Western Massachusetts Families in 1790

Michael J. Leclerc and Christopher C. Child

Western Massachusetts can be a crossroads of research, with pioneer families from middle and eastern Massachusetts and other New England states arriving and subsequent generations moving north into Vermont and west into New York and beyond. While only a portion of the towns in this area were part of the “official series” of published Massachusetts vital records prior to 1850, the Walter Corbin Collection at NEHGS has served a major resource of records on this area. (See NEA (Fall 2003), vol. 4, no. 4, 15-21). The transient nature of families living in this area, especially during the post revolutionary years, makes this a target area for a thorough genealogical treatment.

Following in the success of the Maine Families in 1790, Vermont Families in 1791, and New Hampshire Families in 1790, the Society is proud to announce a new series that will cover families from western Massachusetts enumerated in the first census of the United States. The series will cover families in the counties of Berkshire and Hampshire. The territory at that time included everything west of Worcester County. The present-day counties of Franklin and Hampden were formed from Hampshire County in 1811 and 1812 respectively.

The population of Berkshire County at that time was 30,291 individuals while that of Hampshire County was 59,681, for a total of just under 90,000. This is slightly larger than the state of Vermont, with a population of 85,425, and slightly less than the population of Maine, which enumerated 96,540 individuals. New Hampshire is significantly larger, with a population of 141,855.

Like the other series, the Western Massachusetts Families in 1790 series will contain family sketches for the heads of household. The Society is looking for individuals who wish to contribute sketches of their family for the series. Each sketch will be credited to the contributor.

Sketches should include the name of the head of household, the town and county, the page number of the census on which it appears, and the enumeration of the household. The sketches themselves should be presented in Register format. You can download a Word template from our website at www.newenglandancestors.org/publications/register.asp that will help you write in Register style. The sample sketch here will show you how the sketches will appear in their final format. All information should be documented with footnotes.

In short, the sketch should start with the birth and death information for the head of  household. The next paragraph should include the date and place of marriage, the spouse’s name, and the spouse’s dates and places of birth and death. Start a new paragraph for each additional spouse of the head of household. If the spouse of a head of household also had an additional spouse, that information may be included in the same paragraph as the information on the head of household’s spouse.

Next should come brief (1–2 paragraphs) biographical information on the head of household and spouse(s). Next comes the list of children. Children should be listed in chronological order. Birth information comes first, then death. Marriage information appears last for each child. If the child or his/her spouse appears as a head of household in the census, they should be treated as a separate sketch and we will cross-reference them in the book.

Grandchildren should only be listed if it can be reasonably assumed that they appear in the census record. For example, if you have an older head of household with young children, research might show that it was likely to be a parent with a married child and his/her children living in the household.

Three towns have missing enumeration schedules. Missing from Hampshire County are Monson and Northampton, which enumerated 194 and 259 families respectively. The schedule for Zoar Plantation (today a part of Charlemont) in Berkshire County, with twelve resident families, is also missing. For these towns, sketches may be included if it can be satisfactorily proven through vital, land, or pension records, that the person would have been enumerated in 1790. For instance, Joseph Lyman, Jr. (1731-1804), was born and died in Northampton, all of his children were born there, and deeds do not show him living anywhere else. Therefore, a sketch for Joseph can be included.

A great benefit of treating all of the children of the heads of households will be connecting “lost children” to others’ “lost ancestors.” For example, Chris published an article about three Rogers siblings of unknown origin in Orleans County, New York. In the course of his research, he identified a possible father, George Rogers of Franklin County, Massachusetts. George’s will, entered into probate at Franklin County in 1820 identified his sons in New York by their distinct names. Had a sketch this man’s family, enumerated in Conway, Massachusetts, in 1790, been published, individuals searching for the origins of the New Yorkers would have found the connection to George quite easily.

The publication of Western Massachusetts in 1790 will be a major addition to the published information on this complex region of New England. With so many individuals trying to trace ancestors back through New York into New England through western Massachusetts, this project will break down many research barriers. The high quality of NEHGS publications will assure researchers that they are getting the best information available. We welcome your contributions to this project.

Callout Box
Submitting a Sketch
Submissions can be made by email at WesternMass1790@nehgs.org.
You can also submit your file by mail to:
New England Historic Genealogical Society
ATTN: Western Massachusetts 1790
101 Newbury Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02116

Questions should be directed to WesternMass1790@nehgs.org.