Chelmsford History Resources

As this website grows, more resources and search tools will be added to help locate information on Chelmsford history. Below is a search and links to resources available online, as well as links to contacts in town that can help with historical research.

Local Resources

• Chelmsford Library Genealogy Resources - http://www.chelmsfordlibrary.org/reference/genealogy.html
  Local & Massachusetts vital records, research databases, newspapers, town records, and staff to help locate resources
• Chelmsford Historical Society - http://www.chelmshist.org
  Local records, artifacts and histories, and volunteers to help with research
• Chelmsford Historical Commission - http://www.chelmsfordgov.com/CHCwebsite
  Photos, maps, documents and more information relating to the Historical District of Chelmsford
• Chelmsford Town Clerk - http://townofchelmsford.us/Town-Clerk.cfm
  Local town and vital records, and staff to help with local resources
• Chelmsford Cemetery Archive - http://www.townofchelmsford.us/Cemetary-Department.cfm
  Index of Chelmsford cemeteries (click "Cemetery Archive" from links on the left)
• Chelmsford Genealogy Club - http://www.chelmsfordlibrary.org/programs/programs/genealogy_club.html
  Monthly meetings featuring speakers, and volunteers to help with research
• Center for Lowell History - http://library.uml.edu/clh/
  At UMass Lowell, this large collection of historical resources includes information about Lowell and Chelmsford
• Chelmsford Town Annual Reports Archive - http://www.archive.org/details/chelmsfordpubliclibrary
  Full-text searchable archive of the Annual Reports for the Town of Chelmsford from 1874 to present. This archive was funded by a Boston Public Library grant and hosted by the Internet Archive, scanned from the collections of both the Chelmsford Historical Society and Chelmsford Library.
• Historical Chelmsford Photos
  • http://www.chelmsfordlibrary.org/community_info/chelmsford_history/historical_photos.html
    Historical photos from the library's archive, including the Royal Shawcross collection from 1901, as well as others from around town throughout history.
  • http://merriam1.smugmug.com/TownofChelmsford
    Photo archive maintained by Fred Merriam, includes both historical and modern photos of Chelmsford.
• Chelmsford Library Archive - http://chelmsford.pastperfect-online.com/
  Books and documents contained in the library archive (not yet all posted online). To see physical items, please see Brian Herzog at the Library Reference Desk.
• The History of Chelmsford - http://books.google.com/books?id=R1sVAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover
  This is an online version of Allen's history of the Town of Chelmsford written by Wilkes Allen (1820). Available to read at Google Books, or download as as PDF file or ebook.
• The History of Chelmsford - http://books.google.com/books?id=WqZjPTcgpfIC
  This is an online version of Waters' history of the Town of Chelmsford written by Rev. Wilson Waters (1917). Available to read at Google Books, download as pdf, or read below:
  

Historical Maps

Humor

• Humorous tombstone inscriptions