Genealogy

The Local History Room contains vital records, family histories, directories, and other helpful materials for genealogists. The library also provides access to subscription-based online resources such as American Ancestors, Ancestry.com Library Edition (in-library use only), and HeritageQuest (remote access available). They are listed alongside some favorite free genealogy websites on our links page.

Bond’s Genealogies 

One excellent source for Watertown genealogists is the 1860 volume known as Bond’s Genealogies. The full title of this extensive work is Genealogies of the Families and Descendants of the Early Settlers of Watertown, Massachusetts, including Waltham and Weston; to which is appended the early history of the Town, with illustrations, maps, and notes. Henry Bond’s work includes:

  • Bondsgenealogies of families that settled in Watertown before 1850
  • a brief history of Watertown to 1850
  • lists of doctors, ministers, and industry
  • notes on roads, rivers, and other topographical features
  • a detailed map of the original allotments of land among the early settlers
  • transcriptions of early town proceedings and vital records

Search a digitized copy courtesy of the Boston Public Library.

Vital Records

The library’s indices of vital records from 1630 through 2009 have been digitized. There are separate indices for births, marriages, and deaths. At the library, we have microfilm copies of the original records from 1630 to the 1970/80s. Finding the record you need in the index first will help you locate it on microfilm.

Transcriptions of Watertown records through 1849 are available online courtesy of the MA Vital Records Project. For more recent vital records, or for other geographic locations, consult sources listed by the National Center for Health Statistics, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, or the MA Vital Records Project main page.

Egizio FamilyAdditional Sources

Other sources for genealogical researchers, described elsewhere on this site, include cemeteries, directories, house and building histories, maps, newspapers, photographs, Watertown High School yearbooks, and the town’s early records.

Watertown Family Genealogies

See below for a full list of family genealogies available in the Local History Room. Select a name to view the call number for hard copies; when a digital copy is available, a link is also provided.

  1. A
  2. B
  3. C
  4. D
  5. E
  6. F
  7. G
  8. H
  9. J
  10. K
  11. L
  12. M
  13. N
  14. O
  15. P
  16. R
  17. S
  18. T
  19. U
  20. W

Abbot 

Adams 

Ames

Allen

Allyn