Colonial Town Records

Use colonial town records in ancestry and genealogy immigration research.

Colonial towns had regular meetings, at least once a year, where various inhabitants (often freemen) were elected to several positions. Many of the same local (town or county) government services used today (such as road repair, property registration, and so forth) were accomplished by local townsmen, often instead of taxes. Over several years, most adult males who remained in one town had the opportunity to serve in some capacity, and their names will be listed.

Town records can include a record of births, marriages, and deaths that occurred in that town. Town records usually do not mention a resident’s country of origin. If you find the individual’s name among the records, you gain insight into their residences and status, giving you additional clues for your research.

The lists of Freemen Are the Best for Immigrant Origins

Freemen are the inhabitants of towns who were qualified to vote and participate fully in town affairs. This included using a town’s common areas, such as fishing ponds, and distributing new lands acquired or subdivided by the town. The Freemen usually were required to be of legal age (usual twenty-one), own land, be a member of the established church (usually, but not always), and be a resident.

The early lists of Freemen were heavily populated with immigrants. If you find the individual you seek on one of these lists, it testifies that they were an adult and an accepted member of the community. The next step would be to search records—such as church, land, or court records—to give more information.

If the list names neighbors, friends, and relatives, they may have emigrated together or from the same locale.

Other Resources to Help Trace Immigrant Ancestors

Are you developing a family history for an individual or family? Are you trying to find their immigrant origins? Start by seeing the articles

The following videos can help you get a head start in understanding immigration and country of origin ancestor research.

 

How to Find the Origin of Immigrants Coming to America
An introduction to immigration and migration historical research. You will be introduced to a five-step methodology to find the immigrant origins when conducting individual and family history research.

Addition videos include:

The following are records I have found extremely helpful and full of clues to finding an individual’s birthplace and immigrant origins. It is designed to provide a quick reference and direction of finding and searching for records as probable places to find information. You can use these records to develop an immigrant paper trail to assist you in finding and tracing an individual immigrant’s origins. Check out these articles:

Records for Tracing Immigrant Ancestors
Cemetery Records Census Records Church Records 
Colonial Town Records Historical and Genealogical Societies Histories and Biographies
Land Grant Records Maps and Gazetteers Naturalization Record
Obituaries Passport Applications Ship Passenger Lists
Social Security Applications Social Security Death Index

Check out the following country profiles to learn more about their immigration and migration in America.

Immigration and Migration in America
Czechs and Slovaks Danish Dutch
English Finnish French
German Greek Hungarian
Icelandic Irish Italian
Norwegian Polish Russian
Scandinavian Scottish Swedish
Welch United States Western Migration

Articles include:

Learn more about immigrant records at “Immigrant Records at the National Archives.”