Compiled and edited by George A. Rice
New England Historic Genealogical Society
1985

PREFACE
At their annual town meeting in March 1912, the residents of Pepperell voted that money be appropriated for copying the birth, marriage, and death records of the town through 1849, and that they be prepared and printed as provided by Section 1, Chapter 470 of the Acts
of 1902. In checking through the town records, I found that this was never carried out. Frank R. Tule, Jr., who was town clerk in 1970, suggested that I take on the task since I was already doing genealogical research after my retirement. That was the beginning of this project.
  After getting me started, Frank, who was an old schoolmate of mine, unfortunately died that same year. Mary Tolman was then appointed town clerk until Ann Sullivan was elected in 1973. In presenting this book of vital records, I wish to express my gratitude not only to these
three town clerks who personally helped me, but also to the many long-deceased clerks who kept the records of the Groton West Parish, the district of Pepperell, and the town of Pepperell from 1742 to 1850. All of them have helped preserve a part of the past for future generations.

PEPPERELL VITAL RECORDS
Naturally there were still problems in a project such as this. One of the most troublesome was deciphering faint or illegible handwriting. Another was the change from the old style dates to the new style. When the British adopted the Gregorian calendar in place of the Julian calendar in 1752, they eliminated eleven days in September  and moved  New  Year's day from March  25 to January 1. Thus the year 1753 was the first calendar year as we know it now. I have made no attempt to change the old-style dates to the new style, and thus some apparent
discrepancies may occur.

Despite these difficulties, I had completed copying the cemetery  gravestone records, church marriages, baptisms, and deaths by 1975. At that time, I hoped that these records could be  distributed to all public libraries in Massachusetts, but funding was not available. Thus it
was with great enthusiasm that I greeted the offer by the New  England  Historic Genealogical Society in 1983 to publish these vital statistics. I am sure that the residents of Pepperell join me in thanking the Society for helping carry out the town's resolution of more than seventy years ago.

It has been my intention to make no errors, and I hope few are found.

                                      George A. Rice

ABBREVIATIONS
a.  -  age
abt.  -  about
b.  -  born
bef.  -  before
bet.  -  between
bp.  -  baptized
bur.  -  buried
C.R.1.  -  Church record, Groton West Parish & First Parish Church  in Pepperell
C.R.2.  -  Church record, Evangelical Congregational Society
certif.  -  certificate
ch.  -  child
chn.  -  children
Co.  -   county
Ct. R.  -  Court Record, Middlesex Co.
d.  -  daughter, died or day
Dea.  -  deacon
dec.  -  deceased
dup.  -  duplicate entry
G.R.1.  -  gravestone record. Walton Cemetery, Park St.
G.R.2.  -  gravestone record. Woodlawn Cemetery, Heald St.
G.R. 3.  -  gravestone record. Pepperell Cemetery, Park St.
G.R. 4.  -  gravestone record. St. Joseph's Cemetery, Jersey St.
G.R.5.  -  gravestone record. Lawrence Cemetery, (private) Hollis, N.H.
G.W.P.  -  Groton West Parish, 1745 - 1753, west of Nashua River
h.  -  husband, hour
inf.  -  infant
int.  -  intention of marriage
jr.  -  junior
m.  -   married, month, male
P.R. 1  -  private record, Carter Family Bible, Lawrence Memorial  Library.
rec.  -  recorded
rem.  -  removed
ret.  -  returned
s.  -  son
sr.  -  senior
Unm.   Unmarried
V.R. 1 Published vital records of Groton
V.R. 2 Published vital records of Dunstable
V.R. 3 Published vital records of Harvard
V.R. 4 Published vital records of Shirley
V.R. 5 Published vital records of Littleton
V.R. 6 Published vital records of Lowell
V.R. 7 Published vital records of Chelmsford
V.R. 8 Published vital records of Westford
V.R. 9 Published vital records of Tyngsborough
V.R. 10 Published vital records of Acton
V.R. 11 Published vital records of Andover
V.R. 12 Published vital records of Leominster
V.R. 13 Published vital records of Concord (B.M.D.)
V.R. 14 Published vital records of Dracut
V.R. 15 Published vital records of Wilmington
V.R. 16 Published vital records of Tewksbury
V.R. 17 Published vital records of Billerica
V.R. 18 Published vital records of Bedford
V.R. 19 Published vital records of Ashburnham
V.R. 20 Published vital records of Bolton
V.R. 21 Published vital records of Boxborough
V.R. 22 Published vital records of Lawrence
V.R. 23 Published vital records of Marlborough
V.R. 24 Published vital records of Princeton
V.R. 25 Published vital records of Methuen
V.R. 26 Published vital records of Stow
V.R. 27 Published vital records of Westminster
w.  -   wife
wid.  -  widow
widr.  -  widower
y.  -  year

PARISH, DISTRICT AND TOWN
CLERKS OF PEPPERELL

1742-1984

Parish Clerks
Eleazer Gilson 1742
James Lewis jr. 1828.1831
Samuel Wright 1743 - 1752
Samuel Farrar 1831
Josiah Fisk 1752
Abel Jewett 1832 - 1834

District Clerks
Arnold Hutchinson 1834-1836
Josiah Fisk 1753-1768
George William Prescott 1768-1770
Arnold H Josiah Fisk 1770-1773
Samuel Tucker William Prescott 1773
John Loring 1845-1849
Nehemiah Hobart 1774-1777
Samuel Tucker l849.l845
Charles Crosby 1852

TownClerks
S.R.Herrick 1853
William Green 1777
Charles Crosby 1854-1864
NehemiahHobart 1778-1780
LeviWallace 1864
Henry Woods 1780
David W. Jewett 1865-1880
Joseph Heald 1781-1788
William F. Heald 1880-1886
William Prescott 1788
Parker J.Kemp 1886-1924
Joseph Heald 1789
Frank Bennett 1924
Gen. Henry Woods 1790
Jane Bennett 1925
Joseph Heald 1791-1806
Wilfred Leary 1926-1940
Nehemiahjewetjr. 1806-1817
irene Leary 1940-1946
JohnWalton 1817-1824
John F. Cullinan 1946-1965
Abel Jewett 1824-1826
Frank R.Tule jr. 1965-1970
William Butterick 1826-1828
MaryTolman 1970-1973
Ann Sullivan 1973 -