Birth, marriage and death records are just a short walk away in the Town Clerk's office (43 South Washington Street). Land deeds and probate records are available at the Bristol County Courthouse on Court Street in Taunton (508-823-6588). Another good source of family information are the US Census records at the US Census Center in Waltham, Massachusetts. To search the Sun Chronicle obituaries (after 2000) use the search feature on their site. Several of the Vital Records to 1850 have been digitized.
The Pace Genealogical Collection, at the Boyden Public Library in Foxboro (508-543-1245), is available for researching the history of local families. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) maintain extensive genealogical records at their headquarters in Utah, but the church in Franklin -- 91 Jordan Street (508-553-0977) -- has a Family History Center with a computer link the public is able to use. Please call ahead for information and hours.
For involved genealogical searches, we recommend that people use two of the best resources in the country that are both within an hour of the library: The New England Historic Genealogical Society Research Library at 99 Newbury Street in Boston (888-296-3447) and The Rhode Island Historical Society Library at 121 Hope Street in Providence (401-273-8107) are well respected and have superlative collections of research materials for family history.
In Woonsocket, RI, the American French Genealogical Society (78 Earle St.; 401-765-6141) has copies of Canadian parish records not otherwise found in the United States.
The Massachusetts State Archives at Columbia Point in Dorchester has the accumulated past records of inmates in jails and asylums. It also has immigration records for East Coast ports north of Philadelphia from Colonial Times to the present.
For an overview on using ships passenger lists to search for your ancestors, with other research tips and tools for tracing and building your family's lineage, go to Researching Your Family's History from Ships Passenger Lists.
Also try these websites: