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; the church records now in the custody of the town clerk; cemetery inscriptions; Bible records and other private records particularly those now in the possession of Mrs. Martha J. Averill of Middleton. These records are printed in a condensed form in which every essential particular has been retained. All duplication of the town clerk's record has been eliminated, but differences in entry and other explanatory matter appear in brackets. Parentheses are used only when they occur in the original record, usually enclosing the maiden name of a wife.
When places other than Middleton and Massachusetts are named in the original records they are given in the printed copy. Marriages and intentions of marriage are printed under the names of both parties. Double-dating is used 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 h husband
abt about inf infant
b born int intention of marriage
bef before jr junior
bp baptized m male; married; month
ch child s son
chn children SR Salem town records
Co county sr senior
CTR court record, Essex Co., coroner's return unm unmarried
d daughter; day; died w wife
DC copy of town records made by Moses Dorman wid widow
Dea deacon widr widower

CHURCH RECORDS
CR church record

CEMETERY RECORDS
GR1 Oakdale Cemetery
GR2 Timothy Fuller Cemetery
GR3 Merriam Cemetery
GR4 Symonds Cemetery
GR5 Fuller Cemetery, North District
GR6 Cemetery near East School House
GR7 Elliot Cemetery
GR8 Fuller Cemetery on the Benjamin Richardson farm
GR9 Richardson Cemetery
GR10 Smith Cemetery, Centre District
GR11 Flint Cemetery, near paper mills
GR12 Howe Cemetery, North District

PRIVATE RECORDS
(Bibles, Family Records, Etc.)
PR1 Bible records and private records now in the possession of Mrs. Martha J. Averill
PR2 Bible record now in possession of Mrs. Eunice Fletcher
PR3 Bible record now in possession of Mrs. Harriet P. Averill
PR4 Record of coffins made by Col. Benjamin Peabody, and now in the possession of Clinton Stiles


© 2005-'07 by John Slaughter
Last Updated: 7 January, 2007