House History Research
Medway, Massachusetts
For Locals
If you are local to Medway, take advantage of these resources at the Medway Public Library. They provide “one-stop shopping” for all your house history research!
Computers
You can access Ancestry.com for free by using the computers in the Medway (MA) Library. You can also access the other resources in the Local History Room.
Local History Room
The Local History Room at the Medway Public Library contains many resources for Medway and Massachusetts. You’ll vital record books, annual reports, yearbooks, residents lists, maps, military references, and much more. Check in with the library staff to get access to the room. And bring a sweater – it’s generally cold!
Online From Home
These other databases you can access from home after signing into your library account: The Boston Globe (1980-present), The Boston Herald Collection (1848-present), The New York Times (1985-present) and HeritageQuest Online which includes U.S. Census records, family and local history books, Revolutionary War records and Canada Census records.
Deed Research
Deed research is the first step in your house history research project.
Terminology:
Grantor – the person selling the property
Grantee – the person buying the property
You want to start with the current deed to your house. The one created when you purchased your house. On that deed you are listed as the grantee. The person who sold you the property is the grantor. You can look up the book and page number on the Medway Assessors Database or by searching for your name in Norfolk County Registry of Deeds (online).
Deed research is easiest when you create a deed chart to keep track of each deed for each owner of your house. You can create your own or use these: Deed Template in MS Word and Deed Template pdf.
You can search for deeds online at the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds from 1794 to present. If your house was built before 1794 you can search the earlier deeds in the Suffolk County Registry of Deeds.
You can also find Massachusetts deeds from 1900 and earlier on FamilySearch.org (you will need to create a free account). These typically have better image quality than the one at the Registry of Deeds.
Medway Maps
- 1831 Plan of Medway by John G. Hales (Digital Commonwealth)
- 1852 Map of Medway by Henry F. Walling (Digital Commonwealth)
- 1853 Map of Medway by Henry F. Walling (Library of Congress)
- 1876 Map of Medway from Norfolk County Atlas (Ancestry.com, subscription required)
- 1887 Panoramic Map of West Medway – Community Church Area (Library of Congress)
- 1887 Panoramic Map of Medway – Village Street Area (Massachusetts State Archives)
- 1884-1942 Medway Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps (Library of Congress)
- 1898 Plan showing the Norfolk Western and Medfield and Medway Street Railways and their connections (Digital Commonwealth)
Photos
The Medway Historical Society has old photos of many houses in town. Contact us to see if we can find an old photo of your house.
Also, here’s a list of “The Top 10 Places to Find Old Photos of Your House“
Census Records
Once you have the names of the owners you can start searching for them in the US Census.
The U.S. Federal Census records were created every 10 years starting in 1790 and are currently accessible through 1950 (with the exception of 1890 which got destroyed). Census records will give you details about who lived in your house as well as information such as where/when they were born, their occupation, and much more.
Access census records here:
- Ancestry.com (by subscription or free at the Medway Library)
- FamilySearch.org (access from home with a free account)
Massachusetts also has two state censuses for 1855 and 1865 providing further information.
MA 1855 State Census: Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org
MA 1865 State Census: Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org