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Welcome to Salisbury, MA USGenWeb Project
On September 6, 1638, Secretary of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Simon Bradstreet, received an agreement from Governor Winthrop and the General Court giving him and eleven other men the right to begin a plantation north of the Merrimack River. This land grant included the towns of Amesbury and Merrimack, Massachusetts as well as the New Hampshire towns of Seabrook, South Hampton, Newton, Hampstead, Plaistow and Kingston. This town, bordered by the Merrimack River and the Atlantic Ocean, originally named Colchester, was incorporated as Salisbury in 1640. Salisbury grew over time based on upland farms, salt marsh estuaries, building boats along the river, and its position on a major overland trade route to the north. When railroads were introduced, the line followed earlier routes from Newburyport heading to Portsmouth, aided by the low, gentle landscape that generally lacks steep hillsides or rocky terrain. With railroads, growing wealth and leisure time, and an emerging middle class, Salisbury's unbroken sandy beachfront beckoned to vacationers, establishing an economic engine that remains important and provides image and identity to the Town. For more information about Salisbury History, see the town's official web site
TOWN INFORMATION: Salisbury Town Clerk's Office for ordering copies of vital records Salisbury Public Library this link will bring you to information on how to contact the library and a short list of some of the services the library provides. Salisbury Library is part of the Merrimac Valley Consortium. RESEARCH RESOURCES ABOUT SALISBURY Salisbury Vital Records to 1850 includes transcriptions and pages images all available Salisbury By the Sea Shore Site contains links to local points of interest, history, photographs, and a terrific timeline of the history of the area. Essex Antiquarian online hosted by the Essex County USGenWeb project, this series is being fully transcribed and indexed and is full of interesting information relating to Essex County. Old Families of Salisbury and Amesbury portions of this book are being transcribed and available on the Amesbury USGenWeb Page USGEN NET Page for Salisbury site includes links to web sites about Salisbury First Settlers, Church Records, Baptism Records, History and other links
P.A. True Farm Cemetery photos and transcriptions of headstones hosted by Smugmug.com Colonial Burial Ground photos and transcriptions of headstones hosted by Smugmug.com ONLINE RESOURCES FOR RESEARCHERS MAEssex Mailing List: An email mailing list specifically assigned for people researching ancestors who lived in Essex County, Massachusetts. There are a number of ways to post queries for Essex County: If you are a serious Essex County Researcher, we strongly suggest you join the official Essex County Mailing List. Here you will find hundreds of Essex researchers trading information in an almost "family" atmosphere (most are cousins.) A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England before 1692 : By James Savage HERITAGE QUEST & Ancestry.com (fee based) : Check your local libraries to see if they offer card holder access to these terrific databases, which each contain a multitude of books about Ipswich and the early settlers- as well as census records and old newspapers. WILLS ONLINE : There are over a hundred early Essex County Wills online at the Essex County Home Page, including seven at this time, from Marblehead HISTORICAL SOCIETIES :
Visit Salisbury's neighboring USGenWeb Site Amesbury Newburyport Newbury Merrimac Massachusetts USGenWeb Project
Page last updated 13 March, 2008 |
