Explanations of the Vital Records of Bradford, MA

EXPLANATIONS

The following records of births, marriages and deaths include all entries to be found in the books of record kept by the town clerks (no records of intentions of marriage before 1850 are preserved in the custody of the Haverhill city clerk, nor has extended search brought them to light in private hands); in the church records (which are very imperfect); in the returns made to the Salem Quarterly Court; in the cemetery inscriptions; and in private records found in family Bibles, etc. These records are printed in a condensed form in which every essential particular has been preserved. All duplication of the town clerks' record has been eliminated, but differences in entry and other explanatory matter appear in brackets. Parentheses are used when they occur in the original record; also to show the difference in the spelling of a name in the same entry; and to indicate the maiden name of a married woman.

When places other than Bradford and Massachusetts are named in the original records, they are given in the printed copy. Marriages are printed under the names of both parties. Double-dating is usual in the months of January, February and March, prior to 1752, whenever it appears in the original, and also whenever from the sequence of entry in the original the date may be easily determined. In all records the original spelling of names is followed, and in the alphabetical arrangement the various forms should be examined, as items about the same family may be found under different spellings.

**ABBREVIATIONS**
a	age	Ens	Ensign
abt	about	h	husband; hour
b	born	inf	infant
bef	before	int	intention of marriage
bet	between	jr	junior
bp	baptized	Lt	Lieutenant
bur	buried	m	male; married; month
capt	captain	Maj	Major
ch	child	rec	recorded
chn	children	s	son
Co	county	Sergt	Sergeant
CTF	court files, Essex Co. Quarterly Court	sr	senior
CTR	court record, Essex Co. Quarterly Court	unm	unmarried
d	daughter; day	w	wife; week
Dea	deacon	wid	widow
dec	deceased	widr	widower
dup	duplicate	y	year

**CHURCH RECORDS**
CR1	Bradford First Congregational Church
CR2	Bradford Second Congregational Church at East Bradford, afterwards Groveland

**CEMETERY RECORDS**
GR1	Ancient Burying Ground, Bradford
GR2	Ancient Burying Ground at East Bradford, afterwards Groveland
GR3	Burial Place of the small pox victims, at East Bradford, afterwards Groveland

**PRIVATE RECORDS**
(Bible records, Family records, Etc.)
PR1	Private record kept by [Miss Priscilla Parker? continued by] Mrs. Atwood, now in possession of William B. Ladd
PR2	Death book kept by and now in possession of William B. Ladd
PR3	Family record, now in possession of Miss Sarah Balch of Groveland
PR4	Bible record now in possession of Miss Lois P. Atwood of Groveland
PR5	Bible record now in possession of Mrs. Charles Wallingford of Groveland
PR6	Records now in possession of Harrison E. Chadwick
PR7	Bible record now in possession of Miss Sarah P. Cogswell
PR8	Family record now in possession of Miss Priscilla H. Kimball
PR9	Bible records now in possession of William B. Ladd of Groveland
PR10	Family record now in possession of Mrs. Betsey (Greenleaf) Kendall
PR11	Bible records now in possession of Miss Cornelia Hardy of Groveland
PR12	Family record now in possession of Mrs. Charles Herbert Poor
PR13	Bible record now in possession of Samuel W. Hopkinson
PR14	Bible record now in possession of Miss Sarah Balch of Groveland
PR15	Sampler now in possession of Miss Sarah Balch of Groveland
PR16	Family record now in possession of Miss Isabella G. Downie
PR17	Bible record now in possession of Miss Priscilla Parker of Groveland
PR18	Family record now in possession of Miss Priscilla Parker of Groveland
PR19	Family record now in possession of Miss Cornelia Hardy of Groveland
PR20	Family record now in possession of Charles Tenny
PR21	Family record now in possession of Mrs. Daniel Kimball
PR22	Bible record now in possession of Mrs. Walter Hopkinson of Groveland
PR23	Marriages recorded by Rev. Mathias Plant in the church record of Queen Anne's Chapel, Newburyport
PR24	Diary of Rev. Mathias Plane now in possession of St. Paul's church, Newburyport
PR25	Record now in possession of Dr. L.A. Woodbury of Groveland
PR26	Ancient paper now in possession of Miss Priscilla Parker of Groveland