Massachusetts law, and the Commonwealth’s Voter Registration system, require each Town or City Clerk’s Office to confirm the identity of every person residing in town at the beginning of each year. To gather that information, town censuses are collected annually. Residents of all ages are included in the census regardless of whether they are registered to vote, or how long they have resided in the town.

The Town Census is mailed to all known households in late January and the information provided on the returns is published each Spring in the form of an annual Street Listing. Census information collected for children sixteen and younger is protected by law and omitted from published Street Listings.

The Southborough Town Clerk’s Office holds Street Listings dating from 1939 to the present. While the type and amount of information collected vary from year to year, the majority of Street Lists include the name and address of each resident, their ward and precinct, their place of residence in the previous year if different than the current year, their age or birth year, occupation, and nationality.

Street Lists from 1939-1956 are organized alphabetically by street, and by resident’s name thereunder. Lists from 1957 to present are cross referenced, and are organized both by address, and resident’s surname. The earliest listings include the names of each resident over 20 years old, and more contemporary Street Lists provide the names of each resident over 17.