Published by the New England Historic Genealogical Society at the Robert Henry Eddy Memorial Rooms at the Charge of the Eddy Town-Record Fund
Boston, Mass., 1942

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 beauthorized 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.

Florence Conant Howes, in charge of Vital Records

Haverhill, Mass.
Record Publishing Co.

THE TOWN OF ASHFIELD, Franklin County, was established June 21, 1765, from the new plantation called "Huntstown."

      Population by Census:   1765 (Prov.)  [628];
      1776 (Prov.),   628;    1790 (U.S.),   I459J
      1800 (U.S.),   1741;    1810 (U.S.),   1809;
      1820 (U.S.),   1748;    1830 (U.S.),   1832;
      1840 (U.S.),   1610;    1850 (U.S.),   1394;
      1855 (State),  1342;    1860 (U.S.),   1302;
      1865 (State),  1221;    1870 (U.S.),   1180;
      1875 (State),  1190;    1880 (U.S.),   1066;
      1885 (State),  1097;    1890 (U.S.),   1025;
      1895 (State),  1013;    1900 (U.S.),    955;
      1905 (State),   959;    1910 (U.S.),    959;
      1915 (State),   994;    1920 (U.S.),    869;
      1925 (State),   919;    1930 (U.S.),    860;
      1935 (State),   918;    1940 (U.S.),    872.

EXPLANATIONS
  1. The  fact that a birth, marriage, or death is recorded in Ashfield does not prove that it occurred there, unless it is so stated in the record. When   places other than Ashfield and Massachusetts are named in the original records they are given as they appear there; but when Ashfield is named, the initial letter only is used, except in unusual phrases.
  2. In all items from town  records the original spelling is followed, and no attempt is made to correct errors appearing in the records.
  3. A baptism is not printed, if it occurs within one year after the recorded date of birth of a child of the same name  and parents or if it is clear that the child baptized is identical with the child of the birth record; but  variations found in the baptismal record are added to the birth record.
  4. 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.
  5. Marriages and intentions of marriage are printed in full under  the names of the man.  The names of the women are used in general only as cross references. When both the marriage and intention of marriage are recorded, only the marriage record is printed; and where a marriage appears without the intention being recorded, it is designated with an asterisk.
  6. 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  variations 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.
  7. Phrases between  daggers †. . . †denote  insertions in a later handwriting.

ABBREVIATIONS
a. - age
abt. - about
A. -  Ashfield
b. - born
bp. - baptized
bur. - buried
cert. - "Certified"
ch. - child
chn. - children
C.R.1. - church record, Congregational Church
C.R.2. - church record, Baptist Church of Christ
C.R.3- - church record, St. John's (Episcopal) Church of Ashfield
C.R.4. - church record, St. James (Episcopal) Church of Greenfield
Co. - County
d. - daughter; day; died
Dea. - deacon
dec'd - deceased
dup. - duplicate entry
Eld. - Elder
Ens. - Ensign
G.R.1. - gravestone record, Spruce Corner Cemetery
G.R.2. - gravestone record, Apple Valley Cemetery in Ashfield
G.R.3- - gravestone record, South Ashfield Cemetery
G.R.4. - gravestone record, Hill Cemetery
G.R.5 - gravestone record, Brier Hill Cemetery
G.R.6. - gravestone record, Beldingville Cemetery in Ashfield
G.R.7. - gravestone record, Baptist Corner Cemetery
G.R.8. - gravestone record, Ashfield Plain Cemetery
h. - hours; husband
inf. - infant
int. - publishment of intention of marriage
Jr. - junior
Lt. - Lieutenant
m. -  marriage; married; month
min. - minutes
P. R.1.  - private record, list of deaths in the custody of the town clerk
P.R.2. - private record, from the Joseph Hall family Bible in the possession (1932) of Charles A. Hall
P.R.3. - private record, from the Samuel Bement family Bible, the photographed records of which are in the possession of the New  England  Historic Genealogical Society
q.v. - which see; whom  see
rec. - recorded
s. - son
Sr. -  Senior
w. - week; wife
wid. - widow
widr. - widower
y. - year