Thursday, March 22, 2012

It's A Great Time To Have Ancestor's From Massachusetts

My blog has taken a back seat for awhile, but I just had to post about the new "Massachusetts, Town Vital Records, 1620-1988" record set that was recently added on Ancestry.com. Randy Seaver has also recently posted his initial thoughts about these new records on his Genea-Musings Blog, "Ancestry.com Adds Original Massachusetts Vital Records". In his post, he references the "Got Massachusetts Ancestors?" post by Crista Cowan on the Ancestry.com blog. Both posts give good information and background about the new record set.

I have had great initial success in finding several birth records for several of my ancestors. Today I found the birth record for my 5th great grandfather, Jacob Haskell, b. 27 Oct 1718, Gloucester, Essex County, Massachusetts (see third entry down in cropped image below)



One interesting thing that I have found, at least in the Gloucester, Essex County birth records that I have searched so far, is that there appear to be two or three versions of a given record. The record image above appears to be a copy of what may be the original Town Clerk's entry. For Jacob Haskell, I also found the following record. This record lists all the children of his parents that were born in Gloucester. My guess, given the neatness of the script is that this may be a transcription of the original Town Clerk's record, but I cannot be sure. The Ancestry.com source information for both records is exactly the same.


One reason I think this may be a transcription is because I have run into a similar situation in the vital records for the Town of New Gloucester, Cumberland County, Maine. My Haskell ancestors moved from Gloucester, Massachusetts to New Gloucester, Maine. Anyway, I am in the process of transcribing the New Gloucester vital records and the records I originally were given were transcriptions of the original clerk's records. After a little more digging in the town vault we came across the original records which look similar to the first image in this post. 

I am looking forward to further searching in this record collection and I will post my results here. It really is a great time to be a genealogist and to have ancestor's from Massachusetts.


© 2012, copyright William C. Haskell

10 comments:

  1. Hey Will,

    I'm not sure, but I believe this old photo album may belong to your family. It appears to have many notes written in it and could possibly provide more insight into your family history. I hope you check your comments and receive this in time if it is the same Haskell's.

    http://www.shopgoodwill.com/viewItem.asp?ItemID=10244998

    Kind regards, -Matthew Dowling

    ReplyDelete
  2. Will,

    Your grandmother and you have certainly done a lot of great work on your various family histories. I'm writing to hopefully learn from you about the Haskells that married into my family in Franklin county Maine. Will share whatever I have if it is of interest.

    Thanks, and again, great job on the blog.

    Best,

    Clarke Bursley

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Clarke, do you have any names, dates, etc? Thanks for perusing my blog. Unfortunately i have not had much time to devote to it lately.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Will. Know that family history and genealogy can be very time consuming!

      Thought since your Haskells seem to be from New Gloucster that these two Haskell women who married Bursley brothers(both 2nd great grand uncless to me) in Franklin county might be related to you, and perhaps to each other:

      Sophronia Caroline HASKELL, born Jul 1813 probably in New Gloucester; parents may be Job or John HASKELL & Mary/Polly COX. She married Lemuel BURSLEY in Sep 1832 in Phillips, Franklin, ME.

      Abigail L. HASKELL, born Apr 1805 probably in Wilton; parents unknown. She married John S. BURSLEY in Oct 1827 in Wilton, Franklin, ME.

      Thanks for any information you may be able to provide, and let me know if you want the particulars of the dates for marriages, censuses, deaths, and burials.

      Delete
  4. Here are the birth records from the Town of New Gloucester Vital Records for Job and his three wives. As you can see Sophronia is listed as a child of Job and Polly Haskell, but unfortunately no birth date was recorded.

    Job and Judith Haskell
    Children
    Annis b. Jan 10, 1791
    Judith b. Feb 29, 1792
    Job b. May 29, 1794
    Deborah b. Feb 29, 1796
    Polly b. June 15, 1797
    Betsey b. Oct 22, 1798
    Lois b. May 16, 1800
    [Job] and Polly [Haskell]
    Submit b. Mar 11, 1803
    Nathaniel b. June 9, 1804
    Catherine b. June 9, 1806
    Nathaniel b. Aug 15, 1808
    Jack b. Aug 9, 1810
    Sophronia b. [blank]
    Lucy Ann b. [blank]
    [Job] and Hannah [Haskell]
    Ruth b. [blank]
    Sarah b. [blank]
    Dorcas b. [blank]
    Charles b. [blank]

    ReplyDelete
  5. Here is a marriage record in the New Gloucester VR for a Job Haskell Jr. to Polley Bailey of Falmouth. It appears that Polley may have been a widow at the time of their marriage because she is listed as Mrs.

    Mr Job Haskell Jr of New Gloucester to Mrs Polley Bailey of Falmouth both in the county of Cumberland on the evening of the 18th day of March 1802 at the house of said Job Haskell in said New Gloucester

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for the info on Job's marraige to Polly, and for Sophronia's birth record. Although there's no date of birth for her, since she was born after 1810 and before Job married Hannah Cutler in 1817, I'm fairly confiednt that 1813 is correct.

    Any info on Abigail L. Haskell by any chance?

    Thanks again for your assistance, and please let me know if you'd like the the particulars of the dates for marriages, censuses, deaths, and burials for Sophronia and/or Abigail.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Do you know the parents of Abigail L?

      Delete
    2. Unfortunately have drawn a blank to date on her parents Will.

      Have her Intentions (see below). Also, the Chesterville vital records show her birth as 23 Apr 1805, but she is listed with her then husband, John S. Bursley, so am pretty sure it is a case of her being entered in Chesterville without having been born there. She died in Feb 1845 in Chesterville (marker inscription below).

      Mr. John S. Bursley of Farmington and Miss Abigail L. Haskell of Wilton intend marriage Wilton October 7th 1827 Certificate issued Oct. 21 1827 George Eustis Town Clerk

      Mrs. Abigail L.
      Wife of
      John S. Bursley
      Died
      Feb. 21, 1845
      Æt. 39 yrs. 10 mos.

      Delete
  7. Thanks for the info on Job's marraige to Polly, and for Sophronia's birth record. Although there's no date of birth for her, since she was born after 1810 and before Job married Hannah Cutler in 1817, I'm fairly confiednt that 1813 is correct.

    Any info on Abigail L. Haskell by any chance?

    Thanks again for your assistance, and please let me know if you'd like the the particulars of the dates for marriages, censuses, deaths, and burials for Sophronia and/or Abigail.

    ReplyDelete