Shirley, first established as a district from Groton in 1753, became a town in 1775. Neighboring towns include Groton and Ayer in Middlesex County, and Harvard, Lancaster, Lunenburg and Townsend in Worcester County. This collection comprises sixteen volumes of records.

Shirley Transcript of Town Business 1753-1773, Roads 1754-1761, Marriage Intentions 1769-1804, Marriages 1762-1810, Births 1729-1822, Deaths 1752-1813. Though titled as Volume 1:1753-1765, town records extend from about 1753-1791 and vital records range from about 1729-1821. Much of this book appears transcribed from the original volume below.

Town Records 1753-1760, pp 1-45

FICHE 1

Town Records 1760-1770, pp 46-105

FICHE 2

Town Records 1770-1773, pp 106-148

FICHE 3

New Residents 1772-1787, pp 149-154

FICHE 3

Roads 1753-1771, pp 154-166

FICHE 3

Roads 1772, pp 167-168

FICHE 4

Marriage Intentions 1769-1804, pp 169-215

FICHE 4

Marriages 1762-1811, A-L, pp 216-226

FICHE 4

Marriages 1762-1810, M-W, pp 227-234

FICHE 5

Births 1741-1820, A-L, pp 236-286

FICHE 5

Births 1729-1821, L-W, pp 287-346

FICHE 6

Births 1742-1818, W, pp 347-362

FICHE 7

Births 1751-1810, B, D, H; pp 363-372

FICHE 7

Deaths 1752-1813, pp 373-400

FICHE 8

Miscellaneous Town Records 1763-1791, pp 401-408

FICHE 8

Shirley Town Records: Births, Deaths, Marriages, Town Meetings 1754-1800.

Vol 1. Unpaged, with about 80 pages/fiche. Births, deaths, and some marriages are arranged by family in this original record. Dates of the vital records range from about 1729-1822. Town records extend from about 1753-1785 and sometimes are interspersed among the vital records. Some ink is faded.

Births & Deaths 1729-1815

FICHE 9

Births & Deaths 1750-1822

FICHE 10

Marriage Intentions 1770-1804

FICHE 11

Marriages 1762-1763, 1786-1810

FICHE 11

Page Births 1808-1821

FICHE 11

New Residents 1767-1785

FICHE 11

Town Meetings 1753-1756

FICHE 11

Town Meetings 1756-1765

FICHE 12

Receipts 1764-1782

FICHE 12

Town Meetings 1765-1778

FICHE 13

Marriages 1810-1811

FICHE 13

Accounts 1785-1786

FICHE 13

Marriage 1774 & Death 1776 (continuation of fiche #27)

FICHE 13

Shirley Births 1780-1842.

Births are arranged by family. Blank pages include 1-14 and 40-68.

Index; Births 1788-1842; pp 15-39, 69-92

FICHE 14

Deaths 1841-1843, 2 pages

FICHE 14

Shirley Deaths 1820-1828.

Note the deaths as early as 1795, as well as the births beginning in 1788.

Deaths 1820-1828, 7 pages; Shaker Deaths 1795-1824, 2 pages

FICHE 15

Deaths 1820, 1819-1825, 2 pages

FICHE 15

Births 1788-1802, 1817-1823; 3 pages

FICHE 15

Shirley Marriages 1750-1843. 44 pages.

Marriages 1825-1843

FICHE 16

Out-of-Town Marriages 1750-1799

FICHE 16

Shirley Marriage Intentions 1805-1856; Marriages 1806-1825.

Marriage Intentions 1805-1836, pp 1-87

FICHE 17

Marriage Intentions 1836-1856, pp 88-157

FICHE 18

Marriages 1854, 1815-1818, 1806-1825; 18 pages

FICHE 18

Stray Animals 1809, 1833

FICHE 15

Shirley Marriage Intentions 1857-1905. 148 pages.

Marriage Intentions 1857-1879, pp 1-73

FICHE 19

Marriage Intentions 1879-1905, pp 74-148

FICHE 20

Shirley Index of Marriage Intentions 1848-1938.

Intentions of about 1848-1938 (from the volumes of 1805-1856 and 1857-1905, as well as another book or two) are indexed here. Cross referencing provides brides' names in the grooms' index--and vice versa.

Index to Intentions of Marriage 1848-1905+, A-N

FICHE 21

Index to Intentions of Marriage 1848-1905+, N-Z

FICHE 22

Shirley Town Records 1774-1818. Vol 2.

Some ink is very light. About 70 pages/fiche. On the last page of this book are recorded the marriage (1774) and death (1776) of Obadiah Sawtell, who served in the Revolutionary War.

Miscellaneous Town Records 1774-1786, 1800-1811

FICHE 23

Town Meetings 1774-1779, 2:1-53

FICHE 23

Town Meetings 1779-1786, 2:54-113

FICHE 24

Town Meetings 1786-1791, 2:114-151

FICHE 25

Warnings Out 1791, ca 28 pages; Deaths 1797-1813, 1 page

FICHE 25

Town Meetings 1791-1804

FICHE 26

Town Meetings 1804-1809

FICHE 27

Miscellaneous Town Records 1784-1818

FICHE 27

Perambulation 1809; 1774 Marriage & 1776 Death

FICHE 13

Shirley Town Meetings 1809-1841. Vol 3.

Town Meetings 1809-1813

FICHE 28

Town Meetings 1813-1818

FICHE 29

Town Meetings 1818-1824

FICHE 30

Town Meetings 1824-1829

FICHE 31

Town Meetings 1830-1832

FICHE 32

Miscellaneous Town Records 1810-1841

FICHE 32

Shirley Town Meetings 1832-1856. Vol 4.

Town Meetings 1832-1836

FICHE 33

Town Meetings 1836-1841

FICHE 34

Town Meetings 1841-1844

FICHE 35

Town Meetings 1844-1847

FICHE 36

Town Meetings 1848-1850

FICHE 37

Town Meetings 1850-1853

FICHE 38

Town Meetings 1853-1856

FICHE 39

Perambulations 1846-1854, 2 pages

FICHE 39

Shirley Town Records 1856-1896. Vol 7.

Occasionally the ink is light.

Town Meetings 1856-1858, 7:1-57

FICHE 40

Town Meetings 1858-1862, 7:58-117

FICHE 41

Town Meetings 1862-1865, 7:118-177

FICHE 42

Town Meetings 1865-1870, 7:178-237

FICHE 43

Town Meetings 1871-1874, 7:238-299

FICHE 44

Town Meetings 1874-1878, 7:300-359

FICHE 45

Town Meetings 1878-1882, 7:360-417

FICHE 46

Town Meetings 1882-1885, 7:418-473

FICHE 47

Town Meetings 1886-1890, 7:474-533

FICHE 48

Town Meetings 1890-1893, 7:534-589

FICHE 49

Town Meetings 1893-1896, 7:590-645

FICHE 50

Town Meetings 1896, 7:646-665

FICHE 51

Perambulations 1857-1881, 1896; 7:668-671+

FICHE 51

Shirley Transcript of Vital Records 1800-1842. 179 pages.

Compiled alphabetically by Ethel Stanwood in 1904--from multiple sources.

Introduction, pp 1-4

FICHE 52

Births 1800-1842+, pp 5-55, 58

FICHE 52

Marriages/Intentions 1800-1842, pp 61-125; A-R

FICHE 53

Marriages/Intentions 1800-1842, pp 126-140; S-W

FICHE 54

Deaths 1800-1842, pp 145-179

FICHE 54

Shirley Register of Births, Marriages, Deaths 1843-1856. Vol 3.

Births 1843-1855, 3:1-25

FICHE 55

Marriages 1843-1856, 3:1-8

FICHE 56

Deaths 1843-1855, 3:1-16

FICHE 56

Shirley Births, Marriages, Deaths 1856-1892. Vol 4.

Faded ink makes for some difficult reading in this book.

Births 1856-1883, 4:1-28

FICHE 57

Births 1884-1892, 4:29-37

FICHE 58

Marriages 1856-1873, 4:1-19

FICHE 58

Marriages 1874-1892, 4:20-43

FICHE 59

Deaths 1856-1883, 4:1-30

FICHE 60

Deaths 1884-1892, 1883; 4:31-40+

FICHE 61

Shirley Index to Births 1848-1970.

References name to page. Late entries for K and G are found on the first three pages of the book; those for Q are on the last page of the book.

Index to Births 1848-1900+, A-C (+ K & G late entries)

FICHE 62

Index to Births 1848-1900+, <D-H

FICHE 63

Index to Births 1848-1900+, <I-M

FICHE 64

Index to Births 1848-1900+, <N-S

FICHE 65

Index to Births 1848-1900+, <T-Z (+ Q late entries)

FICHE 66

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Births 1729-1815, pp 5-49

FICHE 1T

Births 1737-1822, pp 50-90, 98

FICHE 2T

Marriage Intentions 1770-1796, pp 90-109

FICHE 2T

Marriages 1762-1763, p 95

FICHE 2T

Marriages & Intentions 1785-1811, pp 110-126

FICHE 3T

Shirley [Town Records 1774-1818]. Vol 2.

Deaths 1774-1813, pp 127-128

FICHE 3T

Shirley [Marriage Intentions 1805-1825].

Marriage Intentions 1805-1829, pp 129-169 (1-64)

FICHE 3T

Marriage Intentions 1830-1849, pp 170-213 (64-130)

FICHE 4T

Marriages 1854, 1856, 1806-1825, pp 213-226

FICHE 4T

Shirley [Town Records 1802-1842].

Births 1802-1833, pp 227-229 (15-22)

FICHE 4T

Births 1788-1842, pp 230-244, 248 (22-92, 259, 262)

FICHE 5T

Deaths 1841-1843, pp 246-247

FICHE 5T

Shirley [Register of Vital Records 1843-1849].

Births 1843-1849, pp 250-291 (1-12)

FICHE 5T

Marriages 1843-1849, pp 292-305 (1-4)

FICHE 6T

Deaths 1843-1849, pp 308-337 (1-8)

FICHE 6T

1. [Brackets] signal best estimate of transcribed contents and/or dates.

SHIRLEY VITAL RECORDS TO 1850
Boston: NEHGS, 1918; 211 printed pages on 1 fiche, $6.