Archives

Gloucester Archives is the repository of the Town and City municipal records. The department contains one of the most complete collections of municipal records in the U.S., beginning before the Town’s 1642 incorporation. The documents cover many different areas, including but not limited to:

• Engineers’ maps
• Military records dating from the Revolution
• Overseers of the Poor records, including children’s indentures
• Property records and maps
• Vital records for genealogists

These documents are housed in the Town and City Record Guide, Volumes One and Two. In addition, research tools in the office include:

• Annual reports
• City directories
• Genealogies
• Peterson file (a vertical file of newspaper clippings and pamphlets)
• Studies and reports
• Various other databases

The vast collection has been maintained and organized since 1987 by the volunteer Gloucester Archives Committee.