Explanations of the Vital Records of Stow, MA

EXPLANATIONS

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

2. In all records the original spelling is followed, and no attempt is made to correct errors appearing in the records orto harmonize conflicting names or dates.

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 name of both parties, but the full information concerning each party is given only in the entry under his or her name. When both the marriage and intention of marriage are recorded, only the marriage record is printed, 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 only when they occur in the original text, or to separate clauses found there — such as the birthplace of a parent, in late records.

6. In 1831 a copy was made of the first volume of records, which has since become defaced and mutilated. Items taken from this Town Copy are so marked.

**ABBREVIATIONS**
a	age	jr	junior
abt	about	m	married; month
b	born	MR	Middlesex County record, East Cambridge
bur	buried	min	minutes
ch	child	RR	Rebellion record
chn	children	rec	recorded
Co	county	s	son
d	daughter; died; day	sr	senior
Dea	deacon	TC	town copy
dup	duplicate entry	w	wife; week
h	husband	wid	widow
hrs	hours	widr	widower
inf	infant	y	year
int	publishment of intention of marriage

**CHURCH RECORDS**
CR	First Church of Christ

**CEMETERY RECORDS**
GR1	Old Cemetery at "Stow Lower Village"
GR2	Hillside Cemetery

**PRIVATE RECORDS**
(Bibles, Family Records, Etc.)
PR1	Stow family Bible, now in the possession of Andrew J. Smith of Stow
PR2	James B. Porter Bible, now in the possession of Lydia W. Porter of West Acton
PR3	Family Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Henry Fowler of Concord Junction
PR4	Wolcott family Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Abijah Wolcott of Stow
PR5	Family Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Herbert Marshall of Stow
PR6	Records of the Christopher Wilder family, now in the possession of Mrs. Sarah Hastings of Pittsfield
PR7	Charles T. Walcott Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Emma Herrick of Waltham
PR8	John Walcott Bible, now in the possession of Henry Wetherbee of Stow
PR9	Silas Parks Bible, now in the possession of Lewis Parks of Stow
PR10	Robert Wolcott Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Hannah Gates of Stow
PR11	Private records of the John Miles family, now in the possession of Mrs. S.A. Miles of South Acton
PR12	Whitney family Bible, now in the possession of W.H. Whitney of Concord Junction
PR13	Records of the Jonathan Priest family, now in the possession of Mrs. Benjamin Folsom of Stow
PR14	Asa Whitney Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. D.P. Muzzy of Cambridge
PR15	John Gates Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. William Peck of Stow
PR16	Ephraim W. Stone Bible, now in the possession of Albert M. Stone of Hanford, California
PR17	John Walcott Bible, now in the possession of Miss Sue Smith of Hudson
PR18	John Gates Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. William Peck of Stow
PR19	Silas Brooks Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Joseph Reed of Maynard
PR20	Asabel Smith Bible, now in the possession of Miss Sue Smith of Hudson
PR21	Nathan Brooks Whitman Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Annie L. Brigham of Marlboro
PR22	Benjamin Herrick Bible, now in the possession of Marshall Herrick of Bolton
PR23	Jeremy Underwood Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Laura Miles of Natick
PR24	Joel Gates Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. S.M. Lawrence of Stow
PR25	George Stow family records, now in the possession of Geroge Stow Jr. of Stow
PR26	From private records of Stephen Stow, now in the possession of George Stow of Stow
PR27	The Eliphalet Tenney Bible, now in the possession of Eliphalet Tenney of Stow
PR28	George Stow Bible now in the possession of Mrs. Edmund Stow of Stow
PR29	From private records, now in the possession of Mrs. Edmund Stow of Stow
PR30	Moses Whitney Bible, now in the possession of J.F. Whitney of Stow
PR31	Priest family Bible, now in the possession of Mrs. Frank Hallock of Stow