What records are stored at the Judicial Archives?
In 1984, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) and the Secretary of the Commonwealth signed an agreement to store permanent court records dated 1629-1860 at the Massachusetts Archives. These collections, collectively known as the Judicial Archives, are managed by the Supreme Judicial Court Division of Archives and Records Preservation (“SJC Archives”). Records falling outside of this agreement are held at Trial Court Records Centers, or remain at their respective courthouses.
The Judicial Archives is a separate, distinct repository within the Massachusetts Archives, housing original records from state, county, and local courts, as well as microfilm copies of many records. Original court records in the Judicial Archives include docket books, file papers, and record books documenting cases heard in courts throughout the Commonwealth prior to 1860. In addition to criminal and civil case files, the Judicial Archives also includes early probate records and pre-1906 naturalization records. Additional information on court records held at the Massachusetts Archives facility can be found in the Supreme Judicial Court Archives collection guide. A small selection of high-profile cases, including the 18th century freedom suits of Elizabeth Freeman and Quock Walker and the Sacco and Vanzetti murder trial records have been digitized and are available through Digital Commonwealth.
The Judicial Archives’ microfilm holdings include select probate, naturalization, and divorce records, as well as colonial era court records found in the Suffolk Files (see below). Please contact SJC Archives staff for additional information about the availability of microfilm. FamilySearch has digitized most Massachusetts court records formerly on microfilm, providing online access through FamilySearch.org.
The Suffolk Files (1629-1799)
The Suffolk Files contain the earliest judicial file papers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, including the Supreme Judicial Court and its predecessors, the Court of Assistants and the Superior Court of Judicature. Also included are records of county courts, the Court of Common Pleas and the Court of General Sessions of the Peace. The Suffolk Files collection includes cases not just from Suffolk County, but from other parts of Massachusetts and parts of Maine and New Hampshire as well. This was because of the circuit nature of the Superior Court of Judicature, and the fact that most of the cases brought before the upper courts of judicature had been appealed from lower courts throughout the region. Extensive indexes of every person, place, and subject, as well as date and calendar indexes are available. Microfilm of the Suffolk Files and indexes are available in the Massachusetts Archives Reading Room. FamilySearch provides online access to digital images of the microfilm. The original Suffolk Files volumes are stored in the Judicial Archives.
What records are stored at the Trial Court Records Centers?
Trial Court Records Centers are located in Worcester and East Brookfield. The Records Centers generally hold court records created after 1860, although some records dating to the mid-1700s are also included in Records Center collections. Court records stored at the Records Centers are arranged by county, court, and docket numbers. The end date for these records varies by court. Individual courts send records to the Records Centers when they no longer have the space to store them on-site at the courthouse. All requests for records held at the Trial Court Records Centers should be sent to the court of origin or to SJC Archives staff. The Records Centers are not open to the public. Contact information for individual courthouses can be found through the Courthouse Locator.
What records are stored at individual courthouses?
Docket books and indexes for cases filed within the last 75 years generally remain on-site at the courthouse where the case was heard. Indexes can be searched by name to locate docket numbers associated with specific cases. Docket books will then provide an outline of the actions in a case, listing each document filed and the verdict or ruling in the case. File papers (documents filed with the court during a case) for cases heard within the last 10-15 years also generally remain on-site at the original courthouses, although some courts may continue to store older file papers as well. Time periods vary considerably depending on storage space and other factors. Contact information for individual courthouses can be found through the Courthouse Locator. Researchers may also look up docket information for modern cases (generally post-2000) through Masscourts.org.
It is also important to note that not all records created by the courts are permanently maintained. Many records are considered “temporary,” and may be eligible for destruction after a set retention period (often 10-20 years). Other records are considered “permanent,” and are eventually transferred to the Records Centers or to the Judicial Archives. Additional information can be found in Supreme Judicial Court Rule 1:11: Rule relative to the disposal of court papers and records.