Published by the Topsfield Historical Society.
Topsfield, Mass., 1905.

Newcomb & Gauss
Printers
Salem, Massachusetts

BOXFORD.
  The  territory now included within the limits of Boxford was originally a part of Rowley and was known as " Rowley Village " before its incorporation as a town. The General Court at a session held August 12, 1685  received the following agreement:
  "The inhabitants of Rowley Village desiring to be a tounship, wee, whose names are vnderwritten, being a comittee chosen by ye Toune of Rowley, haue consented that they should be a touneship, prouided the honord Court see cause to grant their request. Wee, desiring also that the honnored Gennerall Court would be pleased to confirme the lyne wee haue agreed vpon betwixt the toune of Rowley & the village ; and so your humble servants remajne," etc., etc. and on the same day, "The  Court, on  the certifficat of the comittee and the bounds, agree for the Ijne betweene Rowley and the village vnder their hands, judge meet to grant the peticoners request, provided the bounds thereof intrench not on other tounes or former grants."
  The  town is supposed to have been named for Boxford, County of Berkshire, England, the birthplace of Rev. Samuel Phillips, the minister at Rowley.
  June 20, 1728, part of the town was included within the limits of the new town of Middleton.
  June 10, 1808, part of Rowley was annexed.
  March  7, 1846, part of Ipswich was annexed.
  March  21, 1856, part of the town was annexed to Groveland.
  April 15, 1897, part of the town was annexed to Georg town.

  The  population of Boxford at different periods was as follows :
       1765, 851.       1800, 852.      1840, 942.
       1776, 989.       1810, 880.      1850, 982.
       1790, 925.       1820, 906.      1900, 704.
                        1830, 935.

ABBREVIATIONS.
a.-age.
abt.-about.
b.-born.
B. C.-copy and compilation of town records made  in 1823  by John Bacon, town clerk.
bef.-before.
bp.-baptized.
bur.-buried.
C. R. 1.-church  record,  First Congregational church,  East Boxford.
C. R, 2.-church  record, Second  Congregational church, West Boxford.
ch.-child.
chn.-children.
Co.-county.
CT. R.-court record, Essex Co. Quarterly Court.
d.- daughter; day; died.
D. C.-copy  of town records made in 1872 by Thomas  P. Dorman, town clerk.
Dea.-deacon.
dup.-duplicate entry.
G. R. 1.- gravestone record, ancient cemetery, West Boxford.
G. R. 2.-gravestone  record, Killam-Curtis cemetery, near Ipswich river.
G. R. 3.-gravestone record, Harmony cemetery, East Boxford.
G. R. 4.-gravestone record, First Church cemetery.
G. R. 5.-gravestone  record, ancient cemetery near the French house, East Boxford.
G. R. 6.-gravestone record, grave on the Harden  farm, East Boxford.
h.-husband.
inf.- infant.
int.-intention of marriage.
jr.-junior.
m.-male   ; married; month.
P. R. 1.-Bible record now  in possession of John L. Killam of North Andover.
P. R. 2.-Bible record now in possession of Miss Mary L. Eliot of Roxbury.
P. R. 3.-Bible record now in possession of Mrs. Caleb M. Cole of South Groveland.
P. R. 4.-Bible record now   in possession of Joshua T. Day  of Haverhill.
P. R. 5.-Bible record now in possession of Stephen A. Bixby.
P.R. 6.-Bible record now   in possession of Miss Mary  A. B. Gould.
P. R. 7.-Bible record now   in possession of Mrs.  George  W. Twitchell.
P. R. 8.-Bible record now in possession of Mrs. Abby R. Gage.
P. R. 9.-Bible record now in possession of Erwin T. Phillips of Topsfield.
P. R. 10.-Bible record now in possession of John G. Chandler.
P. R. 11.-Bible record now  in possessson of Mrs.  George  M. Spofford of Georgetown.
P. R. 12.-Bible record now  in possession of Mrs.  George  M. Spofford of Georgetown.
P. R. 13.-Bible record now in possession of John T. Wood.
P. R. 14.-Bible record now in possession of Henry Perley
P. R. 15.-Bible record now in possession of Henry Perley.
P. R. 16.-Family record now in possession of Horace Berry.
P. R. 17.-Bible record now in possession of Mrs. Sarah L, Gentis of Haverhill.
P. R. 18.-Bible record now  in possession of John Robinson of Salem.
P. R. 19.-Bible record now in possession of Mrs. Dean Andrews.
P. R. 20.-Bible record now in possession of Samuel K. Sawyer of Danvers.
P. R. 21.-Bible record  now in possession of Mrs. Benjamin  S. Barnes.
P. R. 22.-Bible record  now in possession of Mrs. Benjamin  S. Barnes.
P. R. 23.-Bible record now in possession of Mrs. Albert Kimball of Bradford.
P. R. 24.-Bible record now in possession of Miss Alice P. Butler of Danvers.
P. R. 25.-Bible record now in possession of Mrs. L. H. Cheney.
P. R. 26.-Bible record now in possession of John S. Dorman.
P. R. 27.-Bible record now in possession of Miss Mary A. Herrick of Danvers.
P. R. 28.-Journal of Edwin S. Adams  of West Boxford, now in possession of Sidney Perley of Salem.
P. R. 29.-Private record of deaths now in  possession of Miss Mary  Ellen Perley.
rec.-recorded.
s.-son.
sr.-senior.
unm.-unmarried.
w.-wife.
wid.-widow.
widr.-widower.
y.-year. 

EXPLANATIONS.
  The following records of births, marriages and deaths include all entries to be found in the books of record kept by the town clerks ; in the church records ; in the returns made to the Salem Quarterly Court;  in the cemetery inscriptions; and in private records found in family Bibles, etc. These records are printed in a condensed form in which every essential particular has been preserved.  All duplication of the town clerks' record has been eliminated, but differences in entry arid other explanatory matter appear in brackets. Parentheses are used when they occur in the original record; also, to show the difference in the spelling of a name  in the same entry, and to indicate the maiden name of a married woman.
   When  places other than Boxford and Massachusetts are named in the original records, they are given in the printed copy. Marriages and intentions of marriage 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.