Many volumes of Massachusetts town and city vital records have been published since the late 1800s.  For an overview see Massachusetts Vital Records Volumes.  Although the published vital records are generally extremely accurate, a number of transcription errors and typographical errors have been discovered in them.  Here is a listing of corrections found by researchers.  This listing is constantly growing, and your contribution is welcome (and will be acknowledged here) if you can document the error by reference to a contemporary record or a published version thereof.  Email your error correction to Dale H. Cook.

     Each section below lists first a town or city followed by publication information for the original vital records volume.  The remainder of each section consists of the corrections to that volume, with each original passage quoted and then followed by the documented correction.  When an incorrect record or a source for a correction is available online a link has been provided.

     Note that this page does not cover errors on genealogical CD-ROM editions of these volumes.  Those are treated on my page for Corrections to Genealogical CDs.

     Henry Edwards Scott, Editor, Vital Records of Bridgewater Massachusetts to the Year 1850, 2 Vols. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1916).

     Vol. 2, p. 130 (Marriages):
     "FIELD ... Daniel and Susanna Thayer, wid., July 3, 1733."
     Whoever transcribed this line incorrectly transcribed "Feild," and apparently read "wr" (were) as "wd" or some such.  See the literal transcription of this record in Mayflower Descendant 16:99.  Thanks to Christie Trapp for bringing this error to my attention.

     Vol. 2, p. 467 (Deaths):
     "FIELD ... Ruth, ch. Richard and Susanna, Nov. 22, 1723."
     Whoever transcribed the entries for Ruth's family collapsed the lines for Ruth and Zachariah into one line, creating an erroneous death entry for Ruth, and then correctly transcribed Zachariah's death.  See the literal transcription of this record in Mayflower Descendant 14:46.  Thanks to Christie Trapp for bringing this error to my attention.

     George Ernest Bowman, Editor, Vital Records of the Town of Halifax Massachusetts to the End of the Year 1849 (Boston: Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, 1905).

     P. 6:
     "Ebenezer Fuller Died Nov^r y^e 12^th 1794 His age was 97 years and 12 Days old when he Died"
     This date has been corrected in the Samuel Fuller pink booklets and Silver Books.  Ebenezer's will was proved 04-Dec-1786 [Plymouth Co. Probate #8211].  According to his gravestone he died 27-Nov-1786 [Mayflower Descendant 13:11].

     F. Apthorp Foster, Editor, Vital Records of West Bridgewater Massachusetts to the Year 1850 (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1911).

     P. 211 (Deaths):
     "PACKARD ... Abigail, wid. Jonathan, May 19, 1766, in 91st y. G.R.1."
     This date had been questioned in the Francis Cooke pink booklets and Silver Books, but was not corrected until my 2005 article in Mayflower Descendant.  According to her gravestone she died 19-May-1786.