Digging for the Records of the old Dedham Jail

 

I have seen the records for Charlestown Prison, Charles Street Jail (Boston), and Deer Island Prison (Boston). But you think I could lay my hands on the inmate registers for Norfolk County from the early 19th century.  In the Vital Records recently published for Dedham, Massachusetts there are a few pages of inmates ca. 1810.  If one of my hardworking colleagues has ever had the pleasure to page through these records let me know.  Working on an upcoming lecture on Prison records and would like to address the local population.  The U.S. Federal and State census list the inmates, but I seek the full listing from the start the first door swung shut.

An interesting history with some photos can be seen on the website for the Sheriff of Norfolk County.  Whose office is getting a call from me next week, perhaps they can tell me where the old Sheriff records are held!

Norfolk County gets its first Newspaper in 1796 

Read All About It!  

The first newspaper in Dedham, Massachusetts was The Minerva published Tuesday, October 11, 1796.  The paper was published by Nathaniel and Benjamin Beaton.   This was the first newspaper published in a town after the county was incorporated in 1793.  The Minerva would later be known as The Columbian Minerva which was published by Herman Mann from 1797 to 1804.

There have been a long run of successive newspapers for the county seat.  This includes the Norfolk Repository (1805-1814), The Dedham Gazette (1813-1819), The Village Register (1820-1829), The Norfolk County Republican (1829-1830), The Dedham Patriot later the Dedham Gazette started in publication in 1830.  In 1831 the newspaper known as the Independent Politician and Working Men's Advocate began production.  In 1832 it was renamed the Norfolk Advertiser and Independent Politician, and yet another name change reverted it back to the Norfolk Advertiser again.  The paper would eventually be renamed the Norfolk Democrat until its merger with the Dedham Gazette in 1854.  The current news for Dedham can easily be found online for readers of The Dedham Transcript.

Many fine Norfolk County newspapers can be searched at the Boston Public Library Microtext Department, as well as participating libraries with access to Early American Newspapers by Readex.

On microfilm at the Boston Public Library they have the following Dedham titles since 1796.

• The Minerva and Columbian Minerva - 1796-1804.
• Norfolk Repository - 1805-1809
• Dedham Gazette - 1813-1819, 1850-1870 
• Village Register - 1820-1825
• Norfolk County Republican - 1829-1830
• Neponset Valley Daily News - 1999-
• Norfolk County Gazette - 1870-1877, 1879-1898
• Dedham Transcript and Norfolk County Advertiser - 1870-1871
• Dedham Transcript - 1871-1973
• Daily Transcript - 1973-1999
• Dedham Standard - 1882-1890
• Dedham Times - 1993-

The New England Historic Genealogical Society offers as part of their membership access to Series 1 of the Early American Newspapers as a premium database.  This is a quick way to search any word in some of the above Dedham newspapers.  I used this subscription to locate early news for my hometown of Stoughton.  Since Stoughton did not introduce a newspaper until the early 1860's using the newspapers of neighboring communities assisted me greatly.  I use the method of examining the neighboring towns to find coverage for a when the community in Norfolk County I want did not have their own newspaper.

Wishing you Happy Reading !!

East Stoughton, Massachusetts - now Avon.  A stroll to the oldest surviving gravestones. A good colleague Marian Pierre-Louis (Genealogist and Blogger - follow her amazing website on New England gravestones The Symbolic Past) today asked me about the oldest gravestone in Avon.  I had to think about it, and go into my book manuscript for Stoughton.  So to answer her I thought I would share it with the rest of Norfolk County.  The oldest surviving gravestone for what was once East Stoughton (now Avon) is the small slate gravestone of an eleven year old girl.  She died the year Massachusetts fired the first shots of the American Revolutionary War.  Her name was Dorothy Littlefield.  The following is the inscription that I did, and so did Waldo Chamberlain Sprague a few decades before -

In Memory of / Dorothy, daugh^tr of / Mr. Nathel Litelfield / & Hannah his wife / who Died Sep^tr 1^st / 1775 in y^e 11^th / Year of her / Age.

Her gravestone is on Findagrave.com along with fifty other interments from the East Main Street Cemetery.I sent a note to the submitter that the stone is actually 1775 not 1773, you have a look.

The following other early gravestones can be seen in this cemetery that I transcribed.

In Memory of / John fon of Lieut / Moses Wales & / and Elifabeth his wife / he Died March 30 / 1776 aged 2 / years 10 months 11 days.

Here lies the body of Joseph Blancher died Sept. 25, 1777. [Visible in 1936 “Very thin slate stone loose and was still lying against front wall”].  This stone is missing or buried under the ground now.

In Memory of / Polly, daugh^r of / Mr. Nathaniel /  Hammond; & / Elisabeth his wife, /  She died March 12th / 1778 : Aged 4 / Months & 2 / Days.

In Memory of / Wales fon of M^r. / Nathaniel Hamond / & Elizabeth his / wife,  he Died Oct^r / 26^th 1780,  1, Year / 3 Months, &  22 / Days Old.

In Memory of / M^r Nathaniel Ham- / mond who died Feb. 13, / 1781 Aged 26 / Years & 10 Months / &  7 Days. / Ye thoughtless mortal hear my Gift / Attend into my [faded] / For You Before Grant Death just / & Lie as low I [faded]

In Memory of / Dorothy Daughter of M^r / William & M^rs Deborah Curtis / who died Augt. 2, 1781 in ye 14^th / year of her age.

In memory of / Mrs. Hannah wife of Mr. John Battles who died / June 6th 1784 / in her 55^th Year. 

In Memory of / Abigal Daughter of / M^r Enoch & M^rs / Rebekah Penniman, /  who died April 27^th / 1785 aged 1 day.

[In] Memory of / [Doroth]y Daughter of / [Mr.] Samuel & M^rs [broken] Littlefield  who / died March 30 1786 age / 2 yrs. /

In Memory of / John fon of M^r William & / M^rs Hannah Curtis who / died April 6, 1786 aged 1 / years & 4 months.

My way of getting the old news out before blogging.   One of the things I find rewarding are the history columns I have written over the years discussing the local happenings in communities around Norfolk and Bristol Counties.  Living in Stoughton I have written for about three Stoughton papers - Stoughton Journal (still active), Stoughton Chronicle, and Stoughton Patch now gone. Also for a little over a year I had a weekly column in the Stoughton Patch, however this was cut because of budget issues.  So how to expand my interest in local history and genealogy close to home.  That is why I have created this blog, and I hope that if you have any interesting stories - or local historical society news you will share it with me.  Okay a couple of you have joined the Norfolk County Massachusetts History and Genealogy group on Facebook.  It is a learning process for me so please come and visit and LIKE the community page. 

http://www.facebook.com/NorfolkCountyMassachusettsHistoryAndGenealogy


I am still trying to figure out how to edit the HTML code, to add "Like Us on Facebook".  My brilliant friend Heather McGinley will need to walk me through the steps as she has achieved this feat!!

Leap Year Babies in Randolph, Massachusetts in 1912.  
An interesting story of the two residents of Randolph, Mass. a century ago on the anniversary of the births!

Leap Year Babies in Randolph in 1912.  Miss Jennie May Lynch, one of the two persons born in this town on February 29 from 1844 to the present time observed her second birth day anniversary by entertaining a large number of young friends at the home of her parents on North Street. There were music games and refreshments.  Although 8 years old, this was her second birthday anniversary as she was born in town Feb. 29, 1904, being the second child of James and Julia E. (Cahill) Lynch.  Miss Mary Frances Barry, who is better known as Miss Moullie Barry, is the only other one having been born in Feb. 29.  Although she is 28 years old this was only her sixth birthday anniversary owing to their having been no leap year in 1900.  She was born in this town on Feb. 29, 1884, being a daughter of William C. and Mary (Meaney) Barry.  She resides with her mother on West Street and is employed in a shoe factory in Brockton.  Owing to illness in the family, there was no formal observance of the day.

Source: The Stoughton Sentinel, March 9, 1912, p. 4.

Do you have an ancestor who may only be 40 years old that lived in the 19th century?  Check your genealogy files and comment about any of your young ancestors!

Medfield, Massachusetts and its Own Daughter of Liberty - Miss Mercy Scollay.

The Medfield Historical Society will present a presentation titled, “Dr. Major General Joseph Warren and Medfield’s Own Daughter of Liberty – Miss Mercy Scollay.” This event will be at the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church at 26 North St., Medfield on March 5, 2012  at 7:30 pm.

The presenter is author Samuel Forman who recently published “Dr. Joseph Warren: The Boston Tea Party, Bunker Hill, and the Birth of American Liberty” His lecture will highlight the research about Medfield's important resident Mercy Scollay who was engaged to marry Joseph Warren who was killed at Bunker Hill.  Come learn more about this important resident from Medfield, Massachusetts Revolutionary Past.

Admission to the event is free and open to the public

The Origin of my Given Name has died - Rest in Peace DAVY JONES.

The origin of my given name has died today.  I was born in Norwood, Mass. and this ties into a sad headline for me personally. So sorry to hear the news that Davy Jones of the Monkees has passed away.  A true story of the origin of my first name. In 1969 my High School age sister put the name of "David" in a hat for babies names for her new sibling.  So I was named for Davy Jones - not a relative, not a neighbor but this now late member of the Monkees.  They always said we were descended from the Apes... so I can trully say that is my link.  In 1986 I attended the Monkees Concert down the Cape with my friend Gina Maraglia.  I had won tickets from WHTT Radio (remember that station?).  But my sister also got tickets so I was around between sets for the evening show as well.  And I met Davy Jones and got his autograph.  I said to him "I was named for you".  After he signed a couple more autographs he leaned over and asked me a question I will never forget "Am I your father?".  I smiled and said no but you were my sister's choice for my given name.  So today I say goodbye to the man where I got my firsl name from.

Davy Jones (1945-2012) Rest in Peace