THIS publication is issued under the authority of a vote passed by the NEW ENGLAND HISTORIC GENEALOGICAL Society, November 6, 1901, as follows:
Voted: That the sum of $20,000, from the bequest of the late Robert Henry Eddy, be set aside as a special fund to be called the Eddy Town-Record Fund, for the sole purpose of publishing the Vital Records of the towns of Massachusetts, and that the Council be authorized and instructed to make such arrangements as may be necessary for such publication. And the treasurer is hereby instructed to honor such drafts as shall be authorized by the Council for this purpose.
Committee on Publications- HENRY WINCHESTER CUNNINGHAM, FRANCIS EVERETT BLAKE, CHARLES KNOWLES BOLTON, DON GLEASON HILL, EDMUND DANA BARBOUR, Editor- F. APTHORP FOSTER.
THE TOWN OF CHESTER, Hampden County, was formerly called Murrayfield, which, as a plantation, was established as a town October 31, 1765.
June 29, 1773, part of Murrayfield was established as the District of Norwich.
May 8, 1781, another part of Murrayfield was annexed to Norwich.
February 21, 1783, the name was changed from Murrayfield to Chester.
March 12, 1783, part was included in the new town of Middlefield, Hampshire County.
June 21, 1799, part was annexed to Worthington, Hampshire County.
Feb. 22, 1809 and June 13, 1810, bounds between Chester and Blandford were established.
May 25, 1853, part was annexed to Norwich.
Population by Census:- 1765 (Prov.) [405];
- 1766 (Prov.), 405;
- 1790 (U.S.), 1119;
- 1800 (U.S.), 1542;
- 1810 (U.S.), 1534;
- 1820 (U.S.), 1526;
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1830 (U.S.), 1407;
- 1840 (U.S.), 1632;
- 1850 (U.S.), 1521;
- 1855 (State), 1255;
- 1860 (U.S.), 1314;
- 1865 (State), 1266;
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1870 (U.S.), 1253;
- 1875 (State), 1396;
- 1880 (U.S.), 1473;
- 1885 (State), 1318;
- 1890 (U.S.), 1295;
- 1895 (State), 1429;
-
1900 (U.S.), 1450;
- 1905 (State), 1366.
EXPLANATIONS
1. WHEN places other than Chester and Massachusetts are named in the original records, they are given in the printed copy.
2. In all records the original spelling is followed.
3. The various spellings of a name should be examined, as items about the same family or individual might be found under different spellings.
4. Marriages and intentions of marriages are printed under the names of both parties. When both the marriage and intention of marriage are recorded, only the marriage record is printed.
5. Additional information which does not appear in the original text of an item, i.e. any explanation, query, inference, or difference shown in other entries of the record, is bracketed. Parentheses are used to show the difference in the spelling of a name in the same entry, to indicate the maiden name of a wife, to enclose an imperfect portion of the original text, and to separate clauses in the original text, such as the birthplace of a parent in late records.
ABBREVIATIONS-
a. ----age.
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abt. ----about.
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b. ----born.
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ch. ----chil.d
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chn. ----children.
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Co. ----county.
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C.R.1. ----church record, First Congregational Church.
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C.R.2. ----church record, Second Congregational Church.
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d. ----daughter; died; day.
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Dea. ----deacon.
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dup. ----duplicate entry.
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G.R.1. ----gravestone record, Chester Center Cemetery.
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G.R.2. ----gravestone record, Huntington Street Cemetery.
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G.R.3. ----gravestone record, Pine Hill Cemetery.
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G.R.4. ----gravestone record, Littleville Cemetery.
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G.R.5. ----gravestone record, Ingell Cemetery, Chester Hill.
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G.R.6. ----gravestone record, North Chester Cemetery.
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G.R.7. ----gravestone record, Round Hill Cemetery.
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G.R.8. ----gravestone record, Fisk Cemetery.
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G.R.9. ----gravestone record, Moor Cemetery.
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G.R.10. ----gravestone record, Bell Cemetery, Chester Hill.
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G.R.11. ----gravestone record, R.L. Bromley Cemetery.
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G.R.12. ----gravestone record, Horatio Lyman Cemetery.
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G.R.13. ----gravestone record, from a tomb in a pasture northeast of Chester CenteR.
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G.R.14. ----gravestone record, Kenney Brook Cemetery, Littleville.
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h. ----husband.
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hrs. ----hours.
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inf. ----infant.
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int. ----publishment of intention of marriage.
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Jr. ----junior.
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m. ----married; month.
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min. ----minutes.
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P.R.1. ----private record, from the Taylor family Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Abby L. (Taylor) Plunkett of Hinsdale.
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P.R.2. ----private record, from the Wait family Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Spencer (Delight Wait) Knox of Chester.
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P.R.3. ----private record, from the Henry Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Eliza W. (Henry) Phinney of Chester.
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P.R.4. ----private record, from the Wilcox Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. George (Marietta Wilcox) Hapgood of Chester.
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P.R.5. ----private record, from the Churchill family Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. George N. Cone of Chester.
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P.R.6. ----private record, from the Stevens family Bible, now in the possession of William Stevens of Chester.
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P.R.7. ----private record, from the Snow family Bible, now in the possession of Major A. Snow of Chester.
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P.R.8. ----private record, from the Knox family Bible, now in the possession of Charles Henry Knox of Chester.
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P.R.9. ----private record, from the Hamilton family Bible, now in the possession of Frank D. Hamilton of Chester.
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P.R.10. ----private record, from the Foot family Bible, now in the possession of Frank M. Foote of Chester.
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P.R.11. ----private record, from the Moore Bible, now in the possession of Harry R. Bromley of Chester.
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P.R.12. ----private record, from the Holcomb Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Willis F. Stevens of Chester.
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P.R.13. ----private record, from the Wright family Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. C. E. Clark of Leeds.
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P.R.14. ----private record, from the Bell family Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Merrick Bell of Chester.
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P.R.15. ----private record, from the Smith family Bible, now in the possession of Miss Jennie Smith of Huntington.
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P.R.16. ----private record, from the Elder family Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Dinah (Tucker) Elder of Littleville.
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P.R.17. ----private record, from the Benton family Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Nathan Johnson of Worthington.
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P.R.18. ----private record, from the Lyman family Bible, now in the possession of George Thrasher of Worthington.
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rec. ----recorded.
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s. ----son.
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Sr. ----senior.
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w. ----wife; week.
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wid. ----widow.
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widr. ----widower.
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y. ----year.
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