Hi Janet, Here is what the Mass. State Archives has on their website: http://www.sec.state.ma.us/arc/arcsrch/RevolutionarySearchContects.html Massachusetts Archives Collection Database (1629-1799) The Massachusetts Archives database serves as a searchable, descriptive index and catalog for documents of eighteen volumes of the Massachusetts Archives Collection. These volumes include: Volume 3: Colonial, 1629-1720 Volume 5: Colonial, 1728-1774 Volume 9: Domestic Relations, 1613-1774 Volume 10: Ecclesiastical, 1637-1679 Volume 11: Ecclesiastical, 1679-1739 Volume 12: Ecclesiastical, 1739-1749 Volume 13: Ecclesiastical, 1749-1756 Volume 14: Ecclesiastical, 1757-1774 Volume 15A: Emigrants, 1651-1774 Volume 23: French Neutrals, 1755-1758 Volume 24: French Neutrals, 1758-1769 Volume 29: Indian Conference, 1713-1776 Volume 30: Indian, 1603-1705 Volume 31: Indian, 1705-1750 Volume 32: Indian, 1750-1757 Volume 33: Indian, 1757-1775 Volume 112: Towns, 1632-1693 Volume 303: Petitions, 1659-1786 While these volumes are loosely organized by subject (please see volume descriptions for a full narrative), the documents actually contain information on a much wider variety of subjects than the volume titles would seem to indicate. The creation of this database is an effort to make these documents more easily accessible. You can search the volumes here:http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ArchivesSearch/RevolutionarySearch.aspx I have searched this database online but it does not bring up what I have found personally at the Archives, such as; a "warning out" of the town of Marlborough of an ancestor. So I don't really think the search feature is as through as it could be. At the Archives, there is a card file by name, subject, town, etc., I believe it is more in depth than the online search. Most of the films a terribly hard to read as they have been over-used. I usually request to see the volumes as they are the first copy made from the films and are easier to read. On this page is a list of all the holdings at the Archives: http://www.sec.state.ma.us/arc/arcgen/genidx.htm Hope this helps some, Susan M. ----- Original Message ----- --- On Wed, 8/19/09, Buch419@aol.com wrote: From: Buch419@aol.com Subject: [MABERKSH] Microfilms and Massachusetts Research To: MABERKSH@rootsweb.com, transitional-genealogists-forum@rootsweb.com, APG@rootsweb.com Date: Wednesday, August 19, 2009, 4:01 PM On the LDS familysearch.org website there are microfilms, under the title "Massachusetts State Archives Collection, colonial period, 1822-1788": there are 3 pages of microfilms listed including the following titles - towns, family relations, ecclesiastical, estates, etc. including the following in particular numbers: MA archives LDS films 2294195-8, 2294417-22, 1781511-12, 1781580-1, 2294223-24, 2294516-21, 2294792, 2295280, 2294846, 2322754-58, 2322914-15, 1838038-40, 1838255-57, 2400542, and several with titles such as: Rev. War misc.; Rev. Council papers, MA archives collection Revolution Resolves. Has anyone ever looked at any of these films? What can I expect? What do they contain? Do they contain things about people not published elsewhere? Is there an index? I am lookng for information on a family that doesn't seem to have left many records in the normal places, mostly in the County of Berkshire, MA so I am getting desparate. I am going to SLC in Sept and have many films to look at hoping to find something new. These would add too many to look at in 3 days - I will probably only get a fraction done anyway. HELP! Do any MA experts out there have an idea what all these films contain - i.e., is it worth looking through them (some day) for obscure information on people from MA. Thank you. Janet Buchanan _http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jbmbtrees/_ (http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~jbmbtrees/) Researching Beckington/McDougall/Court/Hazelton/Pierce/Lane/Rhoades/Hitchcock Abbot/Ballard/Green/Graves/Chapman/Chandler/Tibbett s/Sears/Smith/Wells/Whittemore ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MABERKSH-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MABERKSH-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message