Mattapoisett, Plymouth County, Massachusetts Genealogy
This is a historical and genealogical guide to the town of Mattapoisett. 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]
Town Hall, 16 Main St, Box 89
Mattapoisett, MA 02739
Phone: 508-758-4103 x 207
Fax: 508-758-3030
Email: townclerk@mattapoisett.net
Website
Brief History[edit | edit source]
Mattapoisett is a "recently" created town in Massachusetts that was the southwesterly portion of Rochester before 1857 and was first settled about 1750. The area was first in Plymouth Colony. The area was placed in Plymouth County when counties were formed in 1685. For a brief time, the town was part of the Dominion of New England from 1686 to 1689. The town 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. Mattapoisett became a town in 1857.
Historical Data[edit | edit source]
The basic data is from the "Historical Data" publication series[1] with additions from various sources.
Village or section names include Antassawomock, Antassawomock Neck (extinct), Aucoote, Brant Island, Cannonville, Crescent Beach, East Mattapoisett, Hammondstown, Hollywood, Mattapoisett Neck, Ned's Point, Pico Beach, Pine Island, Ram Island, Randall Town (extinct), and Tinkham Town.
| Dates | Events |
|---|---|
| 20 May 1857 | Incorporated as a town from the Second Parish of Rochester. |
Town Histories[edit | edit source]
Works written on the town include:
- Mattapoisett and Old Rochester, Massachusetts: being a History of these Towns and also in part of Marion and a portion of Wareham ([Mattapoisett, Mass.], 3rd ed., 1950), 426 pp.
Digital versions of the 1907 edition at Internet Archive and Google Books
WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974.482 H2m (1907 ed. only); FHL fiche 6081392 (1907 ed. only). - Charles S. Mendell Jr., Shipbuilders of Mattapoisett ([New Bedford, Mass., 1937]), [35] pp.
WorldCat (Other Libraries). - "Complete record of the names of all the soldiers and officers ... from the town of Mattapoisett during the rebellion begun in 1861," FHL film 482217.
- Mattapoisett Wikipedia page.
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
The town's vital records are available in many locations:
- Mattapoisett Town Clerk's Office
16 Main Street
PO Box 89
Mattapoisett MA 02739
Phone 508-758-4103 x2 - There are no microfilms of the originals created by the Family History Library.
- This is not part of the Massachusetts, Town Vital Collections, 1620–1988 on Ancestry.
- 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.
There is no published book of vital records.
City Directories[edit | edit source]
Mattapoisett was published in 1903/4, 1907, 1910/1, 1916, 1919, 1924/5, 1928/9.
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 ($) has none.
- Boston Public Library has 1903/4, 1907, 1910/1, 1916, 1919, 1924/5, 1928/9 (under Wareham).
- Family History Library (Salt Lake City) has 1903/4, 1907, 1910/1, 1916, 1919, 1924/5, 1928/9 (with Wareham) on FHL various film records.
- fold3 ($) has none.
- Massachusetts State Library has 1903/4, 1907, 1910/1, 1916.
- New England Historic Genealogical Society (Boston) ($) has 1916, 1919, 1928/9 (with Wareham).
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
The following is a list of cemeteries in present-day Mattapoisett. For the location of cemeteries, see PlymouthColony website. For more details regarding these cemeteries, see the state guide under cemeteries for books on the subject.
- Barlow Cemetery, 1756.
- Cushing Cemetery, n.d. (A)
- Ellis-Bolles Family Cemetery, 1872. (A)
- Fairhaven Road Cemetery, n.d. (B)
- Hammond Cemetery, 1740.
- Mattapoisett Friends Meeting House Cemetery, 1827. (B)
- Pine Island Cemetery, 19th century.
- St. Anthony's Cemetery, n.d.
Abstracts of the cemeteries above are marked and keyed to:
(A). New England Historic Genealogical Society Manuscripts Dept.
(B). Charles M. Thatcher, Old Cemeteries of Southeastern Massachusetts (Middleborough, Mass., 1995). WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974.4 V3
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.
- Sippican Meeting [then Rochester Meeting, and now Mattapoisett Monthly Meeting] of Friends, 1702, records condition not given [records with the Sandwich Monthly Meeting to 1793 and New Bedford Monthly Meeting after that].
- Mattapoisett Congregational Church, 1736, records good.
- Universalist Church, 1831, records good. [extinct?]
- St. Philip's Episcopal Church, 1880s?
- St. Anthony's Church, n.d.
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
There are no newspapers that have been published in Mattapoisett.
Libraries and Historical Societies[edit | edit source]
The following is a list of research facilities in town:
Mattapoisett Free Public Library
7 Barstow Street
PO Box 475
Mattapoisett MA 02739
Phone 508-758-4171
Mattapoisett Historical Society
5 Church Street
PO Box 535
Mattapoisett MA 02739
Phone 508-758-2844
Email mattapoisett.museum@verizon.net
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ William Francis Galvin, Historical Data Relating to Counties, Cities and Towns in Massachusetts (Boston, new ed., 1997), 74. WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974.4 H2h 1997
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