Explanations of the Vital Records of Chester, MA

EXPLANATIONS

1. When places other than Chester and Massachusetts are named in the original records, they are given in the printed copy.

2. In all records the original spelling is followed.

3. The various spellings of a name should be examined, as items about the same family or individual might be found under different spellings.

4. Marriages and intentions of marriages are printed under the names of both parties. When both the marriage and intention of marriage are recorded, only the marriage record is printed; and where a marriage appears without the intention recorded, it is designated with an asterisk.

5. Additional information which does not appear in the original text of an item, i.e. any explanation, query, inference, or difference shown in other entries of the record, is bracketed. Parentheses are used to show the difference in the spelling of a name in the same entry, to indicated the maiden name of a wife, to enclose an imperfect portion of the original text, and to separate clauses in the original text — such as the birthplace of a parent in late records.

**ABBREVIATIONS**
a	age	int	intention of marriage
abt	about	Jr	junior
b	born	m	married; month; minutes
ch	child	rec	recorded
chn	children	s	son
Co	county	Sr	senior
d	daughter; died; day	w	wife; week
Dea	deacon	wid	widow
dup	duplicate entry	widr	widower
h	husband; hour	y	year
inf	infant

**CHURCH RECORDS**
CR1		First Congregational Church
CR2		Second Congregational Church

**CEMETERY RECORDS**
GR1		Chester Center Cemetery
GR2		Huntington Street Cemetery
GR3		Pine Hill Cemetery
GR4		Littleville Cemetery
GR5		Ingell Cemetery, Chester Hill
GR6		North Chester Cemetery
GR7		Round Hill Cemetery
GR8		Fisk Cemetery
GR9		Moor Cemetery
GR10		Bell Cemetery, Chester Hill
GR11		R.L. Bromley Cemetery
GR12		Horation Lyman Cemetery
GR13		From a tomb in a pasture northeast of Chester Center
GR14		Kenney Brook Cemetery, Littleville

**PRIVATE RECORDS**
(Bibles, Family Records, Etc.)
PR1		From the Taylor family Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Abby L. (Taylor) Plunkett of Hinsdale
PR2		From the Wait family Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Spencer (Delight Wait) Knox of Chester
PR3		From the Henry Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Eliza W. (Henry) Phinney of Chester
PR4		From the Wilcox Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. George (Marietta Wilcox) Hapgood of Chester
PR5		From the Churchill family Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. George N. Cone of Chester
PR6		From the Stevens family Bible, now in the possession of William Stevens of Chester
PR7		From the Snow family Bible, now in the possession of Major A. Snow of Chester
PR8		From the Knox family Bible, now in the possession of Charles Henry Knox of Chester
PR9		From the Hamilton family Bible, now in the possession of Frank D. Hamilton of Chester
PR10		From the Foot family Bible, now in the possession of Frank M. Fote of Chester
PR11		From the Moore Bible, now in the possession of Harry R. Bromley of Chester
PR12		From the Holcomb Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Willis F. Stevens of Chester
PR13		From the Wright family Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. C.E. Clark of Leeds
PR14		From the Bell family Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Merrick Bell of Chester
PR15		From the Smith family Bible, now in the possession of Miss Jennie Smith of Huntington
PR16		From the Elder family Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Dinah (Tucker) Elder of Littleville
PR17		From the Benton family Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Nathan Johnson of Worthington
PR18		From the Lyman family Bible, now in the possession of George Thrasher of Worthington