PDF eBook. A Genealogist's Guide to the American Colonies: Part I - New England Colonies, by William Dollarhide; 2024; 95 pages; Full-Color paging, ISBN: 9781628593815; Item # FR0432-PDF. [ FREE SHIPPING ]
This book identifies the important New England resource centers with over 900 links to Internet websites. In addition, there are samplings of the databases available for
- Colony of Acadia
- Popham Colony
- Plymouth Colony
- Province & District of Maine
- Massachusetts Bay Colony
- New Hampshire Colony
- Connecticut Colony
- Rhode Island & Providence Plantations
The book relies on the county boundaries during the colonial era, 1607-1775. All the colonies are organized and displayed by their colonial counties, and include maps of the earliest settlements. Under each county are the towns in place during the colonial era. There are numerous references to county boundary changes throwing towns from one county to another. This is important information for anyone searching for a particular vital record (birth, marriage, death, burial) and needing to know which county to search. There are references to whole towns moving to another colony, e.g., six towns of Old Norfolk County, Massachusetts Bay Colony, were lost to the Province of New Hampshire in 1680.
Online resources for all colonial counties for each colony are listed, showing details about old maps, FamilySearch catalog categories, and a link to the FamilySearch catalog page for each city/town of that county. Example from Plymouth Colony, page 28:
2. Bristol County MA Genealogy. Original county of Plymouth Colony, est. 1685, named for the city of Bristol, England. The area was settled by the Pilgrims who came from older towns of Plymouth Colony nearer to Cape Cod. The county seat is Taunton MA. County Court Records exist from 1696; Land Records from 1686; and Probate from 1687. NOTE: In 1746, the Bristol County MA towns of Bristol, Barrington, and Warren were transferred to Rhode Island, and became a new Bristol County RI. In 1747, Little Compton and Tiverton towns were ceded to Rhode Island and added to Newport County RI.
Old Maps of Bristol Co: http://tinyurl.com/yx7s563j
Bristol County Digital Databases. FamilySearch Catalog Page: http://tinyurl.com/mpu4pk5j.
History of Bristol County, Massachusetts.
Rehoboth Cemetery Records.
Stevans Corner Cemetery records, 1780-1900.
Directory: Catholic Diocese of Fall River.
Congregational Church Records, Rehoboth, MA.
Record of Baptisms in the Congregational Church.
Court of Common pleas, Records 1696-1868.
Court of General Sessions, Records, 1702-1738.
Court Records, 1714-1814 (approx.)
Early Rehoboth: Documented Historical Studies
Ingalls of Massachusetts.
Several Jones Families in Bristol Co MA.
Bristol Co MA Deed Records, 1686-1900.
Proprietors’ Records, 1641-1849.
Bristol Co MA Probate Records 1687-1916.
Book of Rates (Tax Lists), 1671-1712.
Vital Records (14).
Taxation (5).
Voting Registers (1).
Early Town Databases at FamilySearch. Bristol towns organized before 1775:
Attleboro 1694; City 1914: https://tinyurl.com/fw7bux6u
Berkley 1735: https://tinyurl.com/h9tpnjv9
Dartmouth 1664: https://tinyurl.com/mvpde6jh
Dighton 1712: https://tinyurl.com/24fzeyr5
Easton 1725: https://tinyurl.com/yuz83e6f
Freetown 1683: https://tinyurl.com/2v8v77bt
Norton 1711: https://tinyurl.com/5fm3umz4
Raynham 1731: https://tinyurl.com/yhn5nrm2
Rehoboth 1645: wiki: https://tinyurl.com/7ptnxx4p
Swansea 1667: https://tinyurl.com/ycyfdbrr
Taunton 1637, City 1864 (county seat)
See https://tinyurl.com/bd3cuy9v
How to use the Internet links in this softbound printed book. There are over 900 links in this printed book, and all are easily copied into a browser's URL search box. Long URLs have been shortened (via TinyURL) so the copying effort is as painless as possible.
eBook links: for those who want quicker link access, the eBook is an exact duplicate of the printed book, but all of the 900 links are Hyperlinks (one mouse click away from the internet website).
