Local  History and Genealogy

Digitized Collections (use arrows to scroll)

Town Reports

Weston Town Reports

WHS Yearbooks

Weston High School Year Books

Weston Town Crier

Weston Town Crier

History 1630-1890

History of the town of Weston

Vital Records 1707-1850

births deaths and marriages

Town Records, 1746-1803

Town of Weston, Records, 1746-1803

Records 1804-1826

Records of the Town Clerk
 
 

The Collection

The Local History Collection is open to the public on Wednesday mornings from 9 AM - 1 PM or by appointment. Upon entering the Weston Public Library, please check in with the Reference Librarian. Inquiries in person, by e-mail, by telephone, or by correspondence are welcome.

Email: westonlocalhistory@minlib.net

Local History Room

The Local History Room in the Weston Public Library houses books and other items in various formats, including audio recordings, zoning maps, brochures, yearbooks, cemetery lists and vital records. All of these items pertain in some way to the people and history of Weston, MA, as the town has evolved from a farm town of 1,000 inhabitants to a Boston suburb of more than 11,000 residents.

Availability

Because of their unique nature, the materials in the Local History Collection are restricted to library use only. They may not be borrowed, nor are they available for interlibrary loan. Most materials may be photocopied for a small fee, unless the item is in fragile condition or is covered by U.S. copyright law.

Select Resources:

  • American Ancestors (current five years)
  • Cemetery Listings for Central, Farmers, Linwood (partial), and South Burying Grounds.
  • Genealogies for some local families
  • Golden Ball Tavern Grapevine, 1970-
  • New England Historical and Genealogical Register (current five years)
  • Vertical File of supplementary materials
  • Weston Historical Society Bulletin, 1964-

Town historical organizations:

Weston Historical Commission: https://www.weston.org/478/Historical-Commission
Weston Historical Society: http://westonhistory.org/
Golden Ball Tavern: https://www.goldenballtavern.org/

Online Genealogy Resources

AMERICANANCESTORS.ORG (IN-LIBRARY USE ONLY)

Sponsored by the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEGHS); coverage is primarily for the New England states with some databases for New York, Virginia, England and Ireland:

  • The Great Migration Study Project: biographical and genealogical accounts of all immigrants to New England from 1620-1643
  • Vital Records to 1850 of 206 Massachusetts cities and towns (“The Tan Books”)
  • Social Security Death Index
  • Journal databases include:
  • American Ancestors Journal
  • The American Genealogist
  • The Connecticut Nutmegger
  • The Essex Genealogist
  • The Mayflower Descendant
  • The Register of the NEGHS
  • The Virginia Genealogist

ANCESTRY.COM (Library Edition, IN-LIBRARY USE ONLY)

  • U.S. Census:
    • 1790-1940 complete
    • original full-text images
    • every-name index: 1790-1940
  • Unique Content:
    • Billions of genealogical records from collections across the globe; new collections added daily including but not limited to the following:
    • Voter Lists
    • Tax and Criminal Records
    • Land Ownership and Wills
    • Immigration, Naturalization and Travel Records
    • Military Records
    • Birth, Marriage, Death Records
    • Biography and History Collections
    • Maps, Atlases, Gazetteers
    • Newspaper Collections

HERITAGEQUEST.COM (REMOTE ACCESS AVAILABLE to Weston residents with a library card)

  • U.S. Census:
    • 1790-1940
    • original full-text images
    • every-name index for many of the census
  • Unique Content:
    • Genealogy and local history book collection
    • Periodical Source Index
    • (PERSI): subject index
    • Revolutionary War Pension Records and Bounty Land Warrants
    • Freedman’s Bank Records
    • Maps of states showing changes in names and boundaries of counties