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A
Multitude of Massachusetts Records
Massachusetts
Probate, Town, and Vital Records, 1600s–1900s
(CD 502)
Reviewed by Marthe Arends
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I love resources such as this one — where else can you find
an economical, electronically searchable version of thirteen out-of-print
books detailing one of the richest areas of genealogical information
— Massachusetts vital records? To add to my joy, the books
do not just feature births, deaths, and marriages — there are
also volumes featuring local histories, and three of probate record
extracts! This Family Archive includes information for approximately
160,000 individuals.
Images of the actual pages of the following books, all originally
published by Genealogical Publishing Company, can be found within
this CD:
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History of the Town of Duxbury, Massachusetts with Genealogical
Register by Justin Winsor
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The History of Haverhill, Massachusetts from its First Settlement,
in 1640, to the Year 1860 by George Wingate Chase
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History of Scituate, Massachusetts, From its First Settlement
to 1831 by Samuel Deane
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History of Stoneham, Massachusetts, with Biographical Sketches
of Many of its Prominent Men by William B. Stevens
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Records of the Town of Plymouth Published by Order of the Town
— in Three Volumes by William T. Davis
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Vital Records of the Town of Plymouth, an Authorized Facsimily
Reproduction of Records Published Serially 1901-1935 in "The Mayflower
Descendant" by Col. Leonard H. Smith, Jr., and Norma H. Smith
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May
8, 2000
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Vital Records of the Towns of Barnstable and Sandwich, an Authorized
Facisimily Reproduction of Records Published Serially 1901-1937
in "The Mayflower Descendant" by Col. Leonard H. Smith, Jr.,
and Norma H. Smith
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Vital Records of the Towns of Eastham and Orleans, an Authorized
Facsimile Reproduction of Records Published Serially 1901-1935 in
"The Mayflower Descendant" by Col. Leonard H. Smith, Jr., and
Norma H. Smith
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Vital Records of the Town of Fairhaven, Massachusetts to 1850
by Leonard H. Smith, Jr., and Dorothy Marvelle Boyer
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Vital Records of the Town of Middleborough, an Authorized Facsimile
Reproduction of Records Published Serially 1901-1937 in "The Mayflower
Descendant" by Col. Leonard H. Smith, Jr., and Norma H. Smith
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Abstracts of Bristol County, Massachusetts Probate Records,
1687-1745 by H. L. Peter Rounds
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Abstracts of Bristol County, Massachusetts Probate Records,
1745-1762 by H. L. Peter Rounds
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Suffolk County Wills: Abstracts of the Earliest Wills Upon Record
in the County of Suffolk, Massachusetts from "The New England Historical
and Genealogical Register"
Full details about each volume is found in the introduction,
and each book's original title page, table of contents, and index
are included within the CD.
An example from History of the Town of Duxbury, Massachusetts with
Genealogical Registers by Justin Winsor:
ALLERTON'S HILL.
An early mention is made of a hill of this name, which was probably
called after Isaac Allerton, one of the erst Pilgrims, though I cannot
find him mentioned as a resident of Duxbury at any time.
NORTH HILL. This
name was given to the eminence which now bears it, by the earliest
settlers, in whose vicinity were settled some of the principal men
of the town, and around which large grants were made.
CAPTAIN'S
HILL. This hill formed a part of an early grant to Captain Standish,
who settled near its base, and whose name it still bears. It
is situated on a peninsula, which extends in a southeasterly
direction, between the bays of Duxbury and Plymouth, and contains
about two or three hundred acres of good soil, little inferior
to any in the country in fertility. While in other portions
of the town the soil is sandy and unproductive, and a considerable
part in no state of cultivation, this peninsula is furnished
with a deep aud fertile soil. The same may be said of the highland
on the Gurnet, Saquish and many other similar spots around the
bay, where the soil is in immediate proximity to the sea. Clark's
Island in some parts possesses a mould, which if equalled, is
scarcely surpassed in the county; and while the northern and
western sides offer the most desirable qualities for pasturage
and grain, its southern and eastern declivities present a perfect
garden, abounding with trees, through whose foliage, even during
the summer's hottest months, stir the breezes from the sea.
This CD is a great resource for researchers who have ancestors
in Massachusetts. The ability to search the Family Archive
for individuals (unfortunately, you are limited to searching
by an individual's name, book title, or page number) is
a great boon. I highly recommend this new release.
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Marthe Arends has
been involved in genealogy for 18 years. She has lectured on computers and genealogy
to many groups, has been the SysOp of a Fidonet genealogy BBS, has written articles
for a variety of genealogy publications, and currently writes fiction. Marthe has also written Genealogy
Software Guide and Genealogy
on CD-ROM, both published by the Genealogical
Publishing Company.
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