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Genealogy

Researching Ipswich-area ancestors?

We have resources and tips for you– many available online! We also recommend our town historian’s website, Historic Ipswich.

Start here: histories and genealogies

Ipswich, founded in 1634, was one of the first settlements in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. If you are seeking information on early Ipswich, here are some key books to consult, all available at the library or online at the Internet Archive (archive.org):

  1. Ipswich in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Vols. I (1905) – II (1917). Written by Thomas Franklin Waters, the founder of the Ipswich Historical Society, this two-volume set is a great starting point for exploring Ipswich history. It is well indexed, so it’s possible to find every mention of someone [usually the male relative]’s name in lists of early settlers. Be sure to select the correct volume: Volume I covers 1633-1700 and Volume II covers 1700-1917. Use the magnifying glass to the left of the book to search.
  2. The Hammatt papers: Early inhabitants of Ipswich, Massachusetts, 1633-1700. First published serially by Abraham Hammatt from 1880 to 1899, this book focuses on the first several generations of several hundred families that settled in Ipswich beginning in 1633. Entries range from a paragraph to a few pages, containing genealogies and other biographical details gleaned from a wide variety of sources including wills, deeds, inventories, tax lists, subscription lists, lists of freemen, and court orders. Indexed.
  3. Vital records of Ipswich, Massachusetts: to the end of the year 1849 – Published by the Essex Institute in 1910, the Ipswich vital records include all births, marriages and deaths before 1850 listed in the town clerks’ books of record, as well as others collected from church records, court records, and private family records. Read online: Volume I: Births  Volume II: Marriages and Deaths
  4. A genealogical dictionary of the first settlers of New England. To zoom out from Ipswich, try James Savage’s 1860-1862 dictionary— the first comprehensive genealogical list of early New England settlers. A key resource for genealogists for more than 150 years. Search and read: (Vol. I) (Vol. II) (Vol. III) (Vol. IV)

Ipswich Room resources

These are some of our top genealogy resources, available on site when the archivist is present. For best availability, reach out to make an appointment: hhorner@ipswichlibrary.org or 978-356-6648

For access to 200 books and pamphlets specific to genealogy, and more than 2000 local history resources, search our library catalog. Everything in the Ipswich Room is coded to “Special Collections” as a location, so that’s a good way to narrow your search using the check boxes on the left side of the page.

IPL genealogy and family history collection_inventory_Working copy_July 2025Download

We are privileged to host hundreds of original documents from Ipswich history in a collection maintained by the Ipswich Museum (formerly the Ipswich Historical Society). View original 17th to 19th century documents related to events in Ipswich history (such as the American Revolution), and other documents including deeds, correspondence, account books, petitions, and church records. Most of the material in this collection has not been digitized. It is searchable by surname and some subjects in an onsite card catalog created by volunteers in the 1960s.

This collection comprises 188 loose-leaf volumes of typewritten Ipswich genealogy research conducted between approximately 1900 and 1940 by Ernest E. Fewkes of Bangor, Maine and Edward Lee Darling of Ipswich. A unique local resource, the papers are organized by family surname and include citations from the Ipswich vital records, church records and gravestones, as well as occasional copies of other resources and writings. The papers are incomplete and should be cross-referenced with other sources, but may contain some helpful and hard-to-find information on early (particularly 17th-18th c.) Ipswich families.

We have hundreds of town reports, directories, yearbooks and other materials, many of which are digitized on the library’s Internet Archive.

While there are no known maps of the earliest town of Ipswich, we have a number of maps and atlases in the Ipswich Room that are handy for researching later time periods. Two of our best resources are available through the Library of Congress: the 1910 atlas of Topsfield, Ipswich, Essex, Hamilton and Wenham and the Sanborn fire insurance maps of Ipswich dating from 1887 to 1916. See Maps of Historic Ipswich for a comprehensive list of what’s available online.

Ipswich area newspapers, 1872-1999

Browse the Ipswich Chronicle (1872-1999), the Ipswich Independent (1886-1901), Ipswich Today (1970-1983), and the Ipswich Observer (1994-1999). Search within the papers or browse by title, decade or date. For local obituary listings between 1837 and 2018, ask the archivist.

Browse historical newspapers

Ancestry Library Edition (onsite access only)

We provide free access to Ancestry.com on library computers or your own device connected to the library’s wi-fi. Navigate to ancestrylibrary.com and use the search function on the top menu bar. You don’t have to log in or provide your information. Ancestry.com provides access to billions of historical documents, millions of historical photos, plus local narratives, oral histories, indexes and other resources in over 30,000 databases that span from the 1500s to the 2000s.
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HeritageHub (NewsBank)

The largest and most comprehensive collection of newspaper obituaries and death notices. Extensive editorial review of all newspaper sections ensures thorough selection of obituaries for easy access. An easy-to-use interface allows searching by name, date range, or text such as institutional name, social affiliation(s), geographic location(s), philanthropic activities, etc.
Library Card Needed for Remote Access
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IPSWICH

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  • 25 North Main Street, Ipswich, MA 01938
  • 978-356-6648

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