List of Massachusetts counties

This is a list of Massachusetts counties:

1. Barnstable County: one of three original counties created in the Plymouth Colony in 1685. County seat: Barnstable.
2. Berkshire County: formed in 1761 from part of Hampshire County. County seat: Pittsfield.
3. Bristol County: one of three original counties created in the Plymouth Colony in 1685. County seats: Taunton and Fall River.
4. Dukes County: formed in 1695 from Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands, which had been part of Dukes County, New York until Massachusetts gained it in 1691. County seat: Edgartown.
5. Essex County: one of four original counties created in Massachusetts in 1643. County seats: Salem and Lawrence.
6. Franklin County: formed in 1811 from part of Hampshire County. County seat: Greenfield.
7. Hampden County: formed in 1812 from part of Hampshire County. County seat: Springfield.
8. Hampshire County: formed in 1662 from the western part of Massachusetts. County seat: Northampton.
9. Middlesex County: one of four original counties created in Massachusetts in 1643. County seats: Cambridge and Lowell.
10. Nantucket County: formed in 1695 from Nantucket Island which had been part of Dukes County, New York until Massachusetts gained it in 1691. County seat: Nantucket.
11. Norfolk County*: formed in 1793 from part of Suffolk County. County seat: Dedham.
12. Plymouth County: one of three original counties created in the Plymouth Colony in 1685. County seats: Plymouth and Brockton.
13. Suffolk County: one of four original counties created in Massachusetts in 1643. County seat: Boston.
14. Worcester County: formed in 1731 from parts of Hampshire County, Middlesex County, and Suffolk County. County seats: Worcester and Fitchburg.

*The original Norfolk County was formed in 1643 and included the territory in Massachusetts north of the Merrimack River and west of the district of Maine. In 1679 the county was eliminated when most of the county became part of the colony of New Hampshire and the remainder was added to Essex County. It was unconnected to the current Norfolk County.

Defunct counties

1. Cumberland County formed in 1760 from part of York County. Transferred to Maine in 1820.
2. Devonshire County formed in 1674 from unorganized land in the Maine District. Abolished in 1675.
3. Hancock County formed in 1789 from part of Lincoln County. Transferred to Maine in 1820.
4. Kennebec County formed in 1799 from part of Lincoln County. Transferred to Maine in 1820.
5. Lincoln County formed in 1760 from part of Yorkshire County. Transferred to Maine in 1820.
6. Norfolk County one of four original counties created in Massachusetts in 1643. Abolished in 1679.
7. Oxford County formed in 1805 from parts of Cumberland County and York County. Transferred to Maine in 1820.
8. Penobscot County formed in 1816 from part of Hancock County. Transferred to Maine in 1820.
9. Somerset County formed in 1809 from part of Kennebec County. Transferred to Maine in 1820.
10. Washington County formed in 1789 from part of Lincoln County. Transferred to Maine in 1820.
11. York County formed in 1652 from unorganized land in the Maine District with the name Yorkshire County. Suspended in 1664. Reinstated in 1668 as York County. Eliminated in 1680. Reinstated in 1691. Transferred to Maine in 1820.

See also

• List of extinct U.S. counties

Source

http://www.negenealogy.com/ma/ma_maps/ma_cf.htm