The key to the host of information contained in the thousands of
pages of this collection is the microfilm index, which is arranged
alphabetically by surname. Some of the types of records found in these
films are vital records, tax records, listings of residents by districts
within a town, offices to which men were elected, town meeting minutes,
and more.
For example, a family historian searching for information about Amos
C. Clement of Plaistow, NH, would find these entries typed on the image
of the 5 x 3 card appearing on the the index reel:
Clement, Amos C. Plaistow
Volume 2: p. 324, p. 523, p. 808
(M.R.) p. 808 (F.R.)
Going next to the above microfilm of Plaistow, the researcher would
discover the following information about Amos C. Clement:
p. 324 - In 1817 Amos Clement received $50.00 from the town in
return for
boarding William Dow for one year.
p. 523 - Amos
Clement was elected Fence Viewer in 1819
p. 808 - Amos C. Clement
married Sarah Dow April 29, 1817
p. 808 - The children of Amos and
Sarah Clement were
Amos Carlton born November 26, 1819
Hannah born
December 29, 1821
Isaac born April 16, 1824
Louise born March 17,
1826
Except for births and marriages the index
itself does not provide any clues about the nature of the entries to
which it refers. A marriage record is indicated on the index cards as a
page number followed by (M.R.). Researchers intending to use a marriage
record to trace their ancestors back another generation are usually
thwarted in using the information in this collection because the town
clerks almost never listed the names of the parents of the bride and
groom in these early town records. The symbol (F.R.) rather than the
more logical (B.R.) signals a birth record. Some death notices do appear
in the town records, but they are not indexed by (D.R.) or any other
symbol. In very rare instances deaths are included and are also
referenced on the index card by (F.R.).
A small number of individuals rate only one entry on a single index
card. At the other end of the scale are 182 entries for Matthew Patten
spread over five towns with 165 of those entries being in his hometown
of Bedford. Just one of those page numbers is followed by the symbol
(F.R.) and no entry indicates a marriage record. To determine the event
to which the other 181 Matthew Patten entries refer requires examining
each one individually.
There are two precautions to observe when studying these early town
records.
Caveat one: To avoid potential disappointment, patrons should not
approach this collection with the firm belief that it is the nirvana of
early New Hampshire vital records. As indicated above, some births and
marriages can be found therein, but several years of staff experience
with the data in this collection indicate that the odds of finding
records of births and marriages are about four or five to one.
Nevertheless, on many occasions these microfilms do yield the date and
place for a previously elusive record of a birth or marriage that
occurred in New Hampshire prior to about 1840.
Caveat two: Be aware that two different systems are employed in
numbering the pages of these records. Handwritten numbers appear in the
margins of the pages, while stamped numbers appear in the upper corners
of the pages. The indexes refer to the stamped numbers.
To the experienced researcher these records can be revealing in
aspects other than simply providing possible information about births
and marriages. A person's changing economic status can be traced by
following his tax assessments from year to year. A Warning Out Of Town
notice often includes not only the name of the family head, but also
lists other members of the family, and indicates their previous
residence. When minors are involved these warning notices usually state
their ages. School district numbers are also listed in many of these
records, thereby pinpointing the part of town in which an ancestor
lived.
"The Every Name Index" is the erroneous and misleading title that is
often applied to "The Index to Early New Hampshire Town Records." By no
stretch of a wishful imagination does this collection contain the name
of every New Hampshire resident who lived during the two centuries it
covers. The records of seventeen towns (including the seminal
communities of Exeter and Dover) were not indexed due to reasons for
which no documentation has been found. These unindexed towns are
identified in a loose-leaf binder with the cumbersome title "Catalog of
Ancient Towns, Parishes, and Other Divisions of the State as Recorded in
the Office of the Secretary of State," which can be found with the
filing cabinet that houses the microfilms in the New Hampshire State
Library.
The other fifteen towns not indexed are:
- Brookline
- Dublin
- Fitzwilliam
- Goffstown
- Keene
- Litchfield
- Lyndeborough
- Manchester
- Marlborough
- Merrimack
- Milan
- Nashua
- New Boston
- Pembroke
- Swanzey
- Tamworth
Indexes to these volumes are also missing:
- Conway 2, 3, 4
- Deerfield 3
- Hollis 7
- Lisbon 2, 3
- Meredith 2
- Newcastle 1, 3
- Northumberland 2
- Rye 2
- Springfield 2
- Stratford 2
- Whitefield 2.
Another fact contradicting the "Every Name Index" title is the
scarcity of Native American and African American names. Only 54 slaves
and 4 Indians are indexed for the entire two centuries these records
encompass, yet the 1790 census indicates that the "colored" population
in New Hampshire in that year alone was 150. Other African Americans
were among the 620 people under the category "All other free persons,"
also in the 1790 census.
The indexing was rumored to be funded by a WPA project during the
Depression of the 1930s. It is quite possible that the funds ran out
before the work was completed. The volumes themselves are contained in
the microfilm collection of the library, so anybody willing to wade
through hundreds of pages may find relevant information about their
unindexed ancestor.
On page 8 of Digging For Treasure in New England Town Records (NEHGS,
1996) Ann Smith Lainhart writes that the New Hampshire State Library
borrowed these volumes and made transcript copies. Documented facts seem
to provide much stronger evidence that the New Hampshire Secretary of
State called these records in from the town clerks throughout the state
to be copied or, in some instances, photostated.
1. These lines appear on the Madbury page of the "Catalog of Ancient
Towns, Parishes, and other Divisions of the State as Recorded in the
Office of the Secretary of State":
"Original records returned to
Town Clerk Feb. 25, 1919. Same volume returned to Secretary of State
for recording, September 2, 1948."
2. Until three years ago, researchers could borrow only the indexes
through the many Family History Centers. When the Mormons filmed these
records in Concord during the middle of the twentieth century, the New
Hampshire Secretary of State permitted them to do so only if public
access to the films were restricted to the Genealogy Library in Salt
Lake City. Through the combined efforts of the author of this article
and Dr. Frank Mevers, Director of the New Hampshire State Archives (a
division of the Office of the Secretary of State), the restriction was
lifted in 1999. Since the current Secretary of State had authority to
revoke the order of a previous holder of that office, it seems
reasonable to assume that the early town records were copied by the
authority of that office, rather than by the State Library.
In conclusion it should be emphasized that despite the shortcomings
of the Early New Hampshire Town Records, family historians who ignore
this source of genealogical data do so at their own risk. Used
intelligently, this collection of microfilms may very well provide
information that cannot be found in any other source.
This is an expanded version of an article which appeared in the
January, 2002, issue of Granite State Libraries newsletter.
Edward F. Holden is a staff genealogist at the New Hampshire
State Library.