EXPLANATIONS
The following records of births, marriages and deaths include all entries to be found in the church records; in the cemetery records, and in many private records found in family Bibles and other sources.
These records are printed in a condensed form in which every essential particular has been preserved. All duplication of records has been eliminated, but differences in entry and other explanatory matter appear in brackets.
Parentheses are used when they occur in the original record; also to indicate the maiden name of a wife.
When places other than New Salem and Massachusetts are named, they are given in the printed copy. Marriages are printed under the names of both parties. Double-dating is used in the months of January, February and March, prior to 1752, whenever it appears in the original, and also whenever from the sequence of entry in the original the date may be easily determined.
In all records the original spelling of names is followed, and in the alphabetical arrangement the various forms should be examined; as items about the same family may be found under different spellings.
From the fact that in 1855 all the records of births, marriages and deaths of New Salem were destroyed by fire, none of such records are available, save the period of 1843 to 1850, copies of which years are on file at the State House in Boston.
These have been considered in this work as original records. The church records have fortunately been preserved and have been incorporated, as well as considerable material from the records of Franklin and Hampshire Counties, and from other public and private sources bearing on the vital statistics of this community.
The seal of New Salem has been omitted on the title page. Although a design of a seal is used by the Town Clerk on legal papers, it has never been reproduced for use on printed matter.
NEW SALEM
June 15, 1753, the township of New Salem with the additional grant made to said township established as the district of New Salem. Aug. 23, 1775, the district made a town by general act. Jan. (?), 1822, part included in the new town of Prescott.
Feb. 20, 1824, part of Shutesbury annexed.
Feb. 5, 1830, part annexed to Athol.
Mar.16, 1837, part annexed to Orange and part to Athol.
April 27, 1911, bounds between New Salem and Prescott established.
POPULATION-
1765, 375
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1776, 910
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1790, 1543
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1800, 1949
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1810, 2107
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1830, 1889
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1820, 2146
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1840, 1305
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1850, 1253
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1860, 957
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1865, 1116
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1870, 987
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1880, 869
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1890, 856
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1900, 807
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1910, 639
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1915, 625
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1920, 512
ABBREVIATIONS-
a.----age.
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abt.----about.
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b.----born.
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bef.----before.
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bet.----between.
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bp.----baptized.
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B.R.1.----birth records from Vital Records of Athol.
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B.R.2.----birth records from Vital Records of Barre.
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B.R.3.----birth records from Vital Records of Deerfield.
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B.R.4.----birth records from Vital Records of Hardwick.
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B.R.5.----birth records from Revolutionary records of Oakham.
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B.R.6.----birth records from Vital Records of Pelham.
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B.R.7.----birth records from Vital Records of Phillipston.
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B.R.8.----birth records from Vital Records of Royalston.
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B.R.9.----birth records from Vital Records of Shrewsbury.
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B.R.10.----birth records from Vital Records of Templeton.
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B.R.11.----birth records from Vital Records of Westminster.
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B.R.12.----birth records from Vital Records of Williamstown.
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bur.----buried.
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C.R.----church record.
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certif.----certificate.
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ch.----child.
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chn.----children.
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Co.----county.
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CT.R.----court records, Suffolk Co. Quarterly Court.
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d.----daughter; day; died.
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Dea.----Deacon.
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dec.----deceased.
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D.T.----Direct Tax of 1798.
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dup.----duplicate entry.
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est.----estate.
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F.D.----Franklin County Deeds.
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F.P.----Franklin County Probate.
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grads.----grandson.
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G.R.1.----gravestone record, Centre Cemetery.
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G.R.2.----gravestone record, Silver Lake Cemetery.
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G.R.3.----gravestone record, Lake Matawa Cemetery, Orange.
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H.D.----Hampsbire County Deeds.
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H.P.----Hampshire County Probate.
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h.----husband; hour.
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inf.----infant
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int.----intention of marriage.
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jr.----junior
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m.----male; married; month.
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M.R.---marriage records returned from other Massachusetts towns.
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N.R.1.----newspaper records of deaths, Greenfield Gazette and Courier.
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N.R.2.----newspaper records of deaths, Columbian Centinel.
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N.R.3.----newspaper records of deaths, Boston Advertiser.
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N.R.4.----newspaper records of deaths, Salem Gazette.
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N.R.5.----newspaper records of deaths, Massachusetts Spy.
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P.R.1.----private records, now in possession of New Salem Academy.
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P.R.2.----family records, from History of Houlton, Maine.
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P.R.3.----family records, from Putnam Genealogy.
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P.R.4.----family records, from Holten Genealogy.
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P.R.5.----family records. from Ballard Genealogy.
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P.R.6.----family records, from Perley's History of Salem.
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P.R.7.----family records, from Felton Genealogy.
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P.R.8.----family records, from Wheatland manuscript now in possession of Essex Institute.
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P.R.9.----records now in possession of Miss Emily S. Ganson.
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P.R.10.----records now in possession of Mrs. John W. Fearing.
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P.R.11 ----family records from New England Historical and Genealogical Register.
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P.R.12.----records of warnings out of Newbury.
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P.R.13.----genealogical notes, now in possession of Mrs. Lucy C. Kellogg of Greenfield.
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P.R.14.----family records, from Packard's History of Churches in Franklin County.
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rec.----recorded.
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rem.----removed.
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R.S.R.----records, from Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors in the Revolution.
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s.----son.
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sr.----senior.
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U.S.C.----United States Census of 1790.
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unm.----unmarried.
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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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