- Published on
RECAP OF RESEARCH DONE TO DATE:
The Brigham Street Burial Ground (Northborough, Mass.) was established in 1728 to accommodate burials for those families living in the "northern part" of Westborough and was actively used until the First Church graveyard on Howard Street was established abt 1749. As the beginning phase of any research project includes gathering "known" evidence, my first step was to visit the cemeteries and verify what could be "seen" as the jumping off point for evidence collection.
While visible tombstones are an original source for evidence, additional documentation of deaths between 1728 and 1749 might provide evidence of other burials there. Therefore, the next type of information I needed to locate what was either written by someone who witnessed the burials, or records of burials created close to the time they happened. As I previously noted, the diary volumes of Reverend Ebenezer Parkman (see "Sources" page) contain the most reliable information located to date; he either officiated, attended, or was informed of burials at that time.
NEW RECORD SEARCHED:
Vital Records of Northborough, Massachusetts to the Year 1850 (Worcester, Mass.: Franklin P. Rice,1901) was the next source I evaluated. Although Northborough was still known as "northern Westborough" during the period being researched (1727-1749) and was not incorporated until 1775, I was able to find pre-revolutionary deaths included in the Northborough records. That presented the theory that extra effort was taken to include deaths in the physical land area of Northborough, regardless of jurisdiction. While not proof, there also seems to be a strong possibility that those "northern Westborough" deaths = "northern Westborough" burials. (Quick reminder here: the Brigham Street Burial Ground was established so that "northern Westborough" families did not have to travel up to 6 miles south to bury their loved ones near the meeting house.)
Although the vital record book was published over 150 years after the first recorded death, the compiled information came from sources originally created close to the time of the actual deaths (church records, town records, tombstones, private records). By definition, this derivative source (not the actual piece of paper the death was recorded on) is not as reliable as an entry in the archived diary, but the original records were nonetheless created with the noble intention of documenting deaths close to when occurred. My goal was to match up the impartial early death records from Northborough with dated entries in Rev. Parkman's transcribed diary. (NOTE: the original diary should be viewed during future research.)
The final step was to locate any burials for the recorded deaths [before 1750] at the Howard Street Old Burial Ground, whose opening abt 1750 facilitated the closing of Brigham Street Burial Ground. Any of the burials not found at Howard Street would be added to the list of possible burials at the older Brigham Street site.
The Brigham Street Burial Ground (Northborough, Mass.) was established in 1728 to accommodate burials for those families living in the "northern part" of Westborough and was actively used until the First Church graveyard on Howard Street was established abt 1749. As the beginning phase of any research project includes gathering "known" evidence, my first step was to visit the cemeteries and verify what could be "seen" as the jumping off point for evidence collection.
While visible tombstones are an original source for evidence, additional documentation of deaths between 1728 and 1749 might provide evidence of other burials there. Therefore, the next type of information I needed to locate what was either written by someone who witnessed the burials, or records of burials created close to the time they happened. As I previously noted, the diary volumes of Reverend Ebenezer Parkman (see "Sources" page) contain the most reliable information located to date; he either officiated, attended, or was informed of burials at that time.
NEW RECORD SEARCHED:
Vital Records of Northborough, Massachusetts to the Year 1850 (Worcester, Mass.: Franklin P. Rice,1901) was the next source I evaluated. Although Northborough was still known as "northern Westborough" during the period being researched (1727-1749) and was not incorporated until 1775, I was able to find pre-revolutionary deaths included in the Northborough records. That presented the theory that extra effort was taken to include deaths in the physical land area of Northborough, regardless of jurisdiction. While not proof, there also seems to be a strong possibility that those "northern Westborough" deaths = "northern Westborough" burials. (Quick reminder here: the Brigham Street Burial Ground was established so that "northern Westborough" families did not have to travel up to 6 miles south to bury their loved ones near the meeting house.)
Although the vital record book was published over 150 years after the first recorded death, the compiled information came from sources originally created close to the time of the actual deaths (church records, town records, tombstones, private records). By definition, this derivative source (not the actual piece of paper the death was recorded on) is not as reliable as an entry in the archived diary, but the original records were nonetheless created with the noble intention of documenting deaths close to when occurred. My goal was to match up the impartial early death records from Northborough with dated entries in Rev. Parkman's transcribed diary. (NOTE: the original diary should be viewed during future research.)
The final step was to locate any burials for the recorded deaths [before 1750] at the Howard Street Old Burial Ground, whose opening abt 1750 facilitated the closing of Brigham Street Burial Ground. Any of the burials not found at Howard Street would be added to the list of possible burials at the older Brigham Street site.
RESEARCH RESULTS:
Vital Records of Northborough, Massachusetts to the Year 1850
Eager, James, s. James and Miriam, May 26, 1749 a. 1 d.
Eager, Joseph, s. James and Miriam, May 29, 1749, a. 4 d.
NOTE: These twins were buried at the "new" Howard Street Burial Ground, est. 1749/50.
Fay, Hezekiah, s. Timothy and Lydia, Sept. 13, 1746.
Fay, Lydia, d. Timothy and Lydia, Sept. 14, 1746
Fay, Timothy, s. Timothy and Lydia, April 29, 1743
Fay, William, s. Timothy and Lydia, Sept. 13, 1746
NOTE: These Fay siblings died before the Howard Street site opened and during the years Brigham Street site was active. There burials are not listed at Howard Street and will be added to the list of possible burials at Brigham Street.
Eager, James, s. James and Miriam, May 26, 1749 a. 1 d.
Eager, Joseph, s. James and Miriam, May 29, 1749, a. 4 d.
NOTE: These twins were buried at the "new" Howard Street Burial Ground, est. 1749/50.
Fay, Hezekiah, s. Timothy and Lydia, Sept. 13, 1746.
Fay, Lydia, d. Timothy and Lydia, Sept. 14, 1746
Fay, Timothy, s. Timothy and Lydia, April 29, 1743
Fay, William, s. Timothy and Lydia, Sept. 13, 1746
NOTE: These Fay siblings died before the Howard Street site opened and during the years Brigham Street site was active. There burials are not listed at Howard Street and will be added to the list of possible burials at Brigham Street.
The Diary of Ebenezer Parkman (1703-1782):
First Part, Three Volumes in One (1719-1755).
1) Entry for 12 September 1746: "Hear of Several Deaths in our North Precinct." (p. 142)
NOTE: While the Fay children are not specifically mentioned along with 2 Rice children's deaths, the fact that so many children died in one family, and at the same time other children died, follows the logic of an epidemic affecting the very young. The area to become modern Northborough was set apart from Westborough as "Second Precinct of Westborough" in 1744.
2) No entry for April 1743. (Only the months of January and September are included for that year.) This was about the time "northern Westborough" was organizing a partial separation from Westborough.
3) No entry for 1749 (Northborough had already separated from Westborough for church matters as it had its own church and minister.)
First Part, Three Volumes in One (1719-1755).
1) Entry for 12 September 1746: "Hear of Several Deaths in our North Precinct." (p. 142)
NOTE: While the Fay children are not specifically mentioned along with 2 Rice children's deaths, the fact that so many children died in one family, and at the same time other children died, follows the logic of an epidemic affecting the very young. The area to become modern Northborough was set apart from Westborough as "Second Precinct of Westborough" in 1744.
2) No entry for April 1743. (Only the months of January and September are included for that year.) This was about the time "northern Westborough" was organizing a partial separation from Westborough.
3) No entry for 1749 (Northborough had already separated from Westborough for church matters as it had its own church and minister.)
SUMMARY OF RESEARCH:
The 2 Eager children that died in 1749 appear to be the first recorded deaths in the town that were buried at the Howard Street Burial Ground. There was no other official burial site in the north section of Westborough (modern Northborough) other than the Brigham Street Burial Ground at the time of the Fay children's deaths. Therefore, it is possible that the 4 Fay children who died during the years of 1743-1746 were buried as a family group at the Brigham site, alongside the documented burial of their cousin, "CHILD Fay."
NEW TREES WITH 4 IDENTITIES ADDED:
The Fay siblings located in the death records were the cousins of one of "The Unidentified Children," Child Fay. This not only gives us another puzzle piece for the list of potential burials, this piece SNAPS the two Fay families together as a "family group."
SOURCES:
Brigham Street Burial Ground (Northborough, Worcester County, Massachusetts; 360-380 Brigham Street).
Howard Street Old Burial Ground (Northborough, Worcester County, Massachusetts.
Parkman, Ebenezer. The Diary of Ebenezer Parkman (1703-1782): First Part, three Volumes in One (1719-1755). Edited by Francis G. Walett. Worcester: American Antiquarian Society, 1974.
Vital Records of Northborough, Massachusetts to the End of the Year 1850. Worcester, Mass.: Franklin P. Rice, 1901.
SOURCES:
Brigham Street Burial Ground (Northborough, Worcester County, Massachusetts; 360-380 Brigham Street).
Howard Street Old Burial Ground (Northborough, Worcester County, Massachusetts.
Parkman, Ebenezer. The Diary of Ebenezer Parkman (1703-1782): First Part, three Volumes in One (1719-1755). Edited by Francis G. Walett. Worcester: American Antiquarian Society, 1974.
Vital Records of Northborough, Massachusetts to the End of the Year 1850. Worcester, Mass.: Franklin P. Rice, 1901.
- Published on
This week's research included establishing the historical event baseline to which all evidence can be compared. For the next phase of research, which is to locate vital records (birth, marriage, and death) for "persons of interest", it is crucial to understand in what official town those Northborough ancestors would have been known to have lived during their lifetime.
As illustrated in the timeline below, the land that was to eventually be incorporated as Northborough had several iterations after settlement about 1660. As population increased during the next century, the large area established as the Marlborough Plantation was eventually divided up into the following smaller towns: Northborough, Westborough, Marlborough, Hudson, and Southborough.
As illustrated in the timeline below, the land that was to eventually be incorporated as Northborough had several iterations after settlement about 1660. As population increased during the next century, the large area established as the Marlborough Plantation was eventually divided up into the following smaller towns: Northborough, Westborough, Marlborough, Hudson, and Southborough.
- Published on
HOLLOWAY/WHEELER Family + HOLLOWAY Child = Family Group
There were two pieces of the puzzle that needed to be investigated:
(1) The 4 known burials of the Holloway extended family
(2) The newly found burial of a Holloway child (from Rev. Ebenezer Parkman's August 1738 diary entry)
The shared surname indicated that there may have been a close familial relationship and that families did desire to be buried together.
Further investigation found that the Holloway child was the grandchild of Adam Holloway (the oldest of the remaining stones in the Brigham Street Burial Ground). Adam's son William had at least 8 children, all born before or during the years the Brigham Street burial site was officially active (1727-1749). As for the exact identity of the child who is buried there, additional research needs to be done, specifically to document which children died on or before Aug 1738. To date, I have a record of one childhood death, that of William Holloway, Jr. (1726-1727).
There were two pieces of the puzzle that needed to be investigated:
(1) The 4 known burials of the Holloway extended family
(2) The newly found burial of a Holloway child (from Rev. Ebenezer Parkman's August 1738 diary entry)
The shared surname indicated that there may have been a close familial relationship and that families did desire to be buried together.
Further investigation found that the Holloway child was the grandchild of Adam Holloway (the oldest of the remaining stones in the Brigham Street Burial Ground). Adam's son William had at least 8 children, all born before or during the years the Brigham Street burial site was officially active (1727-1749). As for the exact identity of the child who is buried there, additional research needs to be done, specifically to document which children died on or before Aug 1738. To date, I have a record of one childhood death, that of William Holloway, Jr. (1726-1727).
- Published on
This week has been spent researching the Who's Who of Adam Holloway's early colonial family. Using various towns' birth, marriage, and death records in tandem with the town's published histories, I've uncovered a wonderfully large family full of intriguing stories. There are promising lives lost to Indian terrorism, young love cut short by war, widows left to build new lives in new places...and the brave men that took risks to plant the seeds of our country's strength.
While there are many more places to peek for clues to this family's adventures, the one little tidbit that keeps cropping up is how my modern life crosses their old paths every blessed day. I found Adam's burial place quite out of curiosity, nothing else. But I have also discovered that he and his family are a lot closer; they probably owned the land on which my house was built. That can only mean one thing; the meadow I gaze across every morning with my cup of coffee and the nearby hillside I fall in love with all over again every foliage season has taken on another facet which can only be explained by Serendipity.
The next time you see an old stone wall or a clearing in the woods, think of our early pioneers...and just imagine what is was like to be them. Eye opening, really.
While there are many more places to peek for clues to this family's adventures, the one little tidbit that keeps cropping up is how my modern life crosses their old paths every blessed day. I found Adam's burial place quite out of curiosity, nothing else. But I have also discovered that he and his family are a lot closer; they probably owned the land on which my house was built. That can only mean one thing; the meadow I gaze across every morning with my cup of coffee and the nearby hillside I fall in love with all over again every foliage season has taken on another facet which can only be explained by Serendipity.
The next time you see an old stone wall or a clearing in the woods, think of our early pioneers...and just imagine what is was like to be them. Eye opening, really.
- Published on
When conducting research of a specific time and a specific place, it is imperative to understand how the events described fit into a bigger historical picture. By plotting out the local and national historical events that are commonly accepted as fact, a researcher can better understand the context of new evidence as it is uncovered. For example, the circumstances leading up to the settlement of the Marlborough Plantation indicated that the founding fathers were concerned that their home town of Sudbury was becoming overcrowded. These proprietors, seeking open land for their families on which to farm, were motivated by reasons common to most families in the growing colonies at that time.
Another example of greater events being played out on a local level was relationships with neighboring native tribes. The dealings between the early American pioneers and the Indian natives were sensitive and often contentious. In New England during the years before and after King Philip's War (1675-76), conflicts both small and large were common on the Marlborough Plantation. Skirmishes, mediation, raids, and evacuations also occured in all 13 colonies and it is important to our understanding of local history to see how our local ancestors encountered the same.
While not covered in the scope of the current Brigham Street Burial Ground project, local Northborough, MA lore also tells of how a peddler, several months before the heralded Boston Tea Party in 1773, encountered a group of men dressed as Indians who burned his large bag of tea publicly. In this case, the small acts of local men foreshadowed a grander, more notable rebellion and illustrated how the "big" events were a culmination of what was happening on a smaller local scale.
Another example of greater events being played out on a local level was relationships with neighboring native tribes. The dealings between the early American pioneers and the Indian natives were sensitive and often contentious. In New England during the years before and after King Philip's War (1675-76), conflicts both small and large were common on the Marlborough Plantation. Skirmishes, mediation, raids, and evacuations also occured in all 13 colonies and it is important to our understanding of local history to see how our local ancestors encountered the same.
While not covered in the scope of the current Brigham Street Burial Ground project, local Northborough, MA lore also tells of how a peddler, several months before the heralded Boston Tea Party in 1773, encountered a group of men dressed as Indians who burned his large bag of tea publicly. In this case, the small acts of local men foreshadowed a grander, more notable rebellion and illustrated how the "big" events were a culmination of what was happening on a smaller local scale.
SOURCE
Kent, Josiah Coleman Kent. Northborough History. Newton, Mass.: Garden City Press, 1921.
Kent, Josiah Coleman Kent. Northborough History. Newton, Mass.: Garden City Press, 1921.
- Published on
When Daniel Howe (d.1779) wanted to be buried with his parents, well after the cemetery was "closed," it reminded me that a person's desire to end one's time on earth alongside family was (and still is) a very important part of our culture.
To show how this might play an important part in solving the mystery of "WHO?" for our project, I created very simple family trees to show the relationships of family members as they are identified. To date, I've identified 2 family groups (HOWE and HOLLOWAY/WHEELER). Of the 3 children I've yet to identify for gender and names, one is a HOLLOWAY.
LESSON LEARNED: As for the children pre-deceasing their parents, it will be interesting to see with whom they might have been buried, following the theory that you stick with family. The research trail for these little souls will start by researching the death records of their parents and locating their burials.
To show how this might play an important part in solving the mystery of "WHO?" for our project, I created very simple family trees to show the relationships of family members as they are identified. To date, I've identified 2 family groups (HOWE and HOLLOWAY/WHEELER). Of the 3 children I've yet to identify for gender and names, one is a HOLLOWAY.
LESSON LEARNED: As for the children pre-deceasing their parents, it will be interesting to see with whom they might have been buried, following the theory that you stick with family. The research trail for these little souls will start by researching the death records of their parents and locating their burials.
- Published on
Sometimes Serendipity happens. After I found a few sections of Reverend Ebenezer’s published diary online, I understood the importance of having access to all available diary entries. By following his ministrations throughout his tenure [which included the years the Brigham Street Old Burial Ground was active], I theorized that I might find more clues about who was buried there as he would have officiated at the funerals. The repository to use is the American Antiquarian Society (Worcester), which holds most of the surviving original diary volumes. More investigating revealed that the society published a transcription of their holdings in 1974, which included an Introduction jam-packed with historical fact gems.
No stranger to online bargain hunting, I looked up what was available through online booksellers of rare and used books. And there it was on eBay. Among listings for the price as high as $380 was a copy containing 3 volumes of Rev. Parkman’s diary for $4. Really, I kid you not. For the total price of about $8 with shipping, I received in the mail today the most valuable resource imagined for this particular research project.
And the surprises just kept on coming. I opened up to a random page, only to find Rev. Parkman visiting with Hezekiah Howe, one of the unidentified burials I found last week. Hezekiah was alive and well, waiting to tell us his story. On the same page was a funeral and conversations about 3 children recently buried in the northern “side of town” as well. Time to clean my new glasses and get reading from page 1.
LESSON LEARNED: A book reseller in Arizona has absolutely no clue about the historical value of a first-person account of early colonial life in Massachusetts. In other words, the significance of an eyewitness reporting events as they happenis absolutely huge. And I have the genealogical equivalent of gold sitting right here on my desk.
Source
Parkman, Ebenezer. The Diary of Ebenezer Parkman (1703-1782): First Part, Three Volumes in One (1719-1755). Edited by Francis G. Walett. Worcester: American Antiquarian Society, 1974.
No stranger to online bargain hunting, I looked up what was available through online booksellers of rare and used books. And there it was on eBay. Among listings for the price as high as $380 was a copy containing 3 volumes of Rev. Parkman’s diary for $4. Really, I kid you not. For the total price of about $8 with shipping, I received in the mail today the most valuable resource imagined for this particular research project.
And the surprises just kept on coming. I opened up to a random page, only to find Rev. Parkman visiting with Hezekiah Howe, one of the unidentified burials I found last week. Hezekiah was alive and well, waiting to tell us his story. On the same page was a funeral and conversations about 3 children recently buried in the northern “side of town” as well. Time to clean my new glasses and get reading from page 1.
LESSON LEARNED: A book reseller in Arizona has absolutely no clue about the historical value of a first-person account of early colonial life in Massachusetts. In other words, the significance of an eyewitness reporting events as they happenis absolutely huge. And I have the genealogical equivalent of gold sitting right here on my desk.
Source
Parkman, Ebenezer. The Diary of Ebenezer Parkman (1703-1782): First Part, Three Volumes in One (1719-1755). Edited by Francis G. Walett. Worcester: American Antiquarian Society, 1974.
- Published on
I have lived in the central Massachusetts town of Northborough for almost 18 years. Now I grew up learning about New England and early colonial history in school, but it wasn't until I became a New Englander myself that I found the stories behind the books and movies was more interesting.
Before becoming a genealogist, I was just another town resident living and raising a family. Having driven down Brigham Street many, many times over the years, I had never had the opportunity to see the street for the country road it is (and very old one at that). That is, until I decided to take up jogging and headed out to enjoy nice spring day.
At the end of Brigham Street, not far from the intersection with South Street/Route 135, I approached a conspicuously empty square lot in the middle of an otherwise residential neighborhood. The genealogist in me must have had good radar that day because I could make out the shapes of a few gravestones poking up from the grass at the back part of the lot. Curiosity got the better of me and I just HAD to go see who was buried there. What I found were three gravesites laid out close together and one set a short distance away. The stones dated back to the mid 1700's, placing them in a time smack in a time of history when the land was first being settled. I didn't know who they were, or what parts they played in our town's history, but I did feel sad that whoever they were, they seemed lost and forgetten.
The Northborough Historical Commission, as part of our local government, is committed to the preservation and proper documentation of historically important structures and landmarks in our town. One visit to their web pages can illustrate the depth of history found in places we pass by daily but with barely a notice. There is also plenty of opportunity for volunteer assistance on projects deemed valuable, including an inventory of those graves I found on Brigham Street. As I have already admitted, my curiousity and love of puzzle solving got the better of me and I have decided to research Who Is Buried in the Brigham Street Pre-Revolutionary Burial Ground?
My work in progress will be summarized on this blog. If you would like any additional details about my research or would like to add information, please feel free to do so. I am a firm believer that many people hold pieces of the puzzle and that all we have to do is spill them all out on one table to put it all together.
Before becoming a genealogist, I was just another town resident living and raising a family. Having driven down Brigham Street many, many times over the years, I had never had the opportunity to see the street for the country road it is (and very old one at that). That is, until I decided to take up jogging and headed out to enjoy nice spring day.
At the end of Brigham Street, not far from the intersection with South Street/Route 135, I approached a conspicuously empty square lot in the middle of an otherwise residential neighborhood. The genealogist in me must have had good radar that day because I could make out the shapes of a few gravestones poking up from the grass at the back part of the lot. Curiosity got the better of me and I just HAD to go see who was buried there. What I found were three gravesites laid out close together and one set a short distance away. The stones dated back to the mid 1700's, placing them in a time smack in a time of history when the land was first being settled. I didn't know who they were, or what parts they played in our town's history, but I did feel sad that whoever they were, they seemed lost and forgetten.
The Northborough Historical Commission, as part of our local government, is committed to the preservation and proper documentation of historically important structures and landmarks in our town. One visit to their web pages can illustrate the depth of history found in places we pass by daily but with barely a notice. There is also plenty of opportunity for volunteer assistance on projects deemed valuable, including an inventory of those graves I found on Brigham Street. As I have already admitted, my curiousity and love of puzzle solving got the better of me and I have decided to research Who Is Buried in the Brigham Street Pre-Revolutionary Burial Ground?
My work in progress will be summarized on this blog. If you would like any additional details about my research or would like to add information, please feel free to do so. I am a firm believer that many people hold pieces of the puzzle and that all we have to do is spill them all out on one table to put it all together.
- Published on
Last week, I visited the archives of the Northborough Historical Society. Who know such treasure existed? NHS curator Ellen Racine was kind enough to give me access to the records compiled for the Old Burial Ground, which confirmed most of the information I had previously researched. The archive included a plot plan from about 1800 and the gravestone transcriptions of the 4 stones that are still visible today. [see p. 238 of Northborough History below.]
BIG CLUE:
A transcription typed on onion skin with a real typewriter.
Tucked unobtrusively and anonymously into the last file of the records box was my first BIG CLUE. The note referenced a diary entry made in 1779 by the minister of the Westborough church noted that Daniel Howe had died the night before and was to be buried at the Brigham Street burial ground with his parents, even though the cemetery was no longer used for burials. A gift from a smart historian from the pre-computer age that cannot ever be repaid! [see p. 133 of The Diary of Rev. Ebenezer Parkman below.]
That brings the magic number of burials from the already known 4 up to 7...and I've been pointed to the next step on the trail. A well-known reference for early colonial history is the journal of Reverend Ebenezer Parkman, dutifully documenting his tenure as pastor for the Town of Westborough during the mid-to-late 1700's. While some of the sections of the original journal are assumed to be lost, several have been either been published or are in the collection of the American Antiquarian Society (Worcester, MA). Glad I've got new glasses and a high resolution camera.
As research progresses, I plan to add a page to this site that summarizes the holdings of Massachusetts repositories. The goal is to create a handy reference page for New England area researchers to use in their own work.
Sources:
Kent, Josiah Coleman. Northborough History. Newton, Massachusetts: Garden City Press, 1921.
Parkman, Rev. Ebenezer. The Diary of Rev. Ebenezer Parkman, of Westborough, Mass.: For the Months of February, March, April, October and November, 1737. November and December of 1778, and the Years of 1779 and 1780. Edited by Harriette M. Forbes. Westborough, Massachusetts: Westborough Historical Society, 1899.
BIG CLUE:
A transcription typed on onion skin with a real typewriter.
Tucked unobtrusively and anonymously into the last file of the records box was my first BIG CLUE. The note referenced a diary entry made in 1779 by the minister of the Westborough church noted that Daniel Howe had died the night before and was to be buried at the Brigham Street burial ground with his parents, even though the cemetery was no longer used for burials. A gift from a smart historian from the pre-computer age that cannot ever be repaid! [see p. 133 of The Diary of Rev. Ebenezer Parkman below.]
That brings the magic number of burials from the already known 4 up to 7...and I've been pointed to the next step on the trail. A well-known reference for early colonial history is the journal of Reverend Ebenezer Parkman, dutifully documenting his tenure as pastor for the Town of Westborough during the mid-to-late 1700's. While some of the sections of the original journal are assumed to be lost, several have been either been published or are in the collection of the American Antiquarian Society (Worcester, MA). Glad I've got new glasses and a high resolution camera.
As research progresses, I plan to add a page to this site that summarizes the holdings of Massachusetts repositories. The goal is to create a handy reference page for New England area researchers to use in their own work.
Sources:
Kent, Josiah Coleman. Northborough History. Newton, Massachusetts: Garden City Press, 1921.
Parkman, Rev. Ebenezer. The Diary of Rev. Ebenezer Parkman, of Westborough, Mass.: For the Months of February, March, April, October and November, 1737. November and December of 1778, and the Years of 1779 and 1780. Edited by Harriette M. Forbes. Westborough, Massachusetts: Westborough Historical Society, 1899.
