Library Kids

The Caroline M Underhill Research Center contains extensive materials that document the history of Andover since its founding in 1646. Resources include maps, genealogies, family records, architectural plans, house histories, yearbooks, street directories, and transcripts of town meetings, beginning in 1656. The Society's photography collection contains over 10,000 photographs and continues to grow. Images of Andover's development from the late 1840s to the present include family portraits, holiday events, sport clubs, businesses, parades, class photos, mill workers, and many other subjects. Our Subject Matter Index illustrates a sampling of the many topics covered in our collections.

Genealogy and Local History

Published and non-published sources of Andover families make this a valuable genealogy center in New England. The Charlotte Helen Abbott Collection contains her works from 1853 to 1920 and is the beginning for any search. Church records, cemetery inventories and family files round out the collection. We have extensive records on the Abbott, Chandler, Foster, Bailey, Jenkins, Carrier, Wardwell, Peters, Holt, Osgood, Frye, Ames and Poor families. For more information, see our Subject Matter Index on geneology.

Smith Family

The Research Library is open 10am-4pm Tuesdays thru Saturdays, and other times by appointment. Please call (978) 475-2236 to schedule an appointment. The Library and archives are closed during the month of August.

If you are unable to come in person, please send a written request to:

Research Committee
Andover Histoical Society
97 Main Street
Andover, MA 01810

Fees for research are $20 an hour, plus $.50/photocopy.

or E-Mail your research request to:

andoverhistoryresearch@yahoo.com

Please list your questions with as much detail as possible.

Scholars and people interested in local history come to our research center to learn about a wide variety of topics. Some of the most popular subjects:

Andover's role in the Salem Witch Trials and Martha Carrier
The Anti-Slavery Movement
Andover During the Civil War
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Anne Bradstreet
Early settlement of Andover
Phillips Academy
Andover Theological Seminary
Architectural history & how to research "my" old house
William Wood and the Development of Shawsheen Village
Black History, especially Salem Poor and others who served in Revolutionary War
Andover Village Improvement Society
Subject Matter Index