A good many genealogical searches are stopped cold because a name suddenly disappears from the records, or because one person seemingly and inexplicably becomes two. An elusive Massachusetts forebear, however, need not present an insoluble problem, for 16,000 Massachusetts residents who underwent changes of name between 1780 and 1892 are identified in this book. Persons referred to are listed under county of residence and thereunder chronologically by year and month of decree. The information given includes the person's original name, the name decreed, the exact date of the decree, and the place of residence. All persons whose names were changed by reason of adoption are cited with asterisks.