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., 1917

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
G. Andrews Moriarty, Jr.
John Wallace Suter
Alfred Johnson
George Ritchie Marvin
Editor, Henry Edwards Scott

Stanhope Press
F. H. Gilson Company
Boston, U.S.A.

THE TOWN OF EAST BRIDGEWATER, Plymouth County, was established June  14, 1823, from a part of Bridgewater.
  February  23, 1838, bounds between  East Bridgewater and Bridgewater were established.
  March  20, 1846, bounds between East Bridgewater and  Bridgewater were established and a part of each town was  annexed to the other town.
  April 11, 1857, a part of Halifax was annexed and bounds were established.
  March  4, 1875, a Part was included in the new town of South Abington (Whitman).
  April 24, 1875, a part was annexed to Brockton.
  The  date of the establishment of East Bridgewater is subsequent to the date of the earliest census in which population appears. This is due, probably, to the fact that the territory in question was well defined and recognized in census enumerations prior to the date of its formal incorporation as a district or town.
   
Population by Census: 1820  (U.S.),1435;
    1830 (U.S.), 1653;  1840  (U.S.),  1950;
    1850 (U.S.), 2545;  1855  (State), 2930;
    1860 (U.S.), 3207;  1865  (State), 2976;
    1870 (U.S.), 3017;  1875  (State), 2808;
    1880 (U.S.), 2710;  1885  (State), 2812;
    1890 (U.S.), 2911;  1895  (State), 2894;
    1900 (U.S.), 3025;  1905  (State), 3169;
    1910 (U.S.), 3363;  1915  (State), 3689.

EXPLANATIONS
  1. The fact that a birth, marriage, or death is recorded in East Bridge-water does not prove that it occurred in this town; but when places other than East Bridgewater 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.
   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 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.
   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 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.
  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  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.  8.  In addition to this book the vital records of Bridgewater, Brockton, and West Bridgewater should be examined.

ABBREVIATIONS
a. - age
abt. - about
b. - born
bp. - baptized
bur. - buried
eh. - child
chn. - children
C.R.1. - church record, from copies of the records of the First Church of East Bridge-water, the original records having disappeared. See P.R.5.
C.R.2. - church record, Union Church  of East and West Bridge-water
C.R.3--church  record, New Jerusalem Church, Elrawood
Co. - county
d. - daughter ; day ; died
Dea. -  deacon
dec'd-  deceased
dup. - duplicate entry
Eld. -  Elder
enl. - enlisted
Ens. -  Ensign
G.R.1. - gravestone record, Old Central Cemetery, Central Street
G.R.2.-gravestone  record, Hudson  Tomb, off Plymouth Street
G.R.3.-gravestone  record, Thayer Burying Ground
G.R.4.-gravestone  record, Whitman Burying Ground, Harvard Street
G.R.5- - gravestone record, New Central Cemetery, off Hobart Street
G.R.6.-gravestone  record, Beaver Cemetery
G.R.7. -gravestone record, Union Congregational Cemetery, Pleasant Street
G.R.8. - gravestone record, Elmwood Cemetery, West Street
G.R.9. - gravestone record, Northville Cemetery
h. - husband
hrs. - hours
inf. - infant
int. - publishment of intention of marriage
Jr. - junior
Lt. - Lieutenant
m. -  married; month
min. - minutes
P.R.1. - private record, from a Harris family Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Fred Aldridge of Bridgewater
P.R.2. - private record, from the Daybook of the Poorhouse Establishment
P.R.3. - private record, from the William Witherell Bennett family Bible, now in the possession of the estate of Mrs. Rowena  W.  Hobart of East Bridgewater
P.R.4. - private record, from the Charles Brown family Bible, now  in the possession of Mrs. Edwin   W. Brown  of Whitman
P.R.5. - private record, from a copy made by Judge Nahum Mitchell of the records of the First Church of East Bridgewater, with  additions and  corrections by the    copyist
q.v. - which see ; whom see
R.R. - Rebellion Record
rec. - recorded
s. - son
Sr. -  senior
w. -  week; wife
wid. - widow
widr. - widower
y. - year