Our Collections
Eastham Historical Society is home to a number of fascinating historical collections.
Eastham Historical Society is part of the Digital Commonwealth, a non-profit collaborative organization that provides resources and services to support the creation, management and dissemination of cultural heritage materials held by Massachusetts libraries, museums, historical societies and archives.
Two collections from Eastham Historical Society Archives are now posted on the site. Come to the EHS Archives Room, now located at the School House Museum, to see what is offered in our collection of the 108 booklets as well as other booklets by local authors; or order by emailing; easthamarchives@gmail.com.
The Margaret Bready Genealogy Collection
Margaret Bready was born Margaret Ethel Pearl on February 17, 1908 at home at Spring Street, Brockton, MA. Not much is known of her childhood or young adulthood. On July 14th, 1939 she was married in Taneytown, Caroll, Maryland by the Rev. Guy Bready, a relative of the groom, to Richard Hugh Bready, becoming his second wife. Richard Bready was the son of Rev. Russell Herbert and Mary Elizabeth (Richards) Bready.
Margaret and Richard had no children together. They moved in 1986 to Eastham, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. Margaret was 78 at the time. She spent the better part of the rest of her life compiling copious notes on genealogies of families associated with Eastham. Her accomplishment included family names of almost every letter of the alphabet, all handwritten by her personally. She died in Eastham on June 11, 1995, at the age of 87. This prolific “detective” of genealogy is the Eastham Historical Society’s main source for helping those who visit searching out their family ancestry
Follow the link to learn more about the Margaret Bready Genealogy Collection Volumes 1-20: https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/collections
The Library of Cape Cod History & Genealogy Collection
In 1967, the Eastham Historical Society acquired a collection known as the LIBRARY of CAPE COD HISTORY & GENEALOGY that had been published by C. W. SWIFT, Publisher and Printer in the early 1900s at Yarmouthport, MA. Pictured are three of those booklets & excerpts from each.
NICHOLAS SNOW “Nicholas Snow, one of the first seven who settled at Nausett, was a man of sterling worth and very prominent in the settlement. He came over from England, a passenger on the Ann, in the latter part of July, 1623, and at first located in the township of Plymouth, where he soon married. Booklet No. 32, Page 7
DEACON JOHN DOANE “After removing to this place in 1644 we find him actively and acceptably engaged in promoting the interests of the young town, of which he was one of the fathers and founders, being successively chosen to the highest offices in the gift of the town, and performing also important services abroad. Did any controversies arise, between the town and individuals, Deacon Doane was pretty sure to be placed at the head of a committee to settle the trouble.”
Booklet No. 51, Page 2 QUICK PASSAGES “In 1853 the ship Trade Wind of New York made the passage east, San Francisco to New York in 75 days” Booklet No. 24, Page 4.
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