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 genealogy.

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

The Research Library is open 10am-4pm Tuesdays thru Saturdays, and other times by appointment.  Please call 978.475.2236 to schedule an appointment. If you are unable to come in person, you may submit a research request. Fees for research are $20 an hour, plus $.50 per photocopy. Please send a detailed written request to:

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

or E-Mail your research request to: research@andoverhistorical.org