Halifax, Plymouth County, Massachusetts Genealogy
This is a historical and genealogical guide to the town of Halifax. You will find help with town histories, vital records, city directories, cemetery records and cemeteries, churches, town records, newspapers, maps, and libraries.
Contents
Town Clerk[edit | edit source]
499 Plymouth St
Halifax, MA 02338
Phone: 781-293-7970
Fax: 781-294-7684
Email: bgaynor@town.halifax.ma.us
Website
Brief History[edit | edit source]
This area was first settled in 1669 part of Plymouth Colony. The area was placed in Plymouth County when counties were formed in 1685. For a brief time, the area was part of the Dominion of New England from 1686 to 1689. The area is still in Plymouth County, though was in limbo, until the "Colony" was merged with Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691 that became the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It was established as a town from parts of Middleborough, Pembroke, and Plympton in 1734.
Historical Data[edit | edit source]
The basic data is from the "Historical Data" publication series[1] with additions from various sources.
Bridgewater was once called Monponsett.
Village or section names include Halifax Station, Monoponsett, and South Halifax.
| Dates | Events |
|---|---|
| 4 July 1734 | Established as a new town from parts of Middleborough, Pembroke, and Plympton. [Prov. Laws, 2: 717] |
| 20 Feb. 1824 | Part of Bridgewater annexed |
| 16 Mar. 1831 | Part of Plympton annexed |
| 11 Apr. 1857 | Part annexed to East Bridgewater and borders established |
| 6 Feb. 1863 | Border between Halifax and Plympton established and part of each town annexed to the other town |
Town Histories[edit | edit source]
Works written on the town include:
- Guy S. Baker, History of Halifax, Massachusetts (Halifax, Mass., 1976), 191 pp.
WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974.482/H4 H2b. - Halifax Wikipedia page.
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
The town's vital records are available in many locations:
- Halifax Town Clerk's Office
499 Plymouth Street
Halifax MA 02338
Phone 781-293-7970 - Microfilm of the originals created by the Family History Library, Halifax town and vital records, 1734-1856, FHL films 904375 and 770906; 1841-1905, FHL film 2079888.
These records are browsable (i.e. not indexed as of Nov. 2012) on FamilySearch. - Microfiche of the originals created by Archive Publishing covering town records that included vital records and a few other town records, 1703-1902, on 56 fiche. Part of Massachusetts, Town Vital Collections, 1620–1988 at Ancestry ($); Index
- Official state copy of vital records starting in 1841:
Massachusetts Archives
220 Morrissey Blvd.
Boston MA 02125
Phone 617-727-2816
Email archives@sec.state.ma.us
Hours and Directions
See the online guide for more information.
- Vital Records of the town of Halifax, Massachusetts, to the end of the year 1849 (Boston, 1905).
This volume was microfilmed by the Family History Library, FHL film 874033 Item 3 (with digital link) and in digital versions at Internet Archive, Ancestry ($), and abstracted online. In a database at American Ancestors ($).
WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974.482/H4 V2b (with digital link).
- Halifax town and vital records, 1734-1856 and 1841-1905, are browsable (i.e. not indexed as of Nov. 2012) on FamilySearch.
City Directories[edit | edit source]
Halifax was published in 1902/3, 1906, 1910, 1914.
The Library of Congress (Washington, D.C.) has one of the largest collections of city directories in the country. They are likely to own most of the years listed above. Their collection is in microfiche, microfilm, and books, but there is no online inventory of their holdings except for microfilm. See their guide online.
Other holdings:
- Ancestry ($) has 1884, 1889, 1892.
- Boston Public Library has 1914 (under Carver).
- Family History Library (Salt Lake City) has 1906, 1910, 1914 (with Carver) on FHL various film records.
- fold3 ($) has none.
- Massachusetts State Library has 1902/3, 1906, 1910, 1914.
- New England Historic Genealogical Society (Boston) ($) has 1902/3, 1906, 1910, 1914 (with Carver.
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
The following is a list of cemeteries in present-day Halifax. For a map of their location with links to some transcriptions, see PlymouthColony.net.
- Central Cemetery, 1830. (A)
- Drew Family Plot, 1807. (A)
- Hudson-Briggs Family Tomb, 1819. (B - on the East Bridgewater town line)
- Perkins Lot, 1811. (A)
- Sturtevant / Monponsett Pond / East Cemetery, 1728. (A)
- Thomson Cemetery, 1734. (A)
Abstracts of the cemeteries above are marked and keyed to:
(A). Charles M. Thatcher, Old Cemeteries of Southeastern Massachusetts (Middleborough, Mass., 1995). WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974.4 V3
(B). Vital Records of East Bridgewater, Massachusetts, to the year 1850 (Boston, 1917) [see links above under Vital Records].
Churches[edit | edit source]
The following is a list of churches established in town in order of organization date (if known) and condition of records in the 1889 survey if listed.
- Halifax Congregational Church, 1734, records good, but no records before 1824.
- Baptist Church, n.d., no longer extant with some records with the Middleborough Town Clerk.
- Calvary Baptist Church, n.d.
- Our Lady of the Lake Church, n.d.
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
- Halifax Reporter, 1984-present.
Libraries and Historical Societies[edit | edit source]
The following is a list of research facilities in town:
Holmes Public Library
470 Plymouth Street
Halifax MA 02338
Phone 781-293-2271
Email hfxpl@sailsinc.org
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ William Francis Galvin, Historical Data Relating to Counties, Cities and Towns in Massachusetts (Boston, new ed., 1997), 55. WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974.4 H2h 1997
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