Vital Records of Royalston, Massachusetts to the Year 1850

Published by Franklin P. Rice, Trustee of the Fund. 1906.

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

Publisher's Note.
THE  list of Royalston Births, Marriages and Deaths comprised in this volume includes all that were found in the Town Books covering the period from the earliest date there recorded to the end of the year 1849.  Some  additions have been made from other sources, and these are 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 many cases this is accounted for by the fact that neither party belonged in Royalston, 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 Royalston and  Massachusetts are named  in the original records, they are given in the printed copy.

ABBREVIATIONS.
a. - age
b. - born
bap. - baptism
ch. - child
chn. - children
C.R. - church record
d. - daughter ; day ; died
Dea. - deacon
D.R, - death record
dup. - duplicate entry
G.S.1.  - gravestone record from Centre Cemetery
G.S.2. - gravestone record from Cemetery at South Royalston
G.S.3. - gravestone record from Butterworth Cemetery
G.S.4. - gravestone record from Cemetery at Cripple Creek
G.S.5. - gravestone record from Cemetery near Richmond  line
G.S.6. - gravestone record from West Cemetery
h. - husband
inf. - infant
int. - publishment of intention of marriage
Jr. - junior
m. - male ; married ; month
N.S. - New Style
O.S. - Old Style
P.R. - private record
rec. - recorded
s. - son
Sr. - senior
w. - wife
wid. - widow
widr. -widower
2d. - second

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

Royalston was established February 19, 1765, from a tract of land called " Royalshire." On the 17th of June, 1780, a portion of this township was set off to Winchendon, and another part was included in the District of Orange, Franklin County, October 15, 1783. Parts of Athol and Gerry  (afterwards Phillipston) were annexed to Royalston, February 26, 1799, and another part of Athol was added March 7, 1803.

Population at different periods: 1765, 617; 1775,
617;  1790,1,130; 1800,1,243;  1810,1,415;  1820,
1,424;  1830, 1,493;   l840, 1,667;  l850,  1,546.
Population in 1900, 958.

Number  of Births printed ............2,659
Marriages ........................................1,143 = 2,286 names
Deaths  ............................................1,100
                                                        6,045 total