Cape Ann History
Gloucester Daily Times
The library's collection of the Gloucester Daily Times is now available digitally from January 1923 through March 1965 here. You can also see more current digital versions of the Gloucester Daily Times from 2009 through 2019 here.
Gloucester History Research Guides
These guides are intended to facilitate the study of various subjects relating to Gloucester History.
Local Literary Connections explores the many literary achievements associated with Cape Ann.
NOBLE Digital Heritage
NOBLE Digital Heritage, a project of the North of Boston Library Exchange, Inc. (NOBLE) and its member libraries, is a collection of resources documenting the rich social and cultural history of local communities. Digital Heritage allows patrons to search across the digital special collections of sixteen member libraries. The Sawyer Free Library has contributed the following collections to the digital initiative:
List of Vessels Belonging to the District of Gloucester, 1869-1908
Gloucester City Directories 1860-1993
Gloucester High School Yearbooks, 1923-2013
Gloucester Oral History Collection
Gloucester Postcard Collection
Genealogy Research
There are both in library and online resources available. Find out more on our Genealogy Resources page.
Books Related to Cape Ann and Gloucester History
General History and Guide Books
- Along the Old Roads of Cape Ann, 1923
- Cape Ann and Vicinity: A Guide for Residents and Visitors, by Karin M. Gertsch, 1997
- Cottages of Cape Ann, by Daniel Brewster, 1933
- The Gloucester Fire Department: Its History and Work from 1793 to 1893, by John J. Somes, 1892
- Gloucester, Mass., by Gloucester, Mass. Board of Trade, 1909
- Gloucester Recollected: A Familiar History, by Alfred Mansfield Brooks, 1974
- History of Annisquam, by Anne G. Jewett, 1902
- History of the Town of Gloucester, Cape Anne, including the Town of Rockport, by John James Babson, 1860
- History of the Town of Gloucester, Cape Ann, Massachusetts, by James R. Pringle, 1892
- In and Around Cape Ann: A Hand-Book of Gloucester, Mass., and Its Immediate Vicinity for the Wheelman Tourist and the Summer Visitor, by John S. Webber, Jr., 1885
- In the Heart of Cape Ann, or The Story of Dogtown, by Charles E. Mann, 1896
- The Indian Land Titles of Essex County, Massachusetts, by Sidney Perley, 1912
- The Landing at Cape Anne, by John Wingate Thornton, 1854
- Memorial of the Celebration of the Two Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of the Incorporation of the Town of Gloucester, Mass., 1901
- The North Shore of Massachusetts Bay: An Illustrated Guide to Marblehead, Salem, Peabody, Beverly, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Magnolia, Gloucester, Rockport, and Ipswich, by Benjamin D. Hill, 1881
- Notes and Additions to the History of Gloucester, Second Series, by John J. Babson, 1891
- Pigeon Cove and Vicinity, by Henry C. Leonard, 1873
- Pleasure Drives Around Cape Ann, 1896
- Points of Interest of Gloucester in Song, by Clarence Manning Falt, 1894
- The Saga of Cape Ann, by Melvin Thomas Copeland, 1960
- Souvenir: Gloucester and Vicinity, 1892
- Standard History of Essex County, Massachusetts, Embracing A History of the County from its First Settlement to the Present Time, With a History and Description of its Towns and Cities. The Most Historic County of America, by Cyrus M. Tracy, 1878
- The Story of Gloucester Massachusetts, Permanently Settled 1623: An Address, by Frederick Washington Tibbets, 1917
- Two Centuries of Travel in Essex County, Massachusetts: A Collection of Narrative and Observations Made By Travelers, 1605-1799, by George Francis Dow, 1921
- Village Communities of Cape Ann and Salem, From the Historical Collection of the Essex Institute, by Herbert Baxter Adams, 1883
Genealogy
- Branch of the Poole Family in America Descended from John Pool of Rockport, Massachusetts, Including the Allied Families of Haskell, Norwood, Storey, Butman, Rand, Kendall
- The Coit Family; or The Descendants of John Coit, Who Appears Among the Settlers of Salem, Mass. in 1638, at Gloucester in 1644, and at New London, Conn. in 1650, by F. W. Chapman, 1874
- The Descendants of Anthony Day of Gloucester, Mass., 1645, by John Alphonso Day, 1902
- Descendants of Michael Webber of Falmouth, Maine and of Gloucester, Massachusetts, by George Walter Chamberlain, 1935
- The Diary of the Revd. Daniel Fuller with His Account of His Family & Other Matters, by Daniel Fuller, 1894
- The Elwell Family in America: A Genealogy of Robert Elwell, of Dorchester and Gloucester, Mass. and the Greater Part of His Descendants, to the Fifth Generation, with a List of Revolutionary Soldiers of the Name Who Enlisted from the State of Massachusetts, Jacob Thomas Elwell, 1899
- A Genealogical History of the Descendants of Stephen and Ursula Streeter of Gloucester, Mass., 1642, afterwards of Charlestown, Mass., 1644-1652; with an Account of the Streeters of Goudherst, Kent, England, by Milford B. Streeter, 1896
- The Genealogy of William Coleman of Gloucester, Mass., and Graveshead, England, by James Cash Coleman, 1906
- The Grandchildren of Col. Joseph Foster: Of Ipswich and Gloucester, Mass., 1730-1804, by Joseph Foster, 1885
- Probate Records of Essex County, Massachusetts, 1635-1664, Volume I, 1916
- Probate Records of Essex County, Massachusetts, 1665-1674, Volume II, 1917
- Records of Families of the Name Rawlins or Rollins in the United States: In Two Parts, by John R. Rollins, 1874
- Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Massachusetts
- The Sawyer Family of Elliotsville (Piscataquis Co., Maine): Descendents of James Sawyer of Gloucester, Mass. and their Kinfolk, the Drakes, by Fred E. Sawyer, 1945
- Thomas Gardner, planter (Cape Ann, 1623-1626, Salem, 1626-1674) and Some of His Descendants, by Frank A. Gardener, 1980
- Vital Records of Gloucester, Massachusetts to the End of the Year 1849, Volume 1: Births, 1917
- Vital Records of Gloucester, Massachusetts to the End of the Year 1849, Volume 2: Marriages, 1917
- Vital Records of Gloucester, Massachusetts to the End of the Year 1849, Volume 3: Deaths, 1917
Gloucester Fishermen and Fishing Industry
- American-Canadian Fisheries Conference: Hearings at Washington, DC, January 21-25; Boston, Mass., January 31, February 1; Gloucester, Mass., February 2; St. John, N.B., February 5-6, 1918
- The American Coast Pilot Containing the Course and Distances Between the Principal Harbours, Capes and Headlands, from Passamaquoddy, through the Gulf of Florida...Together with the Courses and Distances from Cape Cod and Cape Ann to Georges' Bank...with the Latitudes and Longitudes of the Principal Harbours on the Coast, Together with a Tide Table
- Down to the Sea: The Fishing Schooners of Gloucester, by Joseph E. Garland, 2000
- The Fisheries of Gloucester from the First Catch by the English in 1623, to the Centennial Year, 1876
- The Fishermen's Memorial and Record Book: Containing a List of Vessels and Their Crews Lost from the Port of Gloucester from the Year 1830 to October 1, 1873, by George H. Procter, 1873
- The Fishermen's Own Book, Comprising of Men and Vessels Lost from the Port of Gloucester, Mass., by Proctor Brothers, 1882
- Journal of Captain Solomon H. Davis, a Gloucester Sea-Captain, 1828-1846, by Solomon Haskell Davis, 1922
- Wharf and Fleet: Ballads of the Fishermen of Gloucester, Clarence Manning Falt, 1902
Gloucester Lyceum and Sawyer Free Library
- Outline of History and Dedication of the Sawyer Free Library of Gloucester, Mass., Tuesday, July 1, 1884, by Gloucester Lyceum and Sawyer Free Library, 1884
Poetry and Poets
- My Father's Knell: Poems, in Memory of S. G. Who Was Drowned Near Gloucester, Mass., August 10th, 1850, by Helen Augusta Griggs, 1856
- The Poets of Essex County, Massachusetts, by Sidney Perley, 1889
Religion
Local History Collection
Our Local History Collection contains both materials about Gloucester and Cape Ann and written by and about Gloucester and Cape Ann authors. Subjects include local history, genealogy, biography, and some fiction. Materials are in the form of books, hand-printed items, maps, city documents and more. The collection is located in the Local History, and you are free to browse the materials and use them inside of the library. In some cases, duplicate materials are located on the Gloucester shelf and available for check out.
Of special note in the Local History Collection are the Charles Olson Collection, which contains materials by and about Charles Olson, a local poet, and the Sawyer Free Library Collection, which includes the library's historical records.
The Cape Ann Vertical Files
This collection, located in the Local History area, is a collection of file folders containing information about Gloucester and Cape Ann. It’s arranged by subject. The file is mostly made up of newspaper clippings from the Gloucester Daily Times, but there are also other sources of information. If you’re searching for Gloucester or Cape Ann subjects that don’t appear in books, the Cape Ann Vertical File is a good place to look. The files must be used in the library and articles may be photocopied.
Print a list of subjects available in the Vertical Files or ask the Local History Librarian.
Microfilm Collections
Our state-of-the-art microfilm scanner is located in the Local History area, and rolls of microfilm are stored in cabinets. Request specific rolls from the Local History Librarian, who can help you set up the machine.
Judith Sargent Murray Papers
This is a microfilm collection of indexed correspondence, essays and poems relating to Judith Sargent Murray, an 18th century Gloucester writer and advocate for women’s rights.
Local Newspapers
Cape Ann Advertiser (weekly) (1857-1900)
Cape Ann Bulletin (weekly) (1/1833-12/1855, 9/1877-12/1882, 2/1886- 4/1887)
Cape Ann Evening Breeze (weekly) (8/29/1884-11/1901, missing May-August 1897)
Cape Ann Light & Gloucester Telegraph (weekly) (1/07/1843-12/31/1873, missing 1/5/1847-1/15/1856)
Cape Ann News (daily) (12/02/1901-12/31/1902)
Cape Ann Revolver (February & April 1867)
Christian Neighbor (11/07/1827)
Essex Register (1807-1820)
Gloucester Daily News (10/11/1848-11/1901)
Gloucester Daily Times (1888-present)
Gloucester Democrat (bi-weekly) (8/19/1834-2/17/1838)
The Gloucester News and Semi-Weekly Messenger (10/11/1848-8/30/1851)
Gloucester Telegraph (weekly) (12/29/1827-9/27/1876)
Impartial Register (1800-1801)
Ipswich Bulletin (10/12/1866-12/21/1866)
Jeffersonian Republic (10/15/1838-11/23/1838)
Salem Register (1802-1807)
Temperance Gleaner (6/1/1864)
Trumps (10/23/1867)
City of Gloucester Research Guides and Finding Aids
Compiled by the Gloucester Archive Committee and Archive Volunteers the Research Guides are intended to facilitate the study of various subjects relating to Gloucester History. Finding Aids are documents containing detailed information and narrative description of the contents of a specific collection of papers or records within an archive.
Research Guides at the Gloucester City Archives
Finding Aids at the Gloucester City Archives
Archival Collections at the Cape Ann Museum
Cape Ann Museum Archives houses both a library and a document/photographic archive that provides resources for the study of the industrial, social, maritime and art history of Cape Ann. An historical photographic collection is also available for purchase or research.
Finding Aids at the Cape Ann Museum.
Related Online Resources
The American Antiquarian Society (AAS) is a national research library of American history and culture through 1876.
Boston Public Library. Archival and Special Collections
BPL archives include personal papers, records of local businesses and organizations, and subject-based collections, as well as the library’s institutional records.
Boston Public Library. Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center
The Leventhal Map & Education Center cares for more than a quarter million cartographic and geographic objects, including maps, atlases, charts, globes, gazetteers, ephemera, research texts, and data sets.
The Cape Ann Slavery website is maintained by the Cape Ann Slavery and Abolition Trust, a collaboration between the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church and the Unitarian Universalist Society of Rockport, and it aims to reveal the impacts of the history of slavery on the culture and economy of Cape Ann.
Digital Commonwealth is a non-profit collaborative organization, founded in 2006, that provides resources and services to support the creation, management, and dissemination of cultural heritage materials held by Massachusetts libraries, museums, historical societies, and archives.
Digital Public Library of America
DPLA make millions of materials from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions across the country available to all in a one-stop discovery experience.
Dogtown
Dogtown is a wooded area in Gloucester of about five square miles, or 3600 acres. From 1642 to fifty years after the Revolutionary War, the Commons Settlement flourished then disappeared, leaving behind the cellar holes of the houses as well boulders engraved with interesting messages. Artists, poets and many other visitors have found inspiration and enjoyment in the beauty and history of this unique place.
The Historical Marker Database
The Historical Marker Database (THMD) is a national database of signs and markers that designate historical sites across the United States. The database welcomes information and photos from the general public in order to update its collection.
Library of Congress: Digital Collections
Library of Congress has thousands of digital items availlable, all in the public domain.
Magnolia Historical Society
Magnolia Historical Society retains a collection of memorabilia from Magnolia’s rich past as a summer retreat for the wealthy and famous.
Maritime Gloucester
Maritime Gloucester is a working waterfront museum offering students and visitors hands-on educational experiences concerning marine science, maritime history and heritage, and environmental stewardship.
Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System
The Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System (MACRIS) allows you to search the Massachusetts Historical Commission database for information on historic properties and areas in the Commonwealth.
Massachusetts Historical Society
Explore sets of digitized items organized around a common topic or a specific collection.
Explore our nation's history through documents, photographs and records, including Military records and Veterans' service records.
Peabody Essex Museum Phillips Library
The Phillips Library Online Collections provide full access to a growing number of digitized items created from the Phillips Library Collection. These materials date from the 17th to the 20th century and include manuscripts, maritime journals, museum publications, ephemera, and photographs.
