Search Hampden County Genealogy Records

Hampden County genealogy records are held at the Registry of Deeds in Springfield and at the Probate and Family Court one block away, with land document images going back to 1636 and probate files starting in 1812. Researchers tracing ancestors in Springfield, Chicopee, Holyoke, or any of the county's 23 towns will find a mix of county records, local library collections, and digitized databases that together cover most family history needs for this part of western Massachusetts.

Hampden County Registry of Deeds

The Hampden County Registry of Deeds has two locations. The main office is at 436 Dwight Street, Room B042, in Springfield, with a phone number of 413-755-1722. A satellite office in Westfield is at 59 Court Street, Room 104, with a phone number of 413-572-6261. Having a second office in Westfield makes in-person access easier for researchers on the western end of the county. Both offices can handle requests and direct you to the right records.

Online records are available through the Registry's search portal at search.hampdendeeds.com. Recorded land document indexes run from 1948 to the present, with images going back to 1636. Grantor and grantee indexes from 1636 to 1964 are also available online. Recorded Land Plans and Land Court Documents from 1905 to the present are included. You can search by name, book and page, entry date, year and instrument number, or certificate number for Land Court records. For records before 1948, you need to know the book and page, or use the Scanned Index tab to search the older handwritten index volumes. This is worth knowing before you start, since a name-only search will not reach pre-1948 records without extra steps.

The statewide portal at masslandrecords.com also covers Hampden County and is another free access point for land records. Some researchers find it easier to start there and then move to the county portal for older materials.

The Hampden Registry of Deeds search portal at search.hampdendeeds.com offers online access to recorded land documents and plans for Hampden County, with records dating back to 1636.

The Hampden registry also has a satellite office in Westfield, making in-person records access more convenient for researchers in the western part of the county.

Hampden County Probate and Family Court Records

The Hampden County Probate and Family Court is at 50 State Street in Springfield. The phone number is 413-748-7760. Probate records start from 1812, the year Hampden County was formed from Hampshire County. If your ancestor's estate was probated before 1812, those records are at Hampshire County in Northampton, not Springfield. This split is a common point of confusion, and it matters if you are tracing families who were in the Springfield or Westfield area before the county division took place.

Current court access includes a Virtual Registry available by video through Zoom, open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The call-in number is 1-646-828-7666 with Meeting ID 1600424858. This makes it practical to get basic case information without driving to Springfield. More information on virtual access is at mass.gov. For older records and in-depth research, a visit to the courthouse or a written request remains the most reliable path.

Hampden County probate files include wills, estate inventories, administration papers, and guardianship records. These documents often name children, grandchildren, and other relatives with their ages and addresses. An estate inventory from the 1800s can establish what an ancestor owned and debts they owed, which adds detail to what other record types provide. FamilySearch at familysearch.org has collections for Hampden County that include some older probate materials and can help narrow down what years to target before requesting physical copies.

Note: Pre-1812 probate records for people who lived in what is now Hampden County are held at Hampshire County Probate Court in Northampton, not in Springfield.

Vital Records for Hampden County Genealogy

Vital records in Hampden County follow the Massachusetts state system. For births, marriages, and deaths from 1841 to 1925, the source is the Massachusetts State Archives at 220 Morrissey Boulevard in Boston. In-person copies cost $3 each. For records from 1926 forward, contact the Registry of Vital Records and Statistics at 150 Mount Vernon Street in Dorchester. Online orders cost $54 for the first copy, mail requests cost $32, and in-person requests cost $20. State records can be ordered at mass.gov.

For events before state registration began in 1841, each Hampden County town kept its own vital records. Many of these early town records have been transcribed and are available in the published series of Massachusetts town vital records. FamilySearch offers free access to Massachusetts Town Clerk records from 1626 to 2001, covering a large share of early Hampden County towns. Checking FamilySearch first is a practical way to find a record before committing to a paid order.

Hampden County has a notable history of French-Canadian immigration in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Many families who came through Quebec settled in Springfield, Chicopee, and Holyoke to work in the region's mills and factories. Church records for Catholic and French-speaking Protestant congregations are an important supplement to civil vital records for this population. Parish registers and sacramental records from these communities often survive in diocesan archives or at individual parishes and can fill gaps that state records do not cover.

Under M.G.L. Chapter 46, Massachusetts law sets the rules for vital record registration and access throughout the state, including in Hampden County. Town clerks across the county are required to maintain these records, and the law specifies who may get copies and the conditions that apply.

Local Research Resources in Hampden County

The Springfield City Library at 220 State Street has a dedicated Genealogy and Local History Room. The phone number is 413-263-6828. This room holds local newspapers, city directories, published genealogies, and reference materials focused on Springfield and western Massachusetts. City directories going back into the 1800s let you track an ancestor's address and occupation year by year. For a family that lived in Springfield for multiple generations, the library's directories alone can establish a clear timeline before you start pulling records from the court or registry.

American Ancestors at americanancestors.org holds databases for New England families that extend into western Massachusetts, including some Hampden County church records and compiled genealogies. A membership is required for most collections. The FamilySearch wiki for Hampden County, Massachusetts is the best free overview of what digital collections exist, what years they cover, and where gaps remain.

Note: The Massachusetts State Archives holds records beyond vital records, including older town papers and legal documents that can supplement county-level research for Hampden County families.

Cities in Hampden County

Hampden County has 23 towns. Springfield and Chicopee are the two largest cities with dedicated genealogy records pages. All other towns in the county use the same registry and court offices described above.

Other towns in Hampden County include Agawam, Blandford, Brimfield, Chester, East Longmeadow, Granville, Hampden, Holland, Holyoke, Longmeadow, Ludlow, Monson, Montgomery, Palmer, Russell, Southwick, Tolland, Wales, West Springfield, Westfield, and Wilbraham. Genealogy records for all of these towns are filed at the Hampden Registry of Deeds and Probate Court in Springfield.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Hampden County. Families near county lines sometimes had records in both registries, so checking neighboring counties is worth the extra step.