New Hampshire
Secretary of State

Archives Vital Records Records Management Divisions

 

Archives Archives Information Vital Records Vital Records Information

Genealogy

Archival Holdings

Publications & Collections

Information for State Agencies

Municipal Records Board

Resources

About Archives and Records Management

State Archives Division Forms

Contact

Request for Certificates

Access Policy

Library

Correcting Vital Records

Pre-adoption Birth Records

NH Vital Records Information Network (NHVRINweb)

Improvement Fund

Statutory Authority and Rules

Vital Records Administration

Vital Records Preservation

Vital Records Division Forms

About Vital Records

Contact

Press Releases

FAQs

 

Send Mail to:
N.H. Department of State
9 Ratification Way
Concord, NH 03301

Come visit us:
9 Ratification Way
Concord, NH 03301

Contact Archives and Records Management:
The Division of Archives & Records Management has two principal functions.  The first function is to assist state agencies with the efficient and proper management of their records and in conjunction with that service, provide storage space for their less active records.  Our second function is to preserve documentation of the history of New Hampshire state government institutions and work to make them available to the public in as efficient a manner as possible.

Ashley Miller
State Archivist

Office Hours:
Monday through Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm

Telephone Numbers:
603-271-2236
603-271-2272 (fax)

Archives and Records Management Email Address: archives@sos.nh.gov

Contact Division of Vital Records Administration:
The Division of Vital Records Administration has released new, web-based software that anyone can use to look at Vital Records statistical information ONLY (derived from records of birth, death, marriage and divorce).  The "New Hampshire Vital Records Information Network web" (NHVRINweb), is a real-time web-based data query system for accessing Vital Records statistical data.  This web-based tool allows access to de-identified Vital Records that date back to 1995.  You can also produce data reports in either a spreadsheet format or as a document, so that you can include this data in your own reports if desired.

Here is a link to our new software tool:  http://nhvrinweb.sos.nh.gov/.  Once you get into the site, you will be prompted to register yourself in order to look at the data in the birth, death, marriage and divorce tables.  The site also has the ability for you to provide feedback if you have any questions or comments.  Enjoy!  Please Note:  this is statistical information only.  Individual vital records data cannot be accessed using this tool. 

Kristin M. Kenniston
State Director of Vital Records

Office Hours:
Monday through Friday 8:30am - 3:30pm

Telephone Numbers:
Main Number - 603-271-4650 (8:00am-4:30pm)
TDD Number - 1-800-735-2964 (8:00am-4:30pm)
Fax Number - 603-271-3447 (8:00am-4:30pm)
DVRA Reception - 603-271-4650 (8:30am-3:30pm)
Genealogy Vault - 603-271-4650 (8:30am-3:30pm

Division of Vital Records Administration Email Address: vitalrecords@sos.nh.gov

Directions to Vital Records Administration

 

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Genealogy

RESEARCHING YOUR FAMILY
New Hampshire Department of State, Division of Archives and Records Management
9 Ratification Way (formerly 71 South Fruit Street)
Concord, NH 03301
Tel. (603) 271-2236



Note: Official New Hampshire birth, death and marriage records are among holdings here, managed by the Division of Vital Records Administration, which may be accessed elsewhere on this website at this link, or by phone at 603-271-4650.

Genealogical and family history information may be found among archived records in the following collections:

1. Probate Records
   A. Provincial Period (1630s – 1771)
   B. Cheshire County (1771 – 1959)
   C. Grafton County (1773 – 1950)
   D. Hillsborough County (1771 – 1997)
   E. Merrimack County (1823 – 1992)
   F. Rockingham County (1771 – 1918)
   G. Strafford County (1771-1799): abstracts in Helen F. Evans, Strafford County NH Probate Records, 1771-1799 (Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 1983)

2. Land Title Deeds
   A. Provincial Period (1630s – 1771)
   B. Rockingham County (1771 – 1824; Indexed 1771 – 1959)
   C. Grafton County (1773 – 1899) microfilm

3. Petitions to the Governor, Council and Legislature (1680 – c. 1850; + 1951)

4. New Hampshire State and Provincial Papers (1623 – 1800)
      40 vol. set & cumulative index

5. Military Information
   A. C. E. Potter’s Military History of New Hampshire, 1623 – 1861 (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical
       Publishing Co., 1972)
   B. S. Lanzerdorf’s New Hampshire Militia Officers, 1820 – 1850
       (Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 1995)
   C. Revolutionary War Rolls (N.H. State & Provincial Papers)
   D. War of 1812 Soldiers Index (21st Regiment)
   E. A. D. Ayling’s Civil War Register Index
   F. Civil War Enlistment Cards and Papers
   G. Civil War Muster Rolls, Descriptive Rolls, & Returns
   H. Civil War Service Cards
   I. Civil War Pension Index
   J. Phyllis O. Longver, New Hampshire Civil War Death and Burial Locations (Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 2000)
   K. Civil War Death Rolls
   L. “Military Miscellaneous” V64 (Revolutionary to recent publications)

6. Censuses and Population Information
   A. J. M. Holbrook’s New Hampshire Residents, 1633 – 1699
   B. “Constructed” Censuses: 1732; 1765; 1776; some towns 1798
   C. Census Indices Only: 1800; 1810; 1820, 1850, 1860 (commercially published)
   D. Federal Census Books: 1850; 1860; 1870; 1880 (manuscript)
   E. Hillsborough County Census: 1801
   F. Strafford County Census: some towns 1840

7. Name Changes
   A. Published Index to N.H. Laws (1643 – 1883;
   B. Manuscript Index to NH Laws (1885 – 1995)
   C. Richard P. Roberts’ New Hampshire Name Changes 1768 – 1923
       (Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 1996)
   D. Index to N.H. Name Changes (1840 – 1940) (microfilm)

8. Photographs, Portraits and Prints
   A. Dunlap Photo Service Collection (1930s-1960s) – Concord area
   B. William Finney – Portraits
   C. Aerial Photographs
   D. Miscellaneous public figures and places in archived collections

9. Naturalizations
   A. Belknap County (1842 – 1975)
   B. Grafton County (1773 – 1906)
   C. Hillsborough County (1845 – 1990)
   D. Merrimack County (1847 – 1948)
   E. Rockingham County (1771 – 1919)
   F. Sullivan County (1800s – 1900s)

10. Voter Checklists (1904 – present)
   Towns are required to file voter checklists with the NH Secretary of State after every General State Election, and after the Presidential Primary

11. Warnings Out of Town

12. Secretary of State Miscellaneous Records

13. Handwriting and Paleography
   A. E. K. Kirkham’s Handwriting of American Records for a Period of
       300 Years
   B. E. K. Kirkham’s How to Read the Handwriting and Records of
       Early America

14. Prisoners Indices
   A. State Prison Register of Convicts 1812 – 1912
   B. State Prison Mittimus (“Mitt”) Files (1812 – 1973)
   C. Rockingham County Prisoners Index (1772 – 1840+)
   D. Milli S. Knudsen, Hard Time in Concord, New Hampshire (Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 2005)
       Brief profiles of some the prisoners

15. Town Records and Town Inventories Indices

16. Rosters of N.H. House of Representatives and Senate

17. Church of Latter Day Saints “Descriptive Index of the New Hampshire Collection”

18. Index to N.H. Laws (1643 – 1881; 1885 – 1995)

19. Index to Executive Council Minutes

20. Marriage & Divorce
   A. Pauline J. Oesterlin’s N.H. Marriage Licenses and Intentions, 1709 – 1961 (Bowie, MD: Heritage Books) 1991
   B. Marriage Intentions (1770s – 1850s)
   C. City of Concord Intentions (1830 – 1869)
   D. Governor Wentworth Sanctions (1772 – 1775)
   E. Out of State Minister Marriage Intentions (1921 – 1961)
   F. Knudsen, Milli S., ‘Til Death Do Us Part: Marriages & Divorces from Cheshire County
       (1776-1899) (Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 2007
   H. Helen F. Evans, Index of References to American Women in Colonial Newspapers through 1800 (Bedford, NH: self-published, c. 1980-1995), 3 volumes.
   I. Clarence Almon Torrey, New England Marriages Prior to 1700 (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1992)

21. Maps and Plans
   A. Masonian Plans (1600s)
   B. Carrigain Town Maps (1805) and State Map (1816)
   C. Town and City Atlas of the State of New Hampshire D.H. Hurd & Co., Boston (1892)

22. County and Town Histories (small random collection)

23. Paupers
   A. Warnings Out
   B. Pauline J. Osterlin, Rockingham County Paupers Index (1772 – c. 1850)
       (Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 1992)
   C. Milli S. Knudsen, Obliged to Ask for Relief: The Journal of Cheshire County, New Hampshire,
       Pauper Records, 1885-1900 (Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 2009)

24. New Hampshire Register (1796; 1807; 1810 – 1908; 1919 – 1921; 1942 – 1959)

25. Superior and Inferior Court Records
   A. Provincial Period (1630s – 1772)
   B. Belknap County unprocessed (1841 – 1899)
   C. Grafton County (1773 – 1899; Indexed 1773 – 1805 & 1817 – 1828)
   D. Hillsborough County (1772 – 1906+)
   Partially indexed: Pauline J. Osterlin, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, Court Records,
       1772-1799) (Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 1996
   E. Merrimack County (1823 – 1900; Indexed 1824 – 1853)
   F. Rockingham County (1772 – 1980)
   G. Strafford County (1775 – 1899; partially indexed 1775 – c.1830)
   H. Sullivan County (1828 – 1972)


Revised March 2020

Archival Holdings

 

Architectural Drawings

Index to Dodge/Scan Microfilms (1987 - 1993)
Dodge Scans - Nashua Memorial Hospital (1993)

Court Records

Superior Court
Court of Common Pleas
County Court

Executive Records

Governors' messages and letters
Executive Council correspondence and minutes

Genealogy

General Court Records (1680-current)

Petitions Index (1680-1819)
Petitions Index (1820-1824)
Journals of House and Senate
Acts

Land Surveyors' Records

Land Title Research

Military Records

Revolutionary War Rolls
Civil War Papers
Militias

Provincial Land Records

Provincial Probate Records

Research Aids Include:

Guide to the New Hampshire State Archives
New Hampshire State Papers
Meshech Weare Personal Papers
Inventories and Indexes to individual collections, available in research area

Secretary of State Records

Corporations
Elections
Miscellaneous
Railroads

Secretary of State Treasury Records

Town Records

Municipal Records
Road and Highway Layout Records

Architectural Drawings


Dodge/Scan Microfilms (1987-1993)

General Court Records


1680-current

Land Surveyors' Records


Land Title Research


City & Town Records


Publications & Collections

1917 era New Hampshire state flag, courtesy family of Henry W. Keyes of Haverhill, Governor, 1917-1919; US Senator, 1919-1937.

New Hampshire State Papers


The Astonishing Story of the Mistaken State House Portrait


World War I Governor, three term US Senator Henry W. Keyes of Haverhill, no longer the "Forgotten Man" in the New Hampshire State House.

Ambassador John Gilbert Winant


Three term New Hampshire Governor and popular US envoy to England during World War II

Dedication of the Remodeled State House 1910


The Rumford Press, Concord NH 1911

Lane Dwinell


Speaker of the House, President of the Senate, Governor, US Assistant Secretary of State

Colonel Frank Knox


Colorful granite state newspaper baron, Rough Rider with Teddy Roosevelt, Secretary of the Navy during World War II

A Collection of Miscellaneous Volumes and Literature


New Hampshire's Unique Japanese Charitable Fund


Remembering the 1905 Treaty of Portsmouth that ended the Russo-Japanese War

Bridges House


Official Residence of New Hampshire Governors since 1969

New Hampshire First in the Nation Presidential Primary Scrapbook


New Hampshire' Presidential Primary became first in the nation in 1920, and has held that tradition to the present day.

New Hampshire's First in the Nation Presidential Primary Law


The story behind it as told by the sponsor

Restoration of Australian Sample Ballots from 1900 Presidential Election


Civil War Research


Vintage New Hampshire Party Tickets, 1863-1884


Before there were "Secret Ballots," everyone could know how you voted

Guide to Archives


Mystery of the Legislature's Lost Scroll


1892 Historic New Hampshire Ballot Boxes


First 50 years of State Archives


1963-2013

The Year New Hampshire Became First in the Nation: 1920


Columnist Robert Novak on Legendary NH Senator Styles Bridges


With a video featuring Bridges biographer James J. Kiepper and Novak upon the publication of Styles Bridges, Yankee Senator, Phoenix Publishing, April 2001.

50th Anniversary Forum, Historic 1968 NH Primary


C-SPAN video of a forum commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1968 NH First-in-the Nation Presidential Primary, held at the State House, March 12, 2018, hosted by Secretary of State Bill Gardner.

Presentation of Portrait Honoring Former NH House Speaker George B. Roberts (1975-1980)


And dedication of the entry to the Legislative Office Building as "George B. Roberts Hall." October 25, 2019

Sample Ballots for the 100th Anniversary of the NH First in the Nation Presidential Primary


Candidates Who filed for President in the 100th Anniversary, NH First in the Nation Primary


February 11, 2020

Marilla M Ricker


New Hampshire's Womans Rights Pioneer

Life of Franklin Pierce


By Nathaniel Hawthorne, Boston: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, 1852

Governor Wesley Powell's Unique Inauguration


Conducted outside on a cold January day in 1959 (digitized 16 mm film)

Governor Frederick Smyth


The first to introduce Lincoln as "The Next President of the United States," to a crowd at Manchester, NH, March 1, 1860. By William M. Gardner

Retired NH Secretary of State Bill Gardner Speaks on Elections and Democracy


2022 Perkins Bass Visitor, Dartmouth College Nelson A Rockefeller Center, April 13, 2022

Histories of New Hampshire


A Ballot Recount Following the November, 2020 General Election


Conducted by the New Hampshire Secretary of State during the COVID pandemic of that year.

Stewart Lamprey and Water Peterson Discuss their Long Friendship


Walter Peterson House Speaker, 1965-1968, Governor, 1969-1973 Stewart Lamprey House Speaker 1959-1964, President of the Senate, 1965-1969, Deputy Assistant US Secretary of Commerce 1969-1970

Martin Alonzo Haynes: NH Congressman, Newspaperman, Earnest Civil War Historian, Master Printer


Information for State Agencies

How to Create a Transfer List


How to Pack a Box for Archives and Records


How to Read Retention Codes


How to Request, Return, and Send Items to Archives


Retention Authorization Form


State of New Hampshire Transfer List (Form RM-120) Template


Managing Government Records


Introduction to Records and Information Management Training Presentation


Council of State Archivists (CoSA)

General Records Destruction Notification - December 31, 2022


Municipal Records Board

The N.H. Municipal Records Board holds its authority under RSA 33-A. the New Hampshire General Court made provisions for the disposal of obsolete local records in 1967 (chapter 105). In 1977 (Chapter 358), the Legislature created the Municipal Records Board for the purpose of creating rules to update the list of disposable records.

In 1995, the Board issued a list of retention schedules which expired in August 2003. The board asked for an extension, which was approved through December 2004. Between 2001 and 2005, the Board undertook a comprehensive review of the 1995 schedules and prepared a major overhaul, attempting to clarify existing schedules, evaluate and approve new schedules recommended by local officials and finally, to codify the schedules in the statutes once again. House Bill 437 (Chapter 187) of the 2005 Session was passed and signed into law on June 20, 2005 and became effective on August 29, 2005.

N.H. Municipal Records Board Statute


Municipal Records Board Members
Under RSA 33-A: 4-a
Updated February 22, 2023

 

Name Organization Phone Email
Honorable David M. Scanlan Chair, N.H. Secretary of State 603-271-3242

Administration@sos.nh.gov

William H. Dunlap N.H. Historical Society 603-856-0601

bdunlap@nhhistory.org

Ashley Miller Secretary, N.H. State Archivist 603-271-2236

ashley.miller@sos.nh.gov

Michael York N.H. State Librarian 603-271-2397

michael.york@dncr.nh.gov

Ben Bynam,
Town of Hopkinton 
N.H. Tax Collectors Association  

asstclerkcollector@hopkinton-nh.gov

Pat Tucker,
Town of Ashland
N.H. City & Town Clerks Association  

ptucker@ashland.nh.gov

Daniel Langille,
City of Keene
N.H. Assoc. of Assessing Officials 603-352-2125

dlangille@ci.keene.nh.us

Kristin M. Kenniston N.H. State Registrar of Vital Records 603-271-4655

kristin.kenniston@sos.nh.gov

Mary Walter,
City of Claremont
Municipal Treasurer,
appointed by N.H. Municipal Assoc.
603-542-7014

finance@claremontnh.com

[vacant] Appointed by Governor & Council    
Michelle Stahl,
Monadnock Center for History & Culture
Association of N.H. Historical Societies 603-924-3235

director@monadnockcneter.org

Bruce K. Kneuer N.H. Dept of Revenue Administration 603-230-5953

bruce.kneuer@dra.nh.gov

Justin Ober N.H. State Records Manager 603-271-2236 justin.ober@sos.nh.gov

 

Managing Government Records Into The Future


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