The Topsfield, Massachusetts, town records contain select records from the town of Topsfield from the seventeenth through the early twentieth centuries, including town offices and committees, town and military records, private business records, materials about individuals' deed and houses, and some other miscellaneous topics. All of the volumes in this collection have maintained their original number from the donor and lender; the following volume numbers do not exist: 10, 62, 76, 90, 92, 93, 94, and 95. Some of the material is available on microfilm. A portion of the collection has mold on it. While most of the mold appears to be inactive, there is some black mold on items found in the flat files, and while the moldy items have been sleeved, individuals with sensitivity to mold should use caution while working with this collection. This collection has been divided into six series.

Series I. Town Offices and Committees contains materials on the various town offices that make up the government of Topsfield, which include selectmen, treasurer, town clerk, schools, assessors, and finance committee. Some of the materials appear to have been bound in a binder together, as they have two uniform holes at the tops of them; these items have been filed in the appropriate place. This series has been divided into six subseries. Subseries A. Selectmen contains correspondence, town warrants, petitions, perambulations, receipts, insurance policies, and bonds. These papers were originally arranged in packages without an identifiable order, so a chronological order was imposed on them. Also included in this subseries are record books and payment authorization books. Subseries B. Treasurer contains materials from the office of the town treasurer, including office holder bonds, treasurer's orders, receipts, and correspondence. Also included in this subseries are account and record books, records of payments, and other logs. Subseries C. Town Clerk contains bound transcripts of the town clerk books for 1809 through 1850, which were originally transcribed by the Conservation Works Administration in 1933 under the supervision of George Francis Dow. At the time, it was not possible to publish the material in 1933, so a surviving carbon copy was typed to provide a few reading copies. These transcripts are divided into two volumes. Also included in this subseries is correspondence, notices, voter and ballot information, and record books. Subseries D. Schools contains teacher recommendations, school committee reports, expenditures, and other miscellaneous papers. There are also school committee record and meeting minute books. Subseries E. Assessors contains assessed values and requests for assessments of properties and other related materials. Also included in this subseries are two assessors' books, and property appraisals and census information for tax returns. Subseries F. Finance Committee contains a town finance committee report for 1944, and a log book from the committee.

Series II. Town Records contains the records from various town activities, such as tax and demographic records, pauper registry/overseers of the poor, charters, proprietor records, highways and roads, and telephone pole records. This series has been divided into seven subseries. Subseries A. Tax Records contains tax warrants, invoices bills, and statements. Volumes in this subseries include tax lists, tax books, and collection books. Subseries B. Demographic Records contains the records of marriage intentions and certificates, communicable and contagious diseases, and death certificates. Also included in this subseries is a verbatim transcript of the first book of town records of births, marriages, and deaths from 1645 to 1740, which was transcribed in 1878. Within the marriage certificates is a folder with marriages of Topsfield residents from the 1700s who were married in other towns, but that were recorded in Topsfield the mid-1800s. Subseries C. Pauper Registry/ Overseers of the Poor papers contain account and record books from the Overseers of the Poor, pauper registries, and other related papers. Included in this subseries is correspondence to the Overseers of the Poor, poor house records, and records binding children to service. Volumes include an account book of the supervisor of the poor farm, overseers' notebook and records, and pauper registries. Subseries D. Charters and Writs contains charters granted by King William and Queen Mary, a volume of perpetual laws of Massachusetts, a journal of the House of Representatives, and writs. Subseries E. Proprietor contains account books for Topsfield, Stickey Meadows, and Common Land. Subseries F. Highways and Roads contains highway limits, taxes, and a highway book. Subseries G. Telephone Poles and Electricity Records contains materials relating to the installation and relocation of telephone poles, electric wires, and lights. This includes requests from the telephone companies to the town clerk and board of selectmen to install and/or relocate telephone poles and wires, and requests or notices that repairs are going to be performed. Also included in this subseries are blueprints of streets and proposed telephone pole locations, the installation and repair of lights and electric wires for telegraphs and railroads, pole locations, and permits.

Series III. Town Military Records contains materials from the American Revolutionary War, the American Civil War, and World War I. This series has been divided into two subseries. Subseries A. Revolutionary War contains materials from the American Revolutionary War. The majority of the materials have "'Rev"' with a number in pencil written on the top right corner; these materials were once part of a scrapbook; the items have been left in numerical order. For a detailed inventory of the items removed from the scrapbook, see Appendix I. Subseries B. Civil War and World War I contains pension books and family support books from the Civil War, and personnel books from the Civil War and World War I. It also contains transcribed civil war records of enlistments and deaths of Topsfield men; it is not known where the originals are located. Also included in this subseries is a broadside listing the names of men subject to the draft. Some of these materials have a number in pencil written on the top right corner; these items have been left in numberical order, and the inventory has been placed in the control file. Item number one is missing.

Series IV. Private Businesses contains records from some privately owned stores, sales, mortgages, and trust funds. This series has been divided into three subseries. Subseries A. General Store Records contains general store record books and a day book. Subseries B. Mortgage Records contains personal property mortgage books, and loose mortgages and deeds. Also included in this subseries are pew rights. Subseries C. Trust Funds includes a trust fund book and journal.

Series V. Individuals, Deeds, and Houses [WPA Transcripts] contains materials on individuals, personal deeds, land, and houses. The majority is a collection of transcripts that appear to have been created by Works Progress Administration workers (WPA) during the Great Depression, probably as part of the Historical Records Survey. The original materials are most likely located with the town of Topsfield. The transcripts are of deeds and other land related materials, with some family histories, and have been arranged according to family name. At the end of the series is a folder labeled "'Bi monthly project inspection report"' which contains what appear to be notes about the project and the families whose papers were included in the project.

Series VI. Other contains histories of the town of Topsfield, common lands books, burial ground family plots, Sunday school attendance records, a liquor agent book, records on dogs, and an index of instruments. Also included are wills and deeds for the Lamson family of Topsfield, newspapers with mentions of the town of Topsfield in them, and some Kodachrome slides of what appear to be a scrapbook.