Essex County, Massachusetts

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Essex is a county in Massachusetts. It was formed in 1643 from the following county/ies: original. It began keeping land records in 1637, probate records in 1635, and court records in 1636. For more information, contact the county at 32 Federal St., Salem 01970. On the attached map, Essex is located at H2. The county was divided into two districts in 1869. The above office is the 'parent' county seat. After that it remained the probate office for the county, but the registry of deeds for only the Southern District (see Town Resources for towns in each of the registry of deeds districts). This registry also has all the 'old' Norfolk County (1637'1714) and Ipswich Series Deeds, 1640'94, two of which have been transcribed by George Sanborn for the manuscript collection at New England Historic Genealogical Society. Essex court records to 1800 are at the Peabody Essex Museum (see Archives, Libraries, and Societies).

For information about the state of Massachusetts see Massachusetts Family History Research.

The Counties and County Seats of Massachusetts