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The collections available for research into this
period at the Berkshire Athenaeum include sources too numerous to list
comprehensively in this publication. The reader should view this article as
an outline of the types of materials he/she could expect to find in the
Library’s collections. Many of these records have been discussed at length
in previous issues of Archival Anecdotes,
which should be consulted for further information.
The collection development policy for the Local
History Collections of the Athenaeum guides the library’s choice in
selecting materials for addition to or retention in the collection. First
in priority is material relating to the history of Pittsfield, followed by
Berkshire County materials, other parts of Massachusetts, Eastern New York
State, Connecticut, Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.
A list outlining the most important materials
for pre-1800 research includes:
Pittsfield
Pittsfield Vital
Records (1761-1938). 14 microfilm reels reproducing the records of
the Pittsfield City Clerk.
The Town of
Pittsfield Original Papers. This collection of manuscript materials
covers the period 1759-1843 and includes town warrants and meetings, highway
surveys and accounts, town taxes, bills and assessments, school, church and
meeting house reports, military personnel from 1774-1813, pauper reports,
and other miscellaneous items. The records are available for use on
microfilm, and a 63 page guide aids the researcher in accessing pertinent
material.
Pittsfield Tax
Records - Series I (1761-1849 of the original tax records):
Microfilm.
William Williams
Collection: Collection of manuscript materials, relating
predominantly to the early history of western Massachusetts and the
settlement of Pittsfield, available for use on microfilm. Inclusive dates
1734-1869, with the bulk of the material in the 1740s-1780s.
The History of
Pittsfield, Volume I, 1734-1800 by J.E.A. Smith.
Berkshire County
Collections Unique to the Berkshire Athenaeum
Rollin H. Cooke
Collection – 66 volumes: Primarily church and cemetery records of
Berkshire County and bordering towns in New York, Connecticut and Vermont,
transcribed in the late 1800s by Rollin H. Cooke. Typescripts created in the
1930s by the WPA. Master Index produced by the BFHA in the 1980s.
Berkshire
Collection (unique as a collection) – 70 volumes: Church, Cemetery
and Vital Records of Berkshire County towns with a Master Index created by
the BFHA.
Browne
Collection – 9 reels of microfilm: Materials collected by William
Bradford Browne primarily concerning families of Northern Berkshire County.
Shepard
Collection – circa 50,000 3 x 5 cards resulting from thirty-five
years of research into Berkshire County families conducted by Williams
College mathematics professor Elmer I. Shepard. No full index exists, but
the BFHA has created a “heads of family” index.
Knurow
Collection – 51 volumes (currently available): Wide-ranging scrapbook
style manuscript collection, compiled by Berkshire County District Game
Warden and Conservation Officer Edward R. Knurow over a period of thirty
years. Master Index created by the BFHA. This collection is currently the
subject of a digitization and preservation grant which will result in the
inclusion of ten to twelve volumes of new material and the availability of
the entire collection on the Local History computers. Project completion is
anticipated in the fall of 2005.
BFHA & Beyond
Berkshires Data-Bases: A computerized index comprising a master name
index to over 400 volumes indexed by the BFHA over the past 20 years.
Shays Rebellion
Papers: Collection of manuscript
materials relating to Shays Rebellion (1786-1787), available for use on
microfilm.
Other Berkshire County Sources
Histories
of Berkshire County Towns and of the county as a whole;
Berkshire County Gazetteer;
town reports;
town records on microfilm; early maps
of some towns.
Berkshire County
Court of Common Pleas Records, dating from 1761-1859, on forty-eight
microfilm reels. The WPA created a name index to the first seventy-five
volumes of the series (1761-1854), in the 1930s, which is filmed and
included on reels 47 and 48.
Berkshire County
Probate Records (microfilm). Records begin in 1761.
Massachusetts
Vital Records
- Official Series to 1850 (books & microfiche)
Miscellaneous
Vital Record books published after the official series
Holbrook
Microfiche of many towns’ vital records (dates vary by town)
State, County &
Town Histories
Massachusetts
Soldiers & Sailors in the Revolution
Massachusetts
DAR Genealogical Records – 39 microfilm reels w/ guide
Dwight
Collection – 6 microfilm reels with guide: Collection of Richard
Henry Winslow Dwight (1859-1920) “Records the lives & times of the early
settlers of Western Mass.”
Corbin
Collection – 55 microfilm reels with guide: Primarily Central &
Western Massachusetts Church, Vital, Cemetery, Bible and Family records
assembled by Walter E. and Lottie S. Corbin between 1932 and 1960.
Quabbin Cemetery
Records
Mayflower
Families; Mayflower Descendant & other Mayflower materials
1771
Massachusetts Tax Evaluation List (functions as a list of property
owners for some towns in Massachusetts in that year)
1798
Massachusetts & Maine Direct Tax Census
Massachusetts.
Records of the
Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England, 5
volumes in 6. 1853-1854. Records cover the years 1628-1686.
New Plymouth
Colony. Records
of the Colony of New Plymouth in New England.
12 volumes in 9. 1855-1861. Covers the period 1633-1692. [Note: see the
article on court records in the Athenaeum’s collection in vol. 9 # 2 of
Archival Anecdotes for other sources of early records of this type.]
New York State
Approximately
220 volumes of miscellaneous published vital and cemetery records
including the Palatine Transcripts. The Athenaeum actively adds to this
collection as other materials become available.
State, County &
Town Histories
Documentary History of
the State of New York by E. B. O’Callaghan. 4 volume set. Covers
early New York history, circa 1600-1775. Full name index by the BFHA.
Settlers of the Beekman
Patent, Dutchess County, New York
by Frank J. Doherty.
Vosburgh
Collection: New York State Protestant Church Records transcribed by
Royden W. Vosburgh between 1913 and 1920. A guide created in 1995 by Michael
Marrone at the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society helps the
researcher to utilize this material. 13 microfilm reels.
Connecticut
Barbour
Collection of vital records to circa 1850 (microfilm)
Hale Collection:
cemetery inscriptions from over 2000 cemeteries; marriage and death notices
from newspapers 1750-1865. A detailed guide is available for assistance in
using this microfilm collection.
Miscellaneous
published vital record books for various towns
State, County &
Town Histories
Vermont
Official Vital
Records 1761-1908 from the statewide records at Montpelier
(microfilm)
Approximately 40 volumes of
miscellaneous published vital records.
The Athenaeum actively adds to this collection as other materials become
available.
State, County &
Town Histories
Vermont Warnings Out
by Alden M. Rollins
Vermont Families in 1791
edited by Scott A. Bartley
The Vermont Historical
Gazetteer edited by Abby Maria
Hemenway, 5 volumes
Maine
Approximately 60 volumes of
miscellaneous published vital records.
The Athenaeum actively adds to this collection as other materials become
available.
State, County &
Town Histories
Rhode Island
Arnold Vital
Records Series and supplements published by Beaman
State, County
and Town Histories
New Hampshire
Approximately 30 volumes of
miscellaneous published vital records.
The Athenaeum actively adds to this collection as other materials become
available.
State, County
and Town Histories
Miscellaneous Records
Compilations of
genealogies for all the New England States and New York. Many have
full name indexes produced by the BFHA.
Hundreds of volumes of
published genealogies
American
Genealogical Biographical Index
Large collection of
Canadian Parish Registers, and other
material for French Canadian research such as
Jette,
Tanguay and the Loiselle marriage index
Newspapers on
microfilm
Periodical
Sources such as those published by the New England Historic
Genealogical Society, the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society and
others.
In Summary
The discussion here of colonial and early
federal period records in the collections at the Berkshire Athenaeum is by
no means comprehensive. The volumes and categories listed provide an
indication of the types of materials available, most of which can be located
via the electronic card catalog by conducting keyword searches. Searching by
specific localities or topics will result in the location of other
materials. Many other indexes and abstractions of records have been created
and published. Library staff in the Local History Department are always
available to help you locate records applicable to your particular research
problem.
Also, as always, keep in mind that through the
LDS microfilm-ordering program,
records from around the country and around the world can be delivered to the
Athenaeum for your use, without the expense of traveling! |
