Download: HowTo Packet and Oral History Packet
Where to Begin?
- Take a good look at your house. Inspect it closely.
- Can you tell by looking at it when it was constructed?
- Have walls, doors, or windows been moved, closed, or added?
- Is your house the same size it always was?
- Have there been any unusual events in the history of your house?
- Talk to your family, neighbors, relatives, or anyone who remembers your house and ask them what they recall about your house!
- Ask neighbors if they have photographs of the neighborhood that might include old pictures of your house.
- Track down previous owners to find out what improvements they made.
- Speaking with those who lived there before will give you a better image of the original house.
- Compile your findings to create a chronological picture of your house.
What Style is My House? Architectural styles can help date your house. Check out the style and time period, using books or the online sources included, to determine the era of your house.
What Tools Can Be Used?
There are many tools, many of which can be found in the Microfilm Room or the Fall River Room at the Fall River Public Library.
Other places to find information about your house is at the Bristol County Registry of Deeds on North Main Street, the Fall River Historical Society, and many online places as well.
- Deeds and Abstracts list land owners. These are found at the Bristol County Registry of Deeds, 441 North Main Street.
- Maps and Atlases show the city from the past. These can be found at three locations: The Fall River Public Library in the Fall River Room, the Bristol County Registry of Deeds, and the Fall River Historical Society.
- City Directories tell us who lived at what address and what their occupation was. City Directories can be found in Microfilm at the Fall River Public Library, in an incomplete set at the Bristol County Registry of Deeds, and at the Fall River Historical Society.
- Published histories about the City of Fall River are available at the Fall River Public Library, and online at the Keeley Library.
- Old copies of the Fall River Daily Globe [1889-1929], the Evening Herald [1905-1928], the Daily Evening News [1868-1926], and the Fall River Herald News [1929-present] can be found on Microfilm at the Fall River Public Library. There are also reels of microfilm with other early Fall River newspapers, a few dating from before the Civil War. Recent issues of the Herald News are available in print. Old newspapers can be a valuable source of information as well as providing a portrait of daily life in different time periods; unfortunately, they are not indexed and often lack a table of contents, so researchers should be prepared to spend some time, especially with 19th century materials. Also note that newspaper obituaries were not standard until around the 1920s; ancestors who died in the 19th or early 20th century may not have had a printed obituary.
- US Census Records are on Microfiche at the Fall River Public Library, and online through AncestryPlus.com (use this source for free with a Fall River Public Library card) at the Fall River Public Library. Census Records are available for the years 1850, 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930.
- Water Permits indicate when water mains and/or meters were installed, which can then be used to verify the date of construction of a building. You can find this information by calling the Fall River Water Department at 508-324-2720.
- Survey of Historic Properties are forms that were completed when the city was applying for historic status from the Massachusetts Historical Commission. These pages contain valuable data and information regarding properties all over the city of Fall River. You can find this information at the Fall River Historical Society.
- The Obituary Index can be used to research people and relatives who lived in your house. The index is online at the Fall River Public Library.
- The Fall River Collection at the Fall River Public Library has materials relating to the people and history of Fall River. The collection includes vintage postcards, maps, vital records, city documents, church records, family histories and books. Here you will find information on immigrant groups, businesses, mills, the Fall River Line, schools, churches, historic buildings and the history of Fall River.
- Other sources at the Fall River Public Library include: Vital Records - Various city demographic records, such as births, marriage intentions and deaths, are available in microfiche for the years 1803-1889. These are not indexed and are arranged by date, not name, so searching can be a challenge. Draft Registration Cards - World War I draft registration cards are available on microfiche. Local Histories and Genealogies - Many books of Fall River, Massachusetts and New England history are available in the Fall River Room. There are also genealogical and biographical works, including some individual family histories. Church Records - A limited number of church records have been transcribed and are available in the Fall River Room.
- Fall River Property Assessment Data is now online at Patriot Properties.
- Local Fall River History Slides are online.
- Durfee High School Yearbooks are online for selected years.
Other Websites that have information on how to research your house’s history include:
- Historic House Architecture. Guide to historic homes, with emphasis on late-Victorian and Craftsman style bungalows.
- Internet Public Library Guide to Researching the History of a House.
- National Building Museum.
- These Walls Were Made for Talking: Tools for Constructing the History of Your Old House in Jackson County, Missouri .
- This Old House Online . Web site of the popular PBS television program.
- Your House Has A History, from the City of Chicago.
- Massachusetts Archives.
- “Researching Your Family's History at the Massachusetts Archives."