Published by the New England Historic Genealogical Society
at the Charge of the Eddy Town-Record Fund
Boston, Mass., 1904

This publication is issued under the authority of a vote passed by the NEW-ENGLAND  HISTORIC  GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY, 6 November, 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.
C. B. Tillinghast
Francis Everett Blake
Charles Knowles Bolton
Don Gleason Hill
Edmund Dana Barbour
Editor, Henry Ernest

Stanhope press
P. K. Gilson Company
Boston, U.S.A.

THE TOWN OF GREAT BARRINGTON, Berkshire County, was established June 30,
1761, from a part of Sheffield.   February 16, 1773, a part of Great Barrington was included in the new district of Alford.

EXPLANATIONS.
1. WHEN  places other than Great Barrington and Massachusetts are named in the original records, they are given in the printed copy. Prior to 1843, the vital records of Great Barring-ton are very imperfect.
2. In all records the original spelling is followed.
3. The various spellings of a name should be examined, as items about the same family or individual might be found under different spellings.
4. Marriages and intentions of marriages are printed under the names  of both parties, but the full information concerning each  party is given only in the entry under his or her name. When  both the marriage and intention of marriage are recorded, only  the marriage record is printed; and  where  a marriage appears without the intention recorded, it is designated with an
asterisk.
5. Additional information which does  not appear  in  the original text of an item, i.e., any explanation, query, inference, o difference shown in other entries of the record, is bracketed.
Parentheses are used only when they occur in the original text, r to separate clauses found there - such as the birth-place of prents, in late marriage records.

February 16, 1773, lands adjoining Great Barrington were annexed.
October  21, 1777, a part of Great Barrington was included in the new town of Lee.
February 11, 1779, a part of Great Barrington was annexed to Alford.
February 18, 1819, a part of Great Barrington was annexed to Alford.

Population by Census:1765 (Prov.),   550;
1776  (Prov.),  961; 1790  (U.S.),  1373;
1800  (U.S.),  1754; 1810  (U.S.),  1784;
1820  (U.S.),  1908; 1830  (U.S.),  2264;
1840  (U.S.),  2704; 1850  (U.S.),  3264;
1855  (State), 3449; 1860  (U.S.),  3871;
1865  (State), 3920; 1870  (U.S.),  4320;
1875  (State), 4385; 1880  (U.S.),  4653;
1885  (State), 4471; 1890  (U.S.),  4612;
1895  (State), 4794; 1900  (U.S.),  5854.

ABBREVIATIONS.
a. - age
abt. - about
b. - born
ch. - child
chn. - children
Co. - county
C.R.1. - Church record, First Congregational
C.R.2. - Church record, St. James's Episcopal
d. - daughter; died; day
Dea. -  deacon
dup. - duplicate entry
G.R. - gravestone record, South Cemetery
h. - husband
inf. - infant
int. - publishment of intention of marriage
Jr. - junior
m. -  married; month
P.R.1. -private record, from docket of Moses Hopkins, Justice of the Peace
P.R.2. - private record, from docket of Thomas Ives, Justice of the Peace
prob. - probably
rec. - recorded
s. - son
Sr. - senior
w. -  wife; week
wid. - widow
widr.-widower
y. - year
1st. - first
2d. - second
3d. - third