Name/Title
Bristol County Town Cemetery RecordsEntry/Object ID
MSS-11-003Scope and Content
Most of the material in this series comprises of handwritten records and copies of printed records regarding the histories and internments at marked and unmarked burial sites in towns in Bristol County. Though some are undated, most original records of graveyards and burials are dated in the late nineteenth century through the mid twentieth century. There are also numerous copies of newspaper articles from the late twentieth century on regarding the maintenance and upkeep of several cemeteries in and around Taunton.Context
The first three folders in this box seem dedicated to recording all known and obscure burial sites in towns and cities of Bristol County, Massachusetts, including Assonet, Berkley, Dighton, Fall River, Freetown, Norton, Rehoboth, Somerset, Swansea, and Taunton. When possible, the burial sites’ occupants are listed with names, ages, relations, and birth and death date, or a description of the grave if unmarked. Some records are handwritten and some are typed, with dates that the records were taken occasionally noted.
The fourth folder focuses on graveyards and cemeteries in and around Taunton, including Fox, Mayflower Hill, Nichols, Phillips, and Walker-Blake. There are numerous records of internments at these sites, as well as newspaper articles on their histories and upkeep.
Folders five through nine each contain records pertaining to individual burial sites, respectively Neck-o-Land Burying Ground, Oakland Cemetery, Plain Cemetery, and Staples St. Burying Ground. In addition to typed and written records of those buried there, each folder has newspaper articles and correspondence pertaining to their maintenance and upkeep. In particular, folder 7 contains sixteen donation cards and several correspondences dated 1906 from patrons of the Old Colony Historical Society to James Seaver, the Society’s Secretary at the time, for ground maintenance on the Neck-o-Land Burying Ground.Archive Details
Archive Size/Extent
There is one box and nine folders in this series.
