Vital Records of Middleborough, MA

In 2007, The Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendents granted permission to NEHGS to digitize and present this work. The originals were originally published in 1986 (Volume 1) and 1990 (Volume 2) and are now out-of-print.

From the introduction:

“Publication of the vital records of Middleborough, Massachusetts, was begun in 1900 when transcriptions by George Ernest Bowman were printed in the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants' quarterly, The Mayflower Descendant. Through 1937, when the original series of The Mayflower Descendant ceased publication, Bowman transcribed the volumes titled "Early Records," "Book 1," and "Book 2."

In addition, all but about fifty pages of "Book 4, pt. 1" were printed. These transcriptions covered births and deaths in Middleborough to the 1790's, and marriages to the 1770's. Middleborough, Massachusetts, Vital Records reprints all of the material published in The Mayflower Descendant from 1900 to 1937 (with the addition of one page that was inadvertently omitted — page 241 of original Book 1, which is on page 77 of Volume One of this set). This reprinted material is contained in pages 1-242 of Volume One. Succeeding pages of Volume One and all of Volume Two consist of new transcriptions from the original vital records of the town of Middleborough.

Transcription Method
Material transcribed exclusively for this volume was interpreted from microfilm copies of the original records held by the town. Transcriptions then were proofread against the original books at the town hall in Middleborough, with the exception of pages 243 to 301 of Volume One that were taken from "Book 4, Part I," which was not located. The microfilm of this section, however, was clear enough to proofread. Transcriptions were made in as literal a manner as possible, exactly as the entries appear in the records. Because of the difficulty of transcribing handwritten material to typeset material, and the number of transcribers necessary to a project of this size, there may be some discrepancies regarding punctuation or spelling of names.

All of the vital records transcribed in Volume Two of Middleborough, Massachusetts, Vital Records (with the exception of pages 1-7 -- see page 307, Errata and Addenda) are transcribed from microfilm copies of the original records held by the Town Clerk of Middleborough. Transcriptions were then proofread against the original record books at the town hall. Transcriptions were made in as literal a manner as possible, exactly as the entries appear in the records (note exception below). Because of the difficulty of transcribing handwritten material to typeset material, and the number of transcribers necessary to a project of this size, there may be some discrepancies regarding punctuation or spelling of names. The records transcribed in volumes One and Two of Middleborough, Massachusetts, Vital Records constitute all records available on the microfilms of town records in the possession of the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants.”

This database contains 9,035 births, 15,322 marriages and marriage intentions, and 1,259 deaths.

This volume is also available in our Boston research library, call number: F74 M62 M6 1986.

To locate additional genealogy and local history resources, search our library catalog.