Digital Branch: Research the History of Your House: Resources

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Hunting for Natick House Histories
If you are researching your house in Natick, this is a great place to start! Natick is full of historic houses from over 200 years ago that still stand today.
9 Ways to Find the History of a Property Online
This article provides details for researching your property's history online. From interviewing professional experts to researching sources, it identifies all the different ways you can find the history of a property online.
Tracing the History & Genealogy of Your Home
Have you ever wondered about the history of your house, apartment, church or other building? This article will help you identify ways to discover that history!
Research Historic Properties in Massachusetts
The Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System (MACRIS) allows you to search the Massachusetts Historical Commission database for information on historic properties and areas in the Commonwealth. ** This resource does not include information on all historic properties and areas in Massachusetts, nor does it reflect all the information on file on historic properties and areas at the Massachusetts Historical Commission
Research the History of Your House
If you house is located in the South Natick or an area that borders Wellesley, you may want to check a few of these resources. They also provide a great step-by-step guide for the process.
How to Uncover the History of Your Home
Every house has a history and a story to tell. Unless your home is brand-new construction, each home carries its unique background and may have some fascinating tales to tell. You might wonder how to trace the history of your home to learn more about it. Each home has a unique set of information attached, from stories of American folklore and people who lived there in decades past to architectural history. Read on to discover how you can find out more about the history of your house, what makes it a historic home, and interesting facts you might uncover along the way.

Land Records and Deeds

Middlesex South Registry of Deeds
Find everything you need to know about the requirements for preparing, filing and researching deeds and other registry documents. You can search all documents from your office, the comfort of your home, or anywhere with computer access. Easy to understand user-friendly tutorials are provided that help you navigate the system.
Massachusetts Land Records
Access Registries of Deeds across the state. Massachusetts is divided into 21 registry districts with an elected Register of Deeds responsible for each office. Documents related to the ownership of real estate within the district are recorded at the Registry of Deeds. Recorded documents are assigned a sequential identifying number (known as the book and page number) and are then scanned into the registry's computer system.
U.S. Bureau of Interior Land Records
Provides online access to federal land conveyance records for the Public Land States, which are states that were created out of the public domain. The website offers access to images of more than five million federal land title records issued since 1820. The site also has images related to survey plats and field notes dating back to 1810.

City Directories and Federal Census Records

Researching the history of your house often includes learning who lived in the house at a given point in time. City Directories include a street directory with listings of both houses and businesses. The listings will usually include the male and female heads of the household, or owner. The Federal Census offers the ability to locate a person by State and Town. The Census listing will be street and house number. You will also find other information that might be useful.

In addition to these links, the library offers two digital resources that offer both City Directory and Federal Census records; Ancestry Library, and HeritageQuest. You can access both of them from the "Other Genealogy Resources" box located on the far right of this page. In all cases, you may not find complete listings for city directories for all years.

Federal Census Records at the National Archives
Census records allow you to track your family from decade to decade, location to location. Since 1790, every 10 years the U.S. has conducted a federal census. Census are not unique to the the federal government, states sometimes conducted their own census as well. State census were often taken between the federal ones.
FamilySearch.org
Check here for additional vital records information.

Maps

Historic US Geological Survey Maps
In 1879, the USGS began to map the Nation's topography. This mapping was done at different levels of detail, to support various land use and other purposes. As the years passed, the USGS produced new map versions of each area. TopoView shows the many and varied topographic maps of each of these areas through history. This can be particularly useful for historical purposes, such as finding the names of natural and cultural features that have changed over time.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
The Library of Congress feature a digital collection of Sanborn maps that are large-scale maps, dating from 1867 to the present and depict the commercial, industrial, and residential sections of some twelve thousand cities and towns in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The maps show the size, shape, and construction of residential dwellings, commercial buildings, and factories. The maps also indicate widths and names of streets, property boundaries, building use, and house and block numbers
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
This digital collection of over 100,000 items, focuses on 16th through 21st century maps of North and South America, as well as maps of the World, Asia, Africa, Europe, and Oceania. The collection includes atlases, wall maps, globes, school geographies, pocket maps, books of exploration, maritime charts, and a variety of cartographic materials including pocket, wall, children's, and manuscript maps. Items range in date from about 1550 to the present. The site is free and open to the public.

Research the History of Your House

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Land Records and Deeds

City Directories and Federal Census Records

Maps

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