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About Lynn

Lynn, Massachusetts, USA - Lynn, Massachusetts, USA - Lydia E. Pinkhams Vegetable Compound Made in Lynn, MA  Lydia Estes Pinkham (February 9, 1819 – May 17, 1883) was an iconic concocter and shrewd ma
Lynn, Essex, Massachusetts, USA

An early colonial settlement and industrial center, Lynn was long colloquially referred to as the "City of Sin," owing to its historic reputation for crime and vice.
kids.kiddle.co

Lynn includes: Highlands, Lakeside, Lynnhurst, Raddins, Wyoma, and Glenmere (East Lynn).
Source netronline.com/mass_lookup.htm
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VINTAGE LYNN

Lynn Nostalgia: Vintage Photos, Ads, and Postcards

Lynn, Massachusetts, USA - Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound
Made in Lynn, MA

Lydia Estes Pinkham (February 9, 1819 – M
Lynn, Massachusetts, USA
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Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound
Made in Lynn, MA

Lydia Estes Pinkham (February 9, 1819 – May 17, 1883) was an iconic concocter and shrewd marketer of a commercially successful herbal-alcoholic "women's tonic" meant to relieve menstrual and menopausal pains. Although Pinkham's Vegetable Compound sold well to the general public, it was regarded by health experts as quackery... wikipedia

Found at Old Drugstore, St Augustine, Florida
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Lynn, Massachusetts, USA - St. Mary's Church, School and Rectory

St. Mary’s Church, School, and Rectory in Lynn, MA, are key
Lynn, Massachusetts, USA
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St. Mary's Church, School and Rectory

St. Mary’s Church, School, and Rectory in Lynn, MA, are key parts of the local Catholic community. The church, built in the mid-1800s, features beautiful architecture and stained glass, serving as a place of worship. The school, originally a parochial institution, now offers education from preschool through high school and operates independently since 2006. The rectory houses the parish clergy and supports church activities. Together, they have been central to Lynn’s spiritual and educational life for generations.
Lynn, Massachusetts, USA - Elastic Stockings

Curtis & Spindell Co.
38 Wyman Block
Lynn, Mass.

The Ladies' Home Journal
Lynn, Massachusetts, USA
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Elastic Stockings

Curtis & Spindell Co.
38 Wyman Block
Lynn, Mass.

The Ladies' Home Journal
April 1898

Curtis & Spindell Co. was a manufacturing company based in Lynn, Massachusetts, located at 38 Wyman Block. In the late 19th century, the company was known for producing elastic stockings, abdominal supporters, and rubber goods. Their products were advertised in publications such as The Black Cat and The Ladies' Home Journal, indicating a focus on women's health and comfort.
Lynn, Massachusetts, USA - Washington Square showing Oxford and Women's Clubs, Lynn, Mass.
Lynn, Massachusetts, USA
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Washington Square showing Oxford and Women's Clubs, Lynn, Mass.
Lynn, Massachusetts, USA - Lynn Beach, State Bath House, Lynn, Mass.

Lynn Beach, part of the Lynn Shore Reservation on Lynn
Lynn, Massachusetts, USA
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Lynn Beach, State Bath House, Lynn, Mass.

Lynn Beach, part of the Lynn Shore Reservation on Lynn Shore Drive, is a scenic stretch of sandy coastline in Lynn, Massachusetts. It’s set beside a historic seaside parkway built in the early 1900s and offers sweeping views of Nahant Bay, Egg Rock Island, and the Boston skyline.
Lynn, Massachusetts, USA - Central Square. Lynn, Mass.
Lynn, Massachusetts, USA
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Central Square. Lynn, Mass.
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Lynn, Massachusetts, USA - City Hall. Lynn, Mass.

In the early 1900s, Lynn City Hall in Massachusetts was a grand, red-brick
Lynn, Massachusetts, USA
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City Hall. Lynn, Mass.

In the early 1900s, Lynn City Hall in Massachusetts was a grand, red-brick Victorian structure with a prominent clock tower, built in the 1880s. It served as the center of city government and reflected the industrial prosperity of Lynn, known then for its booming shoe industry.
Lynn, Massachusetts, USA - Lynn R. R. Station

In the early 1900s, the railroad station in Lynn, Massachusetts, was a bustlin
Lynn, Massachusetts, USA
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Lynn R. R. Station

In the early 1900s, the railroad station in Lynn, Massachusetts, was a bustling, multi-track hub on the Eastern Railroad (later part of the Boston & Maine). The station was a substantial brick and stone structure with a prominent clock tower, arched windows, and covered platforms. It served commuters, factory workers, and vacationers headed to nearby seaside resorts.
Lynn, Massachusetts, USA - Ocean Street
Lynn, Massachusetts, USA
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Ocean Street
Lynn, Massachusetts, USA - Lynn and Nahant Roadway, The half-way Tree
postmarked 1906

The Half-Way Tree in Lynn, Massachuse
Lynn, Massachusetts, USA
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Lynn and Nahant Roadway, The half-way Tree
postmarked 1906

The Half-Way Tree in Lynn, Massachusetts, in the early 1900s was a well-known landmark located along Boston Street. It marked the halfway point between Salem and Boston, serving as a resting spot for travelers, particularly in colonial times. By the early 20th century, it remained a local point of pride and historical interest, though the original tree had long since died and was replaced with a commemorative marker.
Lynn, Massachusetts, USA - General Electric Works, Cor. Centre Street and Western Ave.
postmarked 1911

In the early 1900s,
Lynn, Massachusetts, USA
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General Electric Works, Cor. Centre Street and Western Ave.
postmarked 1911

In the early 1900s, the General Electric Works at the corner of Centre Street and Western Avenue in Lynn, Massachusetts, was a major industrial complex and a hub of electrical innovation. It specialized in manufacturing electric motors, generators, and other machinery, playing a key role in the development of the American electrical industry. The plant was one of GE's earliest and most important facilities, employing thousands and contributing significantly to Lynn’s growth as an industrial city.
Lynn, Massachusetts, USA - Olympia Theatre

The Olympia was opened on January 25, 1908. It was a live theatre with films at f
Lynn, Massachusetts, USA
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Olympia Theatre

The Olympia was opened on January 25, 1908. It was a live theatre with films at first, and also was renowned locally for its Sunday afternoon concerts at which famous classical music artistes performed. A number of stars appeared there. Later, it featured movies only. It closed on October 7, 1952 and was then demolished to provide parking for Anthony’s Hawthorne Restaurant. cinematreasures.org
Lynn, Massachusetts, USA - Union Street
Lynn, Massachusetts, USA
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Union Street
Lynn, Massachusetts, USA -
Lynn, Massachusetts, USA
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"The Breakers" Lynn Shore Drive

The Breakers was a grand oceanfront estate known for its elegant architecture and commanding views of the Atlantic. Situated along the scenic, winding coastal road, it stood as a symbol of Lynn’s upscale resort era, when the city was a summer destination for Boston’s elite.
Lynn, Massachusetts, USA - Floating Bridge

The original bridge was constructed in the early 1800's as part of the Salem Turn
Lynn, Massachusetts, USA
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Floating Bridge

The original bridge was constructed in the early 1800's as part of the Salem Turnpike, the main highway from Boston to Salem. As with most bridges of this era it was a toll bridge. The lake here is rather wide and it really couldn't be constructed of spans with the limited technology of the era... so they constructed pontoons to float the plank deck...

Around 1926, because of complaints from lack of fire protection on the north side, the bridge was rebuilt this time with pilings... crazyasacoolfox.blogspot.com
Genealogy gifts & optional resources
OPTIONAL EXTRAS

Genealogy Gifts & Resources Related to LYNN

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LOCAL HISTORY

Discover Lynn: History, News, Travel, and Stories

Explore the events, newspaper stories, people, and moments that shaped Lynn through the years.

1629 - Lynn is settled and incorporated
1629 - The first tannery in the U.S. began operations in Lynn.
1839 - Lynn
Lynn, Massachusetts
Essex county. Lynn is one of the flourishing and beautiful towns in the state. It lies on a plain, surrounded by rising ground, except on the east, where it opens to Lynn bay, embracing the romantic peninsula of Nahant, with its beautiful beach, and Phillips' Point, both highly esteemed resorts for all classes of people;—the sick, the serious, and the gay. The soil of the town is fertile and well cultivated. It is watered by the river Saugus, the Indian name of the place. The town is neatly built on wide and pleasant streets, and contains a population of about 10,000. It lies 9 miles N.E. from Boston and 5 S.W. from Salem.

Lynn has risen to wealth and importance by the enterprise and industry of its people, in the manufacture of shoes, particularly for which, more than any other town in the country, it is justly celebrated. The manufacture of ladies' shoes was commenced here before the revolutionary war, and it is curious to observe the great changes that have...
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1845 - LYNN. [Pop. 9,369. Inc. 1637.]
Lynn, called Saugus by the Indians, was named after a town of the same name in England. The eastern part of Lynn still retains its original name of Swampscott.

Lynn is the oldest town in Essex County, except Salem; and it is still the second in size, although Saugus and Lynnfield, of Essex County, and Reading and South Reading, of Middlesex County, have been separated from it.

Nahant, a small rocky peninsula, connected to Lynn at the south by a beautiful beach, has, for twenty or thirty years, been the most fashionable watering-place in the vicinity of Boston. The first settlers kept their sheep and swine on it, because a slight fence across the beach or isthmus easily protected them from the wolves.

No town in the United States is so celebrated for the manufacture of boots and shoes.

Distance from Salem, 5 miles; from Boston, 9.
1854 - Lynn
Lynn, a city and seaport of Essex co., Massachusetts, on the Eastern railroad, 9 miles N. N. E. from Boston. Lat. 42° 27' 51" N.. Ion. 70° 67' 27" W. It is situated on the north-eastern shore of Massachusetts bay, in the midst of the most varied and picturesque scenery. The beaches and Nahant, in the vicinity, are noted places of resort, both for pleasure and health. Lynn was incorporated a city in 1850, and is handsomely built on wide and pleasant streets. The principal public edifices are the City Hall, Lyceum Hall, and the churches, of which there arc fifteen, of the various denominations. Among the institutions, the Society for the cultivation of Natural History deserves notice. It has a library, and a valuable collection of curiosities. An efficient system of education has been provided, similar to that generally adopted in the state. There are in the city an academy, a high- school, 9 principal, 6 intermediate, and 18 primary schools, besides several private ones. The press...
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1860 - February 22 – Shoe-making workers of Lynn, Massachusetts, strike successfully for higher wages. The strike spreads throughout New England and eventually involves 20,000 workers.
February 22, 1860
1875 - Lydia Pinkham, a Lynn resident, was the first woman to use her image to sell a product. The Lydia Pinkham Vegetable Compound.
lynnma.gov
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1885 - May 19 - 1st mass production of shoes (Jan Matzeliger in Lynn, Massachusetts)
Read more about Jan Ernst MATZELIGER photo of Jan Ernst MATZELIGER
1889 - Accidentally Shot Dead
LYNN, Mass., Nov. 27. - William F. Sartelle, of Worcester, Massachusetts, a performer in a dime museum here, was shot dead last night. He was performing a trick with a rifle, which he apparently loads with leaden bullets, and then requests some one to shoot at him, appearing to catch the bullet in his mouth. This time he failed to substitute a pasteboard bullet, and William Flannagan, who fired the gun, shot Sartelle dead.
Tyrone Daily Herald
Tyrone, Pennsylvania
November 30, 1889
1889 - $10,000,000 FIRE! A CITY GOES UP IN FLAMES. Lynn, Mass. Desolated. - Boston Subscribes Nearly a Million Dollars For the Sufferers.
Lynn, Mass, the city of shoes, was visited Tuesday afternoon by the greatest fire in its history and with two exceptions the conflagration is the most disastrous which ever visited New England. The exceptions are the great Boston fire of 1872, which destroyed between three and four hundred millions of dollars worth of property, and the Portland fire of 1866, which caused a loss of between ten and twelve millions. The fire started at 11.55 A. M. and raged over eight hours

DEVASTATING A SQUARE MILE
of the business section of the city and caused a loss estimated at ten millions. In fact the greater part of Ward 4 is wiped out as regards the important shoe manufacturing blocks and prominent places of business.

The fire started in Mower's wooden building on Almont street, over the boiler and spread with such rapidity that the excellent fire department of the city was powerless to cope with it. For eight hours the flames had full sway, the efforts of the fireman and citizens...
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Lynn Massachusetts, 1890
LYNN is a manufacturing town on the seaboard in the extreme southern part of Essex County, 11 miles northeast of Boston, with which it is connected by a street railway, and by the Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn Railroad and by the Eastern line of the Boston and Maine Railroad; the latter connecting it directly with the railroad systems north, east and south.

Lynn harbor opens on Broad Sound, in Massachusetts Bay. It is nearly half filled with flats, but through it run numerous channels, some of which are 15 feet in depth, and wide enough for easy towage.

Lynn is bounded on the north by Peabody and Salem, east by Swampscott and its harbor, on the south by its own harbor, and on the west by Saugus. The long peninsula of Nahant lies in the sea eastward; forming the eastern side of Lynn harbor. There is a considerable extent of beach on each side of the peninsula.

The assessed area of the city is 4,378 acres. The more densely occupied portion is about four miles in length along...
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1895 - Lynn
Lynn, a city and seaport of Essex co., Mass, is pleasantly situated on Massachusetts Bay, 10 miles N.N.E. of Boston, and 5 miles S.W. of Salem. Lat. 42° 27' 51" N.; lon. 70°57'27' W. It is about 2 miles from the peninsula of Nahant, a place of summer resort, and is connected with Boston and Salem by both steam and electric rail ways. It contains a handsome city hall, 36 churches, a free public library of 44,000 volumes, a very fine new high school building, 6 national banks, 2 savings-banks, and 2 safe deposit and trust companies. The combined capital of these is over $1,600,000, with deposits of about $6,000,000. Two daily and 3 weekly newspapers are published here. Lynn has long been celebrated for the manufacture of ladies' boots and shoes, large quantities of which are sold in the Western and Southern States, as well as sup plying a large export trade. The daily output averages more than 100,000 pairs, or over 30,000,000 pairs annually. The capital employed in this industry alone...
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1899 - SEIZED BY A LEOPARD. Lynn Boy Goes too Near the Cages at the Circus.
The next time the Forepaugh-Sells Brothers circus visits Lynn, Mass., Frank Ducey, a 10 year old boy, will not be so much interested in getting a near view of the leopard.

Frank was gazing at the animal when it sunk his sharp claws into the boy's face, and when the keeper sprang to the cage the leopard had both front paws through the bars and was holding the boy's head fast. The animal was struck several tremendous blows over the head before he released his hold on the boy, the latter all the time screaming at the top of his voice and the blood streaming down his face.

He was taken to the hospital, where it was necessary to cauterize the wounds, and it will probably be a long time before he fully recovers. Large pieces of flesh were torn from his face, neck and head by the claws of the animal.

The boy, in company with a number of others, visited the grounds where the circus exhibited, and was anxious to see the animals. The board on the cage containing several leopards was...
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1903 - NOT KNOWN HERE. Railroad Man Killed At Lynn Said To Belong In Portsmouth.
A Lynn dispatch of the 18th stated that a man named Moorehouse, an employe of the milk train, with his home at Portsmouth, was fatally injured on Thursday evening and later died at the Lynn hospital.

It stated that his family had been notified and the body would be sent to this city.

There is not such name as Moorehouse in the Portsmouth directory, and no one here seems to know anyone of that name.

At the depot they did not know of any man named Moorehouse who is employed on the cars.
Portsmouth Herald
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
June 19, 1903
1906 - William Thomas Grant opens his first "W. T. Grant Co. 25 Cent Store" in Lynn, Massachusetts
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1910 - AGED WOMAN BURNED TO DEATH AT LYNN
Lynn, Feb. 9. - While working around her kitchen range today the clothing of Mrs. Mary S. Coombs caught fire and before her niece, who heard her cries for help, could extinguish the flames, she had received burns which resulted in her death an hour later, Mrs. Coombs was 81 years of age.
The Boston Journal
Boston, Massachusetts
February 10, 1910
1916
Lynn, a city and seaport of Essex co., Mass., is pleasantly situated on Massachusetts Bay, 10 miles NE. of Boston, on the Boston and Maine and the Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn Rs. It is about 2 miles from the peninsula of Nahant. Lynn has long been celebrated for the manufacture of women's and children's boots and shoes, which employs the labor of over 200 factories and produces upward of 15,000,000 pairs annually, valued at nearly $30,000,000. The manufacture of leather (morocco) is an other large industry, as is likewise that of electric appliances, the value of the product in dynamos, lamps, motors, car-equipments, etc., amounting annually to many millions of dollars. The city contains a public library, a handsome city-hall, and a soldiers' monument. It has many hand some residences, especially on the east (or shore) side. The scenery in the vicinity is varied and picturesque. It has one of the largest natural pleasure-grounds in this country (more than 2000 acres), known as "...
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1923 - FIVE PERSONS DIE IN APARTMENT FIRE. TEN REPORTED MISSING WHEN ESSEX CASTLE HOUSE IS CONSUMED.
United Press

Lynn, Mass., April 19. - Five persons are known to have been killed, and ten are reported missing, in a fire in the Essex Castle Apartment House here.

The dead:
FRANK TOZIER, 42.
GEORGE PHILPOT, 32.
MRS. ANTOINETTE HANLOU.
MISS MARGARET NUTTER.
HARRY FAIRCHILD.

Police believe the persons unaccounted for probably escaped and took refuge in neighboring houses. They are searching the ruins for bodies, however.

The fire started on the second floor near the elevator shaft. All stairways were cut off. A score were saved by being carried down ladders. Several jumped into life nets.

ALFRED J. DORION, a fireman, saved two children who were dropped from an upper story by their mother. DORION was on a ladder when he caught the first child. A few seconds later the mother held her little girl out of the window and dropped her. DORION, leaning far back from his ladder, caught her with one hand.

The fireman, having passed the children down to safety, when called...
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1942 - The first Jet Airplane Engine in the U.S. was built at Lynn’s General Electric plant in 1942.
lynnma.gov
Here's a list of places to go and things to do in Lynn, Massachusetts:
Lynn Beach: Lynn boasts a beautiful stretch of coastline along the Atlantic Ocean. Lynn Beach is a popular spot for sunbathing, swimming, and taking leisurely walks along the shoreline. The beach is known for its soft sands and scenic views.

Lynn Woods Reservation: Lynn Woods is a vast, 2,200-acre municipal forest park that offers hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding trails. It's a fantastic place to explore nature and escape the hustle and bustle of the city. Don't miss the stunning Stone Tower at the summit, which provides panoramic views of the area.

High Rock Tower Observatory: Located within Lynn Woods Reservation, the High Rock Tower Observatory is an iconic Lynn landmark. You can climb to the top of the tower to enjoy breathtaking views of the city and beyond. It's a great spot for photography and a bit of history, as the tower was built in the late 19th century.

Lynn Heritage State Park: This park offers a glimpse into Lynn's industrial past. You can explore...
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GENEALOGY IN LYNN

Discover YOUR Roots: Lynn Ancestry

Explore ancestors connected to Lynn through births, deaths, marriages, cemeteries, and local genealogy resources.

BIRTHS & DEATHS

Ancestors Who Were Born or Died in Lynn, Massachusetts, USA

We currently have information about 496 ancestors who were born or died in Lynn.

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MARRIAGES

Ancestors Who Were Married in Lynn, Massachusetts, USA

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Updated: 6/15/2025 8:29:40 PM
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