Research/Family Genealogy
The Medfield Historical Society houses extensive materials that document the history of Medfield since its founding in 1649.
Resources include manuscripts, maps, genealogies, family records, architectural plans, house histories, deeds, yearbooks, street directories and transcripts of town meetings dating from 1660. The Society’s extensive photography collection contains images of Medfield’s development from the Civil War to the present day.
Family Genealogy
Published and non-published sources of Medfield families make the Medfield Historical Society a valuable New England genealogy center. Our collection contains extensive diaries and letters dating to the 18th century, church records, cemetery inventories and family files. Resources include:
Annual Reports
Medfield Town Annual Reports 1857–2008
Birth Records
Medfield Vital Record Transcripts (from Massachusetts Town Records collection) Ancestry
City Directories
City Directories in the U.S. (includes Medfield 1914) Ancestry
Death Records
Vine Lake Cemetery Old Section Burial Database (link coming son)
Vine Lake Cemetery 18th Century Gravestone Database 1704-1799
Vine Lake Cemetery 18th Century Gravestone Photo Album 1704-1799
Vine Lake Cemetery Veterans Database Search through 2015
Vine Lake Cemetery Burial Database for Medfield State Hospital Residents 1810-1918
Family Records
We have extensive records on the following families. Some records are available online as well.
Property Research
The society holds extensive resources for researching properties in Medfield, including detailed information about most pre-1850 houses. Researched in accordance with Massachusetts Historical Commission guidelines, these records include facts about architectural style and construction, the owners through time, and the context of the house in the neighborhood and community, as well as photographs. Colonial land evidence, deeds and surveys round out this collection.
Peak House Heritage Center Institutional Records Collection
This Peak House Heritage Center collection housed at the society contains institutional records that document the study and management of the Peak House. Materials include photographs and negatives; newspaper clippings, booklets, and other publications; reports, notes, and transcripts of oral histories; maps and architectural drawings; postcards, prints, and sketches; and select artifacts and ephemera.