Vital Records Of New Salem Massachusetts To The End Of The Year 1849

 

Published By

The Essex Institute

Salem, Mass.

1927

 

Newcomb & Gauss

Printers

Salem, Mass.

 

The following records of births, marriages and deaths in-

clude all entries to be found in the church records; in the

cemetery records, and in many private records found in fam-

ily Bibles and other sources. These records are printed in

a condensed form in which every essential particular has

been preserved. All duplication of records has been elimi-

nated, but differences in entry and other explanatory matter

appear in brackets. Parentheses are used when they occur

in the original record; also to indicate the maiden name of

a wife.

When places other than New Salem and Massachusetts are

named, they are given in the printed copy. Marriages 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 when-

ever 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.

From the fact that in 1855 all the records of births, mar-

riages and deaths of New Salem were destroyed by fire, none

of such records are available, save the period of 1843 to 1850,

copies of which years are on file at the State House in Bos-

ton. These have been considered in this work as original

records. The church records have fortunately been preserved

and have been incorporated, as well as considerable material

from the records of Franklin and Hampshire Counties, and

from other public and private sources bearing on the vital

statistics of this community.

The seal of New Salem has been omitted on the title page.

Although a design of a seal is used by the Town Clerk on

legal papers, it has never been reproduced for use on printed

matter.

 

EXPLANATIONS

June 15, 1753, the township of New Salem with the addi-

tional grant made to said township established as the district

of New Salem. Aug. 23, 1775, the district made a town by

general act. Jan. 28, 1822, part included in the new town

of Prescott. Feb. 20, 1824, part of Shutesbury annexed.

Feb. 5, 1830, part annexed to Athol. Mar. 16, 1837, part

annexed to Orange and part to Athol. April 27, 1911,

bounds between New Salem and Prescott established.

Population

1765,  3175             1830, 1889              1880, 869

1776,   910              1840, 1305              1890, 856

1790, 1543              1850, 1253              1900, 807

1800, 1949              1860,   957              1910, 639

1810, 2107              1865, 1116              1915, 625

1820, 2146              1870,   987              1920, 512

 

NEW SALEM ABBREVIATIONS

a.—age.

abt.—about.

b.—born.

bef.—before.

bet.—between.

bp.—baptized.

B. R. 1.—birth records from Vital Records of Athol.

B. R. 2.—birth records from Vital Records of Barre.

B. R. 3.—birth records from Vital Records of Deerfield.

B. R. 4.—birth records from Vital Records of Hardwick.

B. R. 5.—birth  records  from Revolutionary records of Oakham.

B. R. 6.—birth records from Vital Records of Pelham.

B. R. 7.—birth records from Vital Records of Phillipston.

B. R. 8.—birth records from Vital Records of Royalston.

B. R. 9.—birth records from Vital Records of Shrewsbury.

B. R. 10.—birth records from Vital Records of Templeton.

B. R. 11.—birth records from Vital Records of Westminster.

B. R. 12.—birth records from Vital Records of Williamstown.

bur.—buried.

C. R.—church record.

certif.—certificate.

ch—child.

chn.—children.

Co.—county.

ct. r.—court records, Suffolk Co. Quarterly Court.

d.—daughter; day; died.

Dea.—Deacon.

dec.—deceased.

D. T.—Direct Tax of  1798.

dup.—duplicate entry.

est.—estate.

f. d.—Franklin  County  Deeds.

f. p.—Franklin County Probate.

grands.—grandson.

G. R. 1.—gravestone record, Centre Cemetery.

G. R. 2.—gravestone record, Silver Lake Cemetery.

G. R. 3.—gravestone record, Lake Matawa Cemetery, Orange.

h. d.—Hampshire County Deeds.

h. p.—Hampshire County Probate.

h.—husband; hour.

inf.—infant.

int.—intention of marriage.

jr.—junior.

m.—male; married ; month.

M. R.—marriage  records  returned   from  other   Massachusetts towns.

N. R. 1.—newspaper records of deaths, Greenfield Gazette and Courier.

N. R. 2.—newspaper  records of deaths,   Columbian  Centinel.

N. R. 3.—newspaper records of deaths, Boston Advertiser.

N. R. 4.—newspaper records of deaths, Salem Gazette.

N. R. 5.—newspaper records of deaths, Massachusetts Spy.

P. R. 1.—private records,  now  in possession of  New Salem Academy.

P. R. 2.—family records, from History of Houlton, Maine.

P. R. 3.—family records, from Putnam Genealogy.

P. R. 4.—family records, from Holten Genealogy.

P. R. 5.—family records, from Ballard Genealogy.

P. R. 6.—family records, from Perley's History of Salem.

P. R. 7.—family records, from Felton Genealogy.

P. R. 8.—family records, from Wheatland manuscript now in possession of Essex Institute.

P. R. 9.—records now in possession of Miss Emily S. Ganson.

P. R. 10.—records now in possession of Mrs. John W. Fearing.

P. R. 11.—family records from New England Historical and Genealogical Register.

P. R. 12.—records of warnings out of Newbury.

P. R. 13.—genealogical notes, now in possession of Mrs. Lucy C. Kellogg of Greenfield.

P. R. 14.—family records, from Packard's History of Churches in Franklin County.

rec.—recorded.

rem.—removed.

r. s. r.—records, from Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors in the Revolution,

s.—son.

sr.—senior.

u. s. c.—United States Census of 1790.

unm.—unmarried.

w.—wife ; week.

wid.—widow.

widr.—widower.

y.—year.