Marion, Plymouth County, Massachusetts Genealogy
This is a historical and genealogical guide to the town of Marion. You will find help with town histories, vital records, city directories, cemetery records and cemeteries, churches, town records, newspapers, maps, and libraries.
Contents
Town Clerk[edit | edit source]
2 Spring Street
Marion, MA 02738
Phone: 508-748-3502
Fax: 508-748-3534
Email: mbissonnette@marionma.gov
Website
Brief History[edit | edit source]
Hanson was the west parish of Pembroke and thus the area was Plymouth Colony in the beginning. The area was placed in Plymouth County when counties were formed in 1685. For a brief time, the area was part of the Dominion of New England from 1686 to 1689. The area is still in Plymouth County, though was in limbo, until the "Colony" was merged with Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691 that became the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. When incorporated, the town was part of Plymouth County where it remains.
Historical Data[edit | edit source]
The basic data is from the "Historical Data" publication series[1] with additions from various sources.
Village or section names include Bird Island, East Marion, Gifford's Corner, Great Hill, Great Neck, Hamlin's Corner, North Marion, Old Landing, Silver Shell, Sippican, and Sprague's Cove.
| Dates | Events |
|---|---|
| 14 May 1852 | Incorporated as a town from the 4th or South Parish of Rochester (that included the First Church of Rochester). |
| 8 Apr. 1853 | Border between Marion and Rochester established. |
| 18 Feb. 1859 | Border between Marion and Wareham established. |
| 13 Feb. 1866 | Border between Marion and Wareham established. |
| 23 Apr. 1897 | Border between Marion and Wareham established. |
| 1 Mar. 1909 | Border between Marion and Wareham established. |
| 12 June 1939 | Border between Marion and Wareham established. |
Town Histories[edit | edit source]
Works written on the town include:
- Mattapoisett and Old Rochester, Massachusetts: being a History of these Towns and also in part of Marion and a portion of Wareham ([Mattapoisett, Mass.], 3rd ed., 1950), 426 pp.
Digital versions of the 1907 edition at Internet Archive and Google Books
WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974.482 H2m (1907 ed. only); FHL fiche 6081392 (1907 ed. only). - Marion Wikipedia page.
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
The town's vital records are available in many locations:
- Marion Town Clerk's Office
2 Spring Street
Marion MA 02738
Phone 508-748-3502 - Microfilm of the originals created by the Family History Library, 1852-1905, FHL film 2047769.
- Microfiche of the originals created by Archive Publishing covering vital records, 1852-1910, on 27 fiche. Part of Massachusetts, Town Vital Collections, 1620–1988 at Ancestry ($); Index
- Official state copy of vital records starting in 1841:
Massachusetts Archives
220 Morrissey Blvd.
Boston MA 02125
Phone 617-727-2816
Email archives@sec.state.ma.us
Hours and Directions
See the online guide for more information.
There are no published vital records for Marion.
City Directories[edit | edit source]
Marion was published in 1903/4, 1907, 1909, 1910/1, 1916, 1919, 1924/5, 1926, 1928-1929, 1934.
The Library of Congress (Washington, D.C.) has one of the largest collections of city directories in the country. They are likely to own most of the years listed above. Their collection is in microfiche, microfilm, and books, but there is no online inventory of their holdings except for microfilm. See their guide online.
Other holdings:
- Ancestry ($) has none.
- Boston Public Library has 1909-1934.
- Family History Library (Salt Lake City) has 1903/4, 1907, 1910/1, 1916, 1919, 1924/5, 1928-1929 on FHL various film records.
- fold3 ($) has none.
- Massachusetts State Library has 1903/4, 1907, 1910/1, 1916, 1919, 1926.
- New England Historic Genealogical Society (Boston) ($) has 1907, 1910-1911, 1916, 1919, 1928-1929.
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
The following is a list of cemeteries in present-day Marion. For location of cemeteries, see PlymouthColony website. For more details regarding these cemeteries, see the state guide under cemeteries for books on the subject.
- Blankenship Cemetery, n.d. (A, C)
- Evergreen Cemetery, n.d. (D)
- Handy's Corner Cemetery, 1797. (B)
- Happy Alley / Quaker Cemetery, n.d. (A, D)
- Little Neck Cemetery, 18th century. (A, B, D)
- Marion Cemetery, 18th century. (B)
- North Marion Cemetery, n.d.
- Old Landing Cemetery, n.d. (A, D)
Abstracts of the cemeteries above are marked and keyed to:
(A). New England Historic Genealogical Society Manuscripts Dept.
(B). Charles M. Thatcher, Old Cemeteries of Southeastern Massachusetts (Middleborough, Mass., 1995). WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974.4 V3.
(C). Daughters of the American Revolution GRC v. 48.
(D). Vital Records of Rochester, Massachusetts to the Year 1850 (Boston, 1914).
Churches[edit | edit source]
The following is a list of churches established in town in order of organization date (if known) and condition of records in the 1889 survey if listed.
- Congregational Church [now First Congregational Church of Marion, 1703, records good.
- Universalist Church, 1828, records good.
- Methodist Episcopal Church, 1866, records good.
- Methodist Protestant church, n.d., extinct by 1889 and records unknown [perhaps the church below].
- St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church, 1874.
- St. Rita's Rectory, n.d.
- Community Baptist Church of Marion, 1992.
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
- Marion Sentinel, 1984-present.
Libraries and Historical Societies[edit | edit source]
The following is a list of research facilities in town:
Elizabeth Taber Library
8 Spring Street
Marion MA 02738
Phone 508-748-1252
Sippican Historical Society
139 Front Street
Box 541
Marion MA 02738
508-748-1116
Email info@sippicanhistoricalsociety.org
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ William Francis Galvin, Historical Data Relating to Counties, Cities and Towns in Massachusetts (Boston, new ed., 1997), 72. WorldCat (Other Libraries); FHL book 974.4 H2h 1997
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