• Savage, James. Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing, 1977
  • This republished four-volume set features the original genealogical register compiled by Savage between 1860-62. It contains alphabetical genealogies and very brief biographical information of the first immigrants who settled in New England through May of 1692. Each entry is in paragraph form and branches out at least three generations.

•  Mayflower Families Through Five Generations. Plymouth, MA: General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 1975-
  • This index includes genealogies and brief biographical information of Mayflower descendants through 24 different volumes.
  • Coverage includes more than 30 different pilgrim families through five or six generations with a bibliography in each section.  

• Coldham, Peter Wilson. The Complete Book of Emigrants: 1700-1751. ed. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing, 1993
  • Contains date by date listing of ship passengers bound for America, detailing names, ages, and occupations along with the place of origin for each record. In addition to immigrants, this volume includes information about indentured servants, legal records, citations from port books of various cities and towns in the United Kingdom.

• The Hurley Library also has copies of The Complete Book of Emigrants: 1607-1660, The Complete Book of Emigrants: 1661-1699, and The Complete Book of Emigrants: 1751-1776 for patrons to use in the genealogy room.

• Anderson, Robert Charles. The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633. Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995
  • Anderson’s landmark genealogical three-volume series compliments Savage’s Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England with expanded biographical information about passengers who arrived in New England between 1620-1633. Biographies include occupation histories, church associations, estate and marriage records, information about descendants and other miscellaneous notes.
  • Old Colony History Museum collection also includes Anderson’s The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635 and The Winthrop Fleet: The Massachusetts Bay Colony Immigrants to New England, 1629-1630.

• Representative men and old families of Southeastern Massachusetts. Chicago, IL: J.H. Beers, 1912
  • This three-volume source contains genealogical and biographical records of prominent and historical families who lived in Bristol, Plymouth and Barnstable Counties. Some roots are traced back as many as eight generations. The source also contains portraits of selected individuals and includes a full index

• Cutter, Richard M. New England Families, genealogical and memorial. New York, NY: The American Historical Society, Inc., 1916.
  • This four-volume set includes genealogical and biographical records of notable men and women who lived in New England. Books contain origins, dates of birth, marriages, and deaths along with portraits of selected individuals.

• Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary Wars. Boston, MA: Wright & Potter, 1896
  • This 17-volume register contains alphabetical listings of soldiers from Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York who served during the American Revolution between 1774 through 1782. The index includes enlistment and discharge date, term served, station and battalion assignment.

• Massachusetts, Adjutant General’s Office. (1931). Massachusetts Soldiers, Sailors and Marines in the Civil War. Norwood, MA: Norwood Press, 1931
  • This seven-volume index includes a regiment breakdown of volunteers from Massachusetts who served in the American Civil War. Each list includes a brief history of division, officers, non-commissioned staff, band, and company. Individual listings highlight residence, age, occupation, date of enrollment, death cause (if applicable) and discharge date.

• Proprietors records for the Taunton region (Original documents available on request)
• Military records and accounts from the 17th through the 20th century
• Materials related to prominent local industries
• Collection of maritime records – including diaries, ships’ logs, etc. (Available on request)
• Account books of local merchants, businesses, and citizens (Available on request)
• Selected Bristol County court records (Available on request)
• Newspapers– Taunton Daily Gazette (June 1848 – March 2001) on microfilm; other newspapers on microfilm and bound copies as early as 1821
• Periodicals – Complete set of the New England Historical and Genealogical Register and various issues of The Silver Lining (Company newsletter of Reed & Barton)

The Hurley Library stacks contain more than 200 histories of more than 70 cities and towns throughout Massachusetts. Some of the most referenced published works are listed below, and the staff is ready to assist you in finding the most helpful sources for your project.

• Taunton City Directories. (1850-2007)
  • This nearly complete set of city directories includes addresses and other information for residences, businesses, and municipal offices.
  • Listings also include street-by-street addresses starting in 1927 and the full directory of residential phone numbers begins in 1955. Select editions also contain folded paper maps of the city.

•  Taunton Street Assessors Lists (1902-05, 1912, 1928, 1930, 1934, 1939, 1950, 1963)
  • These volumes contain addresses and occupations of registered voters in the City of Taunton in the early part of the 20th century. Lists are broken down by ward with separate sections for men and women.

• Various local city and town municipal records (Fire Department, Police Department, Public Schools, School Department, Water Department)

• Emery, Samuel Hopkins. History of Taunton, Massachusetts: From its Settlement to the Present Time. Syracuse, NY: D. Mason &, 1893
  • This defining work by Emery contains a complete history of the City of Taunton from its founding through the late 19th century. The work includes information about industries, social organizations, and family genealogies.

• Hanna, William. A History of Taunton, Massachusetts. Taunton, MA: Old Colony Historical Society, 2007
  • This modern history of Taunton includes an analysis of the city from its early days in the 1630s through the early 2000s as it builds on Emery’s History of Taunton. Along with numerous illustrations, the volume also discusses the men of Taunton who served in war and includes many primary source materials to expand on local industries, key events, and other social organizations.

• Hutt, Frank Walcott. A History of Bristol County, Massachusetts. New York, NY: Lewis Historical, Publishing Company, Inc., 1924
  • Three-volume set contains a complete history of Bristol County with its cities and towns. The portions of the second volume and the entire third contain biographical and historical sketches of selected prominent citizens with some family genealogies.

Note: Other original and historical maps are available upon request

• New topographical atlas of surveys, Bristol County, Massachusetts. Philadelphia, PA: Everts and Richards, 1895
  • Historical, full-colored atlas contains 59 different maps detailing roads, residences, factories, hospitals, parks, bodies of water and railroad lines for every city in Bristol County around the year 1895.
  • In addition to 24 different business directories, detailed inset maps are featured for the municipalities of Fall River, New Bedford, Taunton, Attleboro, Dartmouth, Berkley, Rehoboth, Easton, Berkley and other area villages.

• Atlas of Bristol County, Massachusetts: From actual surveys. New York, NY: F.W. Beers & Co., 1871
  • Historical, colored atlas features 33 street maps which include notations of personal residences for every city and town in Bristol County around the year 1871.

In addition to a comprehensive business directory on nearly every plate, detailed inset maps are featured for Attleboro, Dartmouth, Fall River, Norton, New Bedford, Swansea, Somerset and Taunton along with individual maps for more than 50 other villages.

Yearbooks from Taunton High School (Various dates between 1936-1990; various early issues), Msgr. Coyle High School (various dates between 1938-1970), St. Mary’s High School (various dates between 1947-62) and Bishop Cassidy High School (1963)