This book is a reprint, originally published in 1914, of early marriages in Middlesex, Hampshire, Berkshire and Bristol Counties, Massachusetts, between the years of 1643 and 1795. Frederic W. Bailey, a prolific publisher of vital records, compiled several books between the years 1896 and 1914. In 1897 he began a series on early Massachusetts marriages, which is believed to be the most complete collection of early Massachusetts marriages ever published. This book, the Third Book, covers Middlesex, Hampshire, Berkshire and Bristol Counties between the years 1643 and 1795. Included are the full names of the bride and groom, the date and town of marriage. There are approximately 5,300 marriages, or 10,600 individuals listed in this Third Book. Following is a list of the Towns covered, by County: Middlesex County: Billerica, Cambridge, Charlestown, Chelmsford, Concord, Dunstable, Groton, Hilliston, Lancaster, Marlborough, Malden, Medford, Mendon, Newton, Reading, Sherborn, Stow, Sudbury, Watertown, Weston, and Woburn. Berkshire County: Adams, Cheshire, Dalton, Egremont, Great Barrington, Hancock, Lanesborough, Lenox, Mount Washington, Peru, Pittsfield, Tyringham, West Stockbridge, Williamstown, and Windsor. Plymouth County (Continued from Book Two): Middleborough, Plymouth, Rochester, Hanover, Bridgewater, Duxborough, and Marshfield. Hampshire County: Belchertown, Blandford, Charlemont, Deerfield, Greenfield, Hatfield, Monson, Northampton, Orange, Southampton, Sunderland, Wendell, Westfield, Westhampton, and Springfield (now Hampden Co.). Bristol County: Attleborough. Paperback, (1914), repr. 2011, Index, 211 pp.

This is the most complete collection of early Massachusetts marriages ever published, containing over 20,000 entries for the period 1643-1800. The marriages derive from records kept by the various county, city, and court clerks in compliance with Massachusetts law and give the full name of the bride and groom and date and place of marriage. The book is divided into four sections, and each section of the book is separately paginated and indexed, except for the last, which is arranged in chronological order.

The most complete collection of early Massachusetts marriages ever published, with 20,000 entries for the period 1643-1800, derived from records kept by the various county, city, and court clerks, providing full names and places. Divided into sections covering: Worcester County; Plymouth County; Middlesex, Hampshire, Berkshire, and Bristol counties; and Plymouth County; and an unnumbered volume of the records of the Court of General Sessions. Originally published 1897-1914.

Excerpt from Early Massachusetts Marriages Prior to 1800, Vol. 1: As Found on the Official Records of Worcester County The territory now embraced in Worcester County was occupied here and there long before its organization in 1731. In the steady march Of civilization those sturdy ancestors to whom, through warfare or distant journeyings this region had become familiar, had marked out a number of its most fertile spots for settlement that were later so oft left by will to worthy sons and daughters, who there found for themselves perma nent and happy homes. Such localities may now be known by the ancient townships, dating back even as early as 1653, when Lancaster was organized and named. But the interesting and impressive feature of our early and colonial life in Massachusetts, here so briefly told, is that prior to any thought of an organized township, the Christian church, fulfilling to the letter the Gospel spirit, where two or three are gathered together, had already planted and erected its church, around and in which might center the best aims and ambitions of the humblest community. It gathered the isolated and scattered households for miles around together in an assem bly, holy in its purpose and far reaching in its aim. At home in the wilderness it brought to each lonely fireside comfort, consolation, good cheer. Its all pervading life and light conquered as nothing else could the red savage in his forest den, persuading even him to submit to its precious ordinances. The faithful pastor kept peculiar oversight of all these people from a supreme sense of duty which was not strictly and conscientiously fulfilled if somehow every name was not recorded by him among his baptisms, on his list Of membership, or the eligible among those by him joined in the sacred bonds Of matrimony. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.