The following records of births, marriages and deaths include all entries to be found in the books of record kept by the town clerks; in the church records; in the returns made to the Essex County Quarterly Court; in the cemetery inscriptions; and in the private records found in family Bibles, etc. These records are printed in a condensed form in which every essential particular has been preserved. All duplication of the town clerks’ record has been eliminated, but differences in entry and other explanatory matter appear in brackets. Parentheses are used when they occur in the original record; also to indicate the maiden name of a married woman, and to show variations in the spelling of a name in the same entry.
When places other than Rowley and Massachusetts are named in the original records, they are given in the printed copy. Marriages and intentions of marriage 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 when a marriage appears without the intention being recorded, it is designated by an asterisk. Double dating is used in the months of January, February and March, prior to 1752, whenever it appears in the original, and also, whenever from the sequence of entry in the original the date may be easily determined. In all records the original spelling of names is followed, and the various forms of family names have been placed in one alphabetical arrangement.
Black families who were recorded and known are listed separately at the rear of each section of the book (births, marriages, and deaths) and often were often recorded only by their given name.
Rowley Timeline
This timeline is important to consider if your family resided at some point in the Rowley jurisdiction up to 1850.
Sept. 4, 1639, “Mr. Ezechi Rogers plantation.”
May 4, 1649, one-fifth of Plum Island granted to Rowley.
May 14, 1656, bounds between Rowley and Newbury established.
Oct. 13, 1675, part established as Bradford.
Aug. 12, 1685, bounds between Rowley and the village (afterward Topsfield) established.
1694, part established as Boxford.
Feb. 24, 1701, agreed bounds between Rowley and Bradford confirmed.
Nov. 29, 1785, part of Ipswich annexed.
June 10, 1808, part annexed to Boxford.
June 18, 1825, bounds between Rowley and Boxford established.
Apr. 21, 1838, part established as Georgetown.
Mar. 12, 1904, bounds between Rowley and Boxford established.
Mar. 19, 1904, bounds between Rowley and Ipswich established.
Mar. 27, 1905, bounds between Rowley and Newbury established.
Abbreviations
a.—age.
abt.—about.
b.—born.
bef .—before.
bet.—between.
bp.—baptized.
bur.—buried.
Ct.—Captain ; Cornet.
C R. 1.—church record, First Congregational Church.
C.R. 2.—church record, Second Congregational Church, now in Georgetown.
C.R. 3.—church record, First Baptist Church, now in Georgetown.
C.R. 4.—church record, Second Baptist Church.
certif.—certificate.
ch.—child.
chn.—children.
Co.—county.
CT. F.—court files.
CT. R—court records, Essex Co. Quarterly Court.
d.—daughter; day; died.
Dea.—deacon.
dec.—deceased.
dup.—duplicate entry.
Ens.—ensign.
grandd.—granddaughter.
grands.—grandson.
G.R. 1.—gravestone record, Rowley Cemetery.
G.R. 2._gravestone record, Union Cemetery, Georgetown.
h.—husband ; hour.
inf.—infant.
int.—intention of marriage.
jr.—junior.
Lt.—lieutenant.
m.—male; married; month.
P.R. 1.—Record kept by Rev. Moses Hale, pastor of Byfield-Rowley Church, now in possession of Joseph N. Dummer.
P.R. 2.—Record kept by Rev. James Chandler and Rev. Isaac Braman, pastors of the Second Church.
P.R. 3.—Abstract of marriages recorded in the Provincial Court Records, formerly at Exeter, N. H., performed by Samuel Dalton, Commissioner, now in possession of the Secretary of State of New Hampshire.
P.R. 4.—Bible record now in possession of Mrs. Eunice Haines of Georgetown.
P.R. 5.—Bible record now in possession, of Mrs. Cornelius Baker Adams of Georgetown.
P.R. 6.—Bible record now in possession of Miss Sarah Maria Hale of Rowley.
P.R. 7—Bible record now in possession of Mrs. Arthur W. Peabody of Rowley.
P.R. 8.—Sampler now in possession of William Stickney Ewell of Rowley.
P.R. 9.—Bible record now in possession of Mrs. Everett Cressey of Rowley.
P.R. 10.—Family record now in possession of Miss Ellen F. Jackson of Rowley.
P.R. 11.—Bible record now in possession of Charles Bradstreet of Bridgeport, Conn.
P.R. 12.—Bible record now in possession of Charles W. Hale of Rowley.
P.R. 13.—Bible record now in possession of Harlan C. Foster of Rowley.
P.R. 14.Bible record now in possession of Paul Abbott of Rowley.
P.R. 15.—Family record now in possession of Miss Annie T. Dole of Rowley.
P.R. 16.—Bible record now in possession of Mrs. Abby F. Elsworth of Rowley.
P.R. 17.—Bible record now in possession of Mrs. Bainbridge Morse of Georgetown.
P.R. 18.—Bible record now in possession of Elizabeth N. Noyes of Georgetown.
P.R. 19.—Bible record now in possession of George Greenleaf Tyler of Georgetown.
P.R. 20.—Family record now in possession of Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Tracy of Georgetown.
P.R. 21.—Bible record now in possession of Mrs. F. M. Harriman of Georgetown.
P.R. 22.—Bible record now in possession of Mrs. Anne L. Floyd of Georgetown.
P.R. 23.—Bible record now in possession of Miss Annie M. Haskell of Georgetown.
P.R. 24.—Bible record now in possession of Forrest E. Bailey of Georgetown.
P.R. 25.—Bible record now in possession of Miss Mary A. Palmer of Georgetown.
P.R. 26.—Family record now in possession of Mrs. Elizabeth M. Bateman of Georgetown.
P.R. 27.—Bible record now in possession of Amos E. Jewett of Rowley.
P.R. 28.—Small diary of Joshua Jewett, now in possession of Amos E. Jewett of Rowley.
P.R. 29.—Richards family record now in possession of Amos E. Jewett of Rowley.
P.R. 30.—Bible record now in possession of Mrs. Lelia Taylor of Georgetown.
P.R. 31.—Bible record now in possession of Mrs, Charlotte K. N. Chaplin of Georgetown.
P.R. 32.—Large diary of Joshua Jewett now in possession of Amos E. Jewett of Rowley.
P.R. 33.—Family record now in possession of Mrs. M. L. Noyes of Byfield.
P.R. 34.—Family record now in possession of Alice I. Yeaton of Georgetown.
P.R. 35.—Family record now in possession of Mrs. Alfarata D. Adams of Georgetown.
P.R. 36.—Bible record now in possession of Mrs. Joseph H. Kimball of Georgetown.
P.R. 37.—Family record now in possession of Fred S. Hardy of West Newton, Mass.
P.R. 38.—Bible record now in possession of Miss Sarah M. Holmes of Bradford, Mass.
P.R. 39.—Family record now in possession of Miss Sarah Jewett of Georgetown.
P.R. 40.—Bible record now in possession of Mrs. Hannah G. Rogers of Georgetown.
P.R. 41.—Bible record now in possession of Mrs. Melvin G. Spofford of Georgetown.
P.R. 42.—Bible record now in possession of Mrs. Clara P. Stocker of Georgetown.
P.R. 43.—Bible record now in possession of Miss Susan E. Nelson of Georgetown.
P.R. 44.—Bible record now in possession of Mrs. George Weston of Georgetown.
P.R. 45.—Bible record now in possession of Charles H. Hall of Georgetown.
P.R. 46.—Bible record now in possession Hudson S. Harriman.
P.R. 47.—Bible record now in possession of George Prescott Tyler of Georgetown.
P.R. 48.—Bible record now in possession of Mrs. Alfarata Adams of Georgetown.
P.R. 49.—Bible record now in possession of Israel F. Dwinnel of Georgetown.
P.R. 50.—Family record now in possession of Mrs. William Poole.
P.R. 51.—Bible record now in possession of Cornelius G. Baker of Georgetown.
P.R. 52.—Bible record now in possession of Asa F. Howe of Georgetown.
P.R. 53.—Bible record now in possession of Herbert A. Dale of Georgetown.
P.R. 54.—Bible record now in possession of Mrs. Caroline Crawford of Georgetown.
P.R. 55.—Bible record now in possession of Mrs. Rodney M. Hills of Byfield.
P.R. 56.—Bible record now in possession of Frank V. Noyes of Georgetown.
P.R. 57.—Bible record now in possession of Horace E. Harriman of Georgetown.
P.R. 58.—Bible record now in possession of Mrs. Lucy W. Gay of Georgetown.
P.R. 59.—Bible record now in possession of Miss Rosamond A. Plummer.
P.R. 60.—Bible record now in possession of Charles H. Pingrey of Georgetown.
P.R. 61.—Bible record now in possession of Mrs. Gorham Jewett of Rowley.
P.R. 62.—Family record now in possession of Mrs. Herbert A. Witham of Georgetown.
P.R. 63.—Bible record now in possession of Harlan P. Floyd of Georgetown.
P.R. 64.—Bible record now in possession of Mrs. Henry J. Minchen of Georgetown.
P.R. 65.—Interleaved almanac dated 1769, now in possession of the Essex Institute.
P.R. 66.—Family record now in possession of George G. Kneeland of Haverhill.
P.R. 67.—Bible record now in possession of James G. Noyes of Washington, D. C.
P.R. 68.— Bible record now in possession of Charles R. Weston of Georgetown.
P.R. 69.—Bible record now in possession of Mrs. Daniel D. Holt of Georgetown.
P.R. 70.—Bible record now in possession of Luther Brown of Georgetown.
P.R. 71.—Bible record now in possession of Mrs. Susan Dawkins Fitch of Georgetown.
P.R. 72.—Bible record now in possession of Mrs. Alfred A. Spaulding of Georgetown.
P.R. 73.—Bible record now in possession of Charles C. Merrill of Haverhill.
P.R. 74.—Bible record now in possession of Mrs. John C. Wise of Hebron, N. H.
P.R. 75.—Bible record now in possession of James M. Perley of Rowley.
P.R. 76.—Bible record now in possession of Charles H. Houghton of Rowley.
P.R. 77.—Bible record now in possession of George Prescott of Rowley.
P.R. 78.—Family record now in possession of Mrs. Catherine Mighill of Rowley.
P.R. 79.—Family record, on reverse side of silhouette, now in possession of the Rowley Historical Society.
P.R. 80.—Bible record now in possession of William Stickney Ewell of Rowley.
P.R. 81.—Family record now in possession of Albert A. Hicken of Rowley.
P.R. 82.—Bible record now in possession of Mrs. Charles Gray of Rowley.
P.R. 83.—Bible record now in possession of Arthur R. Moody of Rowley.
P.R. 84.—Bible record now in possession of Edwin Adams of Rowley.
P.R. 85.—Bible record now in possession of Charles P. Adams of Georgetown.
P.R. 86.—Bible record now in possession of Rev. Bartlett Weston of Georgetown.
P.R. 87.—Bible record now in possession of Mrs. Sarah E. Dodge of Rowley.
P.R. 88.—Family record now in possession of Mrs. Noah R. Kneeland of Georgetown.
P.R. 89.—Bible record now in possession of Mrs. Mary E. Millett of Rowley.
P.R. 90.—Bible record now in possession of Miss Ellen W. Hilliard of Georgetown.
P.R. 91.—Paul Jewett’s family Bible record now in possession of Rowley Historical Society.
P.R. 92.—Bible record now in possession of C. William Scates of Georgetown.
rec.—recorded.
rem.—removed.
ret.—returned.
s.—son.
sr.—senior.
unm.—unmarried.
w.—week ; wife.
wid.—widow.
widr.—widower.
y.— year.
