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Beverly History and Genealogy

The Beverly Room Collection contains resources for researching local history and genealogy. These items must be used in the library but may be photocopied or scanned. In addition, the collection also has scrapbooks, pamphlets, and ephemera on subjects such as Beverly organizations, local government, churches, schools, companies, and people. Also available are town government documents, yearbooks, street lists, and maps.

Collections at Beverly Public Library

Beverly Vital Records to 1849
We have print copies of Beverly Vital Records to 1849, and they are scanned in full-text below.

Beverly City Directories

  • Beverly City Directories dating from 1886-present are available for use in the Beverly Room and on archive.org. These directories provide a listing of residents, streets, businesses, and organizations, and give their location in Beverly at the time of publication.

Beverly Historical Newspapers

Newspaper Holdings on Microfilm

Beverly Historic Postcard Collection

Massachusetts Vital Records from 1600-1850

Beverly Cemetery Data

Open cemeteries:

      • Beverly Farms Burying Ground at Haskell and Hart Streets
      • Central Cemetery (Municipal) at Dane and Butman Streets
      • Dodge’s Row Burying Ground in North Beverly
      • North Beverly Cemetery (Municipal) at Conant and Cabot Streets

Closed Cemeteries:

      • Abbott at Abbot and Hale Streets (Ancient Burying Ground)
      • Conant between Cabot and Dodge Streets (Ancient North Beverly Cemetery)
      • Green Family Burying Ground at Ryal Side

Resources for locating specific graves:

Request an Obituary

  • Request an obituary by emailing bev@noblenet.org. Please provide as much information as possible, including full name, any alternate spellings, and the location and date of death. Obituary requests may take up to 2 weeks to fill.

Beverly City Directories

  • Beverly City Directories dating from 1886-present are available for use in the Beverly Room. These directories provide a listing of residents, streets, businesses, and organizations, and give their location in Beverly at the time of publication.

Beverly Municipal Documents

  • The Beverly Room retains Town Documents in print from 1880-1971. Some Beverly Municipal Documents are also available in digital format from 1668-1893.

Beverly High School Yearbooks

  • Beverly High School Yearbooks are located in the Beverly Room and on archive.org. The collection covers yearbooks from 1937 to the present.

Family Genealogies in the Beverly Room

  • The Beverly Room contains several print family genealogies and histories about founding Beverly and North Shore families. Some of these families include the Cabot, Conant, Dodge, and Balch families.

Beverly’s Digital Heritage Collection

Digital Genealogy Resources

The following are subscription based resources provided by the library.

    • American Ancestors – AVAILABLE ONLY AT THE MAIN LIBRARY
      Conduct genealogical research, take online seminars, and search their online library catalog of books, 19th century newspapers, periodicals, microform materials, and manuscripts.
    • Ancestry Library Edition – AVAILABLE ONLY AT THE LIBRARY
      This collection has coverage of the U.S. and the U.K., including census, vital, church, court, and immigration records, as well as record collections from Canada and other areas.
    • Fold3 Library Edition – AVAILABLE FOR BEVERLY RESIDENTS ONLY
      Provides access to a growing collection of US military records, including the stories, photos, and personal documents of the men and women who served so you are able to search your family’s military past.
    • HeritageQuest Online – AVAILABLE FOR BEVERLY RESIDENTS ONLY
      Searchable images of U.S. federal census records with the digitized version of the popular UMI® Genealogy & Local History collection and other valuable content. This online database is an essential collection of unique material for both genealogical hobbyists and professionals. Includes the complete U.S. Federal Census from 1790-1940. More than 20,000 book titles, including nearly 8,000 family histories and over 12,000 local histories. Includes more than 250 primary-source documents such as tax lists, city directories, probate records, and more.
    • MyHeritage – AVAILABLE FOR BEVERLY RESIDENTS ONLY
      Features over 8 billion primary historical records from the United States, Europe, and other regions, with coverage starting from the 16th century.

Internet Research Links

The following is a librarian curated list of resources.

Other Beverly Genealogy Resources

Beverly Historical Society