Brick wall bashing in Iowa .....

[SarahND]

Hi BJ! Thanks for the information on vital records in Massachusetts. I was hoping someone with experience would post on this, since I have never ordered from them, yet I know that each state is different.

I've always walked in (as my vacations tend to take me in that direction, as I head to here) and I've never had a problem, even in the busy Salem office, but I'm not sure how well a phone call/snail mail letter would work.

Beautiful!! Maine? Looks like a lovely place to spend your vacation (and more time if you've got it...)
Regards,
Sarah

[killearnan]

Hi BJ! Thanks for the information on vital records in Massachusetts. I was hoping someone with experience would post on this, since I have never ordered from them, yet I know that each state is different.

The NEHGS is a wonderful resource. The membership is a bit on the steep side ($75/yr) but it well worth -- esp. for a year or two -- if your family tree ends up in New England for any amount of time. The website is especially good for MA records but has data from other New England states as well.

If anyone has New England family, NEHGS is a very good first stopping place if you are going to be in New England for research. While they don't have all the probate and land records for New England, they have enough of other things (VRs, books, manuscript collection) that I seriously recommend it as one's first on-site or on-line stop for New England research.

If feasible, it is also usually easier to deal with town offices rather than the state on VRs in MA, as the records historically were kept at the town and copies sent on to the state. So in the days of handcopying, the town records have a layer less of possible error. One warning: many town offices have quirky hours (esp. in the summer), so call ahead to confirm they will be open.

I've never gone the state route on the records (always going to the town or the NEHGS), so I'm fuzzy on the details but I think there's a charge to search, whereas the towns are generally free in person and less expensive via mail. (Can't help it...... I'm Scots on one side and Yankee on the other; thrift is in my genes ). I've also more than once ran into a local historian-type at the town office who helped, either with the records there or suggesting the best place to follow up for further looking.

Beautiful!! Maine? Looks like a lovely place to spend your vacation (and more time if you've got it...)

Yup, it's the family place in Maine. Go every summer. As much as I want to spend time there, I generally take a day or two each way to visit family/friends in MA and sneak in some genealogy.

[Muriel]

Thanks for the information BJ. I know where & when she died (Springfield, 1896) & I've found her name on the MA Vital Records index. However, as far as I could see the cost of getting a certificate was $3 & I wasn't quite sure how to send that amount from the UK or how to cover the return mailing - there didn't seem to be any info about credit cards. As I'm not intending to cross the pond in the near future I guess I'll have to possess my soul in patience

Muriel