USGenWeb Genealogical Site for the Town of
 |
Kingston Massachusetts Plymouth County |
 |
Including the Villages of Rocky Nook and Silver Lake
See also the site for the parent town of Plymouth
| You are visitor |
| since July 15, 2002 |
New Information on This Site
March 15, 2008 — We have a new address! Many USGenWeb sites have relocated, and we have, too. Please bookmark our new address.
August 19, 2006 — I have added a listing of Kingston Newspapers held on microfilm by the Boston Public Library Microtext Department.
October 13, 2004 — The 1790 Federal Census Data is now online.
February 24, 2004 — The newest cemetery transcriptions are from the Old Burial Ground next to the First Congregational Parish Church. The transcriptions were made in 1895 and were published as abstracts. They include stones dated through 1860, and were published in The Mayflower Descendant in 1907. They can be used in conjunction with the literal transcriptions of the oldest stones in the same cemetery published in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register in 1856.
January 11, 2004 — I have moved the cemetery and gravestone transcription information to a new Cemeteries Page. I will be adding to the cemetery information over the coming months, and will also be adding additional gravestone transcriptions.
April 29, 2003 — There is a new page for Kingston Family Researchers and Websites where you can list specific Kingston families that you are researching or web sites specializing in Kingston families.
Top
Lookups and Resources
If you have any Kingston material and would like to volunteer for lookups please send email to Dale H. Cook.
When requesting a lookup please use the email link following the listing for that book, limit your request to one or two specific names on separate lines, and please thank the volunteer for their time and effort.
F. Apthorp Foster, Editor, Vital Records of Kingston, Massachusetts to the Year 1850 (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1911) — Dale H. Cook.
Ray Brown has transcribed the Kingston marriage records from Early Massachusetts Marriages Prior to 1800 by Frederick W. Bailey. His New England Genealogy site here on RootsWeb includes many other transcribed records, genealogical information for several Connecticut families and many other resources for New England research.
1790 Census Transcriptions from Ray Brown's Web Site.
Top
Family Researchers and Websites
Top
Books, Newspapers and Records
You can find copies of books for sale by using the search engine at Bookfinder.com.
F. Apthorp Foster, Editor, Vital Records of Kingston, Massachusetts to the Year 1850 (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1911). See above for lookups.
Doris Johnson Melville, Major Bradford's Town: A History of Kingston, 1726-1976 (Kingston: Town of Kingston, 1976).
Report of the Proceedings and Exercises at the 150th Anniversary of the Incorporation of the Town (Kingston: 1876).
A newspaper often had a succession of titles on its masthead during the course of its publication. Some libraries list newspapers by the last title used, followed by previous titles. Other libraries list all holdings under the most common, most familiar or most recent title. For each title the library's holdings are given.
Boston Public Library - Microtext Department
Top
Vital Records of Kingston, Massachusetts to the Year 1850 (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1911) See above for lookups.
Vital Records 1726 to present:
Town Clerk
23 Green Street
P. O. Drawer E
Kingston, MA 02364
781-585-0502
Fax: 781-585-0542
Hours: Mon. - Fri. 8:30 am to 4:30 pm (Closed noon to 1:00 p.m. for lunch); Tues. Evenings 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Vital Records 1841-1915:
Massachusetts Archives
220 Morrissey Blvd.
Boston, MA 02125
617-727-2816
Fax: 617-288-8429
Hours: Mon. - Fri. 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Sat. 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Vital Records 1916 to present:
Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics
150 Mount Vernon St., 1st Floor
Dorchester, MA 02125-3105
617-740-2600
Or order online:
Births
Marriages
Divorces
Deaths.
Massachusetts Vital Records Information from Ancestry.com.
Deeds and Probate
Plymouth County Registry of Deeds
50 Obery Street
Plymouth, MA 02360
508-830-9200
Fax: 508-830-9221
Hours: Mon. - Fri. 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Researchers can search grantor books or grantee books at no charge.
Plymouth Probate and Family Court
9 Russell St.
Plymouth, MA 02360
508-747-6204
Fax: 508-746-6826
Hours: Mon. - Fri. 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Top
Genealogical and Historical Societies, Libraries and Locations
Genealogical and Historical Societies and Libraries
Kingston Public Library Local History Room
6 Green Street
Kingston, MA 02364
781-585-0517
Fax: 781-585-0521
TTY/TDD: 781-582-2446
Hours: Mon. 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.; Tues. 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.; Weds. 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.; Thurs. 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.; Fri. 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Sat. 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.; Other hours by appointment.
Jones River Village Historical Society and
Major John Bradford House
Maple Street and Landing Road
Kingston, MA 02364
617-585-6300
Old Colony Historical Society
66 Church Green
Taunton, MA 02780
508-822-1622
Hours: Tues. - Sat. 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Closed Saturdays preceding Monday holidays.
Museum Admission: Adults - $4.00, Children 12-18 and Seniors - $2.00.
Genealogical Research: $7.00 per day.
South Shore Genealogical Society
PO Box 396
Norwell, MA 02061
Email: soshoregen@yahoo.com
Meetings: The second Saturday of each month (except July and August) at 1:30 p.m. at the John Curtis Free Library, Rte. 139, Hanover, MA.
For beginners, amateurs and professionals interested in genealogical research in Plymouth and Norfolk Counties.
Massachusetts Historical Society
1154 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02215-3695
617-536-1608
Hours: Mon. - Weds. 9:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.; Thurs. 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; Fri. 9:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.; Closed weekends.
New England Historic Genealogical Society
101 Newbury St.
Boston, MA 02116-3007
617-536-5740
Fax: 617-536-7307
Email: nehgs@nehgs.org
Library Hours: Tues. 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Weds. - Thurs. 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.; Fri. - Sat. 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Winter Hours (Dec. - Mar.): Tues. - Weds. 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Thurs. 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.; Fri. - Sat. 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The library is closed for some holidays - call or see the website for details.
For non-members there is a daily admisssion fee for the research library.
NEHGS is nation's oldest genealogical society, founded in 1845. It offers unsurpassed resources for New England research including the Boston research library of over 200,000 volumes. Members not in the Boston area appreciate the circulating library of more than 30,000 volumes and online resources including all issues of The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, the nation's oldest genealogical journal, published quarterly since 1847.
Genealogical and Historical Locations
Major John Bradford House
Maple Street and Landing Road
Kingston, MA 02364
617-585-6300
Top
Residents of the Jones River area in northern Plymouth began petitioning for a separate township in 1717. Their efforts at first met opposition but finally came to fruition on June 16, 1726, when the General Court authorized the division of Plymouth, establishing the town of Kingston.
Early industries in the town included iron casting and forging, woolen mills and ship building on the Jones River.
| 1765 | (Prov.) | 759 | 1776 | (Prov.) | 980 | 1790 | (U.S.) | 1,004 | 1800 | (U.S.) | 1,037 | |||
| 1810 | (U.S.) | 1,137 | 1820 | (U.S.) | 1,313 | 1830 | (U.S.) | 1,321 | 1840 | (U.S.) | 1,440 | |||
| 1850 | (U.S.) | 1,591 | 1855 | (State) | 1,571 | 1860 | (U.S.) | 1,655 | 1865 | (State) | 1,626 | |||
| 1870 | (U.S.) | 1,604 | 1875 | (State) | 1,569 | 1880 | (U.S.) | 1,524 | 1885 | (State) | 1,570 | |||
| 1890 | (U.S.) | 1,659 | 1895 | (State) | 1,746 | 1900 | (U.S.) | 1,955 | 1905 | (State) | 2,205 | |||
| 1910 | (U.S.) | 2,445 | 1920 | (U.S.) | 2,505 | 1930 | (U.S.) | 2,672 | 1940 | (U.S.) | 2,783 | |||
| 1950 | (U.S.) | 3,461 | 1960 | (U.S.) | 4,302 | 1970 | (U.S.) | 5,999 | 1980 | (U.S.) | 7,362 | |||
| 1990 | (U.S.) | 9,045 | 2000 | (U.S.) | 11,780 |
Census Data
Currently available: 1790 Federal Census
Top
First Congregational Parish (Unitarian Universalist, established 1717)
Top
Commonwealth Communities page for Kingston
The Kingston Observer (Monthly Newspaper)
Kingston Mariner (Weekly Newspaper - Circulation 2,400)
Kingstonmass.com (Online Service)
South Shore Network Kingston Page
The Web Directory for Kingston
SeekOn Kingston Directory
Top
Plymouth County, MA - USGenWeb
Plymouth County Records Online - USGenWeb
Massachusetts Genealogy - USGenWeb
The USGenWeb Project - Home Page
Top
Please note that although I was born and raised about 20 miles from Kingston I now live hundreds of miles away and do not have easy access to the town.
Email comments to Dale H. Cook
Please visit the Plymouth Colony Pages
USGenWeb Kingston, MA, commenced 15-Jul-2002.
Created and maintained by Dale H. Cook.
.
Copyright © 2003, 2004-2008 by Dale H. Cook. All rights reserved.