Vital Records of Dartmouth Massachusetts to 1850

Explanations

The fact that a birth, marriage, or death is recorded in Dartmouth does not prove that it occurred there, unless it is so stated in the record. When places other than Dartmouth and Massachusetts are named in the original records, they are given as they appear there; but when Dartmouth is named, the initial letter only is used, except in unusual phrases.

1. In all items from town records the original spelling is followed, and no attempt is made to correct errors appearing in the records.
2. A baptism is not printed, if it occurs within one year after the recorded date of birth of a child of the same name and parents or if it is clear that the child baptized is identical with the child of the birth record; but variations found in the baptismal record are added to the birth record.
3. The birth of a married woman is recorded under her maiden name, if it is known. But if the maiden name cannot be determined, the entry appears under the husband’s name, with a dash enclosed in brackets, i. e., [ ], to signify that the maiden name is unknown. If it is not known whether the surname is that of a married or unmarried woman, “? m.” is placed in brackets after the Christian name.
4. 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 where a marriage appears without the intention being recorded, it is designated with an asterisk.
5. Additional information which does not appear in the original text of an item, i. e., any explanation, query, inference, or difference shown in other entries of the record, is bracketed. Parentheses are used to show variations in the spelling of a name in the same entry, to indicate the maiden name of a wife, to enclose an imperfect portion of the original text, and to separate clauses in the original text.
6. Items marked with a dagger (†) have been supplied from a copy of the Dartmouth town records, preserved in the New Bedford City Hall.
7. Items marked with a double dagger (††) have been supplied from the “Leonard Papers,” in the Free Public Library, New Bedford.

Dartmouth Township Timeline

The Town of Dartmouth, Bristol County, was first mentioned as “Dartmouth” on October 5, 1652, in the Plymouth Colony Records.

• June 8, 1664, the tract of land called Acushena, Ponagansett, and Coaksett was established as Dartmouth.
• June 3, 1668, bounds were established.
• February 23, 1787, a part of Dartmouth was established as New Bedford.
• July 2, 1787, a part of Dartmouth was established as Westport.
• Feb. 25, 1793, February 28, 1795, and March 4, 1805, parts of Dartmouth were annexed to Westport.
• February 20, 1828, bounds between Dartmouth and Westport were established.
• February 19, 1831, bounds between Dartmouth and New Bedford were established.
• March 20, 1845, a part of Dartmouth was annexed to New Bedford.
• May 3, 1888, bounds between Dartmouth and New Bedford were changed, and a part of Dartmouth was annexed to New Bedford.

Abbreviations

a. — age
abt. — about
b. — born
B.C.M. — Bristol County Marriages
bp. — baptized
bur. — buried
ch. — child
chn. — children
C.R.1. — church record, Baptist Church
C.R.2. — church record, Smith’s Mills Christian Church, North Dartmouth
C.R.3. — church record, Records of the Society of Friends, Dartmouth Monthly Meeting. This record includes also the intentions of all marriages entered therein
C.R.4. — church record, Church of Christ, First Congregational Church of Dartmouth (now Acushnet)
C.R.5. — church record, Society of Friends, Dartmouth Monthly Meeting — Wilburites
Co. — county
D. — Dartmouth
d. — daughter; day; died
Dea. — deacon
dec’d — deceased
dup. — duplicate entry
Eld. — Elder
ent. — enlisted
Ens. — Ensign
G.R.1. — gravestone record, Elm Street Cemetery, Padanaram, South Dartmouth
G.R.2. — gravestone record, Pine Island Road Cemetery, North Dartmouth
G.R.3. — gravestone record, Collins Family Burying Ground, Hixville-Assonet Road, North Dartmouth
G.R.4. — gravestone record, Hathaway Family Burying Ground, north of Hathaway Road, North Dartmouth
G.R.5. — — gravestone record, Faunce Family Burying Ground, Faunce’s Corner Road, North Dartmouth
G.R.6. — gravestone record, Sabins Family Burying Ground, Hixville Road, North Dartmouth
G.R.7. — gravestone record, small burying ground, Old Fall River Road, North Dartmouth
G.R.8. — gravestone record, Millard Family Burying Ground, Old Fall River Road, North Dartmouth
G.R.9. — gravestone record, Chace Family Burying Ground, Old Fall River Road, North Dartmouth
G.R.1O. — gravestone record, Evergreen Cemetery on the road from Hixville to Faunce’s Corner, North Dartmouth
G.R.11. — gravestone record, Hixville Meeting House Cemetery, North Dartmouth
G.R.12. — gravestone record, Newtown Burying Ground (Friends’), Fanuce’s Corner Road, North Dartmouth
G.R.13. — gravestone record, Joseph Davis Burying Ground, Faunce’s Corner Road, North Dartmouth
G.R.14. — gravestone record, Friends’ Burying Ground, Chace Road, North Dartmouth
G.R.15. — gravestone record, Lamb Family Burying Ground, Old Westport Road, North Dartmouth
G.R.16. — gravestone record, Weaver Family Burying Ground off the Lucy Little Road, North Dartmouth
G.R.17. — gravestone record, small burying ground, Hixville Road, North Dartmouth
G.R.18. — gravestone record, Nathaniel Howland Family Bury- ing Ground, South Dartmouth
G.R.19. — gravestone record, Howland Family Burying Ground on the estate of Col. Edward H. R. Green
G.R.20. — gravestone record, Cornell Family Burying Ground, Mishaum Point, South Dartmouth
G.R.21. — gravestone record, small burying ground, Smith’s Neck Road, South Dartmouth
G.R.22. — gravestone record, Smith Family Burying Ground on the estate of Harry B. Russell, South Dartmouth
G.R.23. — gravestone record, Ralph Earl Family Burying Ground on the estate of Herbert Wing Russell, Mill Road, South Dartmouth
G.R.24. — gravestone record, Almy Family Burying Ground, Horse Neck Road, Dartmouth
G.R:25. — gravestone record, Brightman Family Burying Ground, Division Road, Dartmouth
G.R.26. — gravestone record, Sherman Family Burying Ground, Bakerville, South Dartmouth
G.R.27. — gravestone record, Crapo Family Burying Ground, Bakerville, South Dartmouth
G.R.28. — gravestone record, private burying ground off Fisher Road, Dartmouth
G.R.29. — gravestone record, Mosher Family Burying Ground, Division Road, Dartmouth
G.R.30. — gravestone record, Weeks Family Burying Ground, Bakerville, South Dartmouth
G.R.31. — gravestone record, High Rock Cemetery, Dartmouth
G.R.32. — gravestone record, Smith Burying Ground, Potomska, Dartmouth
G.R.33. — gravestone record, Cedar Ridge Burying Ground, Rock O’ Dundee Road, Dartmouth
G.R.34. — gravestone record, Friend’s Burying Ground, Appon- agansett, Dartmouth
G.R.35. — gravestone record, Strani Burying Ground, Barney’s Joy, Dartmouth
G.R.36. — gravestone record, Bald Hill Meeting House Burying Ground, Horse Neck Road, Allen’s Neck, Dartmouth
G.R.37. — gravestone record, Friends’ Burying Ground, corner of Smith’s Neck Road and Rock O’ Dundee Road, South Dartmouth
G.R.38. — gravestone record, Methodist Church Burying Ground, Russell’s Mills Road, South Dartmouth
G.R.39. — gravestone record, Acushnet Cemetery (established in the reign of Queen Anne in the old Township of Dartmouth)
G.R.40. — gravestone record, small burying ground off the Russell’s Mills Road, South Dartmouth
G.R.41. — gravestone record, private burying ground adjacent to the Acushnet Cemetery
h. — hours; husband
inf. — infant
int. — publishment of intention of marriage
Jr, — junior
Lt. — Lieutenant
m. — marriage; married; month
min, — minutes
P.R.1. — private record, from a record book of marriages performed in Dartmouth by Rev. Daniel Hix of the First Christian Church in Dartmouth, in the possession of the Pree Public Library of New Bedford.
P.R.2. — private record, from an Abraham Gifford family rec- ord, in the possession of the Free Public Library of New Bedford.
P.R.3. — private record, from a copy of a letter written by Jabez Delano of Dartmouth as published in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. 7.
P.R.4. — private record, selected entries from a Willis family Bible as published in The Register of the Malden Historical Society, No. 3.
P.R.5. — private record, selected entries from a Popkin family Bible as published in The Register of the Malden Historical Society, No. 3.
P.R.6. — private record, from a Gifford family Bible, now in the possession of Miss Elizabeth Watson of New Bedford.
P.R.7. — private record, from a Cornell family Bible, now in the possession of John A. Cornell of Dartmouth.
P.R.8. — private record, from the Abraham Cornell family Bible, now in the possession of John A. Cornell of Dartmouth
P.R.9. — private record, from the John Cornell family Bible, now in the possession of John A. Cornell of Dartmouth
P.R.1O, — private record, from a Gust family record, now in the possession of Mrs. John A. Cornell of Dartmouth
P.R.11. — private record, from a Smith family Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. John A. Cornell of Dartmouth
P.R.12. — private record, from the Daniel Howland, Jr., family Bible, now in the possession of Charles W. Howland of Dartmouth. The additions in brackets were supplied by Mr. Howland
P.R.13. — private record, from the Peleg Slocum family Bible, now in the possession of John M. Bullard of New Bedford
P.R.14. — private record, from a Davis Family Register, now in the possession of Mrs. Joshua G. Baker of Dartmouth. The additions in brackets were supplied by Mrs. Baker
P.R.15. — private record, from a Howland family Bible, now in the possession of William Arthur Wing of New Bedford
P.R.16. — private record, from the Holder Howland family Bible, now in the possession of William Arthur Wing of New Bedford
P.R.17. — private record, from a Wing family Bible, now in the possession of William Arthur Wing of New Bedford
P.R.18. — private record, from the John Francis family Bible, in the possession of the Old Dartmouth Historical Society in New Bedford
P.R.19. — private record, from the Abraham Russell family Bible, in the possession of the Old Dartmouth Historical Society in New Bedford
P.R.20. — private record, from the John Ricketson family Bible, in the possession of the Old Dartmouth Historical Society in New Bedford
P.R.21. — private record, from a photographic copy of a page from an account book of John Russell, in the possession of the Old Dartmouth Historical Society in New Bedford
P.R.22. — private record, from a Russell family Bible, in the possession of the Old Dartmouth tages Society in New Bedford
P.R.23. — private record, from a Smith family Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. William Huston
P.R.24. — private record, from a photograph of a page in the Bartholomew West Bible, in the possession of the Old Dartmouth Historical Society in New Bedford. The Bible was captured by the British in 1778 and is still held by them (see Notes and Queries, Sixth Series, vol. 11)
P.R.25. — private record, from additional pages in the Bartholo- mew West Bible as published in Notes and Queries, Sixth Series, vol. 11 (London, 1885)
P.R.26. — private record, from a loose leaf in the possession of the Old Dartmouth Historical Society in New Bedford
P.R.27. — private record, from the Ebenezer Pope family Bible, in the possession of the Millicent Library of Fairhaven
P.R.28. — private record, from the Charles H. Gifford family Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Zebedee D. Kirby of South Dartmouth
P.R.29. — private record, from the Henry Tucker family Bible, now in the possession of Miss Patty Wilcox of New Bedford
P.R.30. — private record, from a Russell-Taber family Bible, now in the possession of Francis Russell Hart of Boston
P.R.31. — private record, from the Oliver Price family Bible, now in the possession of Charles Russell Price of New Bedford
P.R.32. — private record, from the Prince Smith family Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. E. B. Sturtevant of South Dartmouth
P.R.33. — private record, from a family Bible, now in the possession of Herbert Wing of Dartmouth
P.R.34. — private record, from the Pardon Wing family Bible, now in the possession of Herbert Wing of Dartmouth
P.R.35. — private record, from the Isaac Wilbur family Bible, now in the possession of the Misses Gidley of North Dartmouth
P.R.36. — private record, from a marriage certificate, now in the possession of the Misses Gidley of North Dartmouth
P.R.37. — private record, from the Jireh Sherman family Bible, now in the possession of George S. Sherman of Dorchester
P.R.38. — private record, from the David Howland-Family Register, now in the possession of George S. Sherman of Dorchester.
P.R.39. — private record, from the Samuel Tripp family Bible, now in the possession of Thomas A. Tripp of Fairhaven
P.R.40. — private record, from a Smith family Bible, now in the possession of Nathaniel C. Smith of New Bedford
P.R.41. — private record, from a copy of the earliest records of the town of Dartmouth as published in 1901 in The Mayflower Descendant, vol 3, several years before a copy was made by the New England Historic Genealogical Society
P.R.42. — private record, from a copy of the early records of the town of Dartmouth made in 1866 as published in The New England Historical And Genealogical Register, vols. 21, 22, and 32, many years before a copy was made by the New England Historic Genealogical Society. This record has been used only in cases where the town records are no longer legible.
P.R.43. — private record, from the Joseph Smith family record, in the possession of the New England Historic Genealogical Society
g.v. — which see; whom see
rec. — recorded
s. — son
Sr. — Senior
w. — week; wife
wid. — widow
widr. — widower
y. — year