Rochester, Plymouth County, Massachusetts Genealogy

United States

New England

Massachusetts

Plymouth County

Rochester

Guide to Rochester, Plymouth County, Massachusetts ancestry, genealogy and family history, town histories, vital records, city directories, cemetery records and cemeteries, churches, town records, newspapers, maps, and libraries.

Town Information

Description

• Rochester, Massachusetts at Wikipedia

A group of men across Plymouth Colony gathered to buy seventy square miles at Sippican in 1679 west of Westerly Jumping or Besse Brook and the Wankinco River. The first housing lots were along the Great Neck (now in Mattapoisett). Few of these proprietors actually settled in town. The town was established by Plymouth Colony in 1686 and placed in Barnstable County. For a brief time, the town was part of the Dominion of New England from 1686 to 1689, though still in Barnstable County and in limbo, until the "Colony" was merged with Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691 that became the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The town was transferred to Plymouth County on 19 Nov. 1707.

Populated Places

Includes Neighborhoods, Villages, Unincorporated Communities,
Districts, and Census-Designated Places:

Adjacent Towns

Plymouth Co.: Lakeville | Marion | Mattapoisett | Middleborough | Wareham Norfolk Co.: Acushnet | Freetown

Town Records

In New England most original vital records of birth, marriage, and death can be found at the town clerk's office

Rochester Town Clerk

1 Constitution Way
Rochester, MA 02770
Phone: 508-763-3871 x 17
Fax: 508-763-4892
Email: rochestertownclerk@yahoo.com

Vital Records

• Microfilm of the originals created by the FamilySearch Library, Rochester town and vital records, 1673-1893, FS Library films 482220–482225.
  These records are browsable (i.e. not indexed as of Nov. 2012) on FamilySearch.
• Microfiche of the originals created by Archive Publishing covering town records that included vital records and a few other town records, 1646-1915, on 126 fiche. Part of Massachusetts, Town Vital Collections, 1620–1988 at Ancestry ($); Index
• Official state copy of vital records starting in 1841:
  Massachusetts Archives
  220 Morrissey Blvd.
  Boston MA 02125
  Phone 617-727-2816
  Email archives@sec.state.ma.us
  Hours and Directions
  See the online guide for more information.

Published records

• Vital Records of Rochester, Massachusetts, to the year 1850 (Boston, 1914), 2 v.
  These volumes were microfilmed by the FamilySearch Library (FS Library film 873753 Items 1-2).
  Digital versions at Internet Archive (v. 1 and v. 2), Google Books (vol. 1 and vol. 2), Ancestry ($).
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.482/R1 V2v v. #.

This includes, in part, church records from the First Congregational Church of Rochester (C.R.1), Second Church of Rochester (C.R.2), Third Church of Rochester (C.R.3), and Records of the Society of Friends of Rochester [now with the Society in New Bedford (C.R.4). Deaths are included from First Parish Cem., Rochester Centre (G.R.1), Union Cem.(G.R.2), East Rochester Cem. (G.R.3), Old Parish Cem., North Rochester (G.R.4), Central Cem., North Rochester (G.R.5), Pierce Cem.(G.R.6), Sherman Cem. (G.R.7), Ellis Family Burying Ground (G.R.8), Ashley Cem. (G.R.9), Pierceville Church or Briggs Lane Cem. (G.R.10), Little Neck Cem. [now in Marion] (G.R.11), Happy Alley or Quaker Cem. [now in Marion] (G.R.12), Evergreen Cem. [now in Marion] (G.R. 13), Old Landing Cem. [now in Marion] (G.R. 14), Blankinship Cem. [now in Marion] (G.R. 15), Mednell Cem. [now in Mattapoisett] (G.R. 16), Cushing Cem. [now in Mattapoisett] (G.R. 17), Ellis Cem. [now in Mattapoisett] (G.R. 18), Pine Island Cem. [now in Mattapoisett] (G.R. 19), Friends' Cem. [now in Mattapoisett] (G.R. 20), Hammond Cem. [now in Mattapoisett] (G.R. 21), Barlow Cem. [now in Mattapoisett] (G.R. 22), and one grave in the woods, Rochester Centre (G.R. 23).

• "Records of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1687-1718, from the First Volume of Town Records" [Rochester] in the Genealogical Advertiser, 4 [1901]: 65-68 [to be continued, but journal ceased publication].

Online records

• Rochester town and vital records, 1673-1883, are browsable (i.e. not indexed as of Nov. 2012) on FamilySearch.

Births

• 1636-1924 Massachusetts, Births, 1636-1924 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index

Deaths

• 1916-1919 Massachusetts Deaths, 1916-1919 at MyHeritage — index & images ($)

Resources

For more County and State resources see:

Cemeteries

• Rochester Cemeteries List at Find a Grave
• Rochester Cemeteries at FamilySearch Catalog
• Plymouth County Cemeteries at FamilySearch Catalog
• Plymouth County Cemeteries at FamilySearch Places

The following is a list of cemeteries in present-day Rochester. Early cemeteries now in Marion, Mattapoisett, and western Wareham were once in this town and covered in the published vital records book above. For more details regarding these cemeteries, see the state guide under cemeteries for books on the subject.

• Map and locations of cemeteries, with links to other information, including some transcriptions - at MAGenWeb.

1. Ashely Cemetery, 1788. (A, B, C, D-p. 104)
2. Braley Family Cemetery, 1838-1914. (D-p. 147)
3. Ellis Family Burying Ground, 1840-1845. (A, C, D-p. 142)
4. Hillside or East Rochester Cemetery, 1824. (A, C, D-p. 67, 170)
   Rochester Genealogy Club online transcription.
5. Howes Family Plot, 1791. (D-p. 133)
6. North Rochester or Central Cemetery, 1810. (A, B, C, D-p. 91)
7. Old Parish Cemetery, 1758. (A, D-p. 84)
8. Rochester First Parish Cemetery, 1701. (A, C, D-p. 5)
9. Perry Family Plot, 1854. (D-p. 136)
10. Pierce Family Cemetery, 1797-1843. (D-p. 149)
11. Sherman Cemetery, 1843. (A, B, C, D-p. 96)
12. Union Cemetery, 1810. (B, C, D-p. 45)
    Rochester Genealogy Club online transcription.
13. Woodside or Pierceville Cemetery, 1828. (A, B, D-p. 114, 156)

Abstracts of the cemeteries above are marked and keyed to:
(A). Vital Records of Rochester, Massachusetts, to the year 1850 (Boston, 1914). [See links above for various versions of this source.]
(B). Charles M. Thatcher, Old Cemeteries of Southeastern Massachusetts (Middleborough, Mass., 1995). WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.4 V3.
(C). American Ancestors by NEHGS ($) in various manuscripts or searchable databases.
(D).

Church Records

• 1737-1797 Rochester, MA: Records of the First Church, 1737-1797 at American Ancestors — index ($)

The following is a list of churches established in town in order of organization date (if known) and condition of records in the 1889 survey if listed.

1. Society of Friends, 1672. [part of the Sandwich Monthly Meeting]
   Records on microfilm as Sandwich Monthly Meeting records, 1646-1850, FS Library films 1330-1331.
2. First Congregational Church of Rochester, 1703, records good and start 1798.
3. North Rochester Congregational Church, 1753, records good, records burned in 1841.
4. St. Rose of Lima Church, 1961. [part of Sacred Heart Parish, Middleborough]
5. Kingdom of Jehovah's Witnesses, n.d.

City Directories

Rochester was published in 1903/4, 1907, 1910/1, 1916, 1919, 1924/5, 1926, 1928/9.

• 1903 U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995, Rochester at Ancestry - index & images ($), some years may be missing
• 1910-1935 Massachusetts, U.S., City Directories, Rochester at Ancestry - index & images ($), some years may be missing
• Various Dates U.S. City Directories, 1860-1960 at MyHeritage - index & images ($) some towns and years may be missing

The Library of Congress (Washington, D.C.) has one of the largest collections of city directories in the country. They are likely to own most of the years listed above. Their collection is in microfiche, microfilm, and books, but there is no online inventory of their holdings except for microfilm. See their guide online.

Other holdings:

• Ancestry ($) has 1903/4.
• Boston Public Library has 1903/4, 1907, 1910/1, 1916, 1919, 1924/5, 1926, 1928/9 (under Wareham).
• FamilySearch Library (Salt Lake City) has 1903/4, 1907, 1910/1, 1916, 1919, 1924/5, 1928/9 on FS Library various film records.
• fold3 ($) has none.
• Massachusetts State Library has 1903/4, 1907, 1910/1, 1916, 1919, 1926.
• New England Historic Genealogical Society (Boston) ($) has 1907, 1910/1.

Local Histories

The basic data is from the "Historical Data" publication series with additions from various sources.

Associated names

Abington at one time was called Mattapoisett, Monehansett, and Scippican.

Village or section names include Bisbee's Corner, Cowen's Corner, East Rochester, Look's Mills, North Fochester, Pierceville, Rochester Center, Roundsville Mills. and Sherman's Corner.

Border changes

Dates	Events
4 June 1686	Established as a town by the desire of the inhabitants of Scippican alias Rochester. [Ply. Col. Rec., 6: 189]
19 Nov. 1707	Town transferred from Barnstable County to Plymouth County.
11 June 1714	Border between Rochester and Tiverton established.
10 July 1739	Part of Rochester (12 square miles) included in the new town of Wareham.
9 Apr. 1836	Part of Rochester annexed to Fairhaven and border established.
14 May 1852	Southeastern part (4th or South Parish) set off as the new town of Marion.
8 Apr. 1853	Border between Rochester and Marion established.
20 May 1857	Southern third (2nd Parish) set off as the new town of Mattapoisett.
20 Apr. 1864 15 Feb. 1866 3 June 1887 12 June 1939	Border between Rochester and Wareham established.

Works written on the town include:

• Joseph S. Luce and Noah Hammond, copyists, "Proprietors' Records, 1679-1807" [covers Rochester, Mattapoisett, Marion, and Wareham and copied from the originals], FS Library film 482218 Items 1-3.
• David Hamblen, "First Settlers of Rochester and Their Families" in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 5 [1851]: 85-88.
• "History of Rochester" in D. Hamilton Hurd, ed., History of Plymouth County, Massachusetts ... (Philadelphia, 1884), 329-339.
  Digital version at Internet Archive.
• Mary Hall Leonard, "Revolutionary Records of a Country Town" in The New England Magazine, New Ser., 19 [1898-1899]: 289-299.
• Mary Hall Leonard, "Old Rochester and Her Daughter Towns" in The New England Magazine, New Ser., 20 [1899-1900]: 613-635.
• Mattapoisett and Old Rochester, Massachusetts: being a History of these Towns and also in part of Marion and a portion of Wareham ([Mattapoisett, Mass.], 3rd ed., 1950), 426 pp.
  Digital versions of the 1907 edition at Internet Archive and Google Books
  WorldCat (Other Libraries); FS Catalog book 974.482 H2m (1907 ed. only); FS Library fiche 6081392 (1907 ed. only).
• "Rochester, Mass., records," 37, 135, 7, 47 p. at R. Stanton Avery Special Collections Dept., New England Historic Genealogical Society (Boston, Mass.), Mss C 4932a-b, and in a searchable database at American Ancestors by NEHGS ($) as "Records of the First Church, 1737-1797".

Handwritten transcription of original records concerning Rochester, Mass. Includes epitaphs for cemeteries in Marion and Mattapoisett, Mass., family Bible records from Mattapoisett and Rochester, Mass., two vols from the First Church, records of the Second Church (1740-1849); baptisms in the Third Church in North Rochester (1794-1845); and records of marriages, births, deaths and burials of friends belonging to the Monthly Meeting of Dartmouth (records pertaining to Rochester, Mass.).

• Rochester Wikipedia page.

Maps

This selection incudes town, county, state, and historical maps

• Boundary Map of Rochester at HomeTownLocator
• Massachusetts County Map at Mass.gov
• McConnell's Historical Maps of the United States at Library of Congress
• Old Maps of Massachusetts at Old-Maps.com
• Rochester at FamilySearch Places
• Rochester at Google Maps
• Rochester at Mapcarta
• Massachusetts Maps State Page
  
  

Military

Some Records are Searchable by Town

Revolutionary War, 1775-1783

For more Revolutionary War Military Records see:

• Massachusetts Military Records - Revolutionary War, 1775-1783
• United States Military Records - Revolutionary War, 1775-1783

Civil War, 1861-1865

For more Civil War Military Records see:

• Massachusetts Military Records - Civil War, 1861-1865
• United States Military Records - Civil War, 1861-1865

World War I, 1917-1918

For more World War I Military Records see:

• Massachusetts Military Records - World War I, 1917-1918
• United States Military Records - World War I, 1917-1918

World War II, 1941-1945

For more World War II Military Records see:

• Massachusetts Military Records - World War II, 1941-1945
• United States Military Records - World War II, 1941-1945

Newspapers

• 1800-Current Massachusetts, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's Current at Ancestry — index & images ($)

Probate Records

• 1686-1881 Plymouth County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1686-1881 at American Ancestors — index & images ($)

Research Facilities

Libraries

Joseph H. Plumb Memorial Library
17 Constitution Way
PO Box 69
Rochester MA 02770
Phone 508-763-8600
Email info@plumblibrary.com

FamilySearch Centers & Affiliate Libraries

FamilySearch Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local FamilySearch Centers or Affiliate Libraries

• FamilySearch Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
• FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a FamilySearch center.
  

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

• Martha's Vineyard Massachusetts FamilySearch Center
• North Dartmouth Massachusetts FamilySearch Center
• Providence Rhode Island FamilySearch Center*Middleborough Public Library - an affiliate library

Societies

Rochester Historical Society