and tax records, cemetery records, censuses, church and parish records, school records, town meeting records, deeds, dog licenses, fishing permits, militia lists and military records, voters lists and registers, and more.
There is an interesting story about where many of these records came from.:
“Masschusetts boasts some of the oldest and most extensive records in the United States, and some documents in this database go back to the colony’s earliest days. They were made more readily accessible through the efforts of Jay and DeLene Holbrook. About 30 years ago, the Holbrooks began filming vital and town records in Massachusetts. To date, the Holbrooks have visited 315 of the state’s 351 towns and cities and filmed their records collections.”
Genealogists can use a drop down box on the Ancestry.com website to search for records that relate to a particular town. You can also choose to search through certain portions of records, instead of the entire batch, if you prefer.
Image by Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the BPL on Flickr