Vital Records of Leicester, Massachusets to the Year 1850

Published by Franklin P. Rice, Trustee of the Fund, 1903.

Stanhope Press
F. H. Gilson Company
Boston, U.S.A..
             
Publisher's   Note.
The  list of Leicester Births, Marriages and Deaths comprised in this volume  includes all which were entered in the Town Books  during the  period from the earliest date there found to the end of the year 1849.  Additions and corrections have been made from the Denny Record or Town  Copy, which has supplied many  missing names and  dates in those parts of the original manuscript which  have been  mutilated, these being indicated in each instance by proper reference.
  All of the records are condensed in print as much as is consistent with intelligibility, accuracy, and completeness of information.  Differences in duplicates, and explanatory or other matter which seemed necessary or desirable, appear in brackets.
  Marriages  and intentions of marriage are printed under the names  of both parties, but the full information concerning each person is given only under his or her name. An asterisk after a marriage indicates that the intention was not found recorded, and in most cases this is accounted for by the fact that neither party belonged in Leicester, and consequently publishment was made  elsewhere.
  The  double date is used in the months of January, February and March  prior to 1752 only when it so appears in the original, and instances of the modern form after 1725 are not uncommon.
  When places other than Leicester and  Massachusetts are named in the original records they are given in the printed copy.

ABBREVIATIONS.
a. - age
abt. - about
b. - born
eh. - child
chn. - children
co. - county
C.R. - church record
d. - daughter; day; died
Dea. - deacon
D.R. - Denny Record  or Town Copy
dup. - duplicate entry
f. - female
G.R. - Gravestone record
h. - husband
inf. - infant
int. - publishment of intention of marriage
Jr. - junior
m. -  male; married; month
P.R. - Private record
rec. - recorded
s. - son
Sr. - senior
w. -  wife
wid. - widow
widr. - widower
y. - year
2d. - second

The age given in the Deaths is in years unless otherwise indicated.

LEISTER
ON the 15th of February, 1713, the petition of those who  had purchased lands at a place called Towtaidj near Worcester, was confirmed, " the town to be named  Leicester."
  April 12, 1753, "part of Leicester was made the District of Spencer."
  February 12, 1765, "parts of Leicester and Rutland were established as the District of Paxton."
  April 10,  1778, "the  Parish lately set off from Leicester, Oxford, Sutton and Worcester was established as Ward."

The  population of Leicester at different periods was
as follows: 1765, 770;  1790, 1,076;  1800, 1,103;
1810, 1,181; 1820,1,252;  1830,1,782;  1840,1,707;
1850, 2,117.
  Population in 1900, 3,416.
Number  of Births printed ....    3,832
           Marriages  . . 1,796 = 3,592 names
           Deaths  ......         1,420
                                  8,844 total