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Hampshire County Massachusetts Genealogy

County Seat: Northampton


Search Free Hampshire County, Massachusetts Genealogy and Family History Records Online including census, cemetery, vital, military and other genealogical and historical records that can be used for your family history research.

Hampshire County, Massachusetts genealogy and family history page is a place where you can come in and research your genealogy and family history. We also do our best to provide a history of the area, to provide you with an overview of the time in which your ancestors lived.

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Hampshire County History

Hampshire County was constituted in 1662 from previously unorganized territory comprising the entire western part of Massachusetts Bay Colony. It included the original towns of Springfield, Northampton, and Hadley. The original Hampshire County included territory that is now in modern day Hampden County, Franklin County, and Berkshire County, as well as small parts of modern day Worcester County. By 1683, three new towns (Westfield (now Southwick), Suffield, and Enfield) had been incorporated south of Springfield. These towns were partly or wholly in the modern state of Connecticut at the time of their incorporation and resulted in a border dispute between the Connecticut Colony and Massachusetts Bay Colony.

In 1731, Worcester County was created, which included the original town of Brookfield (incorporated in 1718 as part of Hampshire County). More territory was lost to Worcester County in 1742 when the town of Western (now Warren) was created and added to Worcester County. Further territorial losses occurred in 1749 when the towns of Enfield, Somers (split off from Enfield in 1734), and Suffield unilaterally joined Connecticut Colony. In 1761, Berkshire County was created resulting in even more territorial loss for Hampshire County. In 1811, Franklin County was split off from the northern part of Hampshire, and in the following year, Hampden County was split off from the southern part of Hampshire.

Like a number of Massachusetts counties, Hampshire County exists today both as a historical geographic region and a judicial district; it has no county government. Many former county functions were assumed by state agencies in 1999. The sheriff and some other regional officials with specific duties are still elected county-wide to perform duties within the region. The Hampshire Council of Governments, with elected councilors from 15 towns, provides many regional services, though otherwise there is no county council or commissioners. Together with Hampden County, Hampshire County municipalities belong to the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.


Hampshire County Genealogy Records

Hampshire County Massachusetts Biographies

Hampshire County Massachusetts Cemetery Records

Hampshire County Massachusetts Census Records

Hampshire County Massachusetts Church Records

Hampshire County Massachusetts Cities & Towns

Hampshire County Massachusetts County Records

Hampshire County Massachusetts Family Bibles

Hampshire County Massachusetts History Topics

Hampshire County Massachusetts Military Records

Hampshire County Massachusetts Miscellaneous Data

Hampshire County Massachusetts Newspaper Data

Hampshire County Massachusetts Obituaries

Hampshire County Massachusetts School Records

Hampshire County Massachusetts Vital Records

Hampshire County Wills/Probate Records


Adjacent counties

Hampshire County is the only county in Massachusetts surrounded in all directions by other counties of Massachusetts: all other counties in the state are adjacent to at least one other state or the open ocean.


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