Research the Collection
Begin your search by browsing our finding aids, online historical collections, and the Minuteman Library Network catalog. A finding aid provides a detailed overview of an individual collection. Finding aids to our collections are listed below. Print finding aids are also available in the repository.
Digital collections can be found with the following resources:
Finding Aids
Collection List by Call Number
- 2002.001 Lincoln Buildings Collection
- 2002.002 Drumlin Farm Collection
- 2002.003 DeCordova and Dana Museum Collection
- 2002.004 Lincoln Center Photograph Collection
- 2002.005 Isabelle Peirce Collection
- 2002.006 Nelson Family Papers
- 2002.007 Codman Community Farm Collection
- 2002.008 Lincoln 4-H Clubs Collection
- 2003.001 Lincoln Gravestone Photographs
- 2003.002 Henry Kane Photograph Collection
- 2003.003 Ed Williams Photograph Collection
- 2003.004 Inheritance Photograph Collection
- 2003.005 Ruth Williams Photograph Collection
- 2003.006 Ted Polumbaum Collection
- 2003.007 Keeping Traditions Alive Transcripts
- 2003.008 Lincoln Post Office Collection
- 2003.009 Farrar Family Collection
- 2003.01 French Family Collection
- 2003.011 Joshua Child Collection
- 2003.012 First Parish Collection
- 2003.013 Unitarian Society Collection
- 2003.014 St. Anne’s Parish Collection
- 2003.015 Town of Lincoln, Administrative Records
- 2003.016 Town of Lincoln, Town Clerk Records
- 2003.017 Town of Lincoln, Military Records
- 2003.018 Town of Lincoln, Public Assistance Records
- 2003.019 Town of Lincoln, Water Department Records
- 2003.02 Town of Lincoln, Collectors Records
- 2003.021 Town of Lincoln, Assessors Records
- 2003.022 Town of Lincoln, Treasurer Records
- 2003.023 Town of Lincoln, Board of Health Records
- 2003.024 Town of Lincoln, Public Works Records
- 2003.025 Town of Lincoln, Planning Board Records
- 2003.026 Town of Lincoln, School Records
- 2003.027 Town of Lincoln, Environmental Records
- 2003.028 Town of Lincoln, Financial Records
- 2003.029 Town of Lincoln, Public Safety Records
- 2003.03 Town of Lincoln, Council on Aging Records
- 2003.031 Town of Lincoln, Miscellaneous Records
- 2003.032 Town of Lincoln, Litigation Records
- 2003.033 Town of Lincoln, Historical Commission Records
- 2003.034 Lincoln Public Library Records
- 2003.035 Bemis Free Lecture Series and Lincoln Lyceum Records
- 2003.036 Lincoln Aid Society of the Waltham Hospital Records
- 2003.037 Lincoln Cemeteries Collection
- 2003.038 Lincoln Mohawks Collection
- 2003.039 Lincoln Garden Club Collection
- 2003.04 League of Women Voters of Lincoln Collection
- 2003.041 Powers-Floyd Tinware Manuscript
- 2003.042 Olive Floyd Flower Collection
- 2003.043 Hoover House Photograph Collection
- 2003.044 Miscellaneous Lincoln Organization Records
- 2003.045 Wesson and Smith Family Papers
- 2003.046 Volkert Geography Paper
- 2003.047 Smith Family Manuscript
- 2003.048 Hartwell Farmstead Manuscript
- 2003.049 Youth Activities Records
- 2003.05 Manuscript Records Collection
- 2003.051 Lincoln Fire Department Collection
- 2003.052 Mount Misery Manuscript
- 2003.053 Pierce Park Report
- 2003.054 Lincoln Conservation Lands Papers
- 2003.055 Lincoln Founding Families Collection
- 2003.056 Lincoln Snapshot Collection
- 2003.057 Lincoln Family Records Collection
- 2003.058 Personal Reminiscences Collection
- 2003.059 Lincoln 4th of July Photograph Collection
- 2003.06 Lincoln 200th Anniversary Collection
- 2003.061 Lincoln Events/Observations Collections
- 2003.062 Lincoln Personages Collection
- 2003.063 Miscellaneous Lincoln Family Papers
- 2003.064 Lincoln, Mass./U.S.A. Bicentennial Collection
- 2003.065 Tarbell Family Collection
- 2003.066 Stone Family Collection
- 2004.001 Lincoln Scrapbook Collection
- 2004.002 Farrar Historical Houses Manuscript
- 2004.003 Old Brooks Road Manuscript
- 2004.004 Preston Papers
- 2004.005 Miscellaneous Journals
- 2004.006 Wheeler Family Papers
- 2004.007 Miscellaneous Photographs Collection
- 2004.008 World War II Civil Defense Collection
- 2004.009 Burnham/Olmsted Drawings Collection
- 2004.01 Baker Family Genealogical Collection
- 2004.011 Smith/Sandy Pond Collection
- 2004.012 Civil War Collection
- 2004.013 Land Court Records
- 2004.014 Lincoln Authors Collection
- 2004.015 Images of Lincoln Collection
- 2004.016 Clement Cleveland Sawtell Diaries
- 2004.017 Boy Scout Excursion Records
- 2004.018 Lincoln Historical Society Records
- 2005.002 Town Buildings Program Transcriptions
- 2005.003 Lincoln Minute Men Collection
- 2005.004 Henry Higginson House National Register Documents
- 2005.005 Helen L. Hall Collection
- 2005.006 Bemis/Wheeler Collection
- 2005.007 Hatheway Family Photograph Collection
- 2006.001 Second Precinct Historical Documents Collection
- 2006.002 Jane Langton Papers
- 2006.003 Vanderhoof Hardware Store Booklet
- 2006.005 Agricultural Maps Collection
- 2006.012 Cold War Civil Defense Collection
- 2006.013 St. Joseph’s Parish Collection
- 2007.001 Battle Road Critique
- 2007.003 Reminiscences of Mary Macomber Leue Collection
- 2007.004 Miriam Sweet Coombs Collection
- 2007.005 Lincoln 250th Anniversary Collection
- 2007.006 Ruth Barbarow Collection
- 2008.003 Lincoln by Lincoln Collection
- 2008.004 Lincoln Library Trustees Records
- 2008.005 Peg Grason Papers
- 2008.006 Baker Bridge Train Accident Collection
- 2008.007 Lincoln Library Planning Collection
- 2008.008 Elizabeth Little Papers
- 2008.009 Vital Records Collection, 1844-1876
- 2010.001 Flint-Chapin Collection
- 2011.002 Lincoln Players Collection
- 2012.001 Lincoln Building Survey – Mass. Historical Commission
- 2023.001 Flint-Chapin Family Collection II
- 2025.003 Get Real: Green Energy Committee
- 2025.006 Lincoln Land Development
- 2025.008 Lincoln250
- 2025.010 Donaldson Collection
- 2025.011 The Dakins Of Concord
- 2026.001 Weston Wesson Collection
- 2026.002 Glass Objects Collection
- 2026.006 Lincoln/Lincolnshire, England Collection
- 2026.008 Friends of the Library
- 2026.009 Berger Collection
- 2026.013 Cold War Civil Defense Collection
- 2026.014 Robert Lemire Papers
Buildings/Houses
- Lincoln Buildings Collection
- Burnham Estate
- Olmsted Drawings Collection
- Codman Farm
- Farrar Historical Houses Manuscript (finding aid) (view manuscript online)
- Hartwell Farmstead
- Henry Hoover House Photograph Collection
- Historic Building Street Index
- Historical Commission Surveys (summary) (item list)
- Inheritance (book) Photograph Collection
- Lincoln Land Development
- Miscellaneous Photos
- Ruth Williams’ Photos
- Smith-Sandy Pond
- Town Buildings Program Transcription
- Vault Flat Files Inventory
Families
- Baker Genealogy
- Bemis/Wheeler Collection
- Clement C. Sawtell Diaries
- Donaldson Collection
- Eleazer Brooks Papers (summary) (item list) (view scrapbook online)
- Elizabeth Little Papers
- Farrar Family (finding aid) (view album/scrapbook online)
- French Family
- Hatheway Family Photo Collection
- Helen L. Hall Collection
- Isabelle Peirce Collection
- Jane Langton Papers (summary) (item list)
- Joshua Child Collection (finding aid) (view collection online)
- Keeping Tradition Alive Transcript Collection (finding aid) (pdfs)
- Lincoln Authors
- Lincoln Family Records (finding aid) (pdfs)
- Lincoln Founding Families
- Lincoln Personages Collection
- Miriam Sweet Coombs Collection
- Miscellaneous Family Papers
- Miscellaneous Journals (finding aid) (view Goss Diary online) (view Chapin Diary online)
- Nelson Family (finding aid) (view collection online)
- Olive Floyd Flower Collection
- Personal Reminiscences
- Powers-Floyd Tinware Manuscript
- Reminiscences of Mary Macomber Leue Collection
- Ruth Barbarow Collection
- Smith Family
- Stone Family
- Tarbell Family
- Vault File Cabinet Inventory
- Wesson and Smith Family Papers
- Wheeler Family Papers
Places/Institutions
- Agricultural Maps Collection
- Conservation Lands (finding aids) (pdfs)
- DeCordova and Dana Museum
- Drumlin Farm
- Ed L. Williams Photographs
- Mt. Misery (finding aid) (pdfs)
- Images of Lincoln
- Lincoln Cemeteries
- Lincoln Center Photograph Collection
- Lincoln Gravestone Photos
- Old Brooks Road
- Pierce Park Report
- Lincoln Snapshot Collection
- Vanderhoof Hardware Store Booklet
- Vault Atlas Inventory
- Vault Flat Files Inventory
- Volkert Geography Paper
Organizations
- Boy Scout Excursions
- First Parish
- Friends of the Lincoln Library
- Garden Club
- Lincoln Mohawks
- League of Women Voters
- Lincoln 4-H Clubs
- Lincoln Aid Society of the Waltham Hospital
- Lincoln Historical Society Records
- Lincoln Minute Men Collection
- Lincoln Players Collection (summary) (item list)
- Lincoln Post Office
- Miscellaneous Lincoln Organization Records
- Preston Papers
- St. Anne’s Parish
- St. Joseph’s Parish
- Unitarian Society
- Youth Activities Records
Town Departments
- Administrative Records (finding aid) (view Book of Records 1746 – 1810)
- Assessors’ Records
- Board of Health Records
- Collector’s Records
- Council on Aging
- Environmental Records
- Financial Records
- Fire Department
- Historical Commission Records (Summary) (Inventory)
- Manuscript Records Collection – Financial Records
- Planning Board Records
- Public Assistance Records
- Public Library
- Public Library Planning Collection
- Public Library Trustees Records (summary) (item list)
- Public Safety
- Schools
- Public Works
- Town Clerk
- Town of Lincoln Misc. Records
- Town Offices Records
- Treasurer’s Records (finding aid) (view Treasurer’s Accounts 1755 – 1859 online)
- Vault File Cabinet Inventory
- Vital Records Collection 1844-1876 (finding aid) (view 1754-1875 Vital Records online)
- Water Department
Events
Legal / Court Records
Lincoln Archives PDFs
Below are various PDFs of documents that are housed in the Lincoln Library Vault.
What’s in a name? 10 of the most recognizable names in Lincoln, Massachusetts
- Hartwell, Flint, Baker, DeCordova, Smith, Brooks, Bemis, Pierce, Codman, Farrar (Concord Journal, wickedlocal.com, September 3, 2009; accessed February 10, 2023.)
Pierce House and Park
- 1931 Report: 2003.053.1.1 Places/Institutions, Pierce Park Report
- 1974 Report: 2002.001.2.1.6 Box 1 Folder 26
- 1980 Mass. Historical Commission Listing: L.H.R. 974.44 LINCOLN MHC Vol. 7 (2002.001.3.85 Box 3 Folder 123)
- Relevant Documents from Wills & Deeds: VAULT 974.44 LINCOLN Lincoln
- Photos (find 3 more recent in 2002.001.2.2 Box 5):
- 2004.007.2.19 Pierce Park, winter and summer views : 8 x 10 in. copy prints / 1986.
- 2001.007.2.20
- 2004.007.4.7 (negative) Pierce residence from Weston Road : 8 x 9 in. negative / n.d
- 2002.001.1.2.27 Box 4 J. H. Pierce house, landscaped park, Weston Road ; photographs of historic district : photographic print, 8 x 10 in. / Ruth Williams, ca. 1984.
Three episodes of Lincoln History of Ruth Robinson Wheeler
Lincoln Conservation Lands Papers
Old Brooks Road
Battle Road Critique
Report on a Survey of Parent Satisfaction with the Brooks School by Stephen Low
Online Collections
The Lincoln Town Archives is in the process of adding local historical items to the Lincoln Town Archives Digital Collections, Internet Archive, and Digital Commonwealth. These works are searchable and we hope will provide greater access for our patrons.
Town Records
- Book of Records of the Precinct set off from Concord, Lexington, and Weston, including petition to set off the Precinct, Precinct records, and early Town of Lincoln records : ledger, not paginated / 1746-1810. (2003.015.1.1)
- Financial Section & Warrant for Annual Town Meeting – 2002 – 2017 on Internet Archive
- Reports from 1871 – 2016 on Internet Archive
- Militia Company, 1796 – 1838
- Treasurer’s Accounts 1755 – 1788
- Treasurer’s Accounts 1788 – 1806
- Treasurer’s Accounts 1806 – 1859
- Vital Records 1754 – 1811
- Vital Records 1811 – 1845
- Vital Records 1844 – 1875
Other Collections
- Pierce Genealogy – 1834
- Handwritten account of the Pierce Family history with names, dates of birth, marriage and death.
- Eleazer Brooks Scrapbook
- Deeds (Middlesex County), military commissions, and other legal documents, pew rents, correspondence, estate inventories, and other papers, of and relating to Eleazer Brooks (ca. 1740s-ca. 1790s), Revolutionary militia officer and local politician, of Lincoln, Mass., with the bulk of the papers concerning the Revolutionary War period, including New Hampshire 40 shilling notes, redeemable after 1780.
- James Lorin Chapin Private Journal
- Town Clerk and Selectman Chapin’s journal from July 19th 1848 to Nov. 26th 1850
- Joshua Child Collection
- Joshua worked as a farmer, weaver, and trader and served as a constable and selectman for the Town of Lincoln. Two of his sons served as Lincoln Minute Men on April 19, 1775. The collection comprises deeds, wills, correspondence, and other financial and legal documents from the mid-18th to the mid-19th century.
- Farrar Historical Houses Manuscript, c. 1935
- Photographs of historical Lincoln houses constructed ca. 1700-1835 and lists of past home owners; on Digital Commonwealth.
- See the photos
- Flip through the manuscript
- The Fence Viewer
- “Published weekly for the towns of Sudbury and Lincoln.” Digital images are for issues from September 12, 1959 through June 27, 1968. (Microfilm images available at the library continue through December 26, 1974.)
- The Lincoln Review
- Dedicated to publishing pieces about Lincoln for Lincolnites from 1977-2018
- Isabelle Peirce Collection, 1840-1870
- Includes twenty-six letters written between 1850-1866, between Isabelle and her husband William, who was serving in the Civil War. On Digital Commwealth
- Mary W. Goss Diary
- Daily entries from January 7, 1846 through February, and scattered entries for March; with poetry and religious writings through the last half of the volume.
- Nelson Family Collection
- Deeds and other documents relating to property acquired by the Nelson family in the 18th and early 19th century, with financial records relating to Joseph Nelson’s occupation as a housewright.
- Lincoln Town Archives Website
- A work in progress: new images, collections and exhibits are being added gradually.
- Lincoln Town Archives on Digital Commonwealth
- A selection of municipal records, manuscripts, books, photographs, audio-visual materials, and other ephemera documenting the history of Lincoln from 1746 to the present.
- Explore historical collections from libraries, museums, and archives across Massachusetts
- A non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, and more
- Here you’ll find a collection of articles and images about Lincoln, Massachusetts.
Community Collections
Community collections are created by community groups with the purpose of documenting Lincoln’s history.
Photographic Record of the Pre-1900 Gravestones in Lincoln
- A Photographic Record of the Pre-1900 Gravestones in Historic Burial Sites of Lincoln, Mass
Assembled by the 2004 Lincoln Cemetery Commissioners: Manley Boyce, Martha DeNormandie, & Ann Janes. Photographs by Fred Tingley.
