USGenWeb Genealogical Site for the Town of
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Rockland Massachusetts Plymouth County |
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See also the site for the parent town of Abington
| You are visitor |
| since October 26, 2004 |
USGenWeb Genealogical Site for the Town of
|
Rockland Massachusetts Plymouth County |
|
See also the site for the parent town of Abington
| You are visitor |
| since October 26, 2004 |
March 20, 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 Rockland Newspapers held on microfilm by the Boston Public Library Microtext Department.
October 26, 2004 — Welcome to the brand new Rockland USGenWeb page. I'll be posting notices here as new resources are added to the site.
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Lookups
If you have any Rockland material and would like to volunteer for lookups please send email to Dale H. Cook.
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Family Researchers and Websites
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Books, Newspapers and Records
You can find copies of books for sale by using the search engine at Bookfinder.com.
Belcher, Mrs. Weston A.; Mrs. John Brooks, Jr.; Mr. Horace W. Bamford, editors, First Congregational Church of Rockland, Massachusetts (United Church of Christ) 150th Anniversary Booklet, 1813-1963 (Rockland: 1963).
Elijah Shaw and Miss M. N. Shaw, compilers, The History of the Parish and Church of the Third Congregational Society in Abington, Now the First Congregational Church in Rockland, Mass. (n.p.: 1891).
Rockland Centennial, 1874-1974 (Rockland: Fairmount Press, Inc., 1974).
Abington, Massachusetts, 1712 - 1912. Official Program of the Commemorative Exercises of the Two Hundredth Anniversary of the Incorporation of the Town, June 10, 1712. Participated in by the Towns of Abington, Rockland & Whitman, comprising the original town of Abington. (Rockland: A. I. Randall, Printer, 1912).
Rockland in the Service: Rockland, Massachusetts 1775-1945 (Old Colony Post 1788, Veterans of Foreign Wars, 1945). Numerous articles, adverisements, photographs and charts examining the role of Rockland's sons who participated in WWII, WWI, the Spanish-American War and the Civil War.
Resident and Business Directory of Rockland and Abington Massachusetts (Hopkinton, MA: A. E. Foss & Co., 1909).
Atlas of Abington and Rockland Massachusetts, From Recent and Actual Surveys & Records Under the Superintendence of W. A. Sherman (New York: Comstock & Cline, 1874).
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
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Vital Records 1874 to present:
Town Clerk
Rockland Town Hall
242 Union St.
Rockland, MA 02370
781-871-1892
Fax: 781-871-0386
Hours: Mon. - Fri. 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Vital Records 1874-1915:
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.
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Rockland Memorial Library
20 Belmont St.
Rockland, MA 02370
Phone: 781-878-1236
Fax: 781-878-4013
Hours: Mon. & Weds. 12:00 noon to 8:00 p.m., Tues., Thurs. & Fri. 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Friday 9-5
Dyer Memorial Library
Centre Avenue
Abington, MA 02351
781-878-8480
The Dyer is a private library that houses historical and genealogical information on the Abington area including Whitman and Rockland. It is the home of the Historical Society of Old Abington.
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.
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In 1654 Timothy Hatherly was granted the land which was later known as the Hatherly Grant, and included what is now Rockland. Settlement of the Grant began after King Philip's War, and it was included in Abington when that town was established in 1712. Timber was an early area industry, especially oak for ship building, and sawmills flourished. Abington was an early center of shoe production, especially the part which is now Rockland, and reached a height of production with Union Army contracts in the Civil War. Rockland was established March 9, 1874, from the eastern part of Abington. From the Great Depression onward shoe production declined, but the town experienced a new growth of business after World War II with suburban development along Routes 123 and 139.
| 1885 | (State) | 4,785 | 1920 | (U.S.) | 7,544 | 1930 | (U.S.) | 7,524 | 1940 | (U.S.) | 8,087 | |||
| 1950 | (U.S.) | 8,960 | 1960 | (U.S.) | 13,119 | 1970 | (U.S.) | 15,674 | 1980 | (U.S.) | 15,695 | |||
| 1990 | (U.S.) | 16,123 | 2000 | (U.S.) | 17,670 |
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Rockland Historical Commission
Channing Church (Unitarian Universalist, established 1883)
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Commonwealth Communities page for Rockland
South Shore Network Rockland Page
Town Online Rockland Page
The Web Directory for Rockland
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Plymouth County, MA - USGenWeb
Plymouth County Records Online - USGenWeb
Massachusetts Genealogy - USGenWeb
The USGenWeb Project - Home Page
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Please note that although I was born and raised about 5 miles from Rockland 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 Rockland, MA, commenced 26-Oct-2004.
Created and maintained by Dale H. Cook.
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Copyright © 2004-2008 by Dale H. Cook. All rights reserved.