~ A COPY OF THE ~ Records of Births, Marriages and Deaths AND OF Intentions of Marriage OF THE Town of Hanover, M.ass. As Recorded by the Several Town Clerks for the Said Town of Hanover. Prepared Under the Direction of Jedediah Dwelley, rlorton V. Bonney, Eben C. Waterman, rtelvin S. Nash and L. Vernon Briggs, a Committee Appointed by Said Town for that Purpose. ROCKLANO. PRESS OF THE ROCKLAND STANbAIW. 1898. INTRODUCTION. To the inhabitants of Hanover, and to others interested in her history, this brief explanatory introduction is sub­ mitted. At the annual meeting in March, 1895, the following vote was passed: " Voted that a Committee of three be appoint­ ed by the Chairman of this Meeting to examine the Town Records and make arrangements to have them copied, if they think it advisable to do so," and Eben C. Waterman, Jede­ diah Dwelley and Melvin S. Nash were appointed as the Committee. At the annual meeting in 1896 this Committee reported in part as follows: "There are in the Town Clerk's office thirty-five record books of which five or six were written in the first century of the Town's history, while the rest have been written in the last seventy years. The total number of pages in these Record Books is 10,rr3, and the total number of pages on which records have been made is 6,j42. It is doubtful if these Records can be copied at an expense of less than $2,060.34, and it does not seem to your Committee wise to expend this amount of money, as they believe that for $500 all necessary work can be done, and the Records placed in as good condition as can reasonably be expected. As stated, there are thirty-five books containing Records more or less important. These books can easily be reduced to twenty in number, by separating and re-binding, and in this way Records be arranged under appropriate head­ ings, the new books made in uniform binding, showing on the backs thereof to what subjects they relate, and what years they embrace. If this re-binding is done, and if the Births, Marriages and Deaths are copied carefully into new books the necessities of the case will b<:: fully met." It was voted by the town to " accept the Report and to appropriate five iv INTRODUCTION. hundred dollars for the work," and a new Committee con­ sisting of Jedediah Dwelley, Morton V. Bonney, Eben C. Waterman, l\Ielvin S. Nash and L. Vernon Briggs was chosen to carry on the work. The first meeting of this new Committee was held March 12th, 1896, and L. Vernon Briggs was chosen Secretary. Hon. Robert T. Swan, Record Com­ missioner of Massachusetts, was present by invitation of the Chairman. It was voted at this meeting that the Births, Marriages and Deaths from 1727 to 1857, be copied, and a proper index thereof be prepared. At a later meeting it was voted to separate the different books of Records and have them re-bound, the different subjects being separately and chronologically arranged, and this was done. The Records which were previously embraced in thirty-five volumes were, under the new arrangement and the new bindings reduced to twenty-two volumes. At a still later meetbg of this Com­ mittee it was voted that the volume containing the Records of the early Town Meetings be repaired with silk and re-bound by Mr. F. ,v. R. Emery, of Taunton, Mass., an expert in such work. It was also voted to request the Selectmen to introduce an Article in the next Town Meeting \Yarrant, ''To see if the Town will print five or six hundred copies of the Records of Births, Marriages and Deaths." This Committee made a Report at the Annual Town Meeting in 1897, wliich report was accepted, and they were then instructed, by vote of the town, to print and bind the Record of Births,­ Marriages and Deaths from 1727 to 1857. This book is evidence that the work has been done. The Com­ mittee found the Records of the Town in bad condition, some of them very nearly illegible. They have given their best efforts to rescue and preserve that which to many is of price­ less value. There were two methods open to the Committee in the performance of the work-one was to submit this whole matter of copying, examining and printing to experts (this would have had the advantage of precision). Another was to try and do it more economically by persons with a local knowledge, but unused to this kind of work. The latter course was adopted. It had its advantages. This I!sTRODUCTIO!s. Book, so far it relate:: to Births, Marriages and Deaths is in­ tended as an exact copy of the Records, nothing having been ommitted, nothing added, and no attempt made to arrange chronologically. To make a true copy, and at the same time an exact chronological arrangement, was impossible. Per­ sons familiar with the history of the town, in pemsing this book ·will note many errors in names and dates. Some of these mistakes are those of the copyist; the larger number, however, are those of the Town Clerks who made the record. The mistakes of the copyists and those of the printer, so far as discovered at this writing, have been noted under the head of " Errata." The following explanation may be helpful:- Pages 1 to 109 inclusive, contain a copy of the Record of Births, although there will be found in these pages the records of a few deaths and marriages. Pages III to 191 inclusive, contain a copy of the Record of Marriages. Pages 192 to 247 inclusive, contain a copy of the Record of Deaths, and pages 249 to 279 gives a list of the persons whose Intention of Marriage is recorded-where the marriage of such persons is not recorded. The following statement may also be of assistance :- The original books in the Town Clerk's office, from which records contained in this book were copied, are five in number. The two oldest of these books are red covered ones, the larger of the two being marked '' Records of Town of Hanover, 1 j2'"; to 1799 ; '' the smaller one being marked "Town of Hanover, 1730 to 1837." The other three books are in more recent binding-one of them is a large brown book, and is marked "Births, Marriages and Deaths, Vol. 2, Hanover ; ' ' another is a large brown book, marked '' Births, Marriages and Deaths, Vol. 3, Hanover, 1857 to 1896," including ancient records copied in 1857, and the other book is a smaller brown book, marked " Intentions of Marriage, Vol. 1, Hanover, 1815 to 1896." The Intentions of Marriage will be found in the last named book and in the small red book. Of the Births, pages I to 15 inclusive, and the first seven vi INTRODUCTION. births on page 16 are in the LARGE RED BOOK. The last twelve births on page 16 and pages 17 to 50 inclusive, and the 1irst sixteen births on page 51 are in the SMALL RED BOOK. The last eleven births on page 51 and pages 52 to Iog inclusive, are in the LARGE BROWN BOOK, marked "Births, Marriages and Deaths, Vol. 2, Hanover." Of the marriages-pages III to II2 inclusive, are in LARGE RED BOOK. Pages II3 to 121 inclusive, are in the LARGE BROWN BOOK, marked '' Births, Marriages and Deaths, Vol. 3, Hanover, 1857 to 1896." Pages 122 to 137 inclnsive, and the first ten marriages on page 138 are in the SMALL RED BOOK. The last four marriages on page 138 and Pages 139 to 191 inclusive, are in the LARGE BRO'\l,"N BOOK, marked "Births, Marriages and Deaths, Vol. 2, Hanover." Of the Deaths-page 192 is in the LARGE R:ED BOOK. Pages 193 to 202 inclusive, and the first thirteen Deaths on page 203 are in the SMALL RED BOOK. The last seven Deaths on page 203 and pages 204 to 247 inclusive, are in the LARGF; BROWN BOOK, marked "Births, Marriages and Deaths, Vol. 2, Hanover." JEDEDIAH DWELLEY. MORTON V. BONNEY. EBEN C. WATli:RJIIAN. MELVIN S. NASH~ L. VERNON BRlGGS. March 7th, 1898. ERRATA. Page 4a. Ruth Spencer Ramsdel should be Ruth Spooner Ramsdel. 64. Cynthia Jackson Tribon shonld be Cynthia Jackson Tribou. 64. John Trybon shonld be John Tribou. i2. Rnth Spencer Ellis shonld be Rnth Spooner Ellis. i9. Jnlins Honse, born May 20th, 1836, shonld be 1820. " 121. Jany 22, 19i8 shonld be Jany 22, 1798. " 121. Mar. 17, 1an shonld be Mar. 17, 1737. " 193. Elisha Palmer, Angnst 1878, shonld be 1798. " 194. Robert Lenthel Eells shonld be Robert Lent/tel Eell•. " 20-1. ---Cnrtis sbonld be Prince Curtis. " 214. A child at Joseph Eells Jr,, Sept. 29th, 1843, shonld IJe 1834. " 215. Airs Stetson shonld be Ari, Stetson. ORIGINAL RECORDS OF HANOVER, MASS. BIRTHS. Sa111u1:l Bourn Son o{ ~ a than Bourn a11d Lydia hi,; wife was horn the Second day of September in hanoYer in the year 1;34 and Recorded per \Villiam Witherel Town Clerk. Remember Bourn Daughter of Nathan Bourn and Lydia his wife was boum in hanoyerthe sixteenth Day of february Ii35- Recorded per William Witherel Town Cler Thomas Barker Son of Robert Barker and hannab was Born the 29th Day of apriel I j38 Recorded per '\Villiam \Vitherel Town Cler Ann Barker Daughter to Robart Barker :md h:mnah was Bourn the 21~t Day of September Ii39 Recorded per William \Vitherell Town Cler Elisebeth Daughter to Robart Barker and Hannah was Born the T\\·enty fifth Day of february Ii43 Hannah Barker Daughter of Robert Barker and Hannah his wife was Born January 10th 174-5- .-\.bigal Hatch Daughter of James Hatch Jur and a1111a l1h; wife was bourn the 29th Day of october 1725 Recorded per William Witherell Town Cler Experi1:11ce Hatch Daughter to James Hatch and anna his wife was born the first Day of august 1727 Recorded per Willm Witherel Town Cler Julie Hatch daughter of James Hatch and anna his wife was horn the Teenth Day of July Ii29 Recorded pr Willia1n Witherell Town Cler J a111es hatch son of James hatch and anna his wife was born the Third day of february 1731 Record pr William Witherell Town Cler 2 ll,\XO\".ER RECORDS.