USGenWeb Genealogical Site for the Town of
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Halifax Massachusetts Plymouth County |
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Including the Villages of Halifax Beach and South Halifax
See also the site for the parent town of Plympton
Old Schoolhouse and Blacksmith Shop, Halifax
March 12, 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 Halifax Newspapers held on microfilm by the Boston Public Library.
May 3, 2004 — The 1790 Federal Census Data is now online.
June 29, 2003 — The newest resource on this site is a recent (1997) set of transcriptions from the Sturtevant (Monponsett Pond) Cemetery made by Anna N. Sturtevant. Her transcriptions include nearly 150 years of additional burials since the cutoff date of Mayflower Descendant transcriptions and reflect the toll that nearly a century of time has taken on the stones since the earlier transcriptions. Anna has provided a plan of the cemetery, and the transcriptions are keyed to it as an aid for those trying to locate specific graves. She has also provided illustrations of each section of the plan, and with the transcriptions they provide a virtual cemetery.
June 11, 2003 — I've added transcriptions of the gravestones in the Thompson St. Cemetery. The transcriptions were made in 1906 and published in Mayflower Descendant between 1910 and 1912. The gravestones included are mainly those dated before 1851.
June 9, 2003 — I've added transcriptions of the gravestones in the Sturtevant (Monponsett Pond) Cemetery. The transcriptions were made in 1906 and published in Mayflower Descendant in 1907 and 1908. The gravestones included are mainly those dated before 1851.
June 9, 2003 — Welcome to the brand new Halifax USGenWeb page. I'll be posting notices here as the site grows and expands and new resources are added.
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Resources
1790 Census Transcriptions from Ray Brown's Web Site.
Books, Newspapers and Records
Books and Journal Articles About Halifax
You can find copies of books for sale by using the search engine at Bookfinder.com.
Books that are no longer in copyright can often be found online at Internet Archive Text Archive or Google Books. Additional books are available through two sites that many libraries offer access to - Ancestry.com and Heritage Quest Online.
George Ernest Bowman, Vital Records of the Town of Halifax, Massachusetts to the End of the Year 1849 (Boston: Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, 1905).
Stanley W. Smith, "Gravestone Records from the Cemetery In Halifax, Mass., on the Shore of Monponsett Lake" (Mayflower Descendant, 9 (1907):151-155; 10 (1908):8-11, 103-106).
John W. Willard, "Gravestone Records from the Thompson Street Cemetery, Halifax, Mass." (Mayflower Descendant, 12 (1910):239-243; 13 (1911):11-14, 150-152, 217-220; 14 (1912):5-12).
George Ernest Bowman, "Halifax, Mass., Church Records" (Mayflower Descendant, 26 (1924):176-184; 27 (1925):24-35, 117-122, 179-186).
Guy S. Baker, History of Halifax, Massachusetts (Halifax, MA: The Author, 1976).
Ann S. Lainhart, 1855 and 1865 Massachusetts State Censuses for Halifax (Boston: The Author, 1988).
Charles Milton Thatcher, Old Cemeteries of Southeastern Massachusetts (Middleborough, MA: Middleborough Public Library, 1995). Contains transcriptions from four Halifax cemeteries made in the late 1880s. Although this is still a useful resource, many transcription errors have been discovered, so use Thatcher with care and check it against the actual gravestones or other transcriptions.
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 - Historical Massachusetts Newspapers - Microfilm
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Town Records Images:
Images of the town record books are online at FamilySearch.org.
SPECIAL NOTE: You need a free login to to view the images at FamilySearch.
Published Vital Records 1734 to present:
George Ernest Bowman, Vital Records of the Town of Halifax, Massachusetts to the End of the Year 1849 (Boston: Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants, 1905).
Vital Records 1734 to present:
Town Clerk
Halifax Town Hall
499 Plymouth St.
Halifax, MA 02338
781-293-7970
Fax: 781-294-7684
Hours: Mon. - Thu. 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; 2nd & 4th Tue. Evenings 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Vital Records 1841-1920:
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 1921 to present:
Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records
150 Mount Vernon St., 1st Floor
Dorchester, MA 02125-3105
617-740-2600
Or order online:
Births
Marriages
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.
Images of the Plymouth County deeds are online at FamilySearch.org.
SPECIAL NOTE: You need a free login to to view the images at FamilySearch.
Plymouth Probate and Family Court
52 Obery Street
Plymouth, MA 02360
508-747-6204
Fax: 508-746-6826
Hours: Mon. - Fri. 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Images of the Plymouth County probate records are online at FamilySearch.org in two groups of image sets, one consisting mainly of case files and one consisting mainly of record books. Navigating the image sets of the oldest probate records can be a bit confusing, so I have prepared A Brief Guide to the "Old Series" of Plymouth County Probate Records (1686-1881).
SPECIAL NOTE: You need a free login to to view the images at FamilySearch.
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Genealogical and Historical Societies, Libraries and Locations
Genealogical and Historical Societies and Libraries
Holmes Public Library
470 Plymouth Street
Halifax, MA 02338
781-293-2271
Fax: 781-294-8518
Winter Hours: Mon. & Weds. 12:00 noon to 8:00 p.m.; Tues., Thurs. & Fri. 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Sat. 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Summer Hours: Mon. & Weds. 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; Tues., Thurs. & Fri. 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Halifax Historical Commission
See entry for the Museum of Halifax below.
Plymouth County Genealogists, Inc.
PCGI is a non-profit genealogical society whose monthly meetings are held the first Saturday of each month (except July and August) at 1:00 PM at the East Bridgewater Public Library. Meetings generally feature a guest speaker and the public is welcome.
Old Colony History Museum
66 Church Green
Taunton, MA 02780
508-822-1622
Hours: Tues. - Sat. 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Closed on holidays and on 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
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 7:45 p.m.; Fri. 9:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.; Sat. 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; Closed Sunday.
New England Historic Genealogical Society
101 Newbury St.
Boston, MA 02116-3007
617-536-5740
Fax: 617-536-7307
Library Hours: Tues. 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Weds. 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.; Thurs. - Sat. 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Closed Sun. and Mon.
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 their extensive online resources including all issues of The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, the nation's oldest genealogical journal, published quarterly since 1847. Online resources also include member access to vital records through 1915, an ever-growing collection of online books, and databases derived from some of the Society's immense manuscript holdings.
Genealogical and Historical Locations
Museum of Halifax
Plymouth St. (Rt. 106), just west of Town Hall on the south side of the street
Operated by the Halifax Historical Commission
781-294-7501
Hours: Weds. 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.; and the third Sunday of each month 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.; or by appointment.
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The first house in that part of Plympton which became Halifax was built on Thompson St. in 1680.
1734 - Halifax was established from a part of Plympton.
1734 - A part was annexed from Middleborough.
1734 - A part was annexed from Pembroke.
1824 - A part was annexed from Bridgewater.
1831 - A part was annexed from Plympton.
1857 - A part was annexed to East Bridgewater.
1863 - Bounds with Plympton were established.
| 1765 | (Prov.) | 556 | 1790 | (U.S.) | 664 | 1800 | (U.S.) | 642 | 1810 | (U.S.) | 703 | |||
| 1820 | (U.S.) | 749 | 1830 | (U.S.) | 708 | 1840 | (U.S.) | 734 | 1850 | (U.S.) | 784 | |||
| 1855 | (State) | 786 | 1860 | (U.S.) | 766 | 1865 | (State) | 722 | 1870 | (U.S.) | 619 | |||
| 1875 | (State) | 568 | 1880 | (U.S.) | 542 | 1885 | (State) | 530 | 1890 | (U.S.) | 562 | |||
| 1895 | (State) | 497 | 1900 | (U.S.) | 522 | 1905 | (State) | 494 | 1910 | (U.S.) | 550 | |||
| 1915 | (State) | 638 | 1920 | (U.S.) | 563 | 1925 | (State) | 614 | 1930 | (U.S.) | 728 | |||
| 1935 | (State) | 817 | 1940 | (U.S.) | 867 | 1945 | (State) | 997 | 1950 | (U.S.) | 944 | |||
| 1955 | (State) | 1,377 | 1960 | (U.S.) | 1,599 | 1965 | (State) | 2,637 | 1970 | (U.S.) | 3,537 | |||
| 1975 | (State) | 4,684 | 1980 | (U.S.) | 5,513 | 1990 | (U.S.) | 6,526 | 2000 | (U.S.) | 7,500 |
Census Data
Currently available: 1790 Federal Census
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Silver Lake Regional School District
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Commonwealth Communities page for Halifax
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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 10 miles from Halifax
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 Halifax, MA, commenced 09-Jun-2003.
Created and maintained by Dale H. Cook.
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Copyright © 2003-2021 by Dale H. Cook. All rights reserved.