Massachusetts Prisons & Convicts
Massachusetts Department of Corrections
Middlesex Reformatory Prison for Women
1880 prisoner index.
Massachusetts Outlaws & Criminals
Jack Harris
Jack Harris came to San Francisco from Boston as a sailor in 1851. He deserted the ship at first opportunity.
James “Whitey” Bulger
The notorious head of South Boston mob.
Massachusetts Court Records
The Pynchon Court Record
Joseph H. Smith, ed., Colonial Justice in Western Massachusetts (1639-1702): The Pynchon Court Record, An Original Judges’ Diary of the Administration of Justice in the Springfield Courts in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Salem Witch Trials
Multiple links to various court records from the 17th century.
Court, Government, & Criminal Records
Court records are an often overlooked, yet very valuable tool for finding information to assist you in your research. Land records, such as deeds, allow you to tie an ancestor to a specific place at a point in time. Other court records like those dealing with finances and estates often list related family members or give interesting details like the total value of property owned by your ancestors to add interest to your family history.
Massachusetts Executions
Executions in Massachusetts
1630 – 1947