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:
James Parker Parmenter
Hosea Starr Ballou
John Wallace Suter
Edmund Dana Barbour
G. Andrews Moriarty, Jr.
Alfred Johnson
Henry Edwards Scott, Editor
THE TOWN OF ROCHESTER, Plymouth County, was established June 4, 1686, from common land called Sippican. -
June 11, 1714, bounds were established between Rochester and Tiverton.
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July 10, 1739, part was included in the new town of Wareham.
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April 9, 1836, part was annexed to Fairhaven and bounds were established.
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May 14, 1852, part was established as Marion.
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April 8, 1853, bounds were established between Rochester and Marion.
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May 20, 1857, part was established as Mattapoisett.
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April 20, 1864, February 15, 1866, and June 3, 1887, bounds were established between Rochester and Wareham.
Population by Census:-
1765 (Prov.), 1939;
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1776 (Prov.), 2449;
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1790 (U.S.), 2644;
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1800 (U.S.), 2546;
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1810 (U.S.), 2954;
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1820 (U.S.), 3034;
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1830 (U.S.), 3556;
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1840 (U.S.), 3864;
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1850 (U.S.), 3808;
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1855 (State), 3048;
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1860 (U.S.), 1232;
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1865 (State), 1156;
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1870 (U.S.), 1024;
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1875 (State), 1001;
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1880 (U.S.), 1043;
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1885 (State), 1021;
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1890 (U.S.), 1012;
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1895 (State), 1021;
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1900 (U.S.), 986;
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1905 (State), 1181;
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1910 (U.S.), 1090.
EXPLANATIONS
1. WHEN places other than Rochester and Massachusetts are named in the original records, they are given in the printed copy.
2. In all items from town records the original spelling is followed, and no attempt is made to correct errors appearing in the records or to harmonize conflicting names or dates.
3. The various spellings of a name should be examined, as items about the same family or individual may be found under different spellings.
4. A baptism is not printed, if it occurs within one year after the recorded date of birth, although any variations found in the baptismal record are added to the birth record. But a baptism is printed, if it occurs more than one year after the recorded date of birth of a child of the same name and parents, no attempt being made 10 decide whether the child baptized is identical with the child of the birth record or is another child of the same name.
5. The birth of a married woman is recorded under her maiden name, if it is known. But if the maiden name cannot be determined, the entry appears under the husband's name, with a dash enclosed in brackets, i.e., [----], to signify that the maiden name is unknown. If it is not known whether the surname is that of a married or unmarried woman, ? m. is placed in brackets after the Christian name.
6. Marriages and intentions of marriage are printed under the names of both parties. When both the marriage and intendion of marriage are recorded, only the marriage record is printed. The differences, so noticeable in many marriage entries in this town, between the original records and the records designated as duplicates are due chiefly to errors made by the town clerks in copying the original records into new books.
7. 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
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a. ----age
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abt. ----about
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b. ----born
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bp. ----baptized
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bur. ----buried
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ch. ----child
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chn. ----children
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C.R.1. ----church record, First Congregational Church of Rochester.
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C.R.2. ----church record, Second Church of Rochester (Mattapoisett)
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C.R.3. ----church record, Third Church of Rochester
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C.R.4. ----church record, Records of the Society of Friends of Rochester, now in the possession of the Society at New Bedford
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Co. ----county
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d. ----daughter; day; died
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Dea. ----deacon
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dec'd ----deceased
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dup. ----duplicate entry
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Eld. ---—Elder
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Ens. ----Ensign
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G.R.1. ----gravestone record, First Parish Cemetery, on the New Bedford road, Rochester Centre
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G.R.2. ---—gravestone record, Union Cemetery, Rochester
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G.R.3. ---—gravestone record, East Rochester Cemetery
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G.R.4. ----gravestone record, Old Parish Cemetery, North Rochester
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G.R.5. ----gravestone record, Central Cemetery, North Rochester
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G.R.6. ----gravestone record, Pierce Cemetery, Rochester
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G.R.7. ----gravestone record, Sherman Cemetery, Rochester
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G.R.8. ----gravestone record, Ellis Family Burying Ground, on the Mattapoisett road, Rochester
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G.R.9. ----gravestone record, Ashley Cemetery, Rochester
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G.R.10. ----gravestone record, Pierceville Church or Briggs Lane Cemetery, Rochester
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G.R.11. ---—gravestone record, Little Neck Cemetery, Marion
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G.R.12. ----gravestone record, Happy Alley Cemetery, sometimes called the Quaker Cemetery, Marion
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G.R.13. ----gravestone record, Evergreen Cemetery, Marion
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G.R.14. ----gravestone record, Old Landing Cemetery, Mill Street, Marion
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G.R.15.---—gravestone record, Blankinship Cemetery, Great Neck, Marion
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G.R.16. ----gravestone record, Mendell Cemetery, Mattapoisett
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G.R.17. ----gravestone record, Cushing Cemetery, near Mendell's Corner, Mattapoisett
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G.R.18. ---—gravestone record, Ellis Cemetery, on the Wolf Island road, Mattapoisett
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G.R.19. ---—gravestone record, Pine island Cemetery, Mattapoisett
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G.R.20. ---—gravestone record, Friends' Cemetery, Aucoot, Mattapoisett
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G.R.21. ----gravestone record, Hammond Cemetery, Hammondstown, Mattapoisett
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G.R.22. ----gravestone record, Barlow Cemetery, Mattapoisett
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G.R.23. ---—gravestone record, one grave in the woods, Rochester Centre
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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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Lt. ----Lieutenant
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m. —married; month
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min. ----minutes
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P.C.R. ----Plymouth County Records
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P.R.1. ----private record, Unmarked Graves in Hammond Cemetery
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P.R.2. ---—private record, from the Wilson Barstow Bible, now in the possession of George A. Barstow of Mattapoisett
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P.R.3. ----private record, from a record furnished by Mrs. James L. Hammond of Mattapoisett
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P.R.4. ----private record, from the Meigs family Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Jonathan M. Clark of Mattapoisett
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P.R.5. ----private record, from the Elisha Caswell Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Henry M. Hall of Mattapoisett
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P.R.6. ----private record, from the Willis Sherman Bible, now in the possession of Miss Sarah Sherman of Rochester
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P.R.7. ----private record, from the Nathaniel Clapp Bible, now in the possession of Nathaniel Clapp of Rochester
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P.R.8. ----private record, from the Joseph W. Church Bible, now in the possession of Miss Harriet A. Church of Rochester
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P.R.9. ----private record, from the Savory family Bible, now in the possession of Capt. John G. Dexter of Rochester
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P.R.10. ----private record, from the Benjamin Mendall Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Fanny Mendall of Rochester
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P.R.11. ----private record, from the Martha Dexter Haskell Bible, now in the possession of Miss Sarah Ann Haskell of Rochester
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P.R.12. ----private record, from the George Whitfield Haskell Bible, now in the possession of George Burgess Haskell of Rochester
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P.R.13. ---—private record, from the William Cotton Haskell Bible, now in the possession of George Edward Haskell of Rochester
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P.R.14. ----private record, from the Robert Coffin Randall Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Lucretia H. Haskell of Rochester
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P.R.15. ----private record, from the John B. Dornin Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Sarah Braley of Rochester
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P.R.16. ----private record, from the Abram Parlow Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Hannah Parlow of Rochester
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q.v. ---—which see; whom see
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rec. ----recorded
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s. ---—son
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S.C.F. ----Suffolk Court Files
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Sr. ----senior
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w. ----week; wife
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wid. ----widow
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widr. ----widower
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y. ---—year
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