THIS publication is issued under the authority of a votepassed by the NEW ENGLAND  HISTORIC GENEALOGICALSOCIETY, November 6, 1901, as follows:  
Voted: That the sum of $20,000, from the bequest of the lateRobert Henry Eddy, be set aside as a special fund to be calledthe Eddy Town-Record Fund, for the sole purpose of publishingthe Vital Records of the towns of Massachusetts, and that theCouncil be authorized and instructed to make such arrangementsas may be necessary for such publication. And the treasurer ishereby instructed to honor such drafts as shall be authorized bythe Council for this purpose.

Committee on Publications.
Henry Winchester Cunningham
Charles Knowles Bolton
Edmund Dana Barbour
Henry Edwards Scott
F. Apthorp Foster

Editor,F. Apthorp Foster

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

TOWN OF STOW, Middlesex County,was  established May 16, 1683, prior to whichtime it was known as a plantation between Concord andLancaster called Pompositticut.
  April 12, 1717, bounds between Stow and Concordwere established.
  December  29, 1730, part of Sudbury was annexed toStow.
June 29, 1732, part of Stow was included in the newtown of Harvard.
February 25, 1783, part of Stow was included in thenew town of Boxborough.
July 11,1783, bounds between Stow and Maryboroughwere established.              

    Population by Census : 1765 (Prov.), 794 ;

      1776 (Prov.), 915;   1790 (U.S.),  801;

      1800 (U.S.),  890;   1810 (U.S.),  885;

      1820 (U.S.), 1071;   1830 (U.S.), 1220;

      1840 (U.S.), 1230;   1850 (U.S.), 1455;

      1855 (State), 1485;  1860 (U.S.), 1641;

      1865 (State), 1537;  1870 (U.S.), 1813;

      1875 (State), 1022;  1880 (U.S.), 1045;

      1885 (State), 976;   1890 (U.S.),  903;

      1895 (State), 920;   1900 (U.S.), 1002;

      1905 (State), 1027;  1910 (U.S.), 1115.

EXPLANATIONS
   1. WHEN places other than "Stow and Massachusetts are  named in the original records, they are given in the printed copy.
   2. In all items from town records the original spelling is followed, and no attempt is made to correct errors appearing in the records or to harmonize conflicting names or dates.
   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. 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, or difference shown in other entries of the record, is bracketed.Parentheses are used to show the difference in the spelling of a name  in the same entry, to indicate the maiden name of a wife,to enclose an imperfect portion of the original text, and to separateclauses in the original text — such as the birthplace of a parentin late records.
  6. In 1831 a copy  was made  of the first volume of records,which  has since become  defaced and mutilated. Items takenfrom this Town Copy  are so marked.

ABBREVIATIONS
a. — age
abt. — about
b. — born
bur. — buried
ch. — child
chn. — children
Co. — county
C.R. — church record, First Church of Christ
d. — daughter; died; day
Dea. — deacon
dup. — duplicate entry
G.R.1. — grave record, from Old Cemetery at "Stow LowerVillage"
G.R.2. — grave record, from Hillside Cemetery
h. — husband
hrs. — hours
inf. — infant
int. — publishment of intention of marriage
Jr. — Junior
m. — married; month
M.R. — Middlesex County record, East Cambridge
min. — minutes
P.R.1. — private record, from the Stow family Bible, now inthe possession of Andrew J. Smith of Stow
P.R.2. — private record, from the James B. Porter Bible, nowin the possession of Lydia W. Porter of West Acton
P.R.3. — private record, from a family Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Henry Fowler of Concord Junction
P.R.4.— private record, from the Wolcott" family Bible, nowin the possession of Mrs. Abijah Wolcott of Stow
P.R.5-. private record, from a family Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Herbert Marshall of Stow
P.R.6.—private record, from the records of the Christopher  Wilder family, now  in the possession of Mrs. SarahHastings of Pittsfield
P.R.7- private record, from the Charles T. Walcott Bible,now in the possession of Mrs. Emma Herrick of Waltham
P.R.8. — private record, from the John Walcott Bible, now inthe possession of Henry Wetherbee of Stow
P.R.9.— private record, from the Silas Parks Bible, now inthe possession of Lewis Parks of Stow
P.R.10. — private record, from the Robert Wolcott Bible, nowin the possession of Mrs. Hannah Gates of Stow
P.R.11. — private record, from private records of the John  Miles family, now in the possession of Mrs. S. A. Milesof South Acton
P.R.12. — private record, from the Whitney family Bible, now  in the possession of W. H. Whitney of Concord Junction
P.R.13- — private record, from records of the Jonathan Priestfamily, now in the possession of Mrs. Benjamin Folsomof Stow
P.R.14. — private record, from the Asa Whitney Bible, now  in the possession of Mrs. D. P. Muzzy of Cambridge
P.R.15. — private record, from the John Gates Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. William Peck of Stow
P.R.16. — private record, from the Ephraim W. Stone Bible,  now in the possession of Albert M. Stone of Hanford,California
P.R.17- — private record, from the John Walcott Bible, nowin the possession of Miss Sue Smith of Hudson
P.R.18. — private record, from the John Gates Bible, now in  the possession of Mrs. William Peck of Stow
P.R.19.—private  record, from the Silas Brooks Bible, now  in the possession of Mrs. Joseph Reed of Maynard
P.R.20. — private record, from the Asahel Smith Bible, now  in the possession of Miss Sue Smith of Hudson
P.R.21. — private record, from the Nathan Brooks WhitmanBible, now in the possession of Mrs. Annie L. Brigham  of Marlboro
P.R.22. — private record, from the Benjamin Herrick Bible,now in the possession of Marshall Herrick of Bolton
P.R.23.—  private record, from the Jeremy Underwood Bible,now in the possession of Mrs. Laura Miles of Natick
P.R.24. — private record, from the Joel Gates Bible, now inthe possession of Mrs. S. M. Lawrence of Stow
P.R.25—private record, from the George Stow family records,now in the possession of George Stow Jr. of Stow
P.R.26. — private record, from private records of StephenStow, now in the possession of George Stow of Stow
P.R.27. — private record, from the Eliphalet Tenney Bible,now in the possession of Eliphalet Tenney of Stow
P.R.28 — private record, from the George Stow Bible now inthe possession of Mrs. Edmund Stow of Stow
P.R.29 — private record, from private records, now in thepossession of Mrs. Edmund  Stow of Stow
P.R.30. — private record, from the Moses  Whitney  Bible,now in the possession of J. F. Whitney of Stow
P.R-31.—  private record, from the Priest family Bible, nowin the possession of Mrs. Frank Hallock of Stow
R.R. — Rebellion Record
rec. — recorded
s. — son
Sr. — senior
T.C. — Town  Copy
w. — wife; week
wid. — widow
widr. — widower
y. — year