Special Collections
History Room
The Jeanne Palmer History & Genealogy Room is located on the
mezzanine level of the Lawrence Library. It is open during normal
operating hours, but you will need to ask a staff member for access.
We can not guarantee that there will be staff available for walk-in
research help. If you would like to do research in the History Room, or
you have any questions relating to local history or genealogy, please
contact the Reference Librarian at email hidden; JavaScript is required.
Items may not be removed from the History Room, and care must be
exercised when handling materials. Food and beverages are not permitted
in the History Room. There is WiFi, a public computer, and a
printer/copier.
Available resources include (but are not limited to):
- Town reports: 1742-1809, 1869 - present
- New England town histories
- MA vital records to 1850, Pepperell vital records to present
- Published & unpublished genealogies of local families
- Local newspapers
- NMRHS yearbooks
- Vintage postcards and photographs
- Middlesex County censuses: 1850-1920
- Voter registrations/street lists: 1930 - present
- Pepperell School registers: 1908-1964
NEW - Lawrence Library Historical Collections via Digital Commonwealth: vintage photographs, postcards, and other material from our History Room.
Genealogy Resources
These databases are accessible on library computers. You will not be able to access them remotely, or via the library WiFi network.
- American Ancestors (New England Historic Genealogical Society)
- Ancestry.com
- FamilySearch.org
Additionally, you can access HeritageQuest remotely.
Published Family Genealogies
| A-G | H-O | P-Z |
|---|---|---|
| Attridge Batchelder Boynton Blood Brigham Chapman Colburn Conant Cummings Dudley Emery Farwell Field Fiske Fletcher Foster Fowler Gage |
Hadley Hadlock Hardy Hartwell Holden Houghton Howe Jewett Johnson Kempton Kendall Lawrence Leighton Locke Lovejoy May Morse Munsey Nutting Ordway |
Palmer Parker Pelton Pierce Pratt Preston Proctor Prouty Randall Robbins Robinson Shattuck Shepley Sibley Stone Tarbell Tuttle Ward Webster Whitney Wilson Worcester |
This collection is continually expanding and we welcome suggestions for future purchases. Unpublished family genealogies are limited to local towns.
Shattuck Bird Collection
Sidney M. Shattuck (1876-1917) collected over 100 unique specimens of birds within a 5-mile radius around Pepperell, preserving and mounting them himself. He also built the wooden cabinet that now houses the collection, completing the entire project when he was only twenty years old. The collection was purchased by some (unknown) townspeople, and donated to the library. Check out the photo album of these beautiful birds (photos by Ken Hartlage).