Pranksters inAdams Plant
Explosives in Resident's House
Among the types of records found in
this book are minutes of town meetings, town accounts, and printed
"annual reports". Note references to North Adams and
South Adams. Lists of persons include militia, jurors, teachers
(and their salaries), those receiving town assistance (and their
ages), and former soldiers (showing Civil War regiments and
companies). Of special interest, on page 111, is the $3500 reward
by the town for the apprehension and conviction of the person or
persons who placed explosives 3 July 1872 in the house of Thomas
Holbrook.
Adams Records [1872-1877].
[Book 5.] About 760 pages.
Attleboro Town Record Book Identifies Persons
Warned Out of Town.
Besides minutes of town meetings, these pages contain
miscellaneous records; such as, "warnings out", reports of
damage by stray animals, fence disputes, perambulation, tax
abatements, and orders by the selectmen for town payments. See
page 61 for 1773 praises to King George, page 450 for payments
to those who fought at the Battle at Bunker Hill, and page 279
for freedom extended to a Negro servant, Warrack.
Attleboro Town
Meeting Records 1757-1778. 506 pages. Fiches 35-42
Bridgewater Solves Town Meeting Attendance Problem.
At the first town meetings, attendance was taken at the
beginning and the end of the session, and a fine imposed upon
those who were absent! By 1665, Quakers were routinely expelled
from the town. In 1676, much of the town was burned by
Indians--a timely rain prevented greater destruction.
Dartmouth Votes to Eliminate High School.
Town voted in 1829 (page 137) "to dispense with the high
School." Dartmouth
Town Records 1790-1844. Town Records 1821-1829, pp 78-137,
Fiche 36.
Edgartown Town Record Books Describe Life and
Activities During the 1800's.
Consult an Edgartown town record book to discover records
of bills of sale, business licenses, discharge of mortgages, dog
licenses, ear marks, fence viewers, indentures, liens, mortgages
of personal property (and foreclosures), oyster permits, pew
deeds, perambulations, selectmen's records, stray animals and
other town business. Of special interest are a surgeon's
certificate of discharge from Civil War for disability (p 380);
the 1859 sale of a "black man" for $100 (p 289); 1861 prices of
food and clothing (pp 326-344); 1862-1868 intentions of Indians
and "people of color" who desire state citizenship (p 353).
Edgartown Town
Records 1838-1871. Vol 4. 463 pages.
Wayland Minister Leads Town in Prayer to
Determine Size of Town Common.
In 1654, when the town tried to determine how to size the town
common, the minister observed the potential conflict surrounding
the issue and proposed that they pray about the matter. After
the matter of prayer was put to a town vote and won, the pastor
offered a prayer about the problem.
Wayland, Town
Records 1638-1703, Vol 1. 553 pages. Page 113.
Boxford Spinster
Objects to Marriage Intention of Stranger.
An objection by Ruth Buswill to publishment of John
Love, a transient: "John Love a Trantient Person and Ruth
Buswill of Boxford had their Names and Intentions of Marriage
Entered Jany 28, 1775. Where as John Love a Trantient Person did
direct the Clerk of this Town to publish an Intention of
Marriage between Him self and me the Subscriber which was
accordingly done by the Said Town Clerk upon the 30th of January
AD 1775; in the usual way of publishing intentions of
Marriage:--I do hereby Strickly forbid the said Town Clerk to
give out a Certifycate of such publication--1ly because the Said
John Love is a Trantient Person and not Much Known in this
Place. 2ly because I never had any conjucal conversation with
him the Said John: and 3ly Because I never gave any consent to
the Said John for such Publication. Ruth Buswell Boxford, Jan
31:1775." Boxford
[Town Records 1741-1849]. Vol II:254-255; FICHE 5T.
Salem Births in Gloucester Records.
George Harvey and his wife, Sarah gave birth to Sarah, Nahamiah,
and Rose in 1678, 1680, & 1684 in Salem but had the births
recorded in Gloucester. "These children above recorded there
[by] parents both lived in the township of Sallem when they were
borne and being not recorded in Salem according to ordar of they
should have been therefor they desired to be recorded heare in
these towne records that the children when they came to age they
might know where to find there age if need did require and where
they were borne."
Gloucester Transcripts, Fiche 2T, page 58
Marriage
Intentions Prevent Incest.
Massachusetts Province Laws, Chapter 2:"An act to prevent
incestuous marriages." This 1695 law specifies degrees of kin
forbidden marriage. Any incestuous marriage is null and void and
the children lose their inheritance. Violators receive 40
stripes and must wear a capital I on their clothes. If the I is
not worn, then another 15 stripes. "And for the better
preventing of clandestine marriages, the couple must bring a
"certificate produced under the hand of the several towns where
the parties respectively dwell, that the names and intention of
the said parties have been entered with him fifteen days
beforehand." Further, "all marriages shall be registered by the
town clerk of the same town where they are consummated."
Lydia Morse Dies after Fixing
Breakfast.
"Mrs. Lydia Morse wife of Mark Morse died March 4th 1832 in
the 74th year of her age, she rose in the morning prepared breakfast
for the family, and was a corpse before 11 O'clock a.m. ..."
(Beverly, fiche 26T) See
Topsfield vital
records 1741 or
Uxbridge deaths 1838
Alice Devol
Stops Husband from Taking Another Wife. Westport, April 19, 1810: "I understand
that Pardon Devol and Rachel Heffords [of Middleboro] is published
and I forbid all Bands of Matrimony between them and likewise forbid
Ephraim Tripp town clerk of Darmouth giveing (sic) them a
sertificate (sic) as I have been lawfully married to him. Alice
Devol." (Dartmouth, fiche 9)
Bare-footed Bride Obeys Law in Dartmouth.
"September ye 5: 1749: then did Nathan Shearman take the
widow Mary Tailor in her shift without head cloath and bare foot and
led her a cross the highway where two highways mett as the law
directs in such cases and was then married according to Law by me
Phillip Taber minister of Dartmouth." (Dartmouth, 3T).
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